Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon! It’s probably the same…but different. Same game, but different…but same. Seriously though, what’s really different? With just a scant few months to go before the next chapter in the Pokémon saga hits small screens on November 17, Nintendo needs to sell audiences on just why this latest iteration on last year’s latest generational title is worth getting your pokeballs excited.
According to the latest sweet but short trailer released over the weekend, said differences are there. Some of the changes highlighted include a new variant on Lycanroc that goes by the name of Dusk Form, a transformation exclusive to only a handful of special Rockruff’s once they level up because farming that one patch of grass in the Wela Volcano Park for a Salandit was so much fun.
Nintendo is attempting to sweeten the pot by offering a free Rockruff that can undergo the evolution as a download until January 10, so the Fomokemon shouldn’t be a problem. Elsewhere in the changes department, is the Alolan region itself. A new Ultra version of Necrozma hides in the long grass, as do brand new Z-Moves that have proven to be massively popular amongst younger players and in the tournament scene.
One of the new moves revealed earlier in the year was Clangorous Soulblaze for Kommo-o, which is also coincidentally the name of my heavy metal Frank Sinatra cover band. Honestly, if there’s one change that I want to see in Ultra Moon and Ultra Sun, it’s a story that doesn’t cut off circulation to the wrist when it grabs your hand like a vice grip attack.
Pokémon Sun and Moon may have been a brave new iteration of a classic franchise, but its habit of not allowing a player to enter a new area and experience some mystery before a new story chapter kicked off became quickly tiresome. I’m still keen to add a few more pocket monsters to my library, but I just might be even more excited for what’s ahead in September: Virtual console reissues of Pokémon Gold and Silver. That’ll hit the 3DS EShop on September 22, with special boxed versions being released in our neck of the region as well.
Nostalgia: It’s super-effective.
Last Updated: August 21, 2017
Original Heretic
August 21, 2017 at 13:52
Lycanroc? Is that what we call Dwayne Johnson after he gets bitten by a werewolf?