Not only are Poke Rides more convenient than HMs (they don’t take up a valuable move slot on one of your Pokemon AND they can be accessed with the press of a single button), but they also make the world feel more dynamic and alive. Tauros will charge through boulders, Charizard will fly you to any location you’ve been previously, etc. So instead of learning Fly, Cut or Surf, you will receive a Ride Pager early on in the game that will allow you to call on Pokemon to ride around the islands of Alola. Speaking of reliefs, Pokemon Sun and Moon do away with the annoying tradition of having to teach a Pokemon a specific move from an HM (Hidden Machine) in order to progress through the game.

Not having to either a) memorize every Pokemon’s type or b) pull up Google during every encounter was a huge sigh of relief. While some may claim that this takes the “skill” out of the game, it just took away the guesswork for me. For example, if I run across a Bounsweet (which is a Grass-type Pokemon), and I battle it with my Litten (a Fire-type Pokemon), any of Litten’s Fire-type moves will be tagged with “Super Effective.” The other big change is the ability to see a Pokemon’s strengths and weaknesses after you encounter it for the first time. You can only use a Z-Move once per battle, so if you’re taking on a trainer with multiple Pokemon, make sure to time it correctly.

Rather than obtaining gym badges as you progress, you’ll be awarded Z-Crystals, which your Pokemon can hold to unleash powerful Z-Moves corresponding to their type. Ultra Beasts aside, Alola is packed with clever, inventive and powerful Pokemon - from the almost unbearably adorable starter Pokemon to the dozens of brand new creatures out in the wild to the Alolan variants of classic Pokemon, you’re going to find a lot to love as you fill in your tropical Pokedex.Ĭombat is mostly unchanged - certain types are strong against other types higher level Pokemon are nearly impossible to take down without exploiting their weaknesses defensive moves are for chumps (that’s just my own personal rule) - but there are a few noteworthy changes that freshen up Pokemon battles.įirst are the Z-Moves, which have taken the place of Mega Evolutions from Pokemon X and Pokemon Y. The twist here (which I won’t discuss in too much detail for fear of spoiling the plot) is the discovery of Ultra Beasts, which are creatures from another dimension that threaten the continued existence of both humans and Pokemon alike.

Pokemon sun and moon free space