A while back I wrote an article about my hopes and fears for Pokémon Sun and Moon. Although it has taken me a while, I have finally finished the base game for Pokémon Sun. I took 47 hours and 53 minutes to complete the base game and I have yet to start the post-game. So this review will be for the base game only.
Pokémon Sun is an excellent game. There is no question about this. I believe it is even better than Pokémon X. While it has not become my favorite, it is a very close second. This time around, there are four islands for the player to explore. Each one has a unique map and their own selection of Pokémon to capture. Because of the circular nature of the islands, your starting point is often your ending point as well. It makes the locations on each island feel more connected. Plus, the layout of the islands have a lot of verticality to them. This makes it so that players aren't just going around, but they are also exploring up onto mountains, down into caves, or out into the sea. These games really emphasis exploration. More so than most Pokémon games. More importantly, the exploration is natural and a lot of fun. There isn't just one path. Everything branches from itself before looping back around to offer players the chance to take a new path.
The sound design is well done. Players can hear different Pokémon call as they travel through the islands and the cries of the new Pokémon are instantly recognizable. I really enjoy the music too. The Team Skull theme is a lot of fun and the notes of Hawaiian music that show up throughout the game help to keep the tone light and fun.
That is actually a big thing with Pokémon Sun. It is very light hearted. NPCs will often heal your party either before or after a battle. There is a very laid back feel to the game and it makes the battles feel more like friendly competitions. That is something the Pokémon games needed. One of the biggest criticisms of the games is that they are simulations for dog fighting. The more lighthearted tones in Sun helps to seperate the game from that bad reputation. Of course, the game makes up for the light hearted overtones with some very dark undertones. The Pokédex entries are brutal. Many are creepy or downright horrifying. This has always been the case with the Pokémon games, but Sun doesn't even bother trying to cover these aspects up. In fact, it is almost as if the game celebrates its darker nature.
The story also has a darker twist. There is one part near the end that is pure nightmare fuel. However, this isn't a bad thing. In fact, the subject that the game deals with is a very important one and subtly teaches kids a very valuable lesson. Even adults would do well to keep the lessons in Sun to heart. Unfortionatly, I can't say too much more without giving it away.
What I can say is that Team Skull is a blast. Pokémon Teams have always been on the ridiculous side and Team Skull eagerly embraces the ridiculous. I got a lot of genuine laughs from them. What's more is that Team Skull operates in more a gray zone. They aren't bad kids. They are jealous, rejected, and misguided. The same goes for one of the player's rivals in this game. The other rival is just plain silly, but in a rather harmless way. Honestly, Team Skull and the darker rival character have both become my all time favorites.
Nintendo set out to switch up the formula this time around and they succeeded with flying colors. The trials and Kahuna battles are both familiar and very different. Many are fun and witty. Others offer a challenge. In fact, the Elite Four are quite challenging. But the battles and trials were approached in very unique manners.
I've addressed a lot of my concerns already in this review, but I want to directly discuss what I talked about in my first article. The Pokémon starters were about as I expected them to be. I hate Incineroar and Primarina is only alright. I do love everything about Decidueye and I took my starter all the way from Rowlet to the Elite Four. Z-moves are really cool. So powerful. So fun. Very silly too. Rotom, on the other hand, is obnoxious. I'd throw it into a volcano if I could. While you can mostly ignore Rotom, there are moments when it jumps in front of your face like an annoying and unavoidable gnat. The only use Rotom really serves is as the Pokédex and the Poké finder. Unfortionatly, the Poké finder is rather lackluster. It is more of a disappointment then anything else. While there are a lot of locations to take photos, the upgrades only allow you to zoom in better. I've gotten to level 4 in the Poké finder, but I don't feel like it is worth it to try and grind to level 5. The Festival Plaza is also pretty lackluster and I've mostly ignored it. Pokémon Refresh, Poké pelego, the new Alolan forms, and even the demo for Sun and Moon were all good. Ash Greninja, not so much. Honestly, I'm just gonna stick with my Protean Greninja. And yes, I'm still salty about the lack of a new eeveelution.
Overall, Pokémon Sun was well worth my money and time. The game is one of the best Pokémon games out there and I'd recommend it to any Pokémon fan. Not a perfect game, mind you. But a good one nonetheless.
