One can’t help but sense a feeling of deja vu about Pokémon, perhaps unsurprisingly given its sheer longevity. Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire have familiar gameplay: pick a Pokémon, build a team, train them, beat eight gym leaders, defeat some bad guys and become the ultimate champion. Yet beneath this structure is an RPG of surprising depth and charm that has kept Pokémon on top for almost two decades.
These titles are remakes of the 2003 Gameboy Advance games, Ruby and Sapphire, but by incorporating the features (including the delightful 3D visuals) from last year’s X and Y, they feel like new adventures. The biggest feature that’s migrated across is Mega Evolution, where gamers can temporarily super-power a Pokémon during a fight. This works once per battle, so adds a layer of strategy to the easy-to-use but hard-to-master mechanics. There are a handful of new touches, namely the ability to discover if you’ve caught all Pokémon in an area. And you can now creep up on rare creatures to fight them.
These are minor changes but, with a lack of great 3DS games out this year, these stand out as real gems.
