Pokémon Omega Ruby has been my first foray into Game Freak’s series of enhanced remakes of classic Pokémon adventures, released as a stopgap between generations. Usually released after the third release of a generation, these remakes come just a year after X&Y, and before any hypothetical Z version.

These games have always been a testing ground for new features, but the enhancements to the original never seemed to be enough to tempt me to play again – Pokémon games are in their nature a massive time-sink. But Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire take full advantage of the 3D engine used in last year’s Pokémon X&Y, bringing you the most immersive remake to date.

For those unfamiliar with the originals, Ruby and Sapphire were the third generation of Pokémon games, released in Europe in 2003 for the Game Boy Advance. Like every other mainline Pokémon game, you start in your home village and travel around a vast land, in this case the coastal region of Hoenn, on a journey to “catch ‘em all” and become a Pokémon Master. Of course, along your way you will battle with a gang of treacherous villains, the fiery Team Magma in the Ruby version, or the swashbuckling Team Aqua in Sapphire. Each set of villains want to change the shape of the world forever using the powers of the legendary Pokémon Groudon and Kyogre.

These remakes follow the original story very closely, but the enhanced engine makes you feel so much more involved. Game Freak has done a wonderful job of creating a world that feels so alive compared to 2003. Walk along the beach and a flock of Wingull may swoop past. Scale around Mt. Pyre and the camera will move dynamically to give a wonderful view. No longer does it feel like you’re walking around a defined grid, instead you’re in a lively world full of Pokémon.

While most of Hoenn’s towns and cities remain in essentially the same layouts, the central Mauville City has had a complete overhaul to make it more like Kalos’ Lumiose City, with an array of boutiques lining the streets around a central courtyard. The likes of outfits for your character have disappeared from X and Y, but there are still plenty of things for you to spend your money on.

Most of the new features from X&Y return in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, including a whole load more mega evolutions. Mega stones are hidden all around Hoenn, and giving one to your monster will allow it to transform to an even more powerful form to defeat your foes in battle. Otherwise, battling feels the same as ever – but as they say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

Although the game sparingly uses the 3D function of the console in the over world, battles are presented in beautiful eye-popping 3D, with minimal slowdown. In terms of compatibility, these games can trade and battle with X&Y, with the exception of new mega-evolutions not available at the time of their release.

All of the lower screen apps from X&Y also come back, with Super Training, a way to boost your Pokémon’s stats, and Pokémon Amie, a virtual pet app that allows you to build up affection with your team to increase their performance in battle, becoming part of a larger system called PokéNav. While I was slightly disappointed that the mini-games available are directly ripped from the predecessor, the rest of the features definitely make up for it. Especially DexNav.

DexNav is a completely new feature, allowing you to detect Pokémon in the wild and find out some details about them before approaching them to battle. Once you get an alert, you can carefully creep up towards the silhouette of a monster rustling in the grass, and learn its name, level and first move. The more you use this feature, the more effective it will become, allowing you to find the Pokémon you really want for your team, and if you’re lucky, with a rare move usually only available via breeding.

Creeping by gently pushing on the circle pad also reduces the risk of startling other wild Pokémon, but move too quickly and your target will make a swift escape. It also shows you what Pokémon live in the area, and whether you’ve caught them all. This feature really puts the control of finding Pokémon in your hands.

Also making a welcome return from X&Y is Exp. Share, a tool that allows you to spread experience gained in battle across your party, meaning Pokémon that you may use more sparingly in your side do not get left behind. While some purists may believe this cheapens things, I find it a welcome feature, allowing me to raise a team that stayed pretty consistent from the start, instead of shifting deadweight for more powerful captures later. It does make the game a lot easier, but for those who just want to follow the story and beat the Elite Four, it’s a great addition. Those who want to traditionally raise each Pokémon separately are welcome to do so.

Some pretty revolutionary changes to travel have been made, most notably with the addition of Soaring. Unfortunately only available later in the game, it makes the usual task of flying from city to city obsolete. Instead, Latias or Latios will take you high above the clouds and allow you to control your travel around Hoenn from a third person perspective. You can even land on routes along the way, not just outside a town’s Pokémon Centre! Yes, it takes longer, but it is a truly wonderful addition to the series and I hope Game Freak introduce more ways to travel around the world of Pokémon in future instalments.

It would be nice if they removed the need for HMs completely – I hate having to have a Pokémon take a spot up in my team solely to use these moves – but ultimately they are part of the DNA, so unlikely to go very far.

Many have criticised the amount of water in Hoenn, and yes, you will be doing a lot of surfing as the game progresses. However, it is much improved from the original, with Pokémon traversing the ocean a lot quicker than before, and the ability to travel diagonally is a massive godsend!

My main criticism with the Omega Ruby version is that the game can feel very easy if you pick Mudkip as your starter, as it will be very strong against early bosses and will wipe the floor with Team Magma’s fiery Pokémon. If you want more of a challenge, pick one of the other starters, or conversely, pick the fire starter for Alpha Sapphire.

If you never played the originals, you may be asking what unique features did Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire bring to the table? Other than natures and double battles, which have become staple parts of the franchise, a couple of unique side quests play a big part in Hoenn.

Firstly, they introduced a feature called secret bases – small dens that you can create in hidden places around the land. These return, with a whole load of decorations and furniture for you to purchase. Think of it a bit like Animal Crossing in the Pokémon world. Friends can then visit via various means including StreetPass or by sharing QR codes, which will then allow you to battle your pals and boost your Pokémon’s stats.

Secondly, several towns and cities around Hoenn are home to Contest Halls – a place to show off how cool, tough or beautiful your Pokémon is by showing off its moves in front of an audience. Using the right moves to impress the crowd at the right time will help you become a contest champion. While I was never a fan of this feature in the original, it’s a fun little distraction that doesn’t detract from the main quest. Entering these contests also allows you to acquire a special Pokémon – Cosplay Pikachu, who gains a special move depending on what costume he wears. I can’t help but have him in my team!

The pacing of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire is just brilliant, with the journey never feeling like a chore. Several tweaks have been made to make the adventure run even more smoothly. At several points in the story, a character will tell you that you need to visit another city. Instead of leaving you to make your own way there, you will simply teleport there in order to keep the story moving swiftly – I was quite shocked at one point to be taken straight from Gym four to gym five without having to traverse half way back across the land. It almost makes you feel like you’re living out an episode of the anime rather than slogging through an RPG! You can refuse to quick travel in these instances, but this kind of streamlining will be welcome for younger gamers and those new to the series.

Like any mainline Pokémon game, the amount of content on offer is insane. While you may get through the main story and beat the Elite Four in around 20 to 25 hours, there is an impressive amount of post-game content, even if the competitive side of things isn’t your thing. Game Freak isn’t a large development team, so for them to turn around a game so full of content so quickly is impressive. This isn’t just a simple port; it’s a full-blown remake that improves on both the original Ruby and Sapphire and last year’s X&Y.

The online features also continue to put the rest of Nintendo’s online to shame, with a wealth of options available through the Player Search System on the lower screen. Through this, you will be able to battle friends over the Internet or locally, access the Global Trade System or even Wonder Trade – where you offer up a random Pokémon for another random Pokémon in return. While I haven’t been able to test these features, it is expected they will handle exactly the same as in X&Y.

Ultimately, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire present a wonderful new view of Hoenn, bringing both new adventure and a great feeling of nostalgia to those who experienced the originals 11 years ago. They really do put a fresh new spin on old content, and improve on last year’s X&Y in many ways. Despite the 3DS’ limited power, somehow Game Freak has created a crisp, beautiful game with the addictive Pokémon gameplay that is loved the world over.