Hello PUCLonians and welcome to another edition of Anything Goes. In recent weeks, we have had more news drops for Pokemon Sun & Moon (SuMo). With all of the news drops and Pokemon that are being released, I would almost expect the whole game will be spoiled by the time the games are released. There are days I wish I wasn't as plugged into the Pokemon community as I am so I could be surprised by these developments when the game released. Despite that sentiment, I am still excited for how the most recent developments will reveal themselves in the games. In the following article, I will discuss some of the major points of the recent news dumps and then focus in on my thoughts about Ultra Beasts and the “Snap” mechanic of the game.
If you haven't seen the new trailers, check out the following links on the Pokemon Channel on Youtube:
New Pokemon
There are a bunch of new Pokemon to comment on, briefly. So many of these have great real world inspirations! Crabrawler, a pure fighting type, is based off of a Coconut Crab. Now, some people might wonder why this isn't also a water type, being a crab, but it turns out that Coconut Crabs don't swim, so it totally makes sense. Stufful is the epitome of cute! Sandygast and Palossand are really fun concepts and it will be interesting to see what becomes of them.
New Forms
The most recent Alolan forms we got were for Rattata and Raticate. Apparently, the people of Alola brought Youngoos to get rid of Rattata on the islands. This drove Rattata to a particular part of the islands and changed their habits, turning them into Dark type Pokemon.
I like the mouse-tache on the Rattata but I am disappointed it didn't become more exaggerated with Raticate. Despite this, I do like the chubby cheeks that Raticate has.
New Z-Moves
It was shown that some Pokemon have their own exclusive Z-moves. I don't know for sure, but it seems as though there are specific Z-crystals for these, as well. I don't think this becomes a replacement of Mega Evolution (especially with a particular piece of advertisement that has been released in Japan), but it is certainly an interesting inclusion. I am really excited to see how this shakes up competitive play for the next few years!
Aether Foundation and Type: Null
The Aether Foundation looks like an interesting counter to Team Skull. They almost seem overly good and clean. I have heard some rumblings that the Aether Foundation might end up being the evil team and that Team Skull will have a change of heart 3/4 through the game.
Type: Null
Type: Null is so interesting! It is the synthetic Pokemon made to rival the strength of legendaries. It's mask is made to hinder its agility. I can only imagine what would happen if the mask was removed. Also, notice how the mask resembles a certain other Pokemon…
If you are at all interested in a super theory where “it all comes together” I highly suggest you check out Lockstin's channel. He is a video game/Poketuber with a fascinating theory about how SuMo has elements that draw from practically every other Pokemon game and how it is all related to Alchemy. His theory (playlist linked here) has 3 main videos (one of which has yet to be released as of the writing of this article) and a few small supplementary videos to the theory. The main videos definitely get a little long but they are worth the watch.
Ultra Beasts
What to make of this wonderful beast!? Is it a Pokemon? If it is, why make the distinction of an Ultra Beast? Is it legendary? Can you catch it? (I, like TCGcaster and fellow writer, Lord Jushiro, hope that you can. Gotta Catch ‘Em All!!!) There was a trailer where the protagonist and a few others watched this Pokemon emerge from a portal. And the fact that it is listed as UB-01 makes it seem as though there are more like this to come! I feel like there may be at least three other of these beast. This one seems very elegant and floaty. I feel like there may be others that are sharper or more solid in design. It also seems as though this is something different. It somehow has a grander feel than that of a typical mythical or legendary Pokemon. It's hard to describe, but I am very interested in seeing what this has to bring to the games.
“Snap” is back… kinda
It was also revealed in the most recent trailer that there would be some aspect that is akin to the N64 game, Pokemon Snap. This was a fun, short game that allowed you to take pictures of Pokemon on a particular island. This was a beloved favorite with many fans of the series and sadly never got a sequel. There seemed to many opportunities to execute this concept but it never came to fruition, until now. It looks like there are some specific picture taking spots within the game where you can take pictures of local Pokemon. I hope that the Pokemon that are found at these spots are determined by the day/night cycle and that the areas may even be vacant, at times. This definitely seems like “Snap Lite” since you aren't moving and it doesn't seem as though you can effect the Pokemon at all like in the original “Snap” game, but the specifics are yet to be seen. The one thing that really got my sold on the idea is this:
It's hard to see, but you know what it is. That is a wild Dragonite! You can take a picture of (and possibly catch) a wild Dragonite in this game! If the pictures you get to take are as cool as this is, I will play this part of the game to its fullest extent.
What are your favorite parts of the new videos/trailers? Let me know in the comments below. If you haven't done so already, go read “The Fluff” by the Fluffiest Whimsicott where she goes into more depth about her initial thoughts on the Aether Foundation and Type: Null. That article can be found here. And if you want the full lowdown about all of the new information, check out Viger's recent article of the news.
Until next time…
-Prof. Snag
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