Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon came out in November of 2016, with their next iteration Pokemon Ultra Sun and Pokemon Ultra Moon releasing a year later in November of 2017. It is normal for the main pair of Pokemon games to receive an updated release, usually as the third singular title like Pokemon Yellow to Pokemon's Red and Blue or Pokemon Crystal to Pokemon Gold and Silver.

This wasn't the first time an updated version of the main game came out as a pair, though. Pokemon Black and White had a sequel in Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 that continued the story, doing more than any third title ever has. Usually, a third title release will rehash the same story, while also adding neat new features, game mechanics, and Pokemon for the player to experience. Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 broke new ground in this way.

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Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are very reminiscent of what a Pokemon Crystal or Pokemon Emerald could be compared as, and that is an enhanced upgrade of the original game. Pokemon Crystal, for example, had a centralized focus on Suicune within its narrative and introduced the now-staple Battle Tower. Pokemon Emerald had Rayquaza as the narratively focused Legendary Pokemon and introduces the Battle Frontier, a battler's paradise. With only a year between the release of Pokemon SM and USUM, it's no surprise there are similarly minor changes between them.

Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon New Features

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Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon were the third main Pokemon games to be released on the Nintendo 3DS. Before them, there were Pokemon X and Y in 2013 (with no follow-up third title) and Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire in 2014. Pokemon Sun and Moon feature four islands for players to travel through and explore. Introduced in these games are many new features and even changes to the original Pokemon formula such as replacing Gyms with the new Island Challenge.

  • Pokemon Sun and Moon change up the Gym formula seen in Pokemon games prior with an all-new Island Challenge form of progression. The Island Challenge will test the player with small puzzles and a boss Pokemon known as a Totem Pokemon. Afterwards, the player will have to face the island Kahuna, earning a stamp on their card and freedom to travel to the next island.
  • Poke Pelago is introduced in Pokemon Sun and Moon and allows the player to use their Pokemon that are stored in the PC to partake in activities of their own. The player can use the beans that they earn to develop and upgrade islands for their Pokemon to grow berries, take on expeditions or lets the player encounter wild Pokemon.
  • Poke Rides are the first in the series to replace the HMs. Players can use Poke Ride to call on a specific Pokemon to surf across the water, fly to other locations, or cross rocky terrain, to name a few. This feature made it so players did not have to dedicate their own Pokemon to use HM moves, something fans have been vocal about for some time.
  • Hyper Training is a feature introduced in Pokemon Sun and Moon that allows players to hyper train their Pokemons Initial Value (or IVs) to the maximum in exchange for Bottle Caps once the desired Pokemon hit level 100.
  • Festival Plaza is a new online hub area that lets a player see other nearby or online players. They can earn Festival Coins which can be spent on stores that, over time will populate their Festival Plaza. Players will be able to take on Normal and Global missions here as well as any communications feature such as battling or trading with friends, and the Global Link.

Pokemon Sun and Moon have also added the Rotom Pokedex, a talkative Pokedex with more functionality than ever before. It also provides the player with a map that shows the player's location, points of interest, and will often recommend destinations based on the conversations players have with NPCs. The games also introduce new Pokemon forms such as the Ash-Greninja form, as well as region-variant Alolan Forms. Some Pokemon have an alternative Alolan form that completely changes their look and typing, such as Sandshrew, Vulpix, Meowth, and Marowak, to name a few.

One major addition to the Pokemon series is the introduction of Ultra Beasts. These pseudo-legendary extradimensional Pokemon originate from Ultra Space. They appear throughout the story, and eventually, the player can capture them after becoming champion. Once the player became a Pokemon League Champion, they can take part in champion defenses, where trainers the player met along their journey will randomly come and attempt to dethrone the player.

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Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon Changes

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Pokemon Ultra Sun and Pokemon Ultra Moon are very similar games to their predecessors. Though Pokemon USUM and SM by and large share the same plot, there are a handful of key differences contained. Though debatable if these alterations or additions are enough to warrant what might be considered a second purchase, the additions are very much in line with what a fan might expect from the third addition to a pair of Pokemon titles.

  • Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon feature many new visual flavoring such as being able to witness Pokemon wandering about in the background of some areas. Murkrow and Wingull are present in Route 1, while Bewear can be seen in Poni Gauntlet for example. The HUDs and menus have received graphical updates while Trainers in battle and double-battles have had their animations improved. The wild Pokemon battle theme has been remixed as well as the trainer battle theme. The player's house interior has also received a makeover.
  • Mantine Surf is a new mini-game introduced and appears on beaches on each island that offers not only a new way to kill time but also the ability to travel to the next island. Ultra Warp Ride is the other mini-game added that players can traverse to catch an endless sea of Legendary Pokemon or Ultra Beasts. Beast Balls as a result can now be purchased in Aether Paradise.
  • Alola Photo Clubs is another new feature added to Pokemon USUM allowing players to take photos with their party Pokemon. Photos can be edited with stickers and posted online or saved to the SD card. After a Pokemon evolves the player can do an impromptu photoshoot. The Alola Photo Clubs have been added to Hau'oli City and Konikoni City.
  • New areas have been added or improved upon, including Pikachu Valley (like the Charizard Valley in the anime) and the Ultra Wormhole. Big Wave Beach gives players access to Sandy Cave while Seaward Cave features an icier aesthetic, and no longer requires players to use the Poke Ride Tauros Charge to unlock. Mount Lanakila has been greatly expanded to rival the Victory Roads of previous games. There is a new cave called Plains Grotto that can be accessed from Poni Plains. Kala'e Bay has also been expanded.
  • Additional content such as the Totem Stickers which are rare collectibles players can hunt for that are scattered throughout the 4 islands, rewarding the player at certain milestones with Totem Pokemon. The post-game in Pokemon USUM also has the new Team Rainbow Rocket sub-quest, allowing the player to experience even more from generations past.
  • For the first time within the same generation, 5 new Pokemon have been added to the roster, while 101 Pokemon were added to the Alola Pokedex totaling 403 Pokemon. The Rotom Pokedex has also been updated to show more affection over time, granting the player a nickname, as well as introducing the Roto Loto rewarding the player with boosting items.

Among these changes and features, there have also been many tweaks to the story. In Pokemon USUM, the player receives their first Pokemon on Route 1 from Professor Kukui before saving Lillie, for example. The player and Hau will travel from Melemele Island to Akala Island using the newly introduced Mantine Surf mini-game instead of hitching a ride on Professor Kukui's boat. There are many other minor story tweaks but the major beats are more or less the same, with some of the bigger changes appearing towards the end, such as Gladion leaving as opposed to Lillie and Lusamine leaving in the end, for example.

Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are available now for Nintendo 3DS.

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