Cover and Content Changes Made to Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Official National Pokédex

Details for the upcoming book Pokémon Omega Ruby & Pokémon Alpha Sapphire: The Official National Pokédex were revised on retailer listings ahead of its release. The changes included new cover art, a slightly reduced page count, and additional information clarifying the guide’s contents.

A New Look Featuring Mega Rayquaza

The most significant change was the book’s cover art. An earlier version of the cover showcased the two main Legendary Pokémon from the games, Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre, in dynamic poses. While fitting for the titles, this design was replaced with a new composition that gives the central focus to Mega Rayquaza, with Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre positioned on either side.

This updated artwork more accurately reflects the complete story of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. Mega Rayquaza is the star of the Delta Episode, a substantial post-game chapter that expands on the lore of the Hoenn region and the origins of Mega Evolution. By placing the Sky High Pokémon in the middle, the new cover acknowledges its critical role in the narrative, appealing to players who had completed the main story and were exploring the extensive endgame content. The change provided a more comprehensive preview of the adventure detailed within the guide.

Revised Content and Page Count

Minor adjustments were also made to the book’s physical specifications and content description. The total length was updated from a previously listed 608 pages to a final count of 592 pages. Such small reductions are common in publishing and often result from final formatting and layout optimizations during the pre-production phase.

More interestingly, a new bullet point was added to the product description, promising that the guide would include details on how to find the games’ “special pocket monsters.” This was a key feature for players, as Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire made an unprecedented number of Legendary and Mythical Pokémon available in a single title. Through mechanics like the Eon Flute and Mirage Spots, trainers could encounter and capture dozens of powerful Pokémon from previous generations, including the lake trio from Sinnoh and the swords of justice from Unova. This new description confirmed the guide would serve as a crucial resource for locating them all.

A Comprehensive Guide for Hoenn and Beyond

Beyond the updates, the core offerings of the National Pokédex remained as comprehensive as expected. The guide was confirmed to contain detailed data on more than 700 Pokémon, covering every species known through the sixth generation. For each entry, trainers could find essential information such as abilities, evolution methods, learnable moves, base stats, and in-game locations.

For completionists, the book provided a full directory of all TMs, HMs, and Mega Stones. Locating every Mega Stone was a significant undertaking, especially with the large number of new Mega Evolutions introduced in the Hoenn remakes, such as Mega Sceptile, Mega Swampert, and Mega Metagross. The guide served as an indispensable checklist for collecting these powerful items. To round out the package, the book also contained exclusive creator artwork. This included special illustrations of Pokémon in their Mega Evolved and Primal Reversion forms, as well as features on the unique Cosplay Pikachu, a Pokémon exclusive to these versions.