6th Gen Did you find OR/AS challenging?

[Sopheria]

So, one thing that's often been noted by long time fans is that the 6th gen games are less challenging than games previous. This is for various reasons, among them being the Exp Share, the new exp gain calculation formula, an overall easier level curve, the presence of Mega Evolution, and others which we may not even be aware of.

All in all, how challenging did you find Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire? If you've played other Pokemon games, how do you feel the difficulty of these games compares to others?

 

[Bounsweet]

Absolutely less challenging. I was able to beat my original run in less than a week and I used some Pokémon that aren't exactly powerhouses like Beautifly and Cosplay Pikachu, so...

 

[Nah]

ORAS wasn't hard really. But Pokemon games are never really difficult for the most part. And half of the "difficulty" came from mechanical issues where many Pokemon had crappy movepools and/or type+stat mismatches. The better leveling curve was so nice though. R/S, like the Johto games, had this awful leveling curve (there was often no good way/place to grind either) and I'm glad that was no longer a major issue in ORAS.

 

[Pendraflare]

Yeah, I can't say that the game really tested me at all. I had the right Pokémon for every major fight in my first game, and never used a single bag item in battle. The closest Gym Leader to being difficult was Norman, and only because one of his Slaking scored a critical hit on my Hariyama after I had used some Bulk Ups, and I had 4 HP left but still soloed him with that one. As for the league, Phoebe was a little annoying, and Steven I tried to use my entire team against, but that didn't quite work out as my Flygon missed against his Armaldo with Draco Meteor and then succumbed to his hit (I went in against him at 51/52). Not even doing a Wedlocke with no bag items in battle really amped things up, except maybe for Drake and the Delta Episode (the latter of which had the first important fight to cause a death, and the final battle with Zinnia was rather difficult too) - but again, I just had the right Pokémon for each situation.

I did do a Blue Mono-Color on Alpha Sapphire at the beginning of the year, and that admittedly had a few difficult fights - Norman and Winona, most notably. The former of which took well over 15 minutes to beat (although part of that was because I was typing out the log of the battle), and the latter was hard because I had little to use against Altaria once it had used Cotton Guard.

 

[Hikamaru]

Compared to the original games, I somehow found OR/AS less hard as far as challenge is concerned, but that's because at the time I played the original versions I was still a first-timer to playing Pokemon games compared to now when I'm much smarter and aware of stuff so I ended up breezing through faster, mainly due to Hoenn already being familiar to me as well.

Like Pendra, I also knew what Pokemon to use to counter stuff, and not a single Gym gave me trouble compared to the original games. Improved mechanics are also in play here, so expect them to make the experience much easier as well.

 

[DraconianWing]

The same as what everyone has said so far. Even with Exp. Share disabled I still managed to get through without any need for grinding or make any specific preparations for the Gym Leaders. I can relate to Hika in that I found the originals more difficult, and that it could be because I was new to Pokemon during that time too. It would have been really nice if the Gym Leaders had more Pokemon on their teams; for example, Norman is a pushover in this game due to only having three Pokemon that are below level 30, and the Tate/Liza duo can be defeated easily by spamming Surf.

 

[Caite-chan]

It took me less than 24 hours total to beat the game and I felt like I whipped right through it.

 

[esperance]

They were probably the easiest Pokémon games that I've played yet... The number of different moves Pokemon can learn these days combined with the Gym Leaders being somewhat easier than they were in the original games made building an effective team easy with any Pokemon that I managed to find, and I was able to defeat every trainer with no problems.

 

[SirBoglor]

I found these games to be one of the least challenging in the franchise in my opinion. Even Steven wasn't a big deal for me. Hopefully, the next games will prove to be more challenging, for both the early and end game experiences. I will say, however, that I found the Battle Maison to be very challenging and fun to compete in. Other than that, the games are a breeze.

 

[Drayton]

The original was bit more harder, but ORAS make it bit easier than it's original cousins regardless the mechanical changes it still EASY well not very ease in XY way.

 

[blotterbabyy]

I found both X/Y and ORAS to be significantly less challenging, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the games. I love the innovation that has come with the 6th gen games and the 3rd gen remakes. being a fan of since I was a child makes them satisfying and refreshing. the difficulty level is a bit disappointing, but nonetheless they are fantastic titles. Pokemon never disappoints!

 

[Loriania]

Sapphire was my very first Pokemon game, and Alpha Sapphire seemed easier in comparison. Especially when Latios decided to join my party. I will admit I flew around recruiting a few legendaries before Victory Road.

 

[whatzit66]

Most of what everyone has said here pretty much covers it; the 6th generation is far easier than previous generations. I think for the most part this is because GameFreak has really cut down on all the tedium that provides artificial difficulty in the older generations. Have to spend time grinding all your dudes? Not anymore, EXP share has you covered. Pokemon lacking access to good moves? Now that moves and move spreads have been improved Pokemon are much more capable and adaptable. Not to mention reusable TM's are a thing.
I ended up avoiding trainers throughout my ORAS run and found the game to be of reasonably difficult. But it feels weird to try to avoid gaining EXP. Sort of counter intuitive.

 

[Juliandroid98]

It was definitely more challenging than X/Y imo. But it was still pretty easy nonetheless.
I did do the no EXP share challenge though, so that ramped up the difficulty a fair bit.

 

[jasonthedrag0n]

With regards to the exp share, I don't find that made it easier, just less tedious, grinding away to level up and keep a balance is time consuming rather than difficult. That said, the over all game did seem much easier than I remember original Red, Yellow and Gold being.

 

[LyokoGirl5000]

I feel like ORAS is less difficult than the originals, but only through gameplay mechanics. The EXP Share makes the game much easier. That said, I found the originals to be tedious when it came to grinding especially around the second, fifth, and seventh gyms and then downright boring around the Elite 4. I think the majority of the difficulty the original games had were related to level grinding, so the EXP Share makes me feel like I'm playing the game the way it was meant to be played.

 

[Sun]

I don't find ORAS challenging that is because my team were EV trained beforehand. But Norman still proved to be a great challenge, I can imagine my team getting cleaned if my kids weren't trained. ;)

 

[magicalgirlj]

It was pretty easy. Though Steven was a little challenging because two of his Pokemon had the sturdy ability.

 

[esperance]

I don't find ORAS challenging that is because my team were EV trained beforehand. But Norman still proved to be a great challenge, I can imagine my team getting cleaned if my kids weren't trained. ;)

That's a good point you bring up -- it might not be a huge threat competitively, but Norman's Slaking is pretty tough to a team of level 30 Pokemon, because not only is it insanely powerful but it has pretty good defenses too.

 

[Sun]

That's a good point you bring up -- it might not be a huge threat competitively, but Norman's Slaking is pretty tough to a team of level 30 Pokemon, because not only is it insanely powerful but it has pretty good defenses too.

Let me add on: it's particularly terrible if your starter haven't reached their final evolutionary stage. Sceptile may suffer a lot too, compare to its other two starter peers. Due to the lack of Fighting-type move or the lack of bulk.