New Pokemon Sun and Moon trailer explains how time works

Choosing Pokemon Sun or Pokemon Moon may come down to whether or not you’re a morning person or a night owl.

The details keep coming for Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon as we get ever closer to their November release date. The latest trailer for the games, which you can see below, introduces more new Pokemon and the Alolan variant of old favorite Raticate. Because even island paradises have rats.

More importantly, it reveals a new twist on an old concept. In previous Pokemon games, certain Pokemon could only be found in one version or the other, since they’ve long released in pairs.

For Pokemon Sun and Moon, the difference between the titles is related to time. The former will use a day-night cycle synched to the clock on your Nintendo 3DS, while the latter is shifted by 12 hours, essentially making it day in one game while it is night in the other.

As you can see in the trailer, that makes certain events in the same locations play out differently:

Also worth noting is the Aether Foundation, a group doing research in Alola on Ultra Beasts, creatures powerful enough to menace both Pokemon and humans. The organization seems like a force for good, protecting Pokemon from Team Skull, but it remains to be seen if it has its own agenda.

One of the Ultra Beasts shows up at the very end, looking not unlike a giant jellyfish. As anyone who’s ever been to the Jersey Shore during the wrong part of the season knows, that’s reason enough to be wary.

Given the pace of new info that’s been streaming out, this shouldn’t be the last word on Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon this month. Hopefully you’ve got your copy (or copies) pre-ordered, as the games will be in stores on November 18.