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|---|---|
 European cover art forUltra Sun (left) andUltra Moon (right), depicting the Dusk Mane and Dawn Wings forms of thelegendary PokémonNecrozma respectively | |
| Developer | Game Freak |
| Publishers | |
| Director | Kazumasa Iwao |
| Producers |
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| Programmer | Tomoya Takahashi |
| Artist | Maiko Fujiwara |
| Writer |
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| Composers |
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| Series | Pokémon |
| Platform | Nintendo 3DS |
| Release | 17 November 2017 |
| Genre | Role-playing |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer |
Pokémon Ultra Sun[a] andPokémon Ultra Moon[b] are 2017role-playing video games developed byGame Freak and published byThe Pokémon Company andNintendo for theNintendo 3DS. Part of the seventh generation of thePokémon video game series, the games are enhanced versions ofPokémon Sun andPokémon Moon, which released the previous year. Announced in June 2017, they were released worldwide on 17 November 2017. They were the final mainlinePokémon games for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, with the series migrating over to theNintendo Switch the next year.
As with previous installments, the games follow the journey of a young Pokémon Trainer, taking place in the Alola region — based onHawaii. Differences fromSun andMoon include an alternate storyline and new gameplay features, characters, Pokémon, and Pokémon forms, including new forms of thelegendary PokémonNecrozma as version mascots.
The games received generally positive reception, with critics praising the additional features included overSun andMoon, although some criticized it for being too similar for a majority of the story. As of 30 September 2024[update], a combined total of 9.23 million copies have been sold worldwide, ranking them as theninth-best-selling Nintendo 3DS titles of all time.[1]
Similar to previous games in the series,Pokémon Ultra Sun andUltra Moon arerole-playing video games withadventure elements. While set in an alternate version of the Alola region, the mechanics and graphics remain largely the same asPokémon Sun andMoon, with the primary differences being its modified storyline now including the Ultra Recon Squad.[2] The player character designs are also different, though they remain customisable.[3] "Global Missions", where players across the world work towards a collective goal, also make a return.[4]
Ultra Sun andUltra Moon introduce some new Ultra Beasts: Stakataka, Blacephalon,[c] Poipole and its evolution, Naganadel.[5] In addition, there are new forms for thelegendary PokémonNecrozma, dubbed "Dusk Mane" and "Dawn Wings" forms, which are achieved by absorbing the legendary PokémonSolgaleo andLunala, respectively; it is conceptually similar to Black and White Kyurem fromBlack 2 andWhite 2. Also, a newLycanroc form was added, Dusk Lycanroc. Players can now travel around the Alola region to collect Totem Stickers, which allow the player to receive a Totem-sized variant of a Pokémon. Three new activities have been added: Mantine Surf, which allows the player to surf across the region's seas—it also serves as an alternate way of earning Battle Points; Alola Photo Club, which allows players to take pictures of their player character with Pokémon in various poses; and Ultra Warp Ride, which allows the player to travel through varying Ultra Wormholes and encounter the original seven Ultra Beasts in their own worlds—in addition to finding legendary Pokémon from every game in the series up to that point, up to three times, and an increased chance for shiny Pokémon to appear.[6][7] New Z-Moves are available for multiple Pokémon, including Solgaleo, Lunala, Lycanroc,Mimikyu and Necrozma.[8] An upgrade to theRotom Pokédex adds Roto-Loto, which allows the player to use boosts, akin to O-Powers from the previous generation; and Z-Rotom Power, which allows players to use up to two Z-Moves per battle.[8]
The games put an emphasis on the Legendary Pokémon Necrozma[9] which, in these versions, takes Lusamine's place as the primary antagonist of the games. As withSun andMoon, the games are set in the Alola region which is based onHawaii. Although largely the same, the new games feature additional buildings and locations in comparison to the first installments.[3] Multiple main characters featured inSun andMoon, such as Lusamine and her children, return in the game with significant changes.[10] A new group, the Ultra Recon Squad, is introduced with differing characters in the two games. Ultra Megalopolis, a vast city where Necrozma has robbed all of its light sources, is located within Ultra Space and is accessible through the Ultra Wormholes.[5]
Another antagonist group, Team Rainbow Rocket, is featured in a post-game story and includes all of the previous antagonist group leaders featured throughout the series, ranging from Giovanni fromPokémon Red,Blue andYellow to Lysandre fromPokémon X andY. Legendary Pokémon from previous generations are also included.[11]
Similar toSun andMoon, the player character is Elio or Selene, who is moving to Melemele Island in Alola with their mother. As is tradition, the player has rivals on their journey: Hau, a friendly boy who accompanies the player throughout the story, and Gladion, the estranged son of Lusamine and older brother of Lillie. During their travels in Alola following the region's traditional island challenges, they complete trials which involve battles with powerful Pokémon known as Totem Pokémon, and encounter numerous groups — a villainous one known asTeam Skull, led by a man named Guzma; a more charitable one known as the Aether Foundation, led by a blonded woman named Lusamine; and another called the Ultra Recon Squad, who came from a different dimension, the Ultra Megalopolis, where Necrozma has stolen its light. Much of the story revolves around multiple legendary Pokémon: a Cosmog, nicknamed Nebby, who eventually evolves into a Solgaleo inUltra Sun, or Lunala inUltra Moon; and Necrozma, who attempts to seize the light from Alola.
During the climax, Lusamine uses Nebby to create a wormhole to the Ultra Megalopolis, where she and Guzma attempt to fight Necrozma for the sake of the Ultra Recon Squad. However, they fail and are thrown back into their dimension later on in the story, with Necrozma following them. Necrozma fights Nebby, now a Solgaleo or Lunala, and prevails. Necrozma then absorbs the legendary Pokémon, gaining its Dusk Mane or Dawn Wings form in the respective version, and unleashes the Ultra Beasts upon Alola before fighting the player. After the player defeats it, Necrozma escapes into the Ultra Megalopolis, taking the world's light with it while the player, with the help of the Ultra Recon Squad, travels on the opposite legendary featured in each game—Lunala inUltra Sun or Solgaleo inUltra Moon—through Ultra Space to reach the Ultra Megalopolis. There, the player battles Necrozma, this time in its true form, as Ultra Necrozma, for the fate of the world and to rescue Nebby. The player defeats it once more, bringing light back to Alola. After completing these trials, the player proceeds to battle a newly establishedElite Four and later defeats Hau to become the first-ever Alola League Champion.
In the post-game, the player encounters Team Rainbow Rocket, a dimensionally displaced group based onTeam Rocket fromRed,Blue, andYellow. The aforementioned group seizes control of the Aether Foundation's headquarters and takes Lusamine hostage. The player stages a counterattack alongside a reformed Guzma, Lillie, and former Team Plasma leader Colress. Battling through villainous team leaders from the past games—Maxie and Archie fromRuby,Sapphire, andEmerald; Cyrus fromDiamond,Pearl, andPlatinum, Lysandre fromX andY, and Ghetsis fromBlack,White,Black 2, andWhite 2—the player finally encounters Giovanni, who leads Team Rainbow Rocket and has aMewtwo at his disposal. After the player's victory, Giovanni vanishes, wondering "what new world shall [he] unleash [his] evil schemes upon". The player can then explore the Ultra Wormholes, the worlds of the Ultra Beasts, and catch them with the Beast Balls they have acquired. After catching Necrozma at Mount Lanakila, Colress will appear and give the player the N-Solarizer or N-Lunarizer, allowing Necrozma to fuse or separate from Solgaleo or Lunala respectively. Once the player has caught the Ultra Beasts, the Ultra Recon Squad will tell them to defeat or catch Blacephalon inUltra Sun or Stakataka inUltra Moon.
Shigeru Ohmori, one of the game's producers, stated thatUltra Sun andUltra Moon were worked on by younger staff members while veterans worked on the upcomingPokémon games for theNintendo Switch, although some more experienced members, such asShigeki Morimoto were assigned to it.[12] He also stated thatGame Freak was treatingUltra Sun andUltra Moon as the "culmination of our work with the 3DS system". The development team of 80 was approximately half that ofPokémon Sun andMoon despiteUltra Sun andUltra Moon having a script twice as long asSun andMoon.[13][7] In a separate interview, Ohmori also described an idea to develop theUltra installments formed late during the development ofSun andMoon, with the titles intended to take advantage of the momentum gained by thePokémon series following the massively successful release of the mobile gamePokémon Go. Game director Kazumasa Iwao was previously in charge of the battle systems inSun andMoon.[14]
In the post-game, the games include a tribute to former Nintendo CEOSatoru Iwata, mentioning his role in the development ofPokémon Gold andSilver.[15] The games received their first patch in December 2017, fixing several bugs.[16]
Ultra Sun andUltra Moon were revealed in aPokémon Direct on 6 June 2017. Initial clerical errors in thePokémon website showed that the games' release date for the Nintendo Switch were "TBA", althoughThe Pokémon Company later clarified that the games were exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS.[17]
Similar to its predecessor, the game's files were leaked on to the Internet before their official release, allowingsoftware pirates to play the full game and data miners to find previously unannounced information including a new form for Necrozma, a new Ultra Beast, a new mythical Pokémon and more.[18]
Less than a week before the game's release, the mobile gamePokémon Go released an update which enabled its players to customize their in-game avatars in the style of player characters fromUltra Sun andUltra Moon, marking the first time the app had been used to promote a main series game.[19]
Prior to the release, both games were among the most highly anticipated titles for the Nintendo 3DS in 2017, according toNielsen.[20]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 84/100[21][22] |
| OpenCritic | 87% recommend[23] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Destructoid | 9/10[24] |
| Famitsu | 36/40[25] |
| Game Informer | 8.5/10[26] |
| GameSpot | 8/10[27] |
| IGN | 9/10[28] |
| Nintendo Life | 10/10[29] |
| Nintendo World Report | 8/10[30] |
Ultra Sun andUltra Moon received "generally favorable" reviews according toreview aggregatorMetacritic.[21][22] Fellow review aggregatorOpenCritic assessed that the games received strong approval, being recommended by 87% of critics.[23] Casey Defreitas in her review forIGN remarked that the games were "full of smart improvements".[28] Other reviewers made similar points, with Kallie Plagge atGameSpot noting that despite similarities withSun andMoon, "Ultra Sun andUltra Moon make enough changes to stand apart as the definitive version of the seventh generation games".[27] On the other hand, Allegra Frank ofPolygon criticized that the aforementioned changes were only present at the end, with the bulk of the gameplay being the same as its predecessor.[31]
Following release, the two games sold 1.2 million physical copies—excluding digital copies purchased from theNintendo eShop—within the first three days on sale in Japan.[32] By the end of the year, the two games had sold over 2 million copies in Japan alone, making it the best-selling video game in the country for 2017.[33] Sales fromUltra Sun andUltra Moon pushed the cumulative sales of the franchise to exceed the300 million copies sold milestone.[34] According toAmazon,Ultra Sun andUltra Moon were their seventh-best selling video games in 2017—however, they drop to 25th forUltra Sun and 28th forUltra Moon if other video game-related products and console variations are accounted for.[35] As of 31 March 2023[update], a combined total of 9.15 million copies have been sold worldwide, ranking them as theninth-best-selling Nintendo 3DS titles of all time.[36]
The games were nominated for "People's Choice" at the Italian Video Game Awards,[37] and won the "Excellence Prize" at theFamitsu Awards.[38]
