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Spoiler Thoughts on the Full Game

Having completed Pokemon Sun today, I'm curious what my fellow ZDers think about the seventh generation of Pokemon. Note: If you haven't beaten the games, don't read this thread.

I'm a purist when it comes to Pokemon. Gen 1 and 2 have long been my favorites, but Alola definitely gave them a run for their money. I really love this region. It feels familiar yet new at the same time.

I think one of the more interesting departures from the series right off the get go that has more significance at the end of the game is the fact that Hala gives you your first Pokemon instead of Professor Kukui. Seeing someone dressed in traditional Hawaiian garb and firmly entrenched in the traditions of Alola really lends the adventure a trial theme from the first battle. I love how this continues throughout with various trainers along the adventure musing about their island challenge and wishing you the best. It's truly a fitting culmination to be tested by Professor Kukui at the end, the one who envisioned a brighter future for the island challenge and was inspired by facing the Indigo Plateau Elite 4 himself in his younger days.

Speaking of departures, the island trial system and kahunas are clever departures from the old, battle worn formula of gym battles. All of them retain the feeling of progression previously gotten from obtaining a gym badge while leaving you guessing at what exactly is to come. I especially enjoyed the humorous Marowak dance and snapping pictures in the abandoned supermarket. Battling wild Pokemon instead of trainers during the Totem Pokemon sequence feels more in line with what we've seen in the Pokemon anime for all these years, and it fits the largely unpopulated setting of Alola well.

Z-Moves freshen up battles in a way that feels less intrusive than Mega Evolutions. It was strange to see the established Basic-Stage 1-Stage 2 evolution chain messed with in the sixth generation, and not in an organic way like the island trial and kahuna system this generation to replace gyms. Mega Eviolutions were a gimmick that could only be used once within the confines of a battle. The fact that all previous evolutions were permanent made it feel out of place. Z-Moves, on the other hand, give a boost to some much overlooked Pokemon by giving them a once per battle power boost that feels more in line with something that realistically fits in Pokemon. It's no different than unleashing a previously very poweful move like Hyper Beam.

In terms of breathing new life into old Pokemon, Alola forms also go a long way to buff up some old Kanto monsters like Raichu, Golem, Ninetails, and Muk to fit more into the current meta game while fitting with the island theme. I love how clever Game Freak was with this idea, and I hope they continue to pursue this avenue to flesh out some of the older designs instead of just adding new Pokemon.

The game's story is also really something special. Pokemon has been trying to improve in the story telling department since Gen 5, but this generation really hits it out of the ball park. Lillie is the first NPC in the franchise that creates a really strong emotional bond with the trainer. I felt pained as she learned what her mother was planning to use the Aether Foundation to do. It's truly beautifukl to see you, Lillie, and Nebby - transforming into either Solgaleo or Lunala - come together to get Lusamine to see the error in her ways. Even though many people predicted the Aether Foundation would be the true final antagonists many months in advance, it didn't diminish from their impact. Don't get me wrong, Team Skull are amazing. I love their gangsta dialogue, punk rap theme, fitting creepy mansion hideout, and my boy Guzma, but things really take off when you see the cryogenically frozen Pokemon in the Aether Foundation. It really gives you a purpose to stop Lusamine's plan and restore balance to Alola. My only gripe with this family plot is that Gladion feels shoe horned in to explain Type: Null. It was convenient of him to act as a darker sort of rival and heartwarming to see him smile during the ending cutscene, but the story wouldn't have lost much without his inclusion.

Aside from the main plot, most of the smaller story details are extremely well done. All of the kahunas are fleshed out, and it's fitting to see two of them - Hala and Olivia - return as Elite 4. Acerola is a welcome addition to the Elite 4 roster as well due to her important role in the story. The only random Elite 4 member is Kahili, a renowned golfter who was very briefly mentioned in the demo. But I suppose Game Freak didn't want to make things too predictable. As I mentioned before, facing off against Kukui as the final challenge is a beautiful conclusion that was subtly hinted at all along. It was Kukui who wanted to set up the Alola Pokemon League in the first place, Kukui who challenged the Kanto Elite 4 back in the day, and Kukui who stood and watched in the Elite 4 arena as you defeated them one by one. It's also a great throwback to the unused code for the Professor Oak battle in Red and Blue. It's only fitting to defeat him to become Alola's first champion.

I've heard some mixed opinions about the music, but I think it's amazing. The Totem Pokemon theme is intense and heart pumping, Hau's theme is light hearted and adventurous, Team Skull's theme is gangsta, the Aether Foundation's theme is sinister, and the Champion theme is a fantastic remix of the iconic Alola music we heard across the region and in many trailers.

My main gripes about the games are the lack of character customization options and the character's lack of expression. The fact that there is only one clothing store per island with very limited variety is a huge bummer. To my knowledge, the only thing that was really added was the option of wearing regular glasses instead of just sunglasses. X and Y definitely offered more in the way of fashion. Other than that, it bugs me that the trainer constantly has a smile on his or her face. A little girl's Yongoos is stolen? A big grin on your face. A Totem Pokemon attacks? A big grin on your face. The ultra beasts are unleashed? A big grin on your face. The animators really could have done more in animating your character considering how vibrant the supporting cast is. It just feels out of place to always be grinning like a big idiot. But these are minor complaints for an otherwise amazing experience.

So, what are your thoughts on Pokemon Sun and Moon? How do they stack up to past games in the series? What did you like and dislike about them?
 
Joined
Jul 23, 2016
Location
UK
Gender
?
Well, I've been enjoying it so far. The Island Trials are pretty fun, the Alola region in general is entertaining to explore and the battle system is pretty much as good as ever.

However, I do wish they'd realise that too much linearity isn't always the best thing. Feels like the game kind of railroads you at certain points, when I really just want to explore the world and find new Pokemon/battle new trainers. Yeah, the story is better, but it does feel like you should be give a bit more choice to explore at your own pace in general.

Also a tiny bit disappointed by the frame rate drops. I mean, it's not a resource intensive game here. Yet somehow it has worse performance on the original 3DS than the likes of Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon (which to me seems like it should be ten times more likely to cause a frame rate drop).

Still, it's good overall, and I do like the graphics and music a lot here. So it's a good game in general.
 

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