I did considering featuring both Super Mario Odyssey and Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon for this post, but I may just have separate posts sharing my thoughts on them at a later date.
Instead, as we see a deluge of Nintendo Switch games that I genuinely can’t keep up with – Doom, Skyrim and L.A. Noire to name a few – I will be featuring a 3DS game. Well, it is a 3DS game with two different versions, in which players will return to a familiar land to catch ’em all once again.
Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon have players returning to the Alola region once again. Whilst the setting for the games is the same as Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon, there is an alternative story and new features to look forward to. The selection of Pokémon you can catch has also been expanded, so you’ll be encountering a few more familiar faces than the first time around.
As you may have guessed by this point, I opted to go for Pokémon Ultra Moon.
Shortly after your adventure begins, dark clouds spread in the sky above the Alola region. The story of these games have the legendary Pokémon – Solgaleo and Lunala – as well as Necrozma play a central role. Necrozma and the land of Alola itself will have secrets revealed as you embark on your quest.
You’ll also encounter Ultra Wormholes during your quest, that lead to different worlds. These worlds include the homes of the mysterious Ultra Beasts.
Soliera and Phyco, of the Ultra Recon Squad
There are also new characters to meet in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. The Ultra Recon Squad appear in Alola, though their motives are shrouded in mystery. Soliera and Phyco, pictured above, are who you will encounter in Ultra Moon, whilst Ultra Sun players will meet Dulse and Zossie.
There are more than 400 Pokémon to be caught in Alola this time around – many of which were not available in Sun and Moon. As has been the case since the first games, there are also version exclusive Pokémon – Houndoom can only be found in Ultra Sun, whilst Manectric can only be found in Ultra Moon for example.
There will also be new Ultra Beasts to discover.
The protagonists for the games have new outfits, and of course the goal of completing all the Island trials remains the same. This time around, there is a new trial with Mina as well.
Since Alola is a collection of islands, you need someway to get between them all – that’s where Mantine Surfing comes in handy. You can also try to set high scores whilst surfing on Mantine.
For budding photographers, you can visit the Alola Photo Club. The club allows you to take pictures of your Pokémon, with the option to change a fair amount of stuff. You are also able to share your snapshots in the Festival Plaza.
So that’s me returning to Alola once more, with a faithful Popplio by my side – because I always go for the Water starter. Actually, at the time of writing it has evolved in Brionne, but the point still stands.
I look forward to experiencing all the new features that Ultra Moon has to offer.
Rory Muses 