After Pokemon's transition to 3D in 2013, a topic that was likely on a lot of people's minds was the possibility of seeing their favorite region in 3D for the first time. Even though the 3D switch drew plenty of criticism to go along with its praise, the real test would be when a fully 3D environment (or, more accurately, a 2.5D environment) was rendered of a previous title. Only then would fans be able to see the true benefit of it, and indeed, get to see a region of yore in its full potential. And only 1 year after the release of X&Y, fans would get the opportunity to do so; announced May 2014, Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire would release later that year, as the 3rd in the series of Pokemon remakes, and the first one in 3D.

As with most mainline Pokemon games, the core gameplay here is nothing revolutionary; collect and evolve Pokemon, defeat the 8 gyms, save the world, and become Pokemon League champion. This is a loop that is generally pretty fun, albeit derivative, but that means that it's more important to discuss what unique aspects ORAS has to offer, compared to both Pokemon games in general, and the games it's based off of. Visually, it's a mixed bag. You might think that the implementation of 3D would allow for more vivid textures, locations, and animations, and you'd be mostly true, but some Pokemon animations-character animations in general-are sub standard to say the least. Pokemon has never excelled graphically, but ORAS was, in retrospect, definitely an indication that the series would probably never look as good as a series of its stature deserves to. That being said, the region of ORAS looks generally good, and that's mostly due to the design and layout of Hoenn in general.

"Too much water" memes aside, Hoenn is one of the most well-designed regions, if not the best. Hoenn was the first region where Game Freak really experimented with different locales, and as a result, there's a great degree of variety to terrains you'll encounter in ORAS. It's probably the region with the most biodiversity in the series, and the effect that has on the gameplay is twofold. One, the game feels significantly more like an adventure than previous titles; climbing volcanoes, braving harsh desert sands, and diving to the seafloor all help significantly with the sense of exploration that Pokemon is remembered for. Two, it prevents the game from getting too stale; with such an increased variety of locations to explore, the settings don't have time to get repetitive. Even the much-maligned sea routes that cover most of the southeast hide a good number of secret areas to explore. The Eon Flute is another brilliant addition, and probably the best addition to any Pokemon remake. Being able to fly over the whole map and getting a bird's-eye view of the whole region was a genius move, even more so due to the extra secret areas that can be found by doing so. Because of this, ORAS remains the Pokemon game that feels the most like an adventure.

Mechanically, the game is sound. Mega Evolution returns from X&Y with a few updates, which was the last truly great generational gimmick. The level curve is balanced, and there are a few nice QoL additions, such as Super Training and the Pokemon finder. The game is still quite easy, which can make certain parts of the game feel a bit like a slog. Level curves are decently balanced as well, but it has to be said that ORAS could have done with more early game variety in available Pokemon. The story is the same from RSE, which is to say, still utterly ridiculous, even for Pokemon standards. The addition of the Delta Episode is appreciated, but its length was too short to justify any kind of investment. (It did, however, include a neat final battle and a fantastic new battle theme in Zinnia.)

One of the most common complaints about ORAS, though, was its lack of the Battle Frontier, a feature in Pokemon Emerald. It seems obvious that a remake of a 12 year old game should be including all the content of the original, and which technically not a feature from RS, the lack of a Battle Frontier in ORAS is bizarre. Its absence is felt doubly so because, as mentioned previously, this is not a particularly difficult game, and so a challenge mode like that would have been much appreciated. Game Freak is no stranger to strange exclusions from its games, but many players were clearly disappointed by the Battle Frontier's lack of inclusion. There are other missing bits of content from Emerald as well, and while their exclusion is more minor, it's still disappointing. It feels like there's always some (seemingly obvious) fault holding back Pokemon titles, and ORAS is no exception, but that shouldn't take away from what this game offers. There's a good amount of things to like about Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, and misgivings aside, they serve relatively faithful remakes, and the best way to experience Pokemon's best region.