The Game Freak-developed and Nintendo-published Pokémon series wasn't the first video game series to feature a monster-collecting mechanic, that honor going to the Megami Tensei franchise and Dragon Quest V, although since neither saw release beyond Japan for a few console generations, Pokémon definitely deserves credit with popularizing capturing enemies to use them against others in combat outside the Land of the Rising Sun. Akin to Dragon Quest, furthermore, one tradition present in the Pokémon is sporadic remakes of prior generations of titles, among those being Sapphire and Ruby for the Game Boy Advance, remade as Alpha Sapphire and Pokémon Omega Ruby on the Nintendo 3DS.
As in most other entries of the series, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire begin with a protagonist the player names moving to a new town, invited to a local Pokémon lab to select one of three starter 'Mons, eventually getting tied up in a sinister plot by Team Magma before ultimately facing the Elite Four Poké Masters and the games' respective Champion. The narrative is pretty much garden-variety for the franchise, although there is okay backstory and blurbs for all captured Pokémon. The translation is definitely legible and doesn’t detract from the plot, aside from Nintendo of America’s habitual use of "OK" and the "titles" for opponent trainers preceding their names in combat obviously hinting at the franchise’s Japanese origin.
Omega Ruby 's gameplay is more or less similar to that in X and Y, with random encounters in tall-grassy areas, caves, and on water, opponent trainers perpetually seeking battle with the player’s character, gym badges raising the maximum level of loyalty for the protagonist's Pokémon and allowing the use of Hidden Moves to navigate the game world, and so on. Pokémon types and a roshambo formula where 'Mons are strong and/or weak against other elements continue to play into the overall gameplay strategy, and while there are conveniences such as not needing to actually use a monster for it to gain experience, the same issues present in prior games such as switching monsters wasting the player’s turn and possible inconsistent difficulty return. Regardless, those accustomed to the gameplay, provided they "git gud", will have a good time.
As has been the case with prior games in the series, Omega Ruby allows players to record their progress anywhere outside battle, with an in-game measure of playtime and some conveniences such as the in-game overworld map showing the facilities present in each visited town. However, some of the same issues present in previous installments return such as the slight clunkiness of the menus when performing things such as healing Pokémon and teaching/discarding their abilities, not to mention that lack of maps for dungeons and the need to hold a button to dash. All in all, interaction isn't perfect but could have certainly been better.
However, sound continues to remain a high point, with plenty of tracks whose intensities vary depending upon the mood or setting, alongside mostly-unique Pokémon cries, and the near-death alarm is still less annoying than in earlier entries, given it dings only a few times before stopping. There are a few silent areas, but otherwise, Omega Ruby is easy on the ears.
The visuals look nice as well, with an anime style present in previous games and all Pokémon containing nary a reskin, the human character sprites appearing good as well, and the environments appearing as one would expect. There is some pixilation and slowdown a few times, but otherwise, Omega Ruby is far from an eyesore.
Finally, the remake will last players around the same time as its precursors, neither too short or too long, with a possible ending playtime somewhere from twenty-four to forty-eight hours, the goal of catching all Pokémon naturally lending some lasting appeal, though one will most likely need to use a guide to achieve absolute completion.
On the whole, Pokémon Omega Ruby is a good but run-of-the-mill remake and entry of the series, continuing the franchise's trend of strategic gameplay, even if at times it comes across as unbalanced, the soundtrack continues to remain a high point, and the visuals look nice as well if somewhat unpolished at points. However, once a player has experienced one Pokémon game's narrative, they've pretty much experienced them all, but those solely interested in the gameplay experience will likely find something to celebrate, and the remake would continue to make the series more accessible to mainstream gamers, even if Game Freak is still stubborn about certain aspects in that particular department.
This review is based on a playthrough of a digital copy downloaded to the player’s Nintendo 3DS.
The Good:
The Bad:
The Bottom Line:
A competent Pokémon remake.
Score Breakdown:
Platform: Nintendo 3DS
Game Mechanics: 7.5/10
Controls: 6.5/10
Story: 5.0/10
Localization: 5.5/10
Music/Sound: 9.5/10
Graphics: 8.0/10
Lasting Appeal: 7.0/10
Difficulty: Inconsistent
Playing Time: 24-48 Hours