Hoenn is a mess. It is a giant, humid, water-logged mess, and that is exactly why we love it. When Nintendo dropped Alpha Sapphire Omega Ruby back in 2014, they weren't just slapping a fresh coat of paint on a Game Boy Advance classic. They were trying to fix a legacy.
You remember the 2000s. You remember the "too much water" memes.
But honestly? Those games defined a specific era of ambition for Game Freak. These 3DS remakes took that ambition and pushed it into overdrive. If you go back and play them today, you'll realize they did things that modern titles like Scarlet and Violet seem to have forgotten how to do. It’s about the soul of the region.
The Soaring Mechanic Was a Game Changer
I'm not talking about Fly. Fly is a menu shortcut. It’s boring.
In Alpha Sapphire Omega Ruby, we got the Eon Flute. You use it, and suddenly you are literally riding Mega Latios or Latias through the clouds in real-time. This wasn't just a gimmick to show off the 3DS hardware. It changed how the Hoenn map felt. You could see the entire triangular shape of the region beneath you, spotting Mirage Spots that only appeared under certain conditions.
Most Pokémon games feel like a series of interconnected hallways. Hoenn felt like a world.
Being able to land on a tiny patch of grass in the middle of the ocean—without a loading screen—was peak immersion. It made the hunt for legendaries feel like an actual discovery rather than a scripted encounter. It gave us a verticality that the original Ruby and Sapphire could only hint at with the Mach Bike ramps.
Primal Reversion vs. Mega Evolution
Let’s get technical for a second.
The competitive scene changed forever when Groudon and Kyogre got their Primal forms. These weren't just standard Mega Evolutions. They were "Primal Reversions." The difference? You didn't waste your one-per-battle Mega slot on them. You could have Primal Groudon and a Mega Salamence on the same team.
It was broken. It was chaotic. It was brilliant.
Desolate Land and Primordial Sea basically deleted entire types from the game. If Primal Groudon was on the field, Water-type moves—the thing Groudon is most afraid of—just... evaporated. They didn't work. It forced players to rethink everything about weather wars. Even today, the VGC (Video Game Championships) history books look at the 2016 "Primal Era" as one of the most polarizing and high-stakes periods in the franchise's history.
Kyogre’s Origin Pulse and Groudon’s Precipice Blades weren't just strong; they looked terrifying. The scale was right.
The Delta Episode: A New Standard for Post-Game
Most Pokémon remakes just end. You beat the Elite Four, you catch the box legendary, and you’re done. Maybe you get a Battle Tower if you're lucky.
Alpha Sapphire Omega Ruby gave us the Delta Episode.
This wasn't some minor DLC. It was a full-blown narrative arc involving a meteor, a mysterious Draconid woman named Zinnia, and a trip into actual outer space. We got to see Deoxys—a Pokémon that was previously an elusive, event-only mythic—and fight it on the back of a Mega Rayquaza.
It felt cinematic. Zinnia’s theme is still arguably the best track in the 3DS library. It added a layer of lore about "alternate timelines" that suggested the original GBA games existed in a universe without Mega Evolution, while the remakes existed in one where the ultimate weapon from Pokémon X and Y had been fired. It was meta-commentary on the franchise itself.
Secret Bases and the Social Element
Socializing in Pokémon is usually just trading or battling. But the Super Secret Bases in these remakes were a precursor to the "housing" systems people beg for in modern RPGs.
You could find a hole in a tree or a crack in a cliffside and make it yours. Using the QR code system, you could share your base with friends. They would appear in your game as "Secret Pals." You could even turn your base into a literal gym, complete with your own rules and trainers.
I spent more time decorating my base with plushies and traps than I did finishing the Pokédex. It gave the routes personality. You weren't just passing through Route 120; you were visiting your friend’s base to see if they’d finally found that rare Charizard poster.
The "Too Much Water" Controversy
We have to talk about it. IGN's famous review line.
"Too much water."
Looking back, it’s a misunderstood criticism. The water routes in Hoenn are dense. They are full of Tentacool and Wingull encounters that trigger every three steps. But Alpha Sapphire Omega Ruby fixed the movement. Surfing was faster. Sharpedo literally moved at double speed in the water.
The water wasn't a barrier; it was the point. Hoenn is about the conflict between land and sea. If you take away the vastness of the ocean, you lose the scale of Team Aqua’s ambition. You lose the mystery of the Sealed Chamber and the Braille puzzles required to find the Regis.
The underwater sections, accessible via Dive, were hauntingly beautiful. The muffled music, the swaying seaweed, the hidden trenches—no other Pokémon game has captured that sense of "exploration into the unknown" quite as well.
DexNav: Why it Spoiled Us
If you want a specific Pokémon now, you usually just run around in circles in the "Overworld" until it spawns.
In Alpha Sapphire Omega Ruby, we had the DexNav. It was a little radar on your bottom screen. It told you exactly which Pokémon were available on a route and marked them off as you caught them. If you saw a tail wagging in the grass, you could "sneak" up on it.
The more you used it, the better the Pokémon became. You could find a Poochyena with Fire Fang or a Tailow with 3 perfect IVs just by being a dedicated tracker. It rewarded the player for staying in one area and actually learning the ecosystem. It's a feature that fans have been screaming for ever since it disappeared. It made "catching 'em all" feel like a professional job rather than a random grind.
Visual Glow-up and Mauville City
The jump from 2D sprites to 3D models was huge, but the architectural changes were bigger.
Mauville City went from a standard outdoor town to a massive, indoor multi-story shopping mall. Some people hated it because it felt claustrophobic, but it made Hoenn feel modern. It felt like a region that had grown up. The contrast between the high-tech Mauville and the literal treehouses of Fortree City highlighted the theme of nature versus technology.
Even the Contests got a facelift. Spectacular Talent Contests with Lisia gave you a reason to care about moves that weren't just "hit the opponent hard." Seeing your Pokémon Mega Evolve during the final appeal was a spectacle that the original hardware could never have dreamed of.
Why You Should Care Now
We are currently in a cycle of "nostalgia bait" gaming. But Alpha Sapphire Omega Ruby stands out because it didn't just play the hits. It expanded the world.
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It remains the most "complete" feeling remake Game Freak has ever produced. Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl were criticized for being too faithful—almost to a fault. They ignored the improvements made in Pokémon Platinum. ORAS, however, didn't ignore Emerald. While it didn't include the Battle Frontier (a major sore point for many), it incorporated the lore of the third version and added enough new content to justify its existence.
It’s a bridge between the old-school difficulty of the GBA era and the quality-of-life improvements of the modern era.
How to Get the Most Out of a Replay
If you’re digging your 3DS out of a drawer, don't just rush the gym leaders.
- Use the DexNav early. Don't wait until the end-game. Sneaking for hidden abilities makes the early-game much more interesting and gives you a team that feels unique.
- Turn off the Exp. Share. The game is notoriously easy if you keep it on. If you want that classic Hoenn challenge where Winona’s Altaria actually scares you, keep the experience gains limited to the Pokémon that actually fight.
- Actually read the Braille. Don't just look up a guide for the Regi trio. There is something deeply satisfying about deciphering the messages in the Sealed Chamber the way kids did in 2003.
- Talk to the NPCs in Mauville Hills. There are some surprisingly dark and human stories hidden in the apartment complexes of Mauville City that you’ll totally miss if you’re just sprinting to the next badge.
Hoenn is still the best region because it's the most adventurous. It’s got volcanoes, treehouses, underwater caves, and space stations. Alpha Sapphire Omega Ruby didn't just recreate that; it validated why we fell in love with it in the first place.
Whether you're Team Magma or Team Aqua, the reality is that these games represent a high-water mark for what a remake can be. They took a beloved, flawed masterpiece and made it grand. Go back and fly through the clouds one more time. You'll see what I mean.