A return to Hoenn, its vast waters and the urge to vanish into it for a long while.

On gut feeling, Pokémon Alpha Sapphire lands squarely in the middle, ahead of about half of games. But the detail tells a sharper story. Desert island explodes to the very top, ahead of 99% of titles, on few votes so to confirm, yet the idea fits: it's the game you take to never run dry. Fun follows, ahead of 94% of games, the soundtrack ahead of 82%, rediscovery ahead of 74%. The flip side: connection falls low, ahead of 15% of titles, and art direction too, ahead of 19%. Gameplay stays average. The tension is there: an ideal desert-island companion, yet one that touches the heart less than you'd expect from a Pokémon.

Against other RPGs and the series' own entries, it's a generous remake, built for exploration and longevity, without reinventing the formula or its slightly tame visual style.

So who's it for? For you if you want a bottomless well of content, an adventure to settle into for dozens of hours. Much less if you chase the great aesthetic thrill or a gut-deep attachment.