Pokémon Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon : Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3 – Part 4
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| Even the tone seems to differ between these two sets. |
For this blog’s 12th anniversary, I will be doing something special. This is going to be two game reviews, and you can already tell what the concept will be. Yep! I’m doing a Pokémon Special! Full coverage of Generation 7’s Pokémon Sun/Moon and their updated rereleases, Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon. Two sets of games so intrinsically linked that I couldn’t review them apart. There’s just too much going on across four games.
Sun/Moon and Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon (S/M & US/UM) are weird beasts in the Pokémon mainline series. We’ve seen similar stuff before, but not to that extent; games that are remade within the same Generation, with a different plot, wider pool of Pokémon, and more stuff to check for. Even previous remakes I covered (FireRed/Leafgreen and HeartGold/SoulSilver) were separated from their originals by one Gen, and had plenty of changes due to the transformations the franchise had seen in that time. (Also, those remakes are considered good. Same can’t be said for the Gen 4 remakes, from what I heard!)
It's also different from the situation of Pokémon Black/White and Black 2/White 2. In that case, the latter were sequels to the former, not the same story with changes. Game Freak has never done that again; but, in all fairness, it did allow for B2/W2 to correct some of the more glaring issues of the original B/W. I can’t help but think that this may have helped inspire Gen 7's Ultra versions.
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| Also, wat a pretty setting it is for the adventure. |
A major aspect of Pokémon Sun and Moon, released on November 18th, 2016 in North America, is that desire of change from Game Freak. A wish to experiment with a formula which, let’s be honest, had gotten stale. Leave home with your starter, go through eight Gyms, beat up the evil gang, defeat the Elite 4. Well! In Alola, based on the islands of Hawaii, you don’t fight Gym Leaders; instead, you partake in an Island Challenge made of several Trials, which generally involves battling, but may add more. Totem Pokémon are introduced, and perhaps more importantly, this is the first Generation to have Regional Variants of past Pokémon families.
That was a whole lot of getting ahead of myself, wasn’t it? How about we jump in? (For the record, I played Pokémon Sun, but I’ll mention Pokémon Moon wherever relevant.)
(rainbow hand wave) Alola!
We get the usual intro – Prof. Kukui of Alola talks to the player character through a video call. The future Trainer is moving from Kanto to Alola, but they’re already setting up their Trainer Passport – you pick a photo, which replaces the classic “boy or girl” question, and then input the name you want. (For simplicity’s sake, let’s just say the trainer is a boy named Nic, alright?) We’re all set!
Before our journey can begin, we are treated to a scene of a young girl running through a pristine white center, with a bag under her arm and a creature in it. She’s fleeing from employees, and when they corner her, the creature unleashes its power and teleports the two of them away.
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| This will all be explained quickly enough. |
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Iki Town is quite nice. I can't wait to see the city on Melemele
Island - I hope it's not locked behind too many tutorials! |
Cut to our protagonist’s first morning in Alola. (Actually… in Pokémon Sun, it’s daytime. The clock in Pokémon Moon is moved forward 12 hours, so if you play both games during the day, it would be daytime in Sun, nighttime in Moon.) Professor Kukui comes by for a visit; Nic's journey begins. The Professor escorts the new Trainer to Iki Town, a village on Melemele near the entrance of the cave that leads to Tapu Koko, the island's guardian. Each island has its own Tapu. Everyone else is missing, so Nic is sent on a quest to find the Kahuna. What he finds instead, on Mahalo Trail, is the young girl with the creature in her bag. The little thing breaks free on the bridge and reveals itself to be a little bundle of cosmic energy!
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| Stop it, you damn birds! If only I had my Starter already... |
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| Just in time, saved by the local legend! |
However, it gets attacked by Spearow! Nic courageously runs to the lil’ thing and protects it with his body. In a panic, the creature (which the girl calls Nebby) explodes in cosmic energy, destroying the bridge. Our Trainer falls with it, but the two are rescued by Tapu Koko and taken back to land. The girl scolds Nebby. The lil’ guy finds a Sparkling Stone on the ground, which the girl hands over to Nic. She then asks to be taken back to town. This girl is Lillie and she is the professor’s assistant.
Back at Iki Town, we meet Kahuna Hala, a joyful fellow who hears about what just happened and sees it as a further sign that our trainer deserves his first Pokémon! Hala releases the Starters and lets you choose: The grass-type owl Rowlet, the fire-type kitten Litten, or the water-type sea lion Popplio!
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| Borb, annoyed catto, or clown sea lion. Your pick. |
…I will never choose something else than my favorite Rowlet. That’s my boi, I want him perched on my shoulder, he’s my best buddy. I’d want one as my pet if Pokémon were real. (No points for guessing who I chose in Legends: Arceus, either.) How can you resist to that bow tie made of leaves? (The Let’s Play I pick images from for this review uses Litten instead.)
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| Hau doesn't look too convinced. |
The island’s customs require that the starter also chooses its Trainer; no worries, it always will. And then we’re given a Pokédex and a Trainer passport. But we’re missing someone. Another kid runs in, eager for a Pokémon battle. This is Hau, Kahuna Hala’s grandson, here for a starter of his own. He chooses the starter whose type is weak to yours. And we get our first battle! Which we win. Hau is overjoyed regardless. I like having a rival who’s not a jerk!
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| It's early to tell, but hey, every word of encouragement counts. |
The Sparkling Stone shines, and Hala mentions that this stone is tied to Tapu Koko. If it gave such an item to Nic, then it must consider the Trainer as important. Hala borrows the stone for now, and tells Nic to get some sleep as his journey will truly start tomorrow.
A Festival in Melemele
On the next day, Kukui invites Nic to the festival that will take place later. But first, we have our mandatory Route 1 tutorial on catching Pokémon. Following that display, the Professor invites the Trainer back to Iki Town, taking the long way through Route 1. We can start battling and catching new creatures! Yungoos, Pikipek, Caterpie, Ledyba…
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La-dee-dah, I am no longer scared of the tall grass, as long
as I have my buddy Rowlet Litten with me! |
Our first battle against a youngster reveals an Alolan Rattata. I mentioned Regional Variants in my intro; time to discuss them. Since the concept was very new, you can tell Game Freak was testing the waters and keeping the number of regionmal variants minimal, on top of sticking exclusively to Gen 1 Pokémon for those. Rattata, Sandshrew, Vulpix, Raichu and Marowak are just a few examples. This concept is closer to the theory of evolution as conceived by Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace, where species adapt to their environment and other factors. There's worldbuilding that explains why each species changed, too! Vulpix became Ice-types due to having to relocate to a frozen mountain. Rattata and Raticate were a scourge on the land, so Yungoos were brought from another region to hunt them, only for the mongooses to invade the land themselves. The rats became nocturnal Dark-types out of necessity. I get why they waited for a region based on Hawaii to introduce this concept, since the original research for the theory of evolution was done there. But, with the gift of hindsight, this feels like it could have been added a few Gens earlier.
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| The land of hairy Diglett, cool Vulpix, and tall-ass Exeggutor. |
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| Litten is unimpressed, but he'll be happy soon. |
We’re introduced to a new mechanic: Post-battle care. Pokémon-Amie is back, renamed Pokémon Refresh. No more mini-games for food or decoration (though you can receive Poké Beans at Pokémon Center Café and at the Pelago), and no more Super Training. However, you can go into Refresh Mode after a battle, where your first business order will be to care for your Pokémon. A comb to groom their fur or feathers, a brush to dust the sand off, a towel to wipe any dirt, and a dryer if your friend ended the battle soaked. The Medicine tool can cure a status condition inflicted on your friend.
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| Kitty is gonna be fine, that's Grass, he's Fire. |
The Trainer arrives at Iki Town and is explained the customs. Every year, trainers battle in homage to Tapu Koko. This year, it’s Nic against Hau. Still an easy battle, we’re still early. After winning, we’re handed a new item created from the Sparkling Stone; it’s a Z-Ring. as explained by Hala, it allows a Pokémon to use powerful attacks when they share a bond with their Trainer. However, they need to hold Z-Crystals. There's one for each of the 18 types, and others that are species-specific. Compared to the gimmicks of Gens 6, 8 and 9 (Megas, Dynamaxing and Terastallization), where Pokémon transform in some way, this one's less impressive. Though it is, admittedly, a gimmick that can be used by anyone at any time, compared to Mega Evolution, implied to be usable by few select individuals in Kalos, or Dynamaxing, limited to specific Power Spots.
The Island Challenge Begins
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| Hold Rotom gently like Pokédex, not like hamburger. |
Following the festival, everybody goes home, with the trip beginning the next day. However, on that new morning, he has a visitor: Lillie, who wants to show him Kukui’s lab. She asks Nic to keep the secret about Nebby the Cosmog, because people with ill intentions are looking for it.
We get to the lab, where Kukui has been testing Rockruff moves… on himself. Gee, talk about living dangerously. The professor had a final thing to give us. He shows a Rotom, which adds itself to the Pokédex we were given. We now have a little talking Dex with a personality! This thing is fun to play around with. You can interact with the Rotom Dex on the bottom screen; it includes the Dex and a map. We unlock new features over time.
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Poké Centers: Once again, your one-stop shop for
everything you might need. |
Hau arrives and the Island Challenge is explained: Across the four islands that make up Alola, Trainers must clear seven Trials given by captains, and must defeat every island’s kahuna as a Grand Trial. We’re given an island challenge amulet that indicates that we’re participating. We’re not starting just yet; before we’re sent off, we’re told to go through the Trainers’ School.
We can’t quite go to Hau’oli City yet, but Lillie still takes a moment to show us Pokémon Centers, containing healing stations and Poké Marts. On the left is the café area, where you can buy special drinks, get a free snack once a day, and even receive Poké Beans for your party. Wonder how they make their money if they hand out so many freebies.
Forced School Days
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Since we can already cure status effects in Pokémon Refresh,
Antidotes and similar items are less useful than before; their
only worth is using them mid-battle, when you could do
something better instead. |
Wanna skip the school? Nope. There’s a Tauros blocking the streets. Can’t avoid this, you are forced into this tutorial whether you want it or not. This is a huge point of criticism of S/M/US/UM: The mandatory tutorials. The franchise is at a crossroads where it had been going on for 20 years when these games came out, and thus has plenty of fans that know how their darn system works. But Pokémon also appeals to younger kids, for whom Sun or Moon could well be their first steps in the franchise. I can see why Game Freak would feel the need to include areas like these in the early parts of the game. Gotta teach the basics. But these areas weigh on long-time players who feel held by the hand.
Melemele Island feels like one long, multi-hour tutorial, as all both old and new mechanics are painstakingly explained. Which is fair for the new mechanics Gen 7 brings to the table – we do need those explained to us! But everything else being impossible to skip? Ugh. Just let me get to the good stuff already! But nope, you can't skip what you’re already familiar with. Nine Gens, still no such option.
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I can already beat the teacher at a Pokémon battle.
I don't need the school. |
There are three aspects to Trainers’ School: Before it, Kukui gives the player the Exp. Share, which gets added to the Key Items and can be turned on to benefit all the Pokémon in your team. The second is that, across the School, you gather a decent amount of items to help you in the early days of the adventure, like free Great Balls for beating the teacher. Third, we meet Captain Ilima, who explains that his trial is held at Verdant Cavern, up north.
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None of the comments are all that great. Yep, that's a
comments section alright. |
With tutorials done and the Tauros gone, we can visit Hau’oli City, home to a beautiful, busy beach and a bustling shopping district. Hau stops Nic on the way and brings him to the tourist bureau, where owner of Rotom Dexes are given Poké Finders. This allows its user to take pictures of wild Pokémon at precise spots on the islands. Think like a simplified Pokémon Snap, before we’d find out about a sequel. I think this was Game Freak testing the waters, gauging interest. Approach a photo spot to get into picture mode; move the camera using the circle pad or the entire 3DS (yaay, motion detectors!), then press R or A to snap! Each snapshot gives Thumbs-Ups, and at certain numbers total you unlock a zoom and zoom upgrades. The final perk, unlocked at 1.5 million Thumb-Ups, grants the ability to call the Pokémon over for even better pictures.
Past this point are the apparel shop and the hair salon, allowing you to customize your character. Then there’s the Malasada shop, where you can get a meal for yourself and your Pokémon, increasing affection.
We're very close to the first trial, but this will have to wait for Part 2. God, this review will be looooong.
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