GoNintendo Thought - Pokémon Sun/Moon Review

Bumped this one up to the front for the guys and gals that missed it. I hope you enjoy the review. I certainly have been enjoying the game! See you in a few, short hours.

Pokémon's 20th anniversary could very well be the biggest shot in the arm the franchise has gotten since it originally launched. Pokémon has stayed popular ever since it originally launched, but it seems like the brand is really resonating with longtime fans, newcomers and lapsed players in a big way. A lot of this has to do with Pokémon GO, which absolutely took the world by storm. It rekindled the flame of fallen Pokémon fans and got them interested in the franchise once again.

The timing really couldn't have been better. While Pokémon GO is worthy of praise in its own right, it really is just the appetizer for the main course. Fans following the series know that the real fun was coming from Pokémon Sun and Moon, the next true installments in the long-running franchise. Pokémon GO is just there to keep fans busy while they count down the days until Sun/Moon's launch, and now we're just a few days away! The best news of all is that this excitement for the launch of Sun/Moon is completely worth it, as this entry in the series feels like a celebration of all things Pokémon in so many ways.

Those of you that have been following GoNintendo for years know that I'm not the most skilled RPG player. I really am afraid of RPGs in general and will fully admit that I suck at them. With that said, there are still a few RGP entries that I play and Pokémon is one of them. I may not be someone that knows all the intricate details of the franchise and all the ins and outs of how to best my opponents, but I do understand and enjoy the basics. If you're looking for someone to explain the finer points of how Pokémon Sun/Moon differ from previous entries, I am not your man. If you want someone to detail what they thought of their time spent with Pokémon Sun/Moon, I can certainly fill you in.

Pokémon Sun/Moon does a lot of things very well, but there's one element that sticks out above all else for me. During my time with the game, I was constantly wowed by the overall presentation. Pokémon Sun/Moon gives an absolutely huge boost to how the world of Pokémon is brought to life. Everything from character animations to the framing of cut-scenes makes Pokémon Sun/Moon feel like a truly evolutionary step for the franchise. I was constantly impressed with what I saw and just how it enveloped me in the experience.

I think a lot of that has to do with the setting of the game. The unmistakable influence of Hawaii and its culture on Pokémon Sun/Moon feels so fresh. I couldn't tell you why, but it's a setting that really resonated with me. It was just so interesting and different from what previous games in the franchise have done. Just a change of setting on the surface would have been nice, but the entire mythology and design of the game is oozing with a new allure. I feel that Pokémon Sun/Moon takes the change of setting and uses it in such clever ways that the resulting impact is astounding.

I didn't have anything against previous Pokémon games, but Sun/Moon's Hawaiian styling breathed so much life into the experience for me. It's hard to explain just how deep the Hawaiian connections go and how they give a really unique take on this 20 year franchise. For me, it helped to add a new layer of mystery and mystique to Pokémon. It really pushed me to want to explore more. While I was doing things that I've been doing for 20 years in Pokémon games, I still felt like I was taking on a new adventure. To bring out that sense of freshness after so many years of Pokémon is pretty amazing to see.

All those elements together made Pokémon Sun/Moon feel like the grandest installment in the franchise so far. That's not just me spewing hyperbole. I truly believe the devs had a mission statement of making Pokémon Sun/Moon feel like a rebirth for the series, while still maintaining key elements that have kept fans coming back all these years. Striking that balance seems like it would be an impossible task, but I think the dev team absolutely nailed it. I was expecting to enjoy Pokémon Sun/Moon, but it took me on a grander adventure than I ever expected.

While so much here does feel new, there's still the tried and true gameplay powering the experience. Like I said, I'm not the person to explain how Pokémon Sun/Moon's battle system differs from previous games. I'm sure there are some minor bits that truly engaged fans will pick up on right away, but for someone like me, it seemed like business as usual. The presentation of battling Pokemon with trainers has been spiced up with the inclusion of the actual trainer in the battle scenery, but the 'rock paper scissors' battle system is still the bread and butter here.

One big way that battles are changed up comes from Z-Moves, which are super-powered attacks that you can only use once during a battle. There are some requirements that need to be met before you have access to these moves, but once you get to take them on, you're in for quite a spectacle. I feel like Pokémon Sun/Moon took a page out of Dragon Ball Z's playbook with these attacks. They are ridiculously flashy and over the top, which I mean in a great way. It's fun getting to see what Z-Moves your Pokémon have to offer, as they really pack a wallop. I'm sure more hardcore fans will soon be looking for ways to skip all these animations, but someone like me was always down to check them out. It's like watching a character from your favorite anime call upon some of their famous moves, complete with the buildup that you've seen a million times over. There's just something about it that feels fun no matter how many times you view it.

Another big change comes from the removal of gym battles. Instead of just swapping out one gym leader for the same experience given a different name, Sun/Moon flesh out things in some interesting ways. There are indeed 'Kahunas' that you'll have to take on, and they're as close to gym leaders as you get. They are the head honchos of islands that you'll have to take on, but you need to go through a lot of other gameplay before you get to them. This comes in the way of an Island Challenge, where you have to meet up with trial captains that give you unique tasks to tackle. You'll also need to battle Totem Pokémon, which are stronger versions of Pokémon that you've encountered. It feels like a much more fleshed-out approach and helps to really break up the monotony of heading to towns and just pushing for your next gym battle.

You can't forget the new Alola version of Pokémon as well, which replace the Mega Evolutions this time around. Pokémon Sun/Moon lets you see different takes on Pokémon that you've come to know and love for 20 years. This is another great surprise while you're playing, as you'll happen upon familiar Pokémon that now have a special visual twist to them. Pokémon has always been about collecting, sharing and trading Pokémon. These Alola versions only give you more of an excuse to do just that, not to mention just how funny/strange/crazy some of these Alona versions are!

There's also a rather intriguing story to push you through the game, but I want to keep things spoiler-free here. If you played the demo for Sun/Moon, you already know that your journey has some secrets to uncover. As you might expect, things go deeper than anyone involved expects, and there's a couple twists along the way. It's not like the story is going to win any major awards, but I do feel that Pokémon Sun/Moon continues Game Freak's recent trend of trying to add more depth and layers to the Pokémon story. I happened upon a couple characters that really looked at Pokémon from a different perspective and they made me question a few things about I feel about the lives Pokémon lead in general. Just some interesting food for thought, but still nice to see this territory given some exploration.

All of this is wrapped up in an absolutely gorgeous package. I find Pokémon Sun/Moon to be among the most visually stunning games on the 3DS to date. There's no doubt this game is pushing the system's capabilities to the max. It really does a great job of bringing the Pokémon universe to life and also tying it in a bit more with the anime. It's as if a cartoon came to life. It really is a joy to look at and I was constantly impressed with what I saw, especially when it came to the cut-scenes. It's very clear that Game Freak has been hard at work to crank every last bit of power out of the 3DS, and boy does it pay off.

I'm sure it's no surprise to learn that Pokémon Sun/Moon is a top-notch game, but I do have a couple minor complaints. The biggest one comes from the game's early hours. Pokémon Sun/Moon feels like it has an intro section that is longer than previous games, unless my memory is failing me. There's a pretty lengthy tutorial section before you get to really set out on your journey and explore the game. This can last, depending on how you count things, an hour or more. I didn't feel like it ruined the game for me and I certainly knew that there would be plenty of hours of gameplay to take on, but I did find myself eager to get through the tutorials and into the meat. This probably comes from having played all the main Pokémon entries, but I would imagine Game Freak is expecting a considerable amount of newcomers to pick up Sun/Moon.

I also wasn't as blown away by the soundtrack this time around. There are a ton of great songs and some really stand-out tunes included, but there are also some tracks that didn't really fit for me. As a matter of fact, I felt like a handful of the songs would have been much better suited to a Mario Kart game! I'm not saying the songs were bad by any means. I'm just thinking they felt out of place for the situations/events they were tied to. Again, with that said, there are some phenomenal songs here, including some that use vocals!

You don't need me to tell you that you're going to love Pokémon Sun/Moon. I think many of you already made up your mind months ago. Has there ever been a mainline Pokémon installment that disappointed? There are minor quibbles to debate throughout the entire franchise, but you can rest assured that Pokémon Sun/Moon continues the extremely high quality bar that the series is known for. As I said, this entry feels like a real celebration of everything that came before it. It just feels like the focus is on exploration, wonder and fun. Those are elements that really resonated with me and made my time with the title so deeply enjoyable.

From the first-time Pokémon fan to the hardcore player and everyone inbetween, Pokémon Sun/Moon should have plenty to wow you. This is not an experience you want to miss. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to head to the mall and purchase myself a Z-Ring! You can bet I'm going to wear that baby proudly!