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7 Questions and Observations About That Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon Trailer

by Alex Culafi - February 26, 2016, 10:24 am EST
Total comments: 1

In which we write 1000 words of analysis about 20 seconds of video.

Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon got announced officially today. Holiday 2016. 3DS family of systems (confirmed). Will it go to the NX handheld if that comes out this year? Maybe. Probably not, but maybe. The whole thing was revealed during a Pokémon Direct this morning, that revealed the title of the games, a few images I hesitate to call screenshots, and a couple tidbits of information. It’s almost nothing, but it’s still something, and something is plenty for me to work with. Here’s what I’ve gathered:

1. It’s Generation VII

Before the games were officially announced, there was some argument over whether these would be all-new games (as in, the leap from Red/Blue to Gold/Silver and so on) – New region, new Pokémon, new art style – OR if these would fill the role of the so-called “third version” games, like Yellow, Crystal, Emerald, Platinum, and Black 2/White 2. The names are new, but maybe this could have been a half-step. 30-50 new Pokémon, an expanded Kalos, and the ability to see Zygarde’s mythology to its conclusion. It would be different, and it would be cool. Well, on the official website, we more or less have our answer:

“As we celebrate 20 years since the launch of Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green in Japan, the next era of Pokémon games is being announced! Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon are coming out for systems in the Nintendo 3DS family in holiday 2016, with a new world, new Pokémon, and new adventures to discover!”

Yeah, these are new games. If you want to ask why I still have doubts, that brings me right to my next point…

2. What does “it all comes together” mean?

During the Direct, leading up to the announcement, the line is said, “in 2016, it all comes together in an all-new adventure.” When they dropped this line, I was sure they were teasing this as the game where they try to put every single region together into one enormous game. Realistically, that’s not happening right now. The 3DS can barely handle one region, let alone six. What it more likely refers to is the fact that Pokémon Bank can bring your Pokémon from Red/Blue/Yellow on 3DS Virtual Console to Sun and Moon – the other big announcement from the Direct. However, saying “it all comes together” in reference to the idea of being able to move every single Pokémon across all games forward also doesn’t make sense, because Gold/Silver/Crystal are still incompatible.

So basically, either:

  • It means nothing, and was just weird phrasing.
  • It refers to the Pokémon Virtual Console re-releases coming out tomorrow and that’s literally it.
  • It suggests Silver, Gold, and Crystal are coming to Virtual Console between now and the release of Sun and Moon.
  • It refers to something else that we don’t realize yet.

It might mean nothing, but it was worth calling out.

3. Is that a new flying-type Pokémon?

During the Direct, a bunch of things popped up in quick succession. Not quite a trailer, but there’s some stuff we can pick up from it. In this moment, someone is working on the 3D model for a bird-like Pokémon. It looks a little bit like Fletchling at first glance, but the coloration, talons, and tail are completely different. So this is likely a brand-new Pokémon from the new game, and maybe even the Pidgey/Fletchling equivalent in the new games. The regional bird, as it were.

4. Vehicles, huh?

In another screenshot from the trailer, concept art for vehicles is shown – pickup trucks, ambulances, and what looks like some other utility or emergency vehicle.

The yellow truck looks like it has a Blastoise riding in a back car, and the top-left pickup truck shows a driver, a trainer in the passenger seat, and a bunch of Pokémon I can’t quite make out. You could say it’s nothing, but something tells me this shot wouldn’t be included if it meant absolutely nothing. The Pokémon brand knows how rabid its fans are, and they know knuckleheads like me would pick apart everything they gave us in the hopes of gaining little slivers of information. Now, it doesn’t necessarily confirm we can ride in or drive trucks, but chances are it suggests greater vehicle support than we’ve seen in the past.

5. The new Pokémon Centers look cool.

That’s all. The deluxe Centers from Black and White onward that feature the Pokémon Mart inside are clearly returning. The new Pokéball-centric design looks nice. That’s really all there is to say about it right now.

6. Is that a motel/apartment complex?

Another one of the screenshots. Between that and the palm trees, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were choosing some region of the world more sunny and tropical to base these games in. Very much a Miami vibe (okay, I’m stretching here, but let a guy use his imagination!). Maybe Central/South America? Also, notice the parked truck. Other screenshots/artwork (can’t tell which) look like X and Y-style interiors. The big building on the right could also be based on the Raffles Hotel in Singapore.

7. Characters look taller and…are those sideburns?

Look at this whole screenshot right here. Look at it closely.

More tropical stuff, more references to automotive transportation, and a bunch of old Pokémon. I hesitate looking too deeply into it because this looks more like artwork and less like an actual screenshot, but two things popped out.

The first is that characters are a little leaner and taller than they were in X and Y, and I wonder if that’s a suggestion of how the new games are going to look. Maybe not. But maybe.

The second thing is that the male looks like a player character in the new games. He has that Pokémon male protagonist look (basically adorned in Red’s gear) going on, and he looks like he has full, proper sideburns. If both of those things are true, we could be dealing with our oldest protagonist yet. If not, this is going to come across as really silly in about six months (though honestly, it feels pretty silly talking about this now. Some of these observations are really reaching, aren’t they? Blame post-Direct excitement on my part).

That’s about it. Still wonder when we’re going to figure out what “flowers” meant. Oh well. See you this holiday.

Talkback

SonofMrPeanutFebruary 26, 2016

I think #2 just refers to all their development experience leading to this game set.  Basically something we could have heard them say about any other new generation.

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Genre RPG
Developer Game Freak
Players1
Online1 - 4

Worldwide Releases

na: Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon
Release Nov 18, 2016
PublisherNintendo
RatingEveryone
jpn: Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon
Release Nov 18, 2016
PublisherThe Pokémon Company
eu: Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon
Release Nov 23, 2016
PublisherNintendo
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