Hoping to change things up, Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon offer one of the most radical departures from the series’ longstanding formula. Fortunately, the gamble has paid off.
If every facet of The Pokemon Company’s 2016 marketing plan hadn’t
already made it abundantly clear, this year marks the 20th anniversary
of the Pokemon
franchise. There’s little question that the series has become a staple
of the gaming industry, but recent installments have created somewhat of
a nostalgia-based paradox amongst core and casual players; with some
claiming that every iteration feels the same, while others state that
the series has changed too much to even attempt to get back into it.
It’s an incredibly hard audience to cater to, but developer Game Freak
has managed to do just that with Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon.
Indeed, Pokemon Sun and Moon provide a much desired look back on the original Pokemon Red and Blue
versions, while firmly pushing the property towards a new level of
depth and quality. At the forefront of this initiative is a narrative
surrounded with references to the original installments, a handful of Alola forms based on creatures from the original 151, and a few cameos that many fans of the premier titles will appreciate. More importantly,
it offers anyone that’s taken a leave of absence from the games an
entry point that offers some familiarity alongside a revamped approach
for a new generation. At the risk of sounding hokey with a statement
that’s sure to be thrown around in abundance, this is a tried and true
evolution of the series.
As much as Sun and Moon honor the past, there’s an
entirely new means to go about completing the main narrative. The
newfound approach will utilize a bevy of different challenges and tasks
that provide players with a way of proving their worth as an aspiring
Pokemon Champion. These ‘Trials’ often involve battling super-charged
Totem Pokemon, going head-to-head with highly skilled Kahuna, or solving
puzzles, with Z-Crystals being offered to those that manage to clear
these tasks. Before delving into that item further, it needs to be said
that the lack of Gym Leaders and corresponding badges is sure to strike
some as odd, but it’s a gamble that has paid off for the franchise.
Taking
place in the region known as Alola, the newest adventure takes on an
entirely new setting inspired by Hawaii. While the climate of this
fictitious area is a bit of a changeup, the way the game handles the
exploration of this in-game world is unlike anything witnessed in a core
Pocket Monster title to-date. Gone is the traditional grid
that trainers will find themselves restricted to while moving, which in
turn creates a greater sense of freedom for individuals to take hold of.
Across all four of the main islands are various vistas and changes that
keep the environments feeling fresh, and there’s so much to explore
that fans will find themselves simply wandering around Alola for the fun
of it.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that gamers can now traverse the ecosystem
without having a single HM at their disposal. That’s right,
select attack slots no longer have to be dedicated to moves such as Cut,
Strength, Surf, or Fly, because Game Freak has implemented a means
of allowing gamers to simply summon ‘Ride Pokemon’ in lieu of forcing
semi-permanent moves on the user’s party of beasts.
Being able to see
the actual monsters that one’s avatar is riding is cathartic for fans
tired of seeing shadowed beings in their place, but it’s truly just nice
to not juggle moves amongst the six Pokemon found on any given team.
The new creatures that inhabit the land aren’t all that lacklustre in
design or ability either, with a good blend of Pokemon from every
generation taking up residence on the islands of Alola. With that said,
the focus has clearly been placed on new and original beasts, with
alternate forms and typing making for some really strategic options when
it comes down to the meta of the turn-based RPG. For instance, there
are now two very different types of Ninetails and Exeggutor running
around, and while some may cry foul at these designs, it’s great to see
some of the more shrug-worthy monsters from Red and Blue running around with a newfound purpose.
Battling has largely been left untouched as well, which is
probably for the best for longtime fans. Encounters will still play out
in a move-by-move basis, with the dependable rock-paper-scissors formula
in which the franchise is built upon remaining in place. One major
difference between these games and previous ones, however, is the inclusion of Z-Moves.
These attacks are linked to the aforementioned Z-Crystals that are
gathered during the course of the game, and they activate incredibly
powerful attacks that have the potential to completely change the tide
of battle – provided they’re used properly. These moves are limited to
one use per duel, much like Mega Evolutions, but they add yet another
means of play to an all too familiar system.
Battling aside, it should be noted that players could spend upwards
of 20 hours navigating through the core story, which is filled with a
welcomed number of twists and turns along the way. This tale is only
enhanced through the emotion that characters are better able to convey
following an overhaul of the on-screen human models, but these tweaks
have come at a cost. 3D-enabled play does not function with the games in
any form, and battles featuring more than two Pokemon at a time take a
noticeable dip in the ‘frames per second’ department. It’s far from game
breaking, but it’s the reality of developing on portable hardware
that’s only as powerful as the Nintendo 3DS.
Once the narrative has subsided, there’s still plenty to do in terms
of battling and catching rare Pokemon, but several other additions can
also keep fans sidetracked. Poké Pelago is one such option that allows
users to grow their own berries and Poké Beans – the latter of which can
be fed to members of one’s team to raise their fondness of the player.
This mode, known as Pokemon Refresh, has several advantages for those
that use it properly ( i.e. preventing a knockout, shaking off a
debilitating status in the heat of battle, dodging attacks more
frequently, and landing critical hits), which makes it a key part of any
trainer’s strategy. Meanwhile, the lacklustre Photo Mode is not the nod to Pokemon Snap that many may have hoped for, but it’s an entertaining feature whenever the environment allows for it.
Sun and Moon are the biggest changes that the core Pokemon
series has ever attempted. Removing gyms, Hidden Machines (HMs), and
altering original Pocket Monsters was a huge gamble – and all of it has
paid off. Honoring the franchise’s past while looking to the future must
have been a difficult ideal for
Nintendo and The Pokemon Company to nail down, but the end result of
this undertaking is a pair of lovingly-crafted, must-haves for fans new
and old. Truly, this is the celebration of Pokemon that gamers have been waiting for.
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