After announcing Pokémon Sun and Moon at E3 2016, Nintendo has revealed more details about it.
Shigeru Ohmori and Junichi Masuda, the director and producer of Pokémon Sun and Moon discussed details about the Nintendo 3DS title.
They first talked about starts Pokémon Litten, Popplio and Rowlet which will be set in the tropical region of Alola. Ohmari revealed that the GameFreak developers had put a lot of efforts in the starter animations.
Then began the gameplay demo of Pokémon Sun and Moon which showed how the game will work in combat. Though the basic structure of the game will stay the same – there will be turn-based battles, and every Pokémon will have four moves to choose from a refined layout.
Information about status effects and moves can be easily accessed through 3DS’s lower screen while the upper screen shows the dynamic battles. The characters are now customizable and they hover behind the active critter, clearly displaying the bond between the Pokémon and the trainer.
There will be two trainer options to choose from – a male and a female. The male trainer has a white and blue shirt, with black snapback and backpack. While the female trainer has a floral yellow shirt with a red hat. The trainers aren’t customizable but players can choose any one of them.
The first trainer-to-trainer Pokémon battle that the gamers will face will be against a new rival, Hau. Though, it’s not clear who Hau is, in the past rivals have been relatives or friends, but we have no idea who he is. We do know the battle will take place in front of the whole village.
If there is one major improvement in Pokémon Sun and Moon, then that is definitely animation. The graphics are much more better, and not just in battles, in each and every aspect. When rival trainers throw Pokéballs, the screen will narrow in on the gamers as they approach, this obviously gives small cues that a battle is going to happen.
The background animation along with the wider locations makes the whole world seem alive. The gameplay demo also introduced some new Pokémon which include Yungoos, a Normal-type mongoose-like creature who is “always hungry”, Pikipek, a Flying-type “woodpecker Pokémon, who can peck 16 times in one second”, and Bug-type Grubbin, which uses its powerful claws as both weapon and tool.
An impressive new combat mode called Battle Royal was also introduced, it is a four-player mode where each player will have three Pokémon battles, one at a time. This will be a free-for-all-battle which means the active Pokémon will choose its own rival from the other three. This will obviously make battles more complex.
Pokemon Sun and Moon will be released for Nintendo 3DS on November 18, 2016.
