It’s been 11 years since the launch of the original Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire video games. The newest installments, Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire, have mega evolved (get it? hah.) from the original games.
The games follow similar storylines to the original games, taking players on a journey to collect, battle, and trade Pokémon, with new Mega Evolutions first seen in Pokémon X and Y to form the primal reversions of Groudon and Kyogre. Each game features different Legendary Pokémon, adversaries, goals, and challenges to make gameplay unique.
One of the most helpful additions to these new games is one of the new features on the touch screen—the DexNav. This device allows players to see which Pokémon they have caught in the area, and even shows the shadows of the Pokémon that still need to be caught. (It’s similar to the “Who’s That Pokémon?” from the TV show, which is super helpful until you think a shadow lurking in the game is a Ditto, but it turns out to be a Whimsure, but I digress…)
Other new features include the new sneak ability, which is executed by lightly tapping the circle pad in the direction you wish to sneak. It comes in handy when you come across a Wild Pokémon that pops up in the grass while you are walking. These Pokémon each have a unique ability or a unique move, and the only way to catch them is to sneak up on them. The DexNav comes in handy in this situation because it shows you the type of Pokémon you are sneaking up on, as well as the level that Pokémon is at.
Players can also take to the skies and explore the Hoenn region with the Soar feature. This allows players to fly high above the region and access new areas, and even find powerful legendary Pokémon from past games. They can also create their own Secret Base and fill it with items and decorations they’ve collected during their journeys. Players can connect over local wireless or through an in-game-generated QR code and share their Secret Bases.
Overall, the new Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire games provide hours of Pokémon fun. It will satisfy lovers of the original games, while still adding enough new content to keep it super interesting and to attract new Pokémon fans. With more than 700 Pokémon in the game, will you be able to catch them all?
