Pokémon Sun and Moon

Gameplay

Pokémon Sun and Moon are role-playing video games with adventure elements, based in the fictional Alola region (which itself is loosely based on Hawaiian and Pacific Islander culture), presented in a third-person, overhead perspective. The player controls a young trainer who goes on a quest to catch and train creatures known as Pokémon, and win battles against other trainers. By defeating enemy Pokémon in turn-based battles, the player's Pokémon gains experience, allowing them to level up and increase their battle statistics, learn new battle techniques, and in some cases, evolve into more powerful Pokémon. Alternatively, players can capture wild Pokémon, found during random encounters, by weakening them in battle and catching them with Poké Balls, allowing them to be added to their party. Players are also able to battle and trade Pokémon with other human players using the Nintendo 3DS's connectivity features. Like in previous games in the series, certain Pokémon are only obtainable in either Sun or Moon, with players encouraged to trade with others in order to obtain all Pokémon from both versions.

Features

Pokémon Sun and Moon, like their predecessors, are presented in fully three dimensional (3D) polygonal graphics, allowing for more interactivity with the overworld and more dynamic action during battles. Players are also able to customize their Pokémon trainer's appearance, choosing gender, skin tone and hair color at the start of the game, and can later acquire outfits and accessories to change their character's look. Joining the previous generations of Pokémon are all new species, such as the new Starter Pokémon; Rowlet, Litten, and Popplio, and the Pokémon that are, within the fictional Pokémon world, described as legendary, namely Solgaleo and Lunala.

Concept art shown during the initial announcement of the games indicated that Pokémon Centers and Poké Marts would receive updates to their respective designs. IGN and Kotaku noted an abundance of vehicles in the concept art, including a fire engine, a pickup truck, and an ambulance, some of them ridden in by Pokémon. Pokémon Sun and Moon is the first entry in the series to be available in Chinese, both Simplified and Traditional, along with English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Japanese, and Korean, for a total of nine playable languages. In a video centered on the games on May 10, 2016, the games' starter Pokémon were revealed as Rowlet (Grass-Flying), Litten (Fire), and Popplio (Water). The packaging artwork for each title was also unveiled, depicting the legendary Pokémon, named Solgaleo and Lunala. A later video revealed certain Pokémon having different forms to adapt to the climate of Alola, changing appearance, typing, and abilities, known as "Alola forms".

On August 1, 2016, a new type of move known as Z-moves was announced as a powerful move that can only be used once during battle. On September 6, 2016, a new feature was revealed, the "Poké Finder" allows players to take photos of their Pokémon, similar to Pokémon Snap. In addition, the two games' clocks are set 12 hours apart from each other, with Sun operating on the 3DS time, and Moon 12 hours ahead. It was also revealed the two games would feature creatures known as "Ultra Beasts". Character customization as previously seen in X and Y returns in Sun and Moon. A new "Pokémon Refresh" feature, which allows players to care for and feed their Pokémon was also announced. Mega Evolution, a concept first introduced in X and Y, returns in Sun and Moon. During a Nintendo financial briefing on October 27, 2016, a Pokémon League was announced allowing users access to the Battle Tree, which allows them to battle or team up with past Pokémon Champions.

Compatibility

Pokémon Sun and Moon are compatible with Pokémon Bank, an online Pokémon storage system introduced during the previous generation of Pokémon games. In a special Pokémon Direct on February 26, 2016, Tsunekazu Ishihara from The Pokémon Company announced that Pokémon caught in the Virtual Console versions of Red, Blue, and Yellow are transferable to Sun and Moon via Pokémon Bank. Pokémon caught in X, Y, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are also transferable. Compatibility for Pokémon Bank became available on January 24, 2017.

Setting

The games take place on the tropical islands of the Alola region, composed entirely of islands. Joe Skrebels of IGN describes it as "Pokémon's take on Hawaii". During an interview at E3 2016, Shigeru Ohmori noted that Game Freak staff took trips to Hawaii to conduct research for Sun and Moon.

The leading scientist in the Alola region is Professor Kukui, whose name comes from the kukui, also known as the candlenut, the Hawaiian state tree, continuing the trend of Pokémon professors being named after trees. Team Skull is the name of the villainous group for Alola. The Aether Foundation is an organization which studies Ultra Beasts, mysterious creatures from another dimension. Professor Oak does not appear in Sun and Moon, his cousin Samson Oak taking his place.

Plot

The player starts off moving to the Alola region's Melemele island with their mother. They meet Professor Kukui, who tells them that the island kahuna is willing to give a free starter Pokémon to any trainer. However, when they reach the kahuna's residence in Iki Town, but they find the town square empty. Professor Kukui asks the player to go and check if the townspeople are around the ruins that honor the island's guardian deity, Tapu Koko. The player meets Lillie and despite not having any Pokémon, helps protect her special Pokémon, nicknamed Nebby, from a flock of Spearow. However in trying to defend the player and itself, Nebby destroys the bridge leading to the ruins, causing the player to fall. However, they are promptly saved by Tapu Koko, who leaves a mysterious stone on the ground for the player to find. Back in Iki Town, the player meets and gets their starter Pokémon from Kahuna Hala, and then meets and defeats Hau, the grandson of Hala. After a festival where the player once again defeats Hau, the player travels to Professor Kukui's lab, where they are then given a Rotom Dex by the Professor. He then proceeds to tell the player and Hau about island challenges, and asks them to visit the Trainer's School. The player then reaches the Trainer's School and defeats the four top students and teacher, then meets Ilima, a trial captain. After leaving the Trainer's School and meeting with Ilima again, the two are challenged by Team Skull, who are promptly defeated by the player and Ilima. The player then travels around to the opposite side of the island and completes Ilama's trial, obtaining their first Z-crystal in the process.

After informing and battling Hala, the player, Lillie and Hau travel to Akala Island. There, they complete the second trial and battle Team Skull's enforcer, Gladion. The player then fights several more Team Skull members and completes more Trials, culminating in the player defeating the second Kahuna, Olivia. The player and Hau are then invited to visit the Aether Paradise, where they meet the Aether Foundation's president, Lusamine, and battle the first Ultra Beast, UB-01 Symbiont (later revealed to be called Nihilego), which had suddenly appeared from a mysterious portal. The player leaves the Paradise and completes another Trial on Ula'ula Island before meeting and battling Plumeria and Team Skull's leader, Guzma. Following another trial, Team Skull attacks the house where Acerola, the trial captain, lives and steals a Pokémon, leading the player to travel to Po Town, a town completely taken over by Team Skull. After defeating Guzma again and returning the Pokémon, the player learns that stealing the Pokemon was a set up to distract the player and Acerola, and while they were gone, Team Skull kidnapped Lillie and Nebby. Hau and the player team up with Gladion against the Aether Foundation, which is revealed to be working with Team Skull. They encounter Guzma again, who defeats Gladion but is defeated by the player. They then rescue Lillie and battle the true mastermind Lusamine, who reveals that Lillie and Gladion are her children before using Nebby's power to summon Ultra Beasts, not caring about Lillie's concern that doing so would cost Nebby's life. The player defeats her in a Pokémon battle while Gladion defeats another Nihilego, but Guzma and Lusamine escape through the portal Nihilego appeared in, while each respective Kahuna and their Tapu battle Ultra Beasts that appear on each island.

While under the strain caused by Lusamine, Nebby evolves and becomes unresponsive. Due to this, Lillie and the player journey to Poni Island to visit the game's respective altar; The Altar of the Sunne/Moone. When they arrive, Lille and the player play the Flutes of the Sunne and Moone, causing Nebby to evolve into the game's mascot, Lunala for Moon or Solgaleo for Sun. Using the power of the legendary Pokémon, the player and Lillie travel to Ultra Space to stop Lusamine and Guzma. The player and Lillie encounter Guzma, who informs them with troubling news of the full scope of Lusamine's evil after he was chased and attacked by a Nihilego he tried to catch. When she is encountered, Lusamine -in an act of defense- allows a Nihilego she caught to take over her, turning the former Aether President into a terrifying hybrid monster, the "Mother Beast", and giving her Pokémon increased power. After her enhanced Pokémon are defeated, Lusamine -refusing to accept defeat and consumed by animalistic bloodlust- makes a last-ditch attempt to punish Lillie herself, but Nebby intervenes and causes Lusamine and Nihilego to un-merge and the former to collapse. Nebby transports the heroes, Guzma, and Lusamine (now returned to her normal self) back to Alola. Lillie then gives the player the chance to capture Nebby. After the defeat of Lusamine and the Aether Foundation, the player climbs to the top of Mount Lanakila on Ula'ula Island, battles Gladion and Hau, and defeats the Elite Four, composed of Hala, Olivia, Acerola, and Kahili, at Professor Kukui's request. The player subsequently battles Kukui and wins, becoming the first-ever champion of the Alola Region. Everyone the player has met on their journey celebrates the occasion, though Lillie and the player sneak off to meet Tapu Koko, and the player is given a chance to battle and capture it. The next day, Hau informs the player that Lillie is leaving Alola. At Hau'oli City ferry terminal Lillie tells her friends that she wants to head to Kanto, to meet the Pokemon Storage System creator Bill, who went through the same experience of merging with a Pokemon to help Lusamine get better, and also to become a better Trainer.

After becoming the champion, the player is contacted by two members of the International Police: Looker and Anabel (the former head of the Battle Tower in Pokémon Emerald). The two contract the player to assist with capturing or subduing the remaining wild Ultra Beasts—Nihilego, Buzzwole/Pheromosa, Xurkitree, Kartana/Celesteela, and Guzzlord—to protect Alola.

Promotion and release

On February 25, 2016, the existence of the two games was leaked when Nintendo's trademarks for them were found on the website of the European Union Intellectual Property Office. IGN pointed towards the recent introduction of a new Pokémon, Magearna, as indication the two games would be revealed. The games were officially announced the following day in a Nintendo Direct presentation that also commemorated the franchise's 20th anniversary. The games launched with support for nine languages. On May 10, more information on the game was released through a new trailer, including new Pokémon, box art, and release dates. Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon released in Japan, North America, and Australia on November 18, 2016, and in Europe on November 23, 2016. A comic based on Pokémon Sun and Moon launched alongside an edition of CoroCoro magazine on September 15, 2016. Early purchasers of the games received a special Munchlax holding "Snorlium Z", enabling it to use an exclusive Z-move unique to Snorlax, Munchlax's evolution, via wireless event distribution with their game. On November 30, 2016, a four-disc official soundtrack was released. A Japanese trailer was unveiled on September 8, 2016. A Pokémon Sun and Moon themed New Nintendo 3DS XL was released on October 28, 2016.

Similar to Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, a special demo was released on October 18, 2016. On October 27, 2016 during Nintendo's Financial Briefing, the demo was downloaded more than 3.5 million times, being the most popular and fastest "selling" demo in 3DS history. Pokémon Sun and Moon are the most pre-ordered games in Nintendo's history.

Days before the game's release, the game's files were leaked over the internet, giving software pirates access to the full game, including online functions before the release. Nintendo took action against those who used the internet features afterward, banning those involved from not only using the online features of the game (even if playing the genuine release), but also from accessing other 3DS online services, such as the eShop and Miiverse. According to Nintendo of America, Sun and Moon are also the fastest-selling titles in Nintendo's history.

Reception

Pokémon Sun and Moon received a score of 87/100 on Metacritic based on 31 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Video game review site IGN gave the game a 9/10, and said that the games "switch up the formula to create an engaging adventure that improves on its predecessors." Nintendo Life called them the best Pokémon games ever produced.

Pokémon Sun and Moon sold over 1.9 million copies in Japan in its first three days on the market. During a GameStop Q3 earnings conference call, Pokémon Sun and Moon was said to have the most pre-orders for any video game in the last five years. It is GameStop's best-selling game of 2016, outselling Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. On its first day of release, Pokémon Sun and Moon shipped 10 million units worldwide. Pokémon Sun and Moon are Nintendo's biggest game launch of all time in Europe. The United Kingdom launch was double the size of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. The games sold during the first week in Europe 1.5 million copies and in the United Kingdom 368,000 copies. In North America, the games sold over 3.7 million units in less than two weeks after initial release. In France, the games sold over 450,000 copies upon its first week in the region, compared to Pokémon X and Y and Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire which sold 125,000 and 180,000 respectively. In Europe, the games sold over 2.1 million copies in 12 days on the market. On January 18, 2017, Nintendo announced on Twitter that they have sold 4.5 million copies worldwide. As of December 31, 2016, total sales reached 14.69 million copies. This ranks Sun and Moon as the third-best-selling Nintendo 3DS titles since the handheld system's launch, just behind Mario Kart 7 (with 14.82 million copies) and Pokémon X and Y (with 16.06 million).