Pokemon Sun & Moon review: A fresh direction for the series
Pokemon Sun & Moon bring back the familiar and lovable gameplay we all remember, but with some new features that provide a great direction for the series.
Pokemon is officially back with the newest installments in the series, Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon. Since the early 90s, the fan base behind the Pokemon series has been outstanding.
But we would be lying if we didn’t say that the series was getting familiar. The last Pokemon games to release before Sun and Moon were Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. Those games were fun,though they were essentially remakes of the original versions.
In fact, most of the subsequent games also consisted of the same formula over and over. Again, they were still very enjoyable, but it was long past time that developer Game Freak revamped the series.
In comes Sun and Moon. Right off the bat, you realize that these games are something special. They’re still the same Pokemon games we know and love, but there are many new additions which deliver an all new experience.
The games take place in the Alola region, which is a set of tropical islands. This turns the foundation into something completely fresh. There are no more Pokemon gyms to take over; instead, you participate in trials.
These trials are separated by the different islands. So it’s basically the same concept but with a whole new approach.
Before we talk about all the good, there are a few negatives. First of all, the new titles are definitely more user-friendly now. Considering that most Pokemon games can be a bit challenging, especially the older ones, these are definitely easier.
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For example, the map literally tells you where to go next. There’s still room to explore, but it’s almost too easy. Back in the older games, you had to figure out how to arrive to your next destination. There were hints of where to go to next, but how you got there was all up to the player to figure out.
The way you receive things at random can definitely be helpful, but again, it seems as if everyone hands you an item. Throughout the journey, you receive multiple items like revives, potions, and TMs (technical machines). You did get these in the previous games, but it wasn’t as frequent as it is now.
Lastly, the “call to help” from certain wild Pokemon you encounter is, by far, the most annoying aspect of the game. This isn’t a factor if you’re simply looking to kill it and move on. But if you truly take the “gotta catch ’em all” phrase literally, then this will bother you.
You get the Pokemon extremely weak and you prepare to use a Poke Ball. But, it turns out that the Pokemon calls for help and another Pokemon of the same type appears. You think you’d be able to catch at least one of them, but that’s not the case.
Now you have to kill one and try to capture it again. But once you kill the additional Pokemon, it goes right back to calling for help. It can be a very frustrating process.
These are some very annoying negatives about the game. But it isn’t like previous Pokemon games haven’t been annoying and at the end of the day, it’s what works in these games that truly leave a lasting impression.
As stated before, Sun and Moon return with some of the familiar aspects we know and love from the series. You get to capture a variety of different Pokemon, explore a beautiful and vibrant world full of bright characters and different types of Pokemon, and most importantly, you battle.
Speaking more on the Alola region, the world is gorgeous. Heavily inspired by Hawaii, you can see the resemblance as you make your way through the game. Throughout this region, you’ll see familiar in a new way, but also some new Pokemon for this generation.
With the change of climate in the Alola region, some Pokemon have been forced to adapt to the new environment. For example, there’s Rattata. Usually a normal type, in the Alola region, it’s also a Dark type.
This is the case for many other Pokemon. There’s Meowth, who’s also a Dark type now, and Graveler has shifted to a Rock/Electric type. It’s definitely a new twist for the series and adds some variety.
The islands in this region play a huge role in the game. As you’re on your journey, you have to travel through these different islands to complete trials. At the end of every trial, you face an extremely strong Pokemon, which are known as Totems.
Although we did say that the game is considerably easier, we can appreciate this aspect of facing Totem Pokemon. You can’t simply just beat these Pokemon since they’re much stronger. Unless you have a type advantage (like fire against grass), they turn out to be much more challenging.
This definitely caters to those gamers who are looking for some sort of difficulty in their gaming experience. Pomemon Sun and Moon cater mostly to casual gamers, and that’s fine. But many players don’t enjoy that a game holds your hand throughout, so a challenging but fun experience is very rewarding.
Another great feature is how you travel through the game. You no longer have to force a Pokemon to learn a specific move so that you can perform certain tasks.
You can also ride Pokemon. By ride, we mean a variety of things. You can ride a Tauros to break rocks that are blocking certain pathways, you can ride a Lapras to surf on water, and you can ride a Charizard to fly to locations you’ve already visited. It’s a great feature.
One of the newest features is the Z-Moves. These moves can be used only once during battle. They combines the power of both the Pokemon and the trainer, resulting in an extremely powerful move. There are 18 Z-Crystals you must find, which are for the 18 types of Pokemon.
As you acquire your Z-Ring and all the Z-Crystals, eventually, all of the Pokemon that you’ve captured will be able to perform one of these moves. It’s tons of fun seeing what each can do.
There’s one feature that’s sort of a homage to a classic game Pokemon Snap. With the Poke Finder, you can now take pictures of Pokemon in certain areas, which is always a blast.
All these things are great, but there’s one that stands out the most: the visuals. It seems like Nintendo has finally pushed the Nintendo 3DS to its limits. The graphics are absolutely stunning.
This is the best that any Pokemon game has ever looked on a handheld device. The movements are a lot smoother, the Pokemon battles are amazing to look at, and the Pokemon in general simply look better.
Pokemon Sun and Moon is a fantastic achievement for the series. It may be a bit too user-friendly and some of the gameplay aspects may be a bit tedious, but this game excels in every other way.
Next: Nintendo NES Classic Edition review
It’s very easy to overlook all the troubling and frustrating issues with the game once you dig deep into it. We highly recommend purchasing it.