For the first time in 11 years, Pokémon trainers can return to the Hoenn region in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire for the Nintendo 3DS, released Nov. 21.

Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are upgraded versions of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, originally released for the Game Boy Advance in 2003.

Like all other Pokémon games, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire stick to the tried and true formula of turn-based battle gameplay to level up Pokémon and become the strongest trainer in the region. On their way to become the Hoenn region Champion by defeating the region’s eight gym leaders, players will come face-to-face with two evil teams, Team Aqua and Team Magma, and be required to stop their evil plans.

The games do not merely update the graphics and music from the Ruby and Sapphire versions, but also offer a more in-depth experience with a smattering of features borrowed from the last recent releases in the Pokémon franchise, Pokémon X and Y.

Features returning from X and Y are the Player Search System, which allows players to battle or trade with trainers worldwide, Pokémon Aime, a way for trainers to play games with their Pokémon, and Super Training, a mini-game based method for trainers to raise the stats of their pokémon.

Trainer customization was noticeably removed in these games from X and Y, which is reasonable because the trainers of the Hoenn region were established with canonical designs 11 years ago. However, the ability to dress up and change the appearance of the trainer avatar at will is a feature that enhanced the appeal of the Pokémon franchise, and will hopefully appear in the next installments.

The primary new feature in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire is a way for the player to sneak up on particularly rare Pokémon. While hunting through grass for wild Pokémon, a new app called “DexNav” will beep to alert the player that a rare Pokémon is hiding in the grass within the player’s vicinity. The rare Pokémon is shown in a rustling patch of grass, and the trainer can slowly creep up on the rare creature by moving the circle pad slightly, but not fully, off center. If the player moves too quickly, the rare Pokémon will disappear.

DexNav also shows the player what Pokémon can be caught in all areas of the game, a much needed implementation for those who want to catch ‘em all.

Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire also bring back Pokémon contests, a way for trainers to compete with computer-controlled players to determine the most “cool,” “tough,” “clever,” and “cute” Pokémon in the region through a talent competition contingent on a Pokémon’s known moves. Contests involve a decent amount of strategy in a Pokémon’s move set at higher level competition, and provide a fun distraction from the battles of the primary storyline.

The updated graphics are simply stunning for the 3DS’ graphical capabilities and make the adventure come to life with a multitude of bright colors, weather patterns, and water physics. Combined with the updated fully-orchestrated soundtrack, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire create an undeniably ambient world that can capture the imaginations of even its oldest players.

Use of 3D within Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire is only available during battles and cutscenes, and while watching the cutscenes in 3D is mildly amusing, the hindrances 3D causes during battles assured that I played the entire game without the 3D turned on. With 3D on in battle, the frame rate slowed significantly to the point that battles were more of a hassle than a visual delight. The game runs without any problems in 2D.

Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are both finely made games that precisely capture the nostalgia of the Hoenn region for veteran pokémon players, and are easily enjoyable for players who haven’t played Ruby or Sapphire.

Whether the games added enough new features to be a worthwhile buy for those who played Ruby or Sapphire is debateable, as the majority of the games’ features can also be accessed in X and Y.

But for those who do decide to buy the game, Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire provide a fleshed out 40-hour journey in an ambient region worthy of those who may think they’ve outgrown the iconic franchise.