For this year do not change …
Ultrasole and Ultraluna’s incipit will be familiar to those who have been able to cope with the 2016 chapter: as anticipated in countless interviews by the director of the series, Junichi Masuda, we are not in front of an unpublished story, but in an alternative version of the stories narrated in Sun and Moon.
Starting with the starter, which is the same as a year ago, with Rowlet, Litten and Popplio, throughout the introductory part, deja vu’s feel will be very strong
for fans of the series, while offering an opportunity to make a fine for those who have missed the last episode, many considered one of the best in the long history of
the franchise.
So we face a so-called “ornithine”, a difficult case to catalog with respect to brand history: this is not a direct follow-up (such as White and Black 2 ) or an e
nhanced version (the classical third coming out after the first two, such as Pokemon Yellow or Platinum , just to name two), rather than a title set in the same na
rrative universe, with most of the characters (primary and secondary) coming from the two previous titles but at the same time, a series of additions both in terms of new locations and new forces that shine in the shadows (in all directions, you will understand playing …) to achieve their goals.
However, the previous titles had boldly introduced the concept of a parallel universe, playing with the space-time continuum, almost to anticipate what
Ultrasole and Ultraluna bring to the scene: without stumbling into spoilers spoilers, you just need to know that there is a new cities to explore in an unknown realm and a new array of enemies (plus some old knowledge) ready to put the sticks between the wheels at the player.
All that’s unusual in Ultrasole and Ultraluna is concealed behind the Ultravers , which lead the player to another time and space, leaving the development team free to propose situations and settings that are completely different from those seen twelve months ago.
As with the recent second episode of Yo-Kai Watch , however, a certain amount of patience will be required for Sole and Moon veterans, because before coming to the unseen content they will be called to relive events already seen and to attend well-known cutscenes.
… same beach …
The rhythms and dynamics of gameplay have not changed: the playful heart of production is still strong, though inevitably has lost freshness compared to last year’s debut title.
Nonetheless, the capture-fighting-growth loop that is at the base of the twenty-year set still works as the first day; To revive a solid progress, the development team has thought to include all the legendary Pokemon with a fictional narrative flair,
enabling the player to deploy them alongside in combat and, in some cases, to witness the megaevolutions and all ‘archaeological surveillance, which will release the true power of these formidable creatures.
The feeling that permeates
the game is that, as if to forgive the good but not unusual amount of unpublished material, the development team, in conjunction with the 3DS users, decided to propose a sort of “all star “of Sun and Moon, containing so many summonses, quotes and Pokemons coming from the past of the series, so to play with nostalgia.
Just to clarify the concept above, in the Ultrasole version we have just included “sacred monsters” for the series such as Raikou, Dialga, Reshiram, Tornadus, Xerneas and Latios: only to those who do not love or do not know the series a tear will come down to see them again in action.
Not that the add-ons are small, of course: among the new mini-games the Surf Mantine should be reported, which extends the concept of Pokepassaggio introduced in Sun and Moon, allowing you to ride the waves and earn points depending on the acrobatics performed, and the Alola Photoclub, which gives new lymph to photographic phases, allowing you to add filters, frames and as
sorted effects to images taken with the favorite Pokemon company.
Pokedex Rotom has benefited from improvements and enhancements of various kinds: increasing affinity with it, it will now be possible to use Z to fight fo
r twice in combat, without compromising even the most demanding clashes (which, as tradition, are not so many …) and, in addition, thanks to the new Roto’n’roll feature, you will gain access to a pool of new skills to choose from.
There is one that raises the money earned by the battles, one that increases the experience gained, another still marginally increases the chances of capturing the wild Pokemon and many more: there is only the embarrassment of choice.
The only criticism that we feel about moving to these additions is their impact on the already not too steep difficulty curve: if Sun and Moon had turned out to be a decent walk for health, Ultrasole and Ultraluna veterans will be among the most serious episodes affordable of the entire franchise to date.
The island’s lap, the carrier column along the Sun and Moon campaign, has been enriched with new Pokemon (now totaling over four hundred units), and many of those already in the previous titles have changed in one extreme attempt to enliven progression even for those who had previously completed Pokedex.
As if it were not enough, the evidence already seen has added another, which will see Captain Rika as the protagonist, who will spend much less time than expected to switch from the role of guide to challenger: in these and in all other challenges will also b
e possible to use the new Z-exclusive moves of this new version, which are possible thanks to Supercerchio Z, which also includes two rare moves for Solgaleo and Lunala, the two legendary Pokemon hovering on the cover of Sun and Moon.
Also worth mentioning is the new Fighting Agency, a fully dedicated Pokemon fighter game where Pokemon can be borrowed from various casual casualties to fight three to three battles without shots.
