A Moon Among the Stars - Dance with PokemonEnough word vomit has been passed around, that anyone who clicks this review will know what Pokemon Moon is. It's the 7th-generation Pokemon game, and now there are 800 or so Pokemon, give or take. There are missing features and changes from a good working formula, so it represents the biggest change in the Pokemon series.
You cannot "Catch em all" this time around, at least without cheating. In addition to the sheer amount of Pokemon, less than half of them are catchable, or attainable in some way, shape, or form, with Moon AND Sun, combined. The Rotom Pokedex lacks information on about 500 or so Pokemon, and is the only Pokedex to be unable to upgrade (at the time of this review, it's always possible they'll patch something in to coincide with the release of a game on the Switch) to the National Dex.
There are no gyms this time around, being
replaced with silly dalliances in the so-called "Island Challenge". However, that's not to say there aren't "Gym battles". Several of the captains will challenge you to a battle, and each island has an Island Kahuna with which you can battle.
For all of these faults, this new installment gets a lot right. For one, HMs have been done away with, with the introduction of Ride Pokemon. Regional Variants spice up old versions of classic Pokemon, and make things interesting. And best of all, it makes sense. Of course an Exeggutor that's getting a lot of sun will grow taller, that's basic biology! And though this isn't as big, the 4-way Battle Royale is a nice touch that adds some challenge to battling that didn't exist before.
So with all the changes, does Moon (and Sun by extension) match up well?
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Graphics - 9
I love the look of this version of Pokemon. It takes all the improvements of the move to the third dimension that ORAS and XY brought, and improves upon them. The character looks absolutely perfect, and blends into the world very well. The character design for the characters in general is top-notch, and the Pokemon with few exceptions look fantastic as well.
The major knock, graphically, against the game is that there is a limit to what the 3DS can do, and we see it here. Between the processes of the game, and its graphical components, the 3DS gets stretched to the limit, and a little beyond. This is noticeable in the double battles, as the game begins to lag hardcore, and with how some Pokemon love to call for help, this happens more often that you would really like.
Additionally, while the animation is fluid, there are some missed opportunities, as most of this animation skill is spent animating the amazing Team Skull.
Sound - 8
Most Pokemon games have great sound, and this one is no exception, but for some reason, I find this version lacking. The sound seemed to blend together for most of the game, and this makes it hard to hear a tune and place it to a point in the game. This is bad, because it means the tunes aren't really memorable.
With how there are four distinct islands (and the Aether paradise and a couple side locations) in the game, and each island has very different attitudes and locales, it should be easier to place a tune. The cities are generally pretty easy to place, but there are a few that blend together.
There's only so much you can hope for in a Pokemon game.
Addictiveness - 10
For the few flaws, and despite the fact it is the easiest Pokemon game ever, Pokemon Moon becomes something that I'd given up on having in the series, a fun Pokemon game. I had more fun with this installment than I'd had with any Pokemon game ever, other than the original Silver game.
This is for many reasons, its good story (which I'll get into), hilarious characters, and the accessibility options they've put into the game. They've also made it easier than ever to power level your Pokemon, through Poke Pelago, which is great for someone like me, whose number one priority is filling a Pokedex, which is way easier when you don't have to train a Pokemon 40 levels and then repeat with 300 other Pokemon. Poke Pelago actually represents one of my favorite additions to the series, as it gives you a method of growing berries, finding rare treasures, leveling Pokemon, and keeping them happy.
My only qualm is that so much of it is locked behind getting Pokebeans, which I hate. I fed a bunch to my Litten when I was starting the game, and now I can't even have it battle, without crying for more Pokebeans. Pokebeans are basically crack. Except I didn't discern any real benefit outside of making the Pokemon happier.
Story - 8
I'm not going to give this game a 10, like I was originally thinking of (seriously, I love Team Skull that much), but I think the story is definitely a high point, rather than a low one. It starts off innocently enough. You've moved from overseas with your mom, and almost instantly Prof. Kukui breaks down your door, and forces you on the Island Challenge alongside Hau. You meet up with many eccentric and memorable characters, none of which are your rival, Hau.
Before I continue, I want to state how much I hate Hau. He's annoying, always talks about having fun, and is impossibly weak, seriously, if you ever lose to Hau, you have to re-evaluate whether Pokemon is the game for you. For as terrible as Hau is though, there are dozens of great characters, like Gladion and Guzma, both of whom are affiliated with Team Skull, and both of whom are incredibly fun characters that make the story more interesting.
The story is incredibly short for a Pokemon game. Whereas with others you can spend 40 hours on lore and story, I would estimate Pokemon Moon is only a 20 hour story that is only elongated by your own desire to explore. I personally spent 40-60 hours scouring Alola between the game and its post-game content, and while there is a short episodic story after beating the main game, it's not all that special, and is ridiculously easy for reasons that are obvious if you get that far.
For all its shortness, it does not lack in charm, as the characters and story mesh well together to form a fun experience.
Depth - 5
This game might have the least depth of any Pokemon game. You cannot catch them all. You probably aren't going to catch half. Hell, if you capture a quarter, you've probably caught every Pokemon in your version of the game. Wonder Trade won't get you the Pokemon you are missing. Neither will the GTS or anything besides hacking.
The post-game content is rather weak, and there's little reason to explore beyond finishing up Zygarde (which can be a case of Guide-Dang-it if you are missing just one piece). There are a couple of side-quests I've yet to complete, but I'm not sure I'm going to bother unless they patch in a way to get the other 600 or so Pokemon I need to complete my Pokedex.
This is a game with low replayability. If you like Guzma/Gladion/etc, it might be worth a brief replay, but otherwise, I can't advise playing the game more than once, which is not a great sign for a Pokemon game.
Difficulty - 1
I would give it a zero if I could. On top of being a Pokemon game (the easiest genre of game, since I barely count it as an RPG), it adds tons of accessibility options that makes it extremely easy for even a four year old to play this game.
Despite what it may sound like, this makes the game more fun, not less.
Recent Pokemon games have tried too hard to be serious. Dialing it back, and making it fun again is just what the series needed.
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GRADING FOR POKEMON MOON
Graphics - 10% (10% of 9 is .9)
Sound - 10% (10% of 8 is .8)
Addictiveness - 35% (35% of 10 is 3.5)
Depth - 20% (20% of 5 is 1)
Story - 25% (25% of 8 is 2)
Difficulty - 0% (0% of 1 is 0)
Total - 8.2
Bonus Points - I'm going to add a few points, because Game Freak took a big risk with this title and it paid off. So let's up it to an 8.5
Overall - 8.5
Pokemon Moon, for all of its faults, ends up being an extremely good game, definitely a huge system seller of the 3DS generation. If you have yet to pick it up, though, you may wish to wait until word on the Pokemon game on the Switch.
It's a definite recommend, and might be in my top 100 games of all time.
Graphics
9 Sound
8 Addictive
10 Depth
5 Story
8 Difficulty
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