After 20 years of sticking to the same tried and true formula, Sun and Moon take pokemon to a whole new level by shaking things up by bringing life to a whole new generation of pokemon. With six generations of pokemon games each contributing something new along the way, Sun and Moon take things a step further by changing traveling, battling, and even introducing island trials in place of gyms, perhaps one of the biggest risks a franchise packed with 20 years of nostalgia could've made, but in the end it all paid off and left behind one of the most memorable pokemon journeys we've had in years.


Graphics: 10/10

Altogether, pokemon Sun and Moon are a wonder to look at, the entire region and all of its characters and pokemon all look incredibly polished and refined. Even though X/Y and ORAS graphics were already incredible, Sun and Moon raise the bar even higher. I really like many of the new animations they made for pokemon moves, many of them were in need of an upgrade. The only gripe I have with the graphics is how slow the game can run at times, particularly with the island trials. In each island trial, the totem pokemon appears cloaked in a red-orange aura that slows the game's frame-rate to a crawl. Similarly, Double Battles and Battle Royales also experience a delay in frame-rate. Even with a new 3DS XL, I still experienced many of the same delays people with an older version of the 3DS did. While frustrating at times, you only have to go through the island trials once, and the Battle Royale and Double Battles are optional, so it shouldn't wreck the experience altogether. Aside from these aforementioned instances, the graphics function properly and retain their stunning appearance throughout the entire game, thus, they receive a perfect score.

Sound: 8/10

As far as battle music goes, I don't find any of Sun and Moon's battle themes to be particularly memorable. That being said, I don't despise the game's soundtrack, in fact, there are a few tracks that I find very catchy, namely Solgaleo and Lunala's battle track and the Elite Four themes. While I can appreciate the fact that the music has been changed to match the island vibe, there just aren't any standout tracks like in prior generations. While this is a bit disappointing, it doesn't completely ruin the experience. In regard to pokemon cries and battle/move sound effects, everything sounds sharper than ever and the game features a nice variety of improved pokemon cries and sound effects. Altogether, I rate the sound an 8 only because the soundtracks are a cut below previous games in terms of memorability, the sound quality is still excellent though.

Addictiveness: 10/10

Pokemon games are generally plenty addictive to begin with and Sun and Moon are no exception. Even after long completing the pokedex, I am almost always either breeding shiny or competitive pokemon, battling against my friends, or spending time in the Festival Plaza either earning Festival Coins or wonder trading. Even for a pokemon game, Sun and Moon offer more than enough for the player to do to keep them coming back. If you really enjoyed all of Sun and Moon's new mechanics, trials, and all the new changes from previous games on your first playthough of the game, then all the more reason to come back and experience them again. Even with a few newly introduced mechanics, it stays true to the core of what makes pokemon addictive, thus keeping us coming back for more. I rate the addictiveness of the game a 10 because it manages to introduce several new features while still retaining enough elements of the original games to keep the interest of new and veteran players alike.

Story: 8/10

When I first bought my copy of Pokemon Sun, I had no hopes or expectations for the story, I was expecting to meet the professor, see my rival, watch a demonstration on how to catch pokemon and then be on my way. No sooner do I start the game, I am met with an interactive video call from the Alola region's pokemon professor Kukui. From then on, I knew that I would be much more connected with this story's characters than in past games. If you were to name something that immediately stands out when asked about pokemon games, I highly doubt you would've said story. While pokemon games aren't known for a rich storyline, Sun and Moon undoubtedly delve deeper than any pokemon game has before. In games past, I've been able to begin traveling and catching pokemon on my own within 15-20 minutes of starting the game. What separates Sun and Moon from other pokemon games in terms of story are how involved the characters are with the plot. In previous games, you'd battle your rival, maybe 3-4 random times throughout the game and maybe help them battle against some grunts, but with Sun and Moon, the characters are far more developed and invested in the storyline, making it richer than ever before. Even the goofy buffoons of Team Skull offer an interesting change from the more serious, goal oriented organizations prominent in older games.

While I feel like they held my hand longer than necessary before starting my journey, Sun and Moon's story is a much appreciated step up from previous games like X/Y where there was little to no connection or development in any of the game's significant characters. Overall, the story gets an 8 for being an enormous improvement from other games in terms of story.

Depth: 8/10

Sun and Moon offer the player a plethora of different things to do during the main storyline. In addition to the four islands and seven trials and totem battles, there are several side quests that can be completed in exchange for money, items, or in game trades. Once you've beaten the Elite Four, you can go catch the Tapus, help Looker and Anabel track down the UBs, and battle Blue or Red upon entering the Battle Tree on Poni Island. If you're still in search of something to do, you can partake in Battle Royales, the Battle Tree, and collect all 300 of Alola's pokemon. Ultimately, the game's depth can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be; it all depends on you as a player. Even if you only care about beating the main storyline, you will still be guaranteed hours of enjoyable content. One thing's for certain though, you never have to go far to find extra activities to soak up your free time. I rate the depth an 8 since the game ensures hours of enjoyment while not requiring a colossal amount of time to beat.


Difficulty: 5/10

In terms of rivals, challenges, and island trials, Sun and Moon are not very difficult. With pokemon however, your team determines how difficult the game is. With this in mind, it goes without saying that a well balanced team of varied types and roles will make the game much easier than simply using whatever pokemon looks cool. Since it was very easy to level grind in X and  Y, the elite four were incredibly easy, but in Sun and Moon, leveling up is more difficult with the absence of cafés and Blissey Bases. Nonetheless, the Elite Four in Sun and Moon presents more of a challenge when battling them for the first time, further stressing the importance of creating a well balanced team.

One feature that makes the game somewhat overly easy is the battle menu on the lower 3DS screen. Before deciding what move to use, you can see the typing of the pokemon you're battling (assuming you've battled in the wild or registered it in the pokedex at least once), how many stages its stats have been increased or decreased, and what moves are super-effective and not-very effective against it. This can be either good or bad depending on the type of player you are and how you look at it. It can be really useful for newer players by making it much easier to make decisions and navigate through a battle without requiring knowledge of all 18 types and their relate to each other. For more seasoned players, however, this mechanic somewhat invalidates years of accumulated "know how" by making it too easy to come to a decision. On the bright side of things, this feature only activates if you have seen or registered the pokemon before, so there's still the initial thrill of deciding how to defeat a pokemon for the first time. Nevertheless, I feel like it would've been easy to implement a setting that allowed this feature be turned on or off depending on the experience of the player, at least then, both sides could be satisfied. In addition to this mechanic, breeding and raising competitive pokemon is now easier than ever with the addition of a new feature that allows you to check your IVs in the PC. Overall, I think Sun and Moon take an incredibly streamlined approach in terms of difficulty. Overall, it receives a score of 5/10 for being just difficult enough to make the game interesting, but not to the point where a new player would have trouble making progress.

Overall: 9.6

Altogether, this game sets itself a part from other pokemon games while still offering us all the thrill and wonder of the game we've adored for 20 years. Considering what pokemon has to do to encourage new players in while still maintaining the interest of dedicated players in mind, Sun and Moon have done an excellent job of providing us with something both familiar and fresh. In the end, I was very satisfied with my first playthrough of the game and I couldn't have asked for a more captivating story and stunning visuals. While certain aspects of the game could be improved, namely the laggy battles and the lack of information on the mysterious Ultra Beasts, the game's strengths definitely outweigh it's shortcomings. Altogether, Sun and Moon are well worth the money and are an excellent game and a worthy addition to the collection of new players and veterans alike. Overall, I rate Pokemon Sun a 9.6 out of 10.

Wow, that's actually a real well done review! Even a new game like Pokemon Sun as well. It's honestly still surprising after all these years that Pokemon is still around AND delivering with flying colors. It even has no signs of slowing down as well.