Hoenn is a mess. That’s usually the first thing people say when they look back at the original Generation 3 games from 2002. There was too much water, the encounter rates were a nightmare, and the physical/special split hadn’t happened yet, making half your moveset useless. But then Pokémon Omega Ruby happened. It wasn't just a shiny coat of paint. It was a weird, ambitious, and slightly chaotic attempt to fix the past while dragging it into the 3D era of the Nintendo 3DS.
Honest truth? Most remakes play it safe. They give you better graphics and maybe a new menu. Game Freak went the other way. They added flying. Like, actual flying—not just a black screen transition. You could hop on a Mega Latios or Latias and literally soar over the map. It changed how the world felt. It made Hoenn feel like a place instead of just a grid.
The Problem with the "Too Much Water" Meme
We have to talk about it. IGN's famous review of Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire cited "too much water" as a negative, and the internet never let them live it down. But if you actually play the game today, you’ll realize they kind of had a point, even if the phrasing was clunky. Hoenn is roughly 40% ocean. In the original games, that meant thousands of Tentacool encounters.
In the remake, they tried to fix the fatigue. They sped up the Surfing speed. They gave us the DexNav. If you haven't used the DexNav, you’re missing the single best feature ever put into a Pokémon game. It let you creep up on specific Pokémon hiding in the grass or water. You could see their potential, their hidden abilities, and even rare moves before you started the fight. It turned the boring "grind" of the water routes into a targeted hunt. It gave players agency.
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Primal Reversion and the Power Creep
The meta changed forever in 2014. Before Pokémon Omega Ruby, Groudon was good, but it was always slightly overshadowed by Kyogre's rain. Then came Primal Reversion. This wasn't just Mega Evolution; it was a lore-heavy transformation that happened automatically.
Primal Groudon became a Fire/Ground type with an ability called Desolate Land. It evaporated all water moves. Think about that for a second. The one thing that should kill a ground behemoth—water—simply ceased to exist. It was broken. It was beautiful. For a solid two years in the VGC (Video Game Championships) competitive scene, you either ran a Primal or you lost. It was a polarizing time, but it made the legendary encounters feel actually legendary. They felt like gods capable of altering the planet's climate, which is exactly what the story promised.
The Delta Episode is the Gold Standard for Post-Game
Most Pokémon games just... end. You beat the champion, you catch a few extra critters, and that’s it. Pokémon Omega Ruby introduced the Delta Episode.
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This wasn't just a 20-minute fetch quest. It brought in Zinnia, a character with actual depth and a somewhat cynical view of the Pokémon world's "multiverse." It confirmed that there are different timelines—one where Mega Evolution exists and one where it doesn't. This meta-commentary explains why the original Game Boy Advance games and the 3DS remakes can both be "canon" at the same time. Plus, you get to ride a green dragon into space to fight a DNA alien. It’s peak Pokémon. It’s weird, high-stakes, and totally different from the gym-badge-gathering loop.
Why the Battle Frontier Absence Still Hurts
We have to be real here. The game isn't perfect. The biggest slap in the face to long-time fans was the "Battle Resort." In the original Pokémon Emerald, there was a massive facility called the Battle Frontier. It had different buildings with wild rules—like a tournament where you didn't control your Pokémon's moves.
In Pokémon Omega Ruby, there is a literal sign in the game that says "The Battle Frontier Project has started." It’s a construction site. It was a tease that never went anywhere. Junichi Masuda later explained in interviews that they felt modern players get bored easily and wouldn't want something so difficult. He was wrong. Fans still talk about this omission ten years later because it stripped away the hardcore endgame that made Hoenn so replayable.
Secret Bases: The Original Social Media
Long before we were sharing screenshots on Twitter or building islands in Animal Crossing, Pokémon Omega Ruby gave us Secret Bases.
Using QR codes, you could share your base with friends. They would appear in your world as NPCs. You could even turn your base into a "gym" for other players to challenge. I remember spending hours decorating a cave on Route 120, hiding it behind a long vine, and filling it with traps. It added a layer of personalization that modern titles like Sword and Shield or Scarlet and Violet have largely abandoned in favor of more sterile online menus.
The Visual Identity of Hoenn
The shift from sprites to 3D was a massive undertaking. Hoenn is a tropical region. It needs to feel lush. In the remake, the lighting on Mt. Chimney, the reflection of the clouds in the puddles of Route 120, and the underwater trenches of the Seafloor Cavern all look spectacular for hardware that came out in 2011.
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- Sootopolis City: It’s inside a crater. In 3D, the scale of the white rock walls against the deep blue water is breathtaking.
- Fortree City: The treehouses actually look like they are suspended in the canopy.
- Mauville City: They turned a small town into a giant indoor mall. Some hated it, but it made the world feel like it had progressed since 2002.
How to Play It Right Today
If you’re digging out your 3DS to jump back into Pokémon Omega Ruby, don't just rush the Elite Four. The game is built for the slow burn.
First, get the Eon Flute. Don't use Fly from the menu. Actually take to the sky. There are "Mirage Spots" that appear daily where you can catch almost every legendary from previous generations. It’s the easiest way to fill a National Pokédex without needing five different consoles.
Second, engage with the Contests. Most people skip them because they want to battle. But the "Contest Spectaculars" in this game are surprisingly deep. You get a special Pikachu with different costumes (Cosplay Pikachu) that can actually be used in battle with unique moves like Meteor Mash or Icicle Crash.
Third, use the "Area Nav." It’s a sub-menu that tracks which Pokémon you’ve caught on each route. It turns the game into a completionist's dream. When that little gold crown appears on a route, the hit of dopamine is real.
Is it Better than the Original?
Purists will say Emerald is the superior game because of the Battle Frontier. They have a point. But for the average person who wants to experience the Hoenn story, Pokémon Omega Ruby is the definitive version. It fixed the movepools. It added the Fairy type, which balanced the overpowered Dragon types of Gen 3. It gave us Mega Evolutions for the starters—Sceptile finally got the Dragon typing it deserved.
The game represents a specific era of Game Freak where they were willing to experiment with the formula before they moved to the "Open World" style of the Switch. It’s a bridge between the old-school difficulty and modern convenience. It’s not just a trip down memory lane; it’s a massive, seafaring adventure that still holds up.
Actionable Steps for Returning Players
- Check your 3DS Battery: These consoles are aging. If you haven't turned yours on in a year, charge it fully before a long session to avoid calibration issues.
- Download the Updates: The Nintendo eShop has changed, but you can still download game updates. Make sure you’re on the latest version to avoid save file corruption in Lumiose City (wait, that was X/Y, but keep your ORAS updated too).
- Transfer via Pokémon Bank: If you have rare mons in Pokémon Omega Ruby, get them into Bank and then Home soon. We don't know how much longer those servers will stay active.
- Try a "Nuzlocke" Lite: Since the game is a bit easier than the original, try playing without the Exp. Share turned on. It forces you to actually learn the type matchups again.
- Hunt for Mirage Islands: Set your system clock accurately and check the skies every day. Some of the best items and rarest encounters are time-locked to these random spawns.