GameReviewPad contributors give their reactions to the Pokemon Sun / Moon demonstration at E3 2016.
ALEX HADIK
Nintendo’s day one at E3 2016 has come and passed, and with it came more information about the highly anticipated Pokemon Sun / Moon. The press conference started with the same trailer that was released a month or so ago which originally had me worried. I was afraid they were not going to show anything we hadn’t already known about, but I was wrong. Once they delved into the demo, all the new and exciting information came in waves that would get any Pokemon fan excited. Such things as trainer battles, catching Pokemon, and some new Pokemon were all shown in the brief playthrough. It seems that Gamefreak is going for a more accessible game that is even easier to play with the changes that are being made.
The biggest change is to battle and move selection interface. In earlier Pokemon titles, only the move’s typing would show up when selecting it, but now they have added a way for the player to see the effectiveness of the move they are about to use and be able to look in full at the move’s description without leaving the battle screen. If the opposing Pokemon is weak to the attack, underneath the move will show the words super effective. This makes it much easier for new people to understand what typings are good against each other. Along with this, another addition has been made to show what buffs and debuffs are currently on your or the opposing Pokemon. Before, when a move such as Growl was used, the player would have to remember how many times their stats were lowered. Now one can just flip to this screen and see what is currently lowered. I feel this is a great addition to the battling, not only for new players, but longtime players as well. It’s just one less thing someone has to remember when engaged in a battle.
As for the Alola region itself, the playthrough confirmed the tropical island theme, with five unique islands, and introduced us to two new Pokemon; Pikipek and Yungoos. During the playthrough, the player caught a Pikipek which showed off another added feature to the game. After it was caught an image popped up showing the new Pokemon was registered, but they discussed that on that image there seemed to be two empty spots next it showing that is has two evolutions. This is an excellent change because now when the player catches a Pokemon that is new to them, they will be able to see how many evolutions it has, if it has any at all. Again, this feature adds to the idea of an easier and more accessible game for everyone.
The final reveal shown at the press conference was the addition of a brand new game mode. It is called Battle Royale and pit fours players against each other in a free-for-all battle. Each player is allowed to bring three Pokemon in and when all of one player’s Pokemon faint, the battle ends. The player with most Pokemon left or highest health at the end will win. I think this mode has a potential to be extremely fun, especially to play with friends.
Overall, I was very happy with the Pokemon Sun / Moon press conference. There was a lot of information without giving away any big story elements or all the new Pokemon. I look forward to all the changes they showed to make the game easier for everyone. The additions, I feel won’t take anything away from the game series. It’s been 20 years since the Pokemon games first came into existence and it is amazing to see how much it has grown from the Red and Blue versions.
More reactions to the Pokemon Sun / Moon (3DS) demonstration may be added later.
