Hot on the heels of last week's Nintendo Direct, we've today been treated to yet another drop of information about the upcoming Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon – and, finally, concrete confirmation of how much of an expansion over Pokémon Sun and Moon these games really are. Onwards, then, to the new trailer and a roundup of all the new information...
First up, the Alola Pokédex has been greatly expanded – it now contains over 400 Pokémon, including some new version exclusives such as Houndoom for Ultra Sun and Manetric for Ultra Moon. Some of the new additions include Mareep, Zorua, Tropius, Volcarona, and Larvitar.
Next, the Island Challenge returns from Pokémon Sun and Moon, with updated challenges and a brand new trial, featuring the painter Captain Mina and bringing the total up to a nice round eight. Reading between the lines, it seems a lot like the trials have been heavily tweaked and, in some cases, vastly expanded over their Sun and Moon counterparts.
The building sites dotted around Alolan cities in Sun and Moon have been filled, too – they now contain the Alola Photo Club buildings, which allow the player to pose and take photographs of their trainer and Pokémon in various poses and outfits. You can also add backgrounds, stickers, and frames to the photos to jazz them up, then send them to your friends via the 3DS's communication features. Taking photos with your Pokémon helps boost their Affection too, so it's well worth doing!
There's also a new way of navigating between the Alolan islands, which also doubles as a neat minigame: Mantine Surf. When playing the minigame, you can surf large waves and do tricks to try and earn a high score.
Lastly, as a very small aside, the box for two new Necrozma figures have revealed that the two new Necrozma formes keep the typings from the Solgaleo or Lunala they absorb – [type]Psychic[/type]/[type]Steel[/type] and [type]Psychic[/type]/[type]Ghost[/type], respectively.
That's it for now, but stick with Pokécharms as we head towards the final stretch before Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon are released worldwide on November 17th.
First up, the Alola Pokédex has been greatly expanded – it now contains over 400 Pokémon, including some new version exclusives such as Houndoom for Ultra Sun and Manetric for Ultra Moon. Some of the new additions include Mareep, Zorua, Tropius, Volcarona, and Larvitar.
Next, the Island Challenge returns from Pokémon Sun and Moon, with updated challenges and a brand new trial, featuring the painter Captain Mina and bringing the total up to a nice round eight. Reading between the lines, it seems a lot like the trials have been heavily tweaked and, in some cases, vastly expanded over their Sun and Moon counterparts.
The building sites dotted around Alolan cities in Sun and Moon have been filled, too – they now contain the Alola Photo Club buildings, which allow the player to pose and take photographs of their trainer and Pokémon in various poses and outfits. You can also add backgrounds, stickers, and frames to the photos to jazz them up, then send them to your friends via the 3DS's communication features. Taking photos with your Pokémon helps boost their Affection too, so it's well worth doing!
There's also a new way of navigating between the Alolan islands, which also doubles as a neat minigame: Mantine Surf. When playing the minigame, you can surf large waves and do tricks to try and earn a high score.
Lastly, as a very small aside, the box for two new Necrozma figures have revealed that the two new Necrozma formes keep the typings from the Solgaleo or Lunala they absorb – [type]Psychic[/type]/[type]Steel[/type] and [type]Psychic[/type]/[type]Ghost[/type], respectively.
That's it for now, but stick with Pokécharms as we head towards the final stretch before Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon are released worldwide on November 17th.
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