The latest entry in Game Freak’s long-running Pokemon franchise comes to the 3DS in Pokemon Sun & Moon. In a bit of a soft reboot of sorts. players once again travel the world training, capturing, and battling Pokemon in an effort to complete their Pokedex. Nintendo has put in a ton of effort this time around however, to give the franchise that extra mile feel it was missing.

Pokemon Sun & Moon are 2016 companion RPGs, they are developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo & The Pokemon Company. It is available exclusively on Nintendo 3DS.

Travel through Alola with a new generation of Pokemon.

With my last time playing a Pokemon title being the Black & White series, I thought it was about time to jump back in after skipping a couple of entries. What better way to get back into the game than an duo of entries which act as a soft reboot for the critically acclaimed franchise?

The three Alola starter Pokemon.

THE GOOD: In Pokemon Sun & Moon the next generation of Pokemon have been unleashed with starters, basic Pokemon throughout the world to battle & capture, Legendaries, and the introduction of Ultra Beasts, there’s more Pokemon to capture now than ever before. Players can customize their characters with new outfits to suit their style of choice, and raise their Pokemon in new ways to increase the love and friendship they have with you that also provides bonuses such as xp gain increases.  The core gameplay is still the same for the most part, but mew additions such as Alola versions of Pokemon & Z-Moves can change the balance between victory and defeat, so players should study up on both as much as they can.

The power of Z-Moves are a great one indeed.

THE BAD: Sun & Moon seemed to suffer a bit from a difficulty issue, even having not played a Pokemon title since 2010 I had zero trouble beating the game within 30 hours, and I only lost one Pokemon battle throughout the run. In fact the only real challenges of the game come from the Elite Four and the post-game Battle Tree.

Alola revisions of classic Pokemon.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Pokemon Sun & Moon are perfect games to revitalize old school players if not or a lack of difficulty, but the new changes more than make up for the laxed challenge.