By Francisco Portillo
The recently released videogame demo for Pokemon Sun and Moon puts its beautiful new region of Alola on display.
The demo takes place in the fictional city of Hau’oli, which is a coastal city that closely resembles Hawaii.
Using Hawaiian culture as the basis for character interactions, the antagonist character, the controlled player, is constantly greeted with the friendly “Alola,” greeting as opposed to the real- world’s “aloha.”
The first thing that players will notice about the new game is the improvement in the cinematic cutscenes.
The actions are much smoother and more detailed.
Three-dimensional space is showcased by using more complex camera movements.
Another aspect of the game that is immediately recognizable is the speed in which the character moves.
The evolution of the character’s travel speed, since the first generation of games, has allowed players to navigate the regions faster while walking.
The grass in the grassy areas of the map is larger than that of previous games, and moves as the character walks through the patches.
According to a press release from Nintendo, the demo is the most downloaded demo on the Nintendo 3DS eShop.
Since its release, the demo has been downloaded more than 3.5 million times.
The pre-order for the two games has surpassed all other games in Nintendo’s long history as the most pre-ordered game of all time.
When starting the game, players will meet their first in-game friend named Hau, which kicks off the action in the game.
This time, the region’s version of the villainous Team Rocket will be a street-gang known as Team Skull.
Like the groups that precede it, their interests lie in the theft of other people’s, including players, rare Pokemon.
The defeat of Team Skull will result in the tease of a greater villain named Plumeria, who is the big-sister figure of the gang.
While exploring the new region, players have a chance to interact with the many inhabitants of the island.
Players learn about the many customs of the island, including a local rite of passage that is taken on by children at the age of 11.
Players are tasked with exploring the new region and to complete three challenges, in which the character has to photograph two Pokemon using a PokeFinder.
Some new features for the franchise are the Z-Moves and a new form of transportation called the Ride Pager.
The Ride Pager summons Pokemon, which is the Pokemon Taurus in the demo, and allows the player’s character to use the Pokemon for what is being called a Pokeride.
The PokeRide is one of the most exciting innovations of the game, as players can see their characters riding the backs of some of their favorite Pokemon.
Some of the new battle mechanics introduced are the animations of the initiation of the battle itself, and the inclusion of the effect of the attack next to the move.
Certain Pokemon in the region also have the abilities to summon allies for back-up.
The Pokemon in the demo are few in number.
At the beginning of the demo, players will receive a level 37 Ash-Greninja.
With Ash-Greninja by players’ sides, they are able to venture into the new region and become the best trainer in the game by battling other trainers and wild pokemon.
Given the Greninja’s high level, players won’t face much of a challenge in the demo which instead focuses on the new features and mechanics of the franchise.
The other major overhaul in the game is the design of the Pokemon Centers, which play a huge part in the game.
The animation of Pokemon undergoing the healing process is much more complex, and it looks far more beautiful than the previous iterations.
The design of the new centers is tropical based, which matches the region.
Players who try to purchase items from the Poke Mart will activate a prompt that explains the store is currently closed because everything is out of stock.
Other Pokemon that appear are mongoose-looking creatures named Yungoos, a small bird named Pikipek and a small dog named Rockruff.
Toward the end of the demo, players that successfully complete the trial will earn a Z-Ring and a Z-Crystal to use the new Z-Moves.
The Z-Moves offer more power to a Pokemon’s attack and cooler animation.
The only way to add Pokemon to your team, in the demo, is by taking part in a new feature called the Pokemon-catching challenge. Only a limited number of Poke Balls and are given to the players.
With the emerging popularity of the Pokemon franchise, many fans are eagerly anticipating the latest entry into the series of handheld games.
Pokemon Sun and Moon is rated E for everyone, and will be released on November 18.