Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon are 2016 role-playing video games created by Game Freak and released by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. These are the first games in the seventh generation of the Pokémon series. They were first announced in February 2016 and released worldwide on November 18, 2016, to celebrate the franchise's 20th anniversary. Two improved versions, Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon, were released for the same consoles on November 17, 2017.

Development of these games began after the completion of Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, with a focus on how Pokémon interact and form relationships. The games follow a young Pokémon Trainer's journey through the Alola Region, which is inspired by Hawaii. The goal is to complete an island challenge and stop the plans of Team Skull and later the Aether Foundation, while also facing increasingly difficult Pokémon Trainers. Sun and Moon added 81 new Pokémon species and introduced features such as Alolan forms of older Pokémon, powerful moves called Z-Moves, mysterious creatures known as Ultra Beasts, updated battle and training systems, and more detailed 3D graphics. While the games have similar stories, they can be played separately, but trading Pokémon between them is needed to complete the Pokédex. Pokémon from other games can also be traded, just like in earlier versions.

Critics generally praised the games for their fresh approach and improved gameplay. At launch, they became some of the fastest-selling Nintendo games at the time. As of September 30, 2024, Sun and Moon have sold 16.33 million copies worldwide, making them the third most popular Nintendo 3DS titles, after Mario Kart 7 and their earlier versions, Pokémon X and Y.

Gameplay

Pokémon Sun and Moon are story-based video games with adventure elements. They take place in the fictional Alola Region, which is loosely inspired by Hawaii. The games are played from a top-down view, and the player controls a young Trainer who goes on a journey to catch and train Pokémon. The goal is to defeat other Trainers in battles by weakening their Pokémon and winning. When a Pokémon wins a battle, it gains experience, which helps it grow stronger, learn new moves, and sometimes evolve into a more powerful form. Players can capture wild Pokémon during random encounters by weakening them and using Poké Balls. They can also battle and trade Pokémon with other players using the Nintendo 3DS' connectivity features. Some Pokémon are only found in Sun or Moon, so players are encouraged to trade with others to collect all Pokémon from both versions.

The games use fully 3D computer-generated graphics, like earlier Pokémon games. However, the character designs in Sun and Moon have more realistic proportions compared to the smaller, cartoonish styles used in Pokémon X and Y or Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. Players can choose their Trainer's appearance at the start of the game, including gender, skin tone, and hair color. They can later change their outfit and accessories. New Pokémon species are introduced, including the Starter Pokémon: Rowlet, Litten, and Popplio. Also, two new Legendary Pokémon, Solgaleo and Lunala, appear in the game.

Pokémon Sun and Moon are the first games in the series available in nine languages: Chinese (both Simplified and Traditional), English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Japanese, and Korean. The games feature new versions of older Pokémon called Alolan Forms. For example, Alolan Vulpix and Ninetales are Ice types (with Ninetales also being a Fairy type), while Alolan Sandshrew and Sandslash are Ice and Steel types. Alolan Meowth and Persian are Dark types. Some Pokémon evolutions now have dual types, such as Alolan Marowak (Fire and Ghost) and Alolan Raichu (Electric and Psychic). Players use a Rotom Pokédex on the bottom screen to view a mini-map with markers for story goals.

The games introduce Z-Moves, which are powerful moves that can be used only once per battle. Instead of using Hidden Moves to navigate terrain, players can summon special Pokémon at any time. The Rotom Pokédex also has a "Poké Finder" feature that lets players take photos of wild Pokémon, similar to Pokémon Snap. The games' clocks are set 12 hours apart: Sun uses the 3DS' time, while Moon is 12 hours ahead. Character customization, like in X and Y, returns in Sun and Moon. A new "Pokémon Refresh" feature allows players to care for and feed their Pokémon. Mega Evolution, a mechanic from X and Y, is also available in Sun and Moon. The Battle Tree is a place where players can battle or team up with trainers, including Red and Blue from the Kanto region. Online trading and battling are possible. From the Festival Plaza, players can join "Global Missions," where people worldwide work together toward goals like catching 100 million Pokémon.

Pokémon from earlier games like X, Y, Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire can be transferred to Sun and Moon. The games are compatible with Pokémon Bank, an online storage system for Pokémon. In a special announcement on February 26, 2016, Tsunekazu Ishihara from The Pokémon Company said that Pokémon caught in the Virtual Console versions of Red, Blue, and Yellow can be moved to Sun and Moon through Pokémon Bank. Compatibility with Pokémon Bank was delayed and became available on January 24, 2017. Tomy also released a toy called the Z-Ring, which works with Z-Moves in the games.

Plot

The games take place on a tropical archipelago, a group of islands called the Alola Region. Joe Skrebels from IGN says it is "Pokémon's take on Hawaii." During an interview at E3 2016, Shigeru Ohmori mentioned that Game Freak staff visited Hawaii to research the games Sun and Moon.

The main scientist in the Alola Region is Professor Kukui, named after the kukui, also called the candlenut, which is Hawaii's state tree. This continues a pattern of Pokémon professors being named after trees. The villain group in Alola is called Team Skull. The Aether Foundation is an organization that studies Ultra Beasts, creatures from another dimension. Although Professor Samuel Oak does not appear in Sun and Moon, his cousin, Samson Oak, takes his place.

The player begins by traveling from the Kanto Region to Melemele Island in the Alola Region with their mother. After meeting a young blonde girl named Lillie and rescuing her special Pokémon, Nebby, the player receives a Starter Pokémon from Professor Kukui and starts the Island Challenge, a tradition involving trials across Alola with a local boy named Hau. Unlike earlier games, these trials include battles with strong Pokémon, followed by battles with each island's Kahuna after completing the trials. During this journey, the player meets Team Skull, a group of people who quit the trials. Their leader is Guzma, and their enforcer is Gladion. The player also meets the Aether Foundation, led by a blonde woman named Lusamine, who aims to protect Pokémon from dangers.

During a visit to the Aether Foundation's base, Aether Paradise—a large floating structure—a mysterious creature called an Ultra Beast appears from a wormhole but escapes before being captured. Later, after defeating Team Skull at their base, Gladion explains that Team Skull worked with the Aether Foundation to kidnap Nebby to use its powers to summon Ultra Beasts. The player then battles through Aether Paradise with Hau and Gladion's help, eventually defeating Lusamine, who is revealed to be Gladion and Lillie's mother. Despite this, Lusamine and Guzma open an Ultra Wormhole, using Nebby's powers to transport them to Ultra Space, the Ultra Beasts' dimension. This causes Nebby to evolve into a cocoon-like form while Ultra Beasts are released onto Alola's islands, forcing the island Kahunas and guardian deities to fight them.

On the final island, the player and Lillie perform a ritual to evolve Nebby into its final form—Solgaleo or Lunala—depending on the version, at the island's Altar. With Nebby's new power, the player and Lillie travel to Ultra Space and find Lusamine, who allows herself to be controlled by the Ultra Beast they previously encountered. The player battles her in self-defense. After defeating Lusamine, the player returns to Alola and climbs Mount Lanakila to challenge the newly formed Alola League, defeating the Elite Four members. In the final match, the player defeats Kukui to become the first Alola League Champion. In the credits, the player battles Melemele's guardian deity, Tapu Koko, after a celebration, with Lillie and Lusamine leaving Alola for Kanto the next day.

In the postgame, the player is contacted by two members of the International Police: Anabel, who previously led the Battle Tower in Pokémon Emerald, and Looker, a detective who has appeared in games since Pokémon Platinum. The player helps them deal with wild Ultra Beasts released by Lusamine in a series of quests. After completing the final quest, Looker mentions seeing another Ultra Beast, but Anabel disagrees. If the player travels to Ten Carat Hill, they will encounter Necrozma.

Development

Shigeru Ohmori, the game director, said the choice of "Sun and Moon" as the title was inspired by how the sun and moon symbolize human relationships. Hawaii was chosen as the game's setting because it has clear nights and lots of sunshine. Development began right after Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire was finished, and Ohmori remained the game director. Because the games were released on the franchise's 20th anniversary, Sun and Moon were created from the start with more significant changes than previous games. He also said the games focused more on the Pokémon, the game's features, and how players interact with them.

The first Pokémon of the seventh generation to be designed was Jangmo-o. Ohmori said that for the 20th anniversary, they wanted many surprises and included some fun elements. Only Pokémon from Red and Blue got Alolan forms, Ohmori explained, as a surprise for longtime fans and because older Pokémon are more familiar. Designers followed trends from newer games, focusing on 3D models from X and Y to make more lively Pokémon.

Although Pokémon Go was successful, it didn't influence Sun and Moon's development. However, it increased awareness of the franchise, and they worked on making the app and main series more interactive. Ohmori said they completely redesigned the system, pushing the 3DS to its full potential. With a team of around 120, the games took about three years to develop, which is comparable with other new-generation games. Later, Kazumasa Iwao, who worked on the battle systems, became the director for Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.

According to composer Junichi Masuda, who co-produced the game, the soundtracks used in Sun and Moon were based on traditional Hawaiian music styles. Although it uses traditional rhythms, Alola's music has different melodies that still feel tropical. On November 30, 2016, the Nintendo 3DS Pokémon Sun and Moon Super Music Complete, a four-disk soundtrack with 169 songs (160 from the games and 9 special tracks), was released in Japan. The international release, known as Pokémon Sun & Pokémon Moon: Super Music Collection, was released on iTunes on the same date.

Promotion and release

On 25 February 2016, the existence of two new Pokémon games was discovered when Nintendo’s trademarks for the games were found on the website of the European Union Intellectual Property Office. IGN suggested that the introduction of a new Pokémon, Magearna, might indicate the games would soon be revealed. The games were officially announced the next day during a Nintendo Direct presentation that also celebrated the Pokémon franchise’s 20th anniversary. The games supported nine languages. On 10 May, more details were shared in a new trailer, including new Pokémon, box art, and release dates. Pokémon Sun and Moon were released in Japan, North America, and Australia on 18 November 2016, and in Europe on 23 November 2016. A comic based on the games was released with a special edition of CoroCoro Comic on 15 September 2016. Early buyers received a special Munchlax holding Snorlium Z, which allowed it to use a unique Z-Move exclusive to Snorlax, Munchlax’s evolution, through a wireless event. A Japanese trailer was shared on 8 September 2016. A Pokémon Sun and Moon-themed New Nintendo 3DS XL was released on 28 October 2016.

Similar to Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, a special demo was released on 18 October 2016. During Nintendo’s Financial Briefing on 27 October 2016, the company reported the demo had been downloaded more than 3.5 million times, making it the most popular and fastest-selling demo in 3DS history. Pokémon Sun and Moon were the most pre-ordered games in Nintendo’s history. According to Nielsen Game Rank, they were also the most anticipated 3DS releases in 2016.

Days before their release, the games’ files were leaked online, allowing software pirates to access the full game, including online features, before its official launch. Nintendo took action by banning users who used the online features, even if they later played the official version, from using other 3DS online services, such as the Nintendo eShop and Miiverse.

Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon are improved versions of Pokémon Sun and Moon, developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. They were announced on 6 June 2017 during a Pokémon-themed Nintendo Direct presentation and released worldwide on 17 November 2017. These games include an alternate storyline set in the same world as Sun and Moon, along with new Pokémon and locations not available in the original games.

Reception

Pokémon Sun and Moon received a score of 87 out of 100 from Metacritic, based on 84 reviews, which means most critics gave them positive feedback. Another review site, OpenCritic, said the games were strongly approved by 95% of critics. This made Sun and Moon the 5th and 6th best-rated games for the Nintendo 3DS in 2016, and the 19th and 20th best-rated games for the console overall. Critics praised the change from the gym system, with some calling it an important step for the series’ future.

Japanese magazine Famitsu gave the games a score of 38 out of 40. Kallie Plagge from IGN gave them a 9 out of 10, saying the games changed the usual format to create an exciting adventure that improved on earlier games. She also praised the simpler battle system and other features. Alex Donaldson from VG247 said the story was more interesting than other Pokémon games. Alex Olney from Nintendo Life called the story the most detailed and ambitious one Game Freak had ever made, and he said Sun and Moon were the best Pokémon games ever. He also praised the natural design of the Alola region and said Game Freak balanced new features well without turning away fans. Chris Tapsell from Eurogamer said the games were the best in the series in over 10 years and called them “essential” games.

However, Tapsell also said the first few hours of the games had too many tutorials and limited gameplay. Jeremy Parish from USGamer said Z-Moves were not as exciting as they should have been, even though the game’s story was the most engaging in the series in a long time. Allegra Frank from Polygon criticized the games for having a limited path and not enough content beyond the main story, though she called the journey with Pokémon the most memorable in years.

According to Nintendo of America, Sun and Moon were the fastest-selling games in Nintendo’s history at the time. As of March 31, 2023, the games sold 16.3 million copies, making them the third-best-selling Nintendo 3DS games, behind Mario Kart 7 and Pokémon X and Y. During a GameStop earnings call, Sun and Moon had the most pre-orders of any game in the past five years. They were GameStop’s best-selling game in 2016, selling more than Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. On their first day of release, the games shipped 10 million copies worldwide. In Japan, they sold over 1.9 million copies in the first three days. They were Nintendo’s biggest game launch in Europe, with 368,000 copies sold in the UK and 450,000 in France within a week. Sales in Europe reached 2 million copies in the following week. In North America, the games sold over 3.7 million copies in less than two weeks and reached 4.5 million by mid-January.