Things We Want to See in Pokemon Sun and Moon

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Even with the tease that was supposed to be video footage from Pokemon Sun and Moon we each know things that we want to see happen in the next installments. Some NERD Stash members got together and provided a list of things we want to see in Pokemon Sun and Moon.

Matthew Esbach

I’d like to be able to travel to a second region again, in the same vein as going between Johto and Kanto in the second generation. Plot elements from the previous games were expanded and concluded in such a way, and it would be interesting to learn the fate of another past evil team, such as Galactic. The Sinnoh series had a rich plot for a Pokemon game, but the region itself and the Pokemon within largely failed to impress. Having it return would be a great world-building opportunity. And weaving the story between both (rather than exploring one and then the other) is a twist that would go a long way towards adding depth and intrigue to an otherwise straightforward retelling of the usual journey of the player character.

Patrick McVeigh

Pokemon and I have had a very rocky relationship the past couple of years. After the fantastic games that came out of generation V. I was excited to see what gen VI had to offer. I ended up being disappointed by both games of the generation and kind of gave up on the series for awhile. So with Pokemon Sun and Moon, they have a chance of winning me back over to the franchise again. Some things that I would like to see changed: for one, the speed of the game needs to be increased. Everything felt like it took longer to do in gen VI to me. What may take me 10 minutes to gen V would take me 30 minutes to do in gen VI. I don’t know how many new Pokemon we are going to get, but I would like to have a greater focus on the new ones rather than the same Pokemon we’ve been fighting for six generations now. Again, it’s another thing that made gen V stand out to me more was the emphasis on the new pocket monsters we needed to fight. I mean you could in reality sum up my thoughts as “make it more like gen V”. But to me, Gen V took so many steps forward, while gen VI felt like it took way too many steps back. I hope gen VII can make me love Pokemon again. Otherwise, it might become a franchise I won’t find myself following anytime soon.

Meghan Dellinger

What I am most excited to see from Pokemon Sun and Moon is the idea of something new. Pokemon has had much of the same mechanics since its beginning – leave your home on a journey to catch all the Pokemon and beat all the gyms (while usually fighting some sort of nefarious team along the way). While this mechanic definitely works for Pokemon, I would love to see a different style of playthrough offered. Sure, you could still have the same gym mechanic; but perhaps you could also have the option of playing through a different storyline. For example, you could play the game through the perspective of Team Rocket, or of someone who works in a different aspect of the Pokemon world (say, Professor Oak?). I can appreciate the continuation of Pokemon and its traditions, but I believe changing the perspective up a bit might give the new games more life.

Matthew Herst

Pokémon hasn’t changed too much in the past 20 years, but Sun and Moon seem like the perfect time to turn the series on its head. The turn-based battle system cannot disappear, that would change the DNA of the series in a way that it would cease to be Pokémon. So instead change the story and progression. The franchise has never focused on the story very heavily, but now is the time to change that. The world of Pokémon is a fascinating place that we all love to explore. Nintendo could flesh out the new region in a way that none of the previous ones were. This could lead to the inclusion of side quests, areas that don’t just house creatures but also have objectives of their own and perhaps even a less linear play style. This last idea would be the hardest to implement but it could change the way that gyms and random trainer battles are handled. It would also give each player a wholly different experience, letting him or her truly shape the world. I know that these ideas may seem like their coming out of left field, but I think it’s time for Pokémon to reinvent itself in some way. It’s evolved (pardon the pun) in small ways over the years, but fans have always hoped that Game Freak would move the series forward in a way that would leave us all with our jaws hanging open. Now, with the series’ 20th-anniversary taking place and the seventh generation kicking off, it’s the perfect time to redefine what Pokémon means.

Andrew Close

I’m unique in the fact that I played the series when it first released. I also played Silver, which was the last Pokemon game I purchased until a few months after Black and White came out. I picked up White and have been an avid reborn fan ever since then. I do feel there are some opportunities for Nintendo and Game Freak to enhance the game, or maybe at least please long time fans. I think that the Pokemon Sun and Moon should at least finally give us a dark type gym. It is literally the only type to not have a gym, I think its time. Another thing Pokemon Sun and Moon should introduce, finally have normal type be super effective against something. The type is great for health and being a tank, but make the moves outside of Hyper Beam useful. While the metagame doesn’t need much improvement, I do feel a nice story could be implemented better than the attempt in Black and White.

There you have it. Some perspectives from some of us here at The NERD Stash. What about you? Did you think we covered it all? Sound off in the comments below and add anything you feel like we missed for features you want to see in Pokemon Sun and Moon.