Nintendo had just released a plethora of new details relating to Pokémon Sun and Moon, releasing in November 23 in their new video trailer. New Pokémon, characters, gameplay and region details… I can hardly take all the excitement!
Let’s start with the information pertaining to in-game differences between Sun and Moon. It appears as though the games take place during different times of the day depending on the version you play, with Sun’s events occurring in synch with the 3DS’s internal clock, and Moon’s events happening 12 hours later – conversely making the event an evening affair if you were to be playing during the day. As to what this means for gameplay, possibly only certain types of Pokémon can be obtained based on the time of the day. Totem Pokémon will differ depending on the versions, it also seems.
There has also been a new release of character details including members of an elite group simply known as The Aether Foundation; an organization that works in the Alola region and conducts various research projects. They reside on Aether Paradise, the artificial island that they created. Their goal is to care for and provide shelter to Pokémon that have been hurt.
These people: Lusamine, president of the foundation, Faba, Aether’s second-in-command, and Wike, the assistant branch chief, along with their Aether underlings, will be encountered in Alola during your journey. It appears as though the existence of Aether is to find and research creatures, simply know as Ultra Beasts, which according to the foundation, pose great threat to both humans and Pokémon. UB-01, a creature whose shape resembles that of a humanoid jelly fish, is an Ultra Beast composed of a glass-like substance, which is able to change its shape at will. It’s not clear yet, what kind of role they’ll play in the games. Additionally, another Team Skull antagonist Gladion, atrainer who values strength in his Pokémon team, has been revealed, and his design, I must say, I quite like!
On the new Pokémon front, we’ve been enticed with both two new and one Alolan form Pokémon. Type: Null, an artificially created normal type Pokémon with an almost amphibian/canine design– this Pokémon has been designed to withstand any kind of hardship and battle evenly against mythical Pokémon. The mask that has been fitted onto this Pokémon’s head is necessary to control its power. Jangmo-o, a small and rather cute Dragon type, which has, what appears to be a love heart shaped scale on its forehead. It possesses the pride of a warrior and trains ever diligently in the pursuit of becoming the strongest. Finally, an Alolan Raticate, typed as a Dark/Normal type, has also been announced, it is said that Alolan Raticates live in urban areas, and owing to the their higher calorie diets are fatter than that of their orange counterparts.
Finally we move onto two new gameplay elements. As most would know, the Pokémon Zygarde and its origins have been shrouded in mystery. However it would appear as though Dexio and Sina (the professor’s assistants in X and Y) will give you an item called the Zygarde Cube and task you with the duty of rounding up Zygarde Cells and cores, by found throughout Alola, as you travel. What kind of pay off can we expect for those who find all of Zygarde’s missing pieces; it is said that the more you find, the clearer the truth behind Zygarde will become?
And to top things off there appears to be an additional in game activity, reminiscent of one of my favorite spinoff series games – Pokémon Snap. Players will be given the chance to snap away pictures of certain Pokémon with the Poké Finder, choose their best snap, and display it for others to see. Not much more is known about this aspect of the game, but I’m really hoping it’ll be more in depth with an array of fun and fascinating Pokémon to capture on camera!
For those who have not seen the trailer yet, check it out!
Well, this is certainly a lot to go on. What about these new revelations are you most excited to learn more about?
About the Author
Kieren Munn
A typical gaymer, I enjoy most RPG's, Platformers, and Fighting games. I started gaming early with Sonic the Hedgehog, Mortal Kombat and Alex the Kidd on my Sega Mega Drive. This started a "healthy" obsession that has spanned 5 generations of consoles, and I won't be stopping anytime soon.
