Pokémon Sun and Moon are role-playing video games with adventure elements, set in the fictional Alola region (loosely based on Hawaii),[1] presented in a third-person, overhead perspective.[2] The player controls a young trainer who goes on a quest to catch and train creatures known as Pokémon, and win battles against other trainers.[1] By defeating opposing Pokémon in turn-based battles, the player's Pokémon gains experience, allowing them to level up and increase their battle statistics, learn new battle techniques, and in some cases, evolve into more powerful Pokémon. Players can capture wild Pokémon, found during random encounters, by weakening them in battle and catching them with Poké Balls, allowing them to be added to their party. Players are also able to battle and trade Pokémon with other human players using the Nintendo 3DS' connectivity features. As with previous games in the series, certain Pokémon are only obtainable in either Sun or Moon, with players encouraged to trade with others in order to obtain all Pokémon from both versions.[3][4]
New features[edit]
See also: List of generation VII Pokémon
The bottom screen in Sun and Moonis occupied by a Rotom, showing a map of the player's location. The red flag indicates a story waypoint.
Pokémon Sun and Moon are presented in fully three dimensional (3D) polygonal graphics, like their predecessors, allowing for more interactivity with the overworld and more dynamic action during battles. However, the character models in Sun and Moon possess more realistic proportions compared to chibi-styled models used in Pokemon X and Y or Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.[5] Players are also able to customize their Pokémon trainer's appearance, choosing gender, skin tone and hair color at the start of the game and can later acquire outfits and accessories to change their character's appearance. Joining the previous generations of Pokémon are all new species, such as the new starter Pokémon; Rowlet, Litten and Popplio and the Pokémon that are, within the fictional Pokémon world, described as legendary, namely Solgaleo and Lunala.[6][7]
Pokémon Sun and Moon are the first entries in the series to be available in Chinese, both Simplified and Traditional, along with English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Japanese and Korean, for a total of nine available languages.[8] The games introduce variants of Pokémon introduced in older games with new typings and appearances, known as Alolan Forms. Alolan Vulpix and Ninetales, which are Fire types in other regions, are respectively Ice and dual Ice and Fairy types. Alolan Sandshrew and Sandslash, which are Ground types in other regions, are Ice and Steel types. Alolan Meowth and Persian, which are Normal types in other regions, are Dark types. Some Pokémon evolutions have gained dual typings as well, such as Alolan Marowak which is now a Fire and Ghost type and Alolan Raichu, an Electric and Psychic type.[9][10] Throughout the game, players utilize a Rotom-possessed Pokédex on the bottom touchscreen, which displays a minimap containing markers for story objectives.[11]
Pokémon Sun and Moon introduce a powerful new type of move known as Z-Moves which can only be used once per battle.[12] Hidden Moves, which were used to navigate terrain in past games, have been replaced by specialized Pokémon that can be summoned at will.[13] The "Poké Finder" is a function of the Rotom Pokédex which allows players to take photos of Pokémon in the wild, similar to Pokémon Snap.[14][15] In addition, the two games' clocks are set 12 hours apart from each other, with Sun operating on the 3DS' time and Moon operating 12 hours ahead.[16] Character customization as previously seen in X and Y returns in Sun and Moon. A new "Pokémon Refresh" feature enables players to care for and feed their Pokémon.[17] Mega Evolution, a game mechanic first introduced in X and Y, returns in Sun and Moon.[18] The Battle Tree is a location which allows players to battle or team up with Pokémon trainers, including Kanto region trainers Red and Blue.[19] Players can trade or battle with other players online.[20] From a location called the Festival Plaza, players can participate in "Global Missions", where people from across the world work towards a set target — such as catching 100 million Pokémon collectively.[21]
