It has been just over a month now that Pokémon Sun and Moon were first released. Since the game has been released, it sold about seven million copies worldwide in the first two weeks. I pre-ordered my own copy of Pokémon Sun. I haven’t finished the game yet, but I think I’m close to the end. This game was highly anticipated since its reveal in February of this year and many dedicated fans waited patiently and expectedly for the monthly updates on the new Pokémon species and new mechanics while other fans hid away from social media and avoided all new information like the plague. I kept myself up to date.
The new amount of Pokémon in the Alola region is refreshing. Although I am still disappointed that a dolphin themed Pokémon still hasn’t been created, the new collection of these pocket monsters is interesting to see. Along with the newly revealed Pokémon, we also got a bunch of regional variants of older Pokémon species, including my favorite fox, ninetales. Seeing these regional variants meant for me that The Pokémon Company was acknowledging the concept of adaptation. My current running team in the game is a mix of regional variants, new Pokémon species, and older species. I have a spare team that is also made up of mostly new Pokémon species.
The animation has improved! When comparing the animation from Pokémon X and Y with Pokémon Sun and Moon, anyone can tell that the developers did their research. The characters look more proportional instead of just a large head on a small body as seen in X and Y. As long as you are running around in Sun and Moon, your character’s movement is fluid. When I watch the character walk, the animation almost looks robotic, hence my tendency to run everywhere. The animation during the cut scenes for the battle moves and plot scenes are also very well done, despite the feeling that the animators went overboard with animating for the Z-moves.
Also, the HM moves are gone! Finally! We now use exclusively the ability to call upon Pokémon friends! They assist us with getting us over and through obstacles, surfing across water, flying to different locations, and searching for hidden invisible items. Each ability employs a different Pokémon helper. As the game progresses, you gain access to call upon these different species of Pokémon. It is pretty refreshing to not commit one Pokémon as your HM slave and having to carry it around to serve your will. It takes up a slot in your Pokémon team when some other Pokémon could use that slot. Hopefully, The Pokémon Company takes the hint and keeps this addition in the future games.
The biggest change of these games was probably the removal of the gyms. The usual eight gyms were replaced with several island trials that eventually led up to fighting the island kahuna before moving onto the next island. I’ll admit, when this information was revealed, I wasn’t too keen on it. I was hung up on the feeling that if there wasn’t Pokémon gyms and badges to earn, it wouldn’t be a true Pokémon game to me. However, when I started playing the game and got the hang of the progression from one island trial to the next, I really liked them. Each trial was different and while some were laughable and not challenging for an experienced player, the change was almost refreshing. Once you cleared the preliminary portion of the trial, then you would face the totem Pokémon for that trial. Once that overly massive Pokémon was defeated, you’d clear the trial and get a z-crystal from the trail captain. Then, once all the trials on that specific island were cleared (each island had a different number of trials to complete), you would battle the island kahuna and when they are defeated, they’ll reward you with another z-crystal. Further, during the main story, there isn’t a Pokémon league to challenge. However, once a certain point has been reached, a Pokémon league is created by the region’s Professor and you can challenge it. I haven’t gotten to that point yet, but I do know it consists of the four island kahunas that you previously battled during your island challenge.
Overall, this game is a very different version that what most of us old players are used to. However, the changes are refreshing and well-welcomed. The changes offer a new start for some of us older players while giving newer players an even easier time starting up the game for their first times. I think the developers did a great job on making this game. If you have been hesitating on whether or not to purchase this game, go for it. If you haven’t yet played a Pokémon game, I think you should give it a try and start new with Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon. Just keep in mind that Pokémon Moon is set twelve hours after your 3DS clock while Pokémon Sun is set to the same time as your 3DS clock.
