This is weird, but it’s typical Pokémon weird and it fits with the franchise. Pokédex come to lifeĪlso new in Pokémon Sun and Moon is an anthropomorphized Pokédex your trainer is the lucky recipient of a Pokédex infused with an energy-based Pokémon, which turns it into a living thing. It’s exactly the type of side feature that I welcome in these games: additive, without being overly time consuming (as was Super Training) but also ultimately optional. Refresh also helps you boost your Pokémon through better bonding, but it’s something you can also safely ignore if you’d rather not spend the time. Refresh takes time, but it’s a lot easier than traipsing all the way back to a Center in most cases, especially early on the in the game when your transport options are few. I actually love the inclusion of Refresh, because it means you can easily deal with status conditions out on the road when you’re far from a Pokémon Center, without having to burn through healing items or spend money to stockpile the same. It’s a very Tamagotchi-like interface, which uses the touchscreen to let you clean up your creatures post-battle, or even heal status conditions like paralysis, sleep or a burn using just a wand, time and taps. This lets you pamper and feed your pets, as you would as a responsible human being in the real world. Proper care and feedingĪlso new to Pokémon Sun and Moon is a system called Pokémon Refresh. These are very powerful moves, and can definitely turn the tide of a battle if used intelligently. They amp up one move of a specific type, with each type of Z-Crystal applying to a different elemental Pokémon type. Using Z-Crystals is a lot like using Mega Evolutions in Pokémon X and Y – the only difference is that they’re single-use, whereas a Mega Evolution changes your Pokémon throughout the course of a battle. Z-Crystals will power up certain Pokémon moves, for one use per battle only, when held by Pokémon and activated using your trainer’s Z-Ring (plus a special dance move of some kind). In place of badges are Z-Crystals, which are better in that they award you actual new abilities instead of just bragging rights. This is a more traditional trainer battle, and clearing this is essentially like clearing a Gym in the old game – it unlocks access to the next region, and renders rewards that allow you to control higher level Pokémon. This definitely ups the stakes, but it’s still very different from facing a number of trainers with multiple Pokémon each in a Gym in preparation for a battle with a leader at the top.ĭefeating these totem Pokémon paves the way for you facing off against the “kahuna” of each island, in what’s called a Grand Trial. Totem Pokémon can call in allies, which basically turns battles into a two-on-one situation, and not in your favor. These aren’t controlled by trainers they’re more like wild Pokémon you can’t catch. In its place, there’s a new Trial system, wherein you seek out locations where powerful Pokémon hold sway, and battle a series of weaker monsters to prepare for a battle with a single “totem” character who is more powerful. The most startling change for longtime Pokémon fans might be that the Gym system of previous regions is gone from Sun and Moon. The islands occupy a more specific and manageable virtual space, making it easier to navigate by memory, but the angle of the camera while you’re walking around, the spacing of towns, trainers and tall grass patches and other subtle changes make circumnavigation of the world seem more spread out than in games past, which again helps with this new atmosphere that’s prone to a more relaxed pace of game play. The world also seems both more contained and more expansive, all at once. The game’s hero usually feels some kind of pressing need to “become the best” in Pokémon games, but this time around, the atmosphere seems distinctly more chill, which is actually a welcome change since it puts more focus on things like battle mechanics. The tropical Alola environs include 4 main islands, and the sunny rolling hills you navigate across the setting make for a game pace that feels somehow more relaxed than usual. This latest 3DS Pokémon game brings the franchise to a set of islands that is pretty clearly based on Hawaii, called the ‘Alola Region’ in game. Luckily, the game delivers a lot for players both old and new, with plenty of familiar fun, but a fresh feeling world and replacement for the Gym system that brings new life to the franchise. Pokémon Sun and Moon, the latest installments, also may well be the first Pokémon console experience for many players, riding the hype wave of mobile hit Pokémon Go as it does. Pokémon games always have big shoes to fill, given the long history of the series and the affection its players hold for its world and its games.
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