Perfecting an already Perfect Game
The Presentation:
Alpha Sapphire uses the X and Y engine but feels nothing like it. Every area feels like the 16-bit originals with so much more life. Wingull now fly around around the map, that classic opening is now remade and has a physical location on route 103, it's all there. The Characters have all had redesigns for the better, and the Models for each pokemon look very clean.
Soundtrack:
The soundtrack of the Gameboy Advance Games sounded amazing, and all of them were remade for Alpha Sapphire, with many Remixes that fully improve upon the quality of the original games.
Gameplay:
This plays as your normal Pokemon RPG. Collect Pokemon, defeat the gym leaders, defeat crime bosses, it's your usual run of the mill pokemon game with some welcome additions. Just like Ruby and Sapphire, contests make a return with many more additons and a side story as you progress. It's a lot more fun and less RNG based. Secret bases make a return with a massive overhaul. Now, every time you streetpass someone, their secret base appears in your game, and yours in theirs. Pokemon Amie, and all the other features return from X and Y as an option for the bottom screen, but is hidden away and all the other features are much more useful. Such as a news channel, an option to find hidden pokemon that you need to sneak to get. (They'll have special moves sometimes) Finally, something that I love most was the addition of the Eon Flute. This lets you ride Latias above the Hoenn Reigon and it's truly beautiful.
Major Changes:
This game has a lot of improvements from both the GBA originals, and from the prior games in the generation (I.E X and Y). One of the most prominent improvements from X and Y would be an amazing use of the circle pad. Gone are the days of roller skates, as the ability to sneak was added. The Delta Episode was a major change from Ruby and Sapphire, as it's welcome post game content. Lastly, the EXP. Share was upgraded to allow all your Pokemon to gain more experience to prevent grinding, and make the game more accessible.
Verdict:
Pokemon Emerald was flawless in my eyes and I didn't know how to improve it. Alpha Sapphire showed me that one of my favourite games had room for improvement and both perfected the experience, and gave itself it's own identity that is a very welcome addition to the Pokemon Franchise.
Reviewed by: Elizabeth from Canada, Ontario on 10/25/2019
5 5