Pokémon Sun And Moon demo previews took place recently, so press was able to learn a lot about specific gameplay elements. Based on hands-on reports, here are five tiny details that every trainer must know before release.
1) 3D Is Not Really Advised: Pokémon Sun And Moon are 3DS games, but, like X And Y before them, they don’t really take advantage of the hardware’s stereoscopic 3D features. While 3D elements do indeed work in the Pokémon Snap-like Poké Finder mode, many previews suggested that the perk had an overall negative impact on framerate. It’s worth noting that previews took place on the New 3DS too, so Poké Finder in 3D could be even worse on standard systems. 3D does not work at all in battle.
2) The Gameplay Starts Quickly: Pokémon games can sometimes get a little overzealous with tutorials, but Sun And Moon seemingly won’t make that mistake. While press was limited to a demo, they were only barred from the game’s opening cutscene. After that, trainer battles and wild encounters happened quickly. In about two hours of play, it was said that conventional mechanics were being used in the first 30 minutes. There is a tutorial, but it doesn’t overstay its welcome.
3) Original Pokémon Variations Seemingly Not In The Game: The Pokémon Company has relished in showing us various Alolan forms of classic monsters. As experienced in the demo, it appears that passion extends to the point of excluding the original variations completely. In other words, trainers could only encounter an Alola Rattata or Riachu. The Kanto designs might still be in the final games, but it doesn’t look that way right now.
4) Trainer Starts The Game In Danger: This may be a tiny story SPOILER, but it happens so early in the game that it’s probably not worth getting worked up about. Apparently just moments after leaving their mother’s house, trainers will nearly lose their lives falling off a bridge during a wild encounter. Before the worst happens, however, the deity Land Spirit, Tapu Koko, comes to the rescue. This early bond will likely tie to a larger plot thread eventually, but we don’t know how just yet.
5) Tackle Gets Nerfed In Otherwise Easy Combat: One of the more curious changes is that the effectiveness of the standard tackle attack has been reduced from a power stat of 50 down to 40. Pokémon X And Y actually introduced the 10-point buff to the franchise, but apparently Sun And Moon reverts it back to its usual state. This isn’t an earth-shattering alteration, but it’s an odd one that pros should be aware of.
While on the subject of combat, it might also be worth pointing out that the battle mechanics of Sun And Moon don’t seem to signal an increase in gameplay difficulty. Pokémon games are often thought of as “easy” RPGs, and that notion hasn’t changed from the two-hour demo. Perceptions could shift in the latter game of course, but, right now, the curve looks the same.
Pokémon Sun And Moon come to 3DS on Nov. 18.
What do you think of these gameplay details from the demo preview? Are they everything you expected? Tell us in the comments section. We’d also like to thank GameXplain and Joe Merrick for their quick assessments.
