Well, Pokemon Sun and Moon for Nintendo 3DS seem to be growing even more interesting as time goes on.
The latest trailer has a whole host of potentially innovative and fascinating announcements, with many suggesting that this game will be the most heavily story focussed Pokemon Game in a while. Plus, the return of a fan favourite feature!
First off:
The game will have a key difference between each version, with the games being set twelve hours apart.
The footage shown had Sun taking place during the day, and moon taking place at night. Will this mean the end of the day/night cycle within the game? Maybe, but the distinction of twelve hours apart might just mean an adjustment to the traditional clock based cycle. The trailer claims that certain events will be playing out differently within the versions, showcasing that on one island in Pokemon Sun, the totem guardian Yungoos will be replaced with Raticate in Pokemon Moon.
Speaking of Raticate, This is what Raticate looks like in Alola:
Clearly that evolutionary path was one that led to slightly chubbier cheeks. A more gerbil like design, but a natural development from the Alolan variant Rattata. And one that’s Dark/ Normal to boot.
Other new Pokemon include
Jangmo-o
A quadrupedal Dragon Type, with a heart shaped protusion from it’s head. Seeming based on frilled lizards, and an altogether fairly clever design.
Type: Null
Nope, I didn’t take that down wrong. This may be our first hint at where the story for Sun and Moon could be going. That design is a hybrid of multiple animal models, with a fish tail, dragon talons and dog legs and maybe some driftwood as well.
With the Mythical Pokemon Magearna being confirmed as made by humans in the latest. Anime movie, maybe that odd name and design are suggesting that Human made pokemon are going to be involved in the storyline of the latest game. This is reinforced by the early announcement that this game will have the Pokedex being occupied by a friendly Rotom as well as the connection between trainer and Pokemon for Z Type Moves. The Pokemon/Manmade Hints have been there since the beginning!
This could be reinforced further by the introduction of another Faction in the games:
While I initially thought that The Aether Foundation seemed a good Elite Four replacement in this new story format, the reveal that this faction are all based off of a Manmade island maybe gives credence to the theory above. The fact that they claim to be dedicated to the protection and preservation of Pokemon above all else also implies this. Who better than a team of pokemon loving scientists with a habit for blending the technological and the natural to throw the balance between Humanity and Pokemon into peril. I mean, it’s hardly the greatest idea. We all know how the last Pokemon that mankind created went down.
As well as all these story features Nintendo have added a new Minigame, The Poke Finder into the series.
I say new. It’s actually the return of a fan favourite feature.
Time to get Snappy as in game cameras make a reappearance for the first time since Pokemon Snap on the N64. This version of the mini game features the ability to publish your photos online and get them rated by the Pokemon Community.
Finally, Time for the most interesting part of the trailer.
The reveal of Ultra Beasts. Maybe a new form of Legendary, though probably the third legendary in the Solgaleo/Lunala set. Say hello to UB-01:
This Jellyfish styled Pokemon has no type and no other information available other than it’s name. What may worth pointing out though is the similarity between UB-01 and this character, Lillie:
Lillie was initially described as central to the plot of Sun and Moon, and her visual similarity to UB-01 should not go unnoticed. A pokemon who pretends to be a Human? Maybe so. The boundaries are definitely being broken down in everything we have seen so far!
So what do you think of the latest news? With these changes and the heavy focus on storyline, will Pokemon Sun and Moon be the breath of fresh air the Franchise could need?