Pokemon Ultra Sun

Genre: Turn-Based Monster-Collecting JRPG

Players: 1-4 Competitive (Local Wireless, Online), Online Content Sharing

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Review:

Pokemon Ultra Sun, along with its counterpart Pokemon Ultra Moon, are the “x.5” games of “Generation 7” within the mainline Pokemon series, released in 2017 on the Nintendo 3DS. These family-friendly Turn-Based Monster-Collecting JRPGs act as a “remix” of sorts of Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon, a second bite at the apple, or perhaps it would be more appropriate to say a second bite at the moco loco.

Pokemon Ultra Sun and Pokemon Ultra Moon do change a few things from the first round of Sun and Moon, but make no mistake – at their heart they are the same games. There are some cosmetic changes, a few new features, and even a few new Pokemon added into the game, but for the most part, this is the same experience.

While the presentation has received a touch-up, it’s still true to the spirit of the original versions of Sun and Moon – which means you should expect a Pokemon game that has possibly the most distinct and vibrant expression of identity in the franchise. Where most Pokemon games seem vaguely based on a real-world locale, this game fills every corner with its Hawaiian inspiration – from the island paradise of the region you’re traversing, to the people that fill it and their way of speaking, to even the game’s menu interface, which is redesigned this time around, but still extremely colorful, and full of delightful little flourishes that explode with Hawaiian flair.

The visuals once again make use of the same cel-shaded 3D graphics that have been present in all the mainline Pokemon games on the Nintendo 3DS, though as with Sun and Moon, the environments this time feel a bit more natural and less rigidly artificial. What’s more, there’s a good amount of color here (even more so than prior Pokemon games, and even more than what was in Sun and Moon, with areas in the game nor surrounded by flowers and other new flourishes), and a modern island design to the architecture that both really help to make the game pop visually.

The sound is mostly untouched from Sun and Moon. Once again, the Pokemon sounds themselves still have the same simple, digitized voices as the prior games, and the characters still aren’t voiced, the music definitely has hints of Hawaiian inspiration at its edges, whether it’s the vocals in the intro, Welcome to the Alola Region, the light strings in My Home, the delightfully relaxed acoustics of Iki Town (Night), or the great percussion in Iki Town Island Festival. A few of this game’s songs have been remixed from Sun and Moon, but for the most part the two games sound the same. While the game’s themes are still very much in line with the Pokemon franchise as a whole, I still feel like this game’s music does an outstanding job mixing the series’ atypical style with its Hawaiian influences, and the result is in my opinion one of the best soundtracks in the series.

The gameplay once again takes all of the great elements that worked so well in Pokemon X and Y and adds some personality into the mix. Battles once again rely on the series’ superb mix of highly accessible simplicity with surprising depth behind the scenes, with new elements from Sun and Moon such as the new “Z-Move”, a super-powerful, highly-accurate move that can be used only once per battle. This seems somewhat similar to the Mega Evolutions of Pokemon X and Y, which can still be used here as well.

Other elements from prior games have been re-worked or re-imagined here. Pokemon Amie is no longer present, but in its place is the extremely similar Pokemon Refresh. Even the Pokedex gets a character-fueled upgrade with it being inhabited by an extremely chatty Rotom Pokemon, who points out the next place you need to go on the map and chats with you about the latest events in the game’s story.

There are other new gameplay elements here too, including a slew of new online and local multiplayer features. There’s a “Festival Plaza” where players can interact with other characters who show up due to StreetPass, and players can even connect with up to three others for new free-for-all battles. There are plenty of other new features as well, but… Is any of this a true game-changer? Well… no, not really. But it’s definitely nice that this game does not rest on its laurels.

However, perhaps more interesting is the way that Pokemon Sun and Moon breaks from the traditional Pokemon game structure with its Island Kahunas and Island Challenges, which take the place of the traditional Pokemon gym leaders and gyms. These challenges are a lot more varied than traditional Pokemon gyms, having you complete different sorts of tasks for each.

Okay, but most of that was just copy-pasted from the reviews for Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon. What’s new? Well, the story has been redone somewhat. It’s not a drastic departure from what was in Sun and Moon, but it does feel like a sort of alternate take on the same overall story. Multiple new locations have been added, there’s a new gym (which is to say… now there’s a gym), a lot more returning Pokemon have been added into the game as well as five new Pokemon, new Z-moves, a new “Photo Club” to take pictures of your Pokemon, new minigames… suffice it to say, there are a good number of changes in this release.

Is it enough to make it worthwhile to buy Pokemon Ultra Sun or Pokemon Ultra Moon if you already own Pokemon Sun or Pokemon Moon? Well… no, not really. Don’t get me wrong, these changes are overall an improvement, but they aren’t significant enough that most people will feel they warrant a double-dip. However, if you have yet to get one of the Generation 7 Pokemon games, these improvements probably mean that you’re better off skipping Sun and Moon and going straight to Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. And if you have a Nintendo 3DS, I do absolutely recommend that you get one of these games, whether it’s Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, or Ultra Moon. Whichever one you end up with, this is an outstanding entry in the Pokemon franchise that may not revolutionize the franchise, but is nevertheless one of the strongest games in the mainline series due to its excellent use of theme to give the already-superb gameplay a wealth of personality.

tl;dr – Pokemon Ultra Sun (as well as its counterpart, Pokemon Ultra Moon) is a superb entry in the mainline Pokemon franchise of family-friendly Turn-Based Monster-Collecting JRPGs. Having said that, this is a retread of Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon, and while it does add a good number of new features, there’s not really enough that has changed to justify buying one of these games if you already own Sun or Moon. However, if you’re a Nintendo 3DS owner who hasn’t gotten one of these games yet, these new features may make Pokemon Ultra Sun and Pokemon Ultra Moon the best versions of an already phenomenal game. This is one of the best games in the Pokemon franchise, even if it doesn’t revolutionize the franchise.

Grade: A+

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