I imagine this trip down memory lane will be of greater importance to more ardent fans but I think battling them is a great way to wrap up the series before it jumps ship to the Switch. I blow through the main story and find myself squaring off with Team Rainbow Rocket. It’s because I am in this inimitable world that I keep going with the gusto usually reserved for other games. Alola, with its Lei Pokémon, its hunky, dark-skinned shirtless professor, and general leisurely vacation vibe, doesn’t just mimic its inspiration, it envelopes it. Those games are based on New York and France respectively, but outside of a few notable landmarks, neither felt particularly New Yorkish nor French. It does not look or feel like any other region that’s come before it. Not only do Pokémon feel more ingrained in society here, their existence shapes the world around them here more than in any game I’ve played in the past. They’re not just literal gods and monsters, they’re our friends. They’re our cars and our planes and our boats, and not just when we have one on our team equipped with the right move. Pokemon cook, they clean, they help out on the farm (Brawk! It’s a living.). Pokemon shouldn’t just be around society, they should be a part of it. Ultra Sun finally understands just how this game world should work. Those seen on the world map were nothing more than decorations or occasional obstacles. While there is great world and mythos building throughout the series, Pokemon never felt like anything more than pets, livestock and fighters to smack each other around for our amusement. They are the center of everything from the economy and academia all the way down to casual conversations. It makes sense for the franchise, but in the past, it didn’t go far enough. The universe of Pokémon has always revolved around the creatures. Every time I fall in battle because I forgot to stock up on Super Potions or brought the wrong Pokemon, I feel bad for letting them down even though I realize there are literally zero stakes here. While genuinely charming dialog and personalities, I care about the people who inhabit these islands, their plight stays with me as the story progresses. With my character created, I set out with my Popplio traveling from island to island, trial to trial, as I expand my Pokédex and try and stop Necrozoma from ruining this island paradise. I’ve never been to Hawaii, so in the same way I vicariously own a house through Animal Crossing I’m using Ultra Sun as a stand-in for a real vacation to the 50th state. I’m actually a bit surprised I didn’t make it further into Moon because while the early game tutorials are as arduous as before, Ultra Sun’s opening is filled with such pep and vigor I can’t stop myself from playing until my battery runs dead. So if you’re looking for an apt comparison of the Ultra games and 2016 titles, may I suggest rereading Chris Carter’s write-up of Ultra Moon instead of this. In comparison, I spent an hour and 18 minutes with the Pokémon Sun & Moon Special Demo. Pokémon Ultra Sun speaks to me in the same way, but in a voice that is louder and clearer than ever before.Īccording to the Activity Log on my Nintendo 3DS, I spent a whopping 57 minutes with Pokémon Moon last year. It no longer felt like an endless series of dogfights I make my way through but rather a fully formed world where Pokémon and people exist side-by-side. Maybe it was the changes to how I progressed through the storyline or maybe it was the fact I caught Farfetch’d right away and rode him to victory through the end, but something in the X and Y games spoke to me in ways the franchise hadn’t before. Pokémon X was the first time the series actually clicked with me. I didn’t earn anything, victory was given to me. It should have given me everything I could want from Pokémon: shiny versions of every Pokémon including legendaries, an endless amount of money and supplies, and an army of cute and cuddly creatures powerful enough to crush everyone in the game. I did it by buying one of those not-unlocked-but-totally-unlocked cartridges off of eBay for $50. The first time I made it to the credits of a Pokémon game was with HeartGold. More than $100 spent on games I would never finish or find that much fun. Pearl, Platinum, and White all suffered the same fate. I did the same with Emerald, going through to the second-to-last gym before I tapped out. On the Game Boy Advance, I pre-ordered Sapphire and put all of ten hours into it before I got bored. I never owned an original Game Boy, so when the series exploded around the world the first time I didn’t have a means of playing it. Pokémon and I have a tenuous relationship.
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