As we approach a new generation, we have now had a first look at the seventh generation of Pokémon games, Pokémon Sun & Pokémon Moon. These games are the second generation of Pokémon games on the Nintendo 3DS, so while things may look the same on the surface there are some interesting changes that have come. While we provided a bit of an analysis in video beforehand, we're taking a look at some of the new features that appear to be in place. While we don't know much about the games yet, these changes do appear to exist - they may change or turn out to be different at launch, but we can certainly make some educated analysis on new ideas that Game Freak may be implementing.
One of the most obvious changes here exists in the battle system, in that the trainer actually appears behind the Pokémon. This is something that hasn't happened since Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gales of Darkness and will give the games a more joined feel between the overworld and the battle system, especially as the graphics in the overworld have taken a shift to utilise the same models as the battle system. In addition to this, the backgrounds appear to be more dynamic than in Pokémon X & Y.
Another potential feature could be the inclusion of the mysterious Synchro Evolution mechanic, which is currently being gradually teased in the anime with Ash and his Greninja, and its special evolution into Ash-Greninja where the trainer and Pokémon's bond causes them to become fully in sync with each other. Could this be the cool new mechanic in Sun and Moon? The anime is certainly hyping the entire concept up so it could definitely be something that we could see here.
In these games, according to an image that came from the Japanese variety show, Pokénchi, there appears to be other characters in the background in some matches, so it's not just all about the Pokémon. Interestingly, the circle that surrounds the Pokémon in battle in Generation VI games appears to no longer be there, giving a more natural feel to the battles. Hopefully we will get to see many varied environments in these games based on each area and building, rather than have it be a bit disjointed.
In the overworld, graphics have been improved somewhat. Removing the chibi-look of the previous games, Sun and Moon appear to use more proportioned models, akin to those from battle. It's also worth noting that these games appears to be less focused on the grid system that predecessors have been running from the get-go. While in X & Y and Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire you can use the Circle Pad to get away from the locked 8 directional movement, the games were still designed around that limited approach, which meant the geography - especially in Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - was very angular with right angles everywhere. Pokémon Sun & Moon seem to blow that away with more curved paths and various elevations on cliffsides, all at various angles giving the games a much more fluid and realistic look. This brings the games much more in line with how people have pictured 3D Pokémon games for a while. That said, it does appear that some elements of the grid system are still around, so it could just be an overhaul of the general look. Whether or not this is just confined to this one area of the Alola Region, it is not clear, but it is definitely a good sign.
Finally, there's a look in the trailers at vehicles in the city. In previous games you only saw vehicles in cutscenes, going under the bridges you traversed, and in X & Y as taxis to take you to other parts of the city. In Sun and Moon, however, they seem to have more of a presence. Whether this is cosmetic or not, we don't currently know.
There's a lot more that we are bound to find out over the coming months as we approach the November launch of these games. We'll explore every new thing we see whenever something new comes.
Comments (38)
First!
This generation is more than a leap that I thought. It looks like there will be lots of graphical additions to make the experience more immersive. Can't wait to see more!
If it is based off Hawaii, multiple islands similar to the Sevii Isles from FR/LG, that would be AWESOME!!!
What about the camera movement? Are we gonna be able to freely move in any angle for a more immersive experience?
This looks like an actual evolution on the style first introduced in X and Y. I'm looking forward to it.
I HATED X and Y so hopefully these games will be better. As long as there's a proper postgame similar to Platinum's new island then I'll be happy.
Can't wait to play these games. I am really excited for November
Really happy that this region looks like the Sevii Islands on steroids. I love those islands, but I badly wanted more content.
Really hope the battle system is more like XD and Colosseum. If so, then they definitely get a purchase from me.
December can't come close enough
Just waiting to see what pokemon are exclusive to each version. Leaning towards moon right now. I am really looking forward to the tropical island setting.
@NintyFan I think what prevented that in 6th Gen was A) Just having Pokemon on the screen was hard enough on the engine and B) none of the minor characters had proportional versions of their bodies, just the overworld chibi version. Point A looks like it's no longer an issue, and every character is proportional now, so point B is no longer an issue either. There's a chance that double or triple battles might not have the trainer there just due to how much strain that might put on the 3DS.
Cats! Lot's of Cats. This article points out there are currently 6 Cat Pokemon we know for Sun and Moon and theorises that Cats could play a bigger role: (Cat's Include Litten, Litten's evolved forms, Meowth, Persian and Solgaleo)https://miketendo64.com/2016/05/17/lets-talk-about-meowth-why-his-inclusion-in-sun-moon-matters/
I'm really happy those battle circles are gone. They make the battles feel a lot more natural.
@NintyFan I think there was a scene in the trailer where the female trainer was in the battle, but we never saw the opposing trainer, so... I guess there's some possible evidence.
Probably my biggest wish for the Sun/Moon is that they've kept their eyes on multiplayer during the run of the current gen and include balance of Pokemon both new and old high on their priority list.
Liking what I've seen of the new region so far...just hoping there are no secret islands the average player is going to need a gameshark to visit. Would also be nice if the inevitable event Pokemon are patched in later on, so their reveal can be an actual surprise.
@theinstruct0r
and yet he misses to inform the reader of Hawaiis overpopulation of cats to explain why they may become an important role this game.
@nessisonett
Hate aside, seconded. I'd love to see another Sinnoh-ish postgame.
According to @Gauchorino there's nothing new here that we haven't seen in the last four generations. It's also apparently a shameless cash grab.
I'll go with the web master of serebii.nets assessment over his.
havent played a pokemon game in ages but ill be getting sun or moon for sure, looks fantastic!!
give us chat when battling in 4 player tag battles or atleast with our partners so we don't kill each other.
@Radbot42 No more rattatas?
Hard mode and 6x6 online with functional rules. A second region is good, but to me those two is all that matters.
Rumorlife special where they admit '"what we think we know" to what they do best which is spread rumors.
This dead Pokemon clone called from the robot afterlife. They want their version names back.
@PurpleMushroom
I'm one of those guys that picks the female character, but if character customization isn't in these games then I'll pick the male one.
That hat is as bad as gamefreak's excuse for not reusing their good generation ideas beacause "unique" blah blah blah whatever...
All these info has me excited,can't wait!!
@CosmoXY Not taking my words personally, eh? Don't you remember saying that no one cares about what I've said about this? Interesting that you choose to attempt to irrelevantly make an example of me, then. Also, it's a bit ironic that you've brought my words up in an article about potential upcoming features and improvements when you spent some time adamantly defending the practice of companies making and selling a game that doesn't feature any major improvement or innovation (ie, against the crux of my argument).
Had you not reactively devalued and misrepresented the content of my former comment (and afterward tore down the straw man of me that you created; to be very clear, that is, unlike what you seem to believe I was saying, I never argued against companies making products for profit) because you just couldn't stand anyone daring to not mindlessly praise anything Pocket Monsters, and had actually respectfully considered and/or inquired into what I actually said, you would know that I never stated that Sun & Moon will not have any improvements or innovation, but rather that the debut trailer did not seem to indicate any such thing, which leads me to believe that there will be few to no significant improvements beyond the expected increase to the number of Pokemon.
Feel free to quote anything I'm saying if you believe I'm speaking insincerely, as my own statements say greater things about my position than do yours. Also, feel free to challenge any point I've made, but please be careful not to misrepresent my statements if you do so. I"m always open to discussion and correction.
That said, I look forward to being surprised by possible announcements of new features. As I said before, I also am very pleased with the new character designs that have been shown off so ar. Unfortunately, the only features that have solidly been revealed to my knowledge are the new region, the new starters, a meager amount of new character customisations, and the identity of the two "cover legendaries". Absolutely none of that is revolutionary or unique to Sun & Moon, hence my criticism. To contrast for the sake of comparison, "quadruple battles", "double Mega Evolutions" or even a new type of Pokemon could have been shown off in lieu of...nothing. Even in the scope of this very article, the author (even as well-intentioned and well-informed as he is) is speculating about what may be[i] in the games, not what [i]is in the games. Therefore, I am criticising: 1. What has been shown and 2. That major features yet to be revealed haven't been shown and should have already been shown. I do hope that "Synchro Evolution" mechanic and fluid movement that Joe Merrick spoke of will be implemented, though!
I can relate to the excitement you have for Sun & Moon, but shutting down any criticism or skeptical assessment about them is flat wrong. Just because you disagree with someone doesn't mean you should attack their person (and yes, labeling something you don't like as horrible, then citing and mocking the person who stated it does, in fact, makes it personal). You need to learn to ask why someone doesn't agree with you and then respond to their answers accordingly, or at least accurately attempt to refute the content of a comment rather than labeling a person and/or his/her words as an attempt to fallaciously devalue their words. Furthermore, telling someone their criticism about a game is wrong by telling them not to buy/play that particular game doesn’t negate their criticism.
Lastly, I don't hold a grudge against you nor desire to do so, and I feel as if I should apologise to you for stirring you up by sharing a dissident viewpoint. It wasn't my intention to do so to you nor to anyone. Now, let's leave this at that, shall we?
@Frank90 The game will crash from lag if there was 6 v 6.
@Gauchorino You need to relax. You are the one misrepresenting my words. The only thing I've adamantly defended, as you put it, is my original remark that your post last week was the worst I'd seen all day. You've obviously got a problem with that, so maybe you're the one that needs to learn to deal with someone having a differing opinion from yours.
As I've said before, I don't care if you agree with me and your opinion on video games is of little consequence to me.
@Marakuto Oh no! I did not explained well, I ment 1x1 with 6 Pokemons on the team.
@Gauchorino They never reveal those innovative features immediately, Pokemon news is released gradually over the course of the pre-release period. The first details of the game are never those kinds of features, it's usually basic stuff like the starters, player characters, the region, rivals, professors, mascots, etc. Gameplay features are usually discussed later.
Personally my theory is that the reason that there's visible Trainers seen alongside battles is so that the players can immerse themselves as the trainer when they inevitably invoke Astral (Projection) Evolution. the trainers themselves would enter an entranced state. would at least be a bit more realistic compared to Mega Evolutions since the Key Stones alone are rare and there's plenty of underutilized Pokemon that could use a sudden Power Mode as a comeback mechanic.
If Astral Evolution isn't limited to fully-evolved Pokemon that is. otherwise i could see Astral Nidoqueen/King, Rhydon, Persian or Scyther. i couldn't imagine that Gamefreak would have much problems producing nearly-new Pokemon models as temporary modes for existing Pokemon or for new ones. Ash!Greninja doesn't look that drastic in appearance that would justify extensive modelling work.
The info itself is probably showing Magearna in the game doing a move, to promote it later on, maybe transferring Volcanion to Sun/Moon via bank or similar to the Crown Beasts transfer to get Zoroark. so you can unlock Magearna in the game. or at least naming the legends. (Solgaleo/Lunaala)
@Bolt_Strike thank you. That was my only point in the first place. He rushed to judgement after one trailer saying it looked like it had no new features and looked like a cash grab. How you can know that after two minutes, if that, of game play is not realistic.
I'm not blindly, adamantly defending any particular game or series as Grouchorino likes to imply. Just calling out his (rather wordy) crap.
@CosmoXY No, I've not been affected by that. Being negatively labeled doesn't bother me. But the only basis you've had for calling what I said "the worst comment here" was because it wasn't praising the titles, which apparently made you furious enough to attack me personally. So, the reasons I've continued to write back to you was to explain and clarify the purposes of my comments, because 1. you disagreed with what I had said and because 2. you misrepresented what I'd said.
You continue to say that you weren't taking my comments personally and that you don't care about what I said, yet you unprovokedly continue to bring them up even in a different article, even randomly mentioning me to people (who, according to your own words, don't even care about what I have to say). Something's not adding up here, because that sure doesn't sound like something someone who's unperturbed would do. Deny this and continue attempting to turn this on me as you like, but your and my comments will continue to exist, revealing the truth of the matter (unless you choose to delete them).
Frankly, I really don't care if you agree or disagree about my assessment of your comments or even if you continue to mock or insult me. I've fully explained to you the purposes of my original comment and subsequent responses (again, they were to explain and clarify the meanings of my words because of your obvious misunderstanding of them), so I have no more need to discuss them with you. Now, please stop bringing this up.
@BoltStrike First, let me apologise on behalf of my pal here for trying to drag you into this scuffle of ours. Also, thank you for cordially responding with actual reasons for your position.
While I don't personally recall the way you described features having been revealed, I'll take your word for it that they have been revealed in that way. The issue I brought up was that, in my opinion, the improvements that have been introduced in the series' recent past nor by what has so far been revealed in Sun & Moon don't really make or look to make the Pokémon experience fresh and exciting outside of the introduction of a new setting and additional Pokémon. In additon, people have been going crazy over just cosmetic changes. Everything that has yet to be shown is simply speculative, so what I have judged is what has shown so far. I am not making a judgment about the final product, except that based on what has been shown, it's not looking good. That said, I still look forward to being surprised by amazing new features that may soon be announced.
@Gauchorino You actually do seem pretty bothered, your five paragraph responses are a dead giveaway of that fact. You continue to pompously misrepresent, mischaracterize and flat out belittle me simply because I disagreed with you. Which, by the way, I am not and have never been furious over any of your comments, lol. Anyone can see by looking back at the comments that I clearly stated that I disagreed with your original statements (which I can see how the wording of that original remark could contribute to you being all worked up) and I provided counterarguments to back my position up. You are free to continue to be dismissive about the facts of what has been said, but it's fairly clear that you are being obtuse. Weather that's intentional or unintentional remains to be seen.
Now can you please let this go? And I'm not your pal.
@CosmoXY This is my very last comment to you about this, in case you want to have the last word. Again, no, your mockings and slanderings haven't bothered me. What has bothered me is that after I spent a good amount of time trying to explain and clarify my words to you (since your counterarguments were based in straw men), you continue to ignore my explanations and clarifications in your subsequent responses and then attempt to incite others against me in your willful ignorance. NEWSFLASH: you began this (and escalated it). I'd gladly have laughed off your juvenile responses (with their "severe burns"), but I thought it right to explain my position to you first so that there might not be enmity or lack of understanding between us, instead. But since you seem to care only about fanatically degrading absolutely anything and anyone that criticises your favorite series no matter the justification, I wish I hadn't bothered. Feel free to play the victim, twist my words again and tell me what I'm actually saying some more, though.
By the way, good work arguing against my last comment by repeating it back at me nearly verbatim.
@Gauchorino I'm glad you're done twisting my words and the very intent of everything I've said. I've not once mocked or slandered you, that is what you've done and even did in your last post, calling me ignorant, juvenile and fanatic, none of which accurately describe me. It's too bad you can't own up to your own rudeness.
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