Pokémon Sun and Moon: What we know so far

First appearing on Game Boy in 1996, Pokémon has been a cultural phenomenon for two decades. You play as a ‘trainer’, travelling the land and capturing wild Pokémon (Pocket Monsters) before sending them into battle. It has spawned TV shows and movies, and remains one of gaming’s most treasured series. Now Nintendo has announced Sun and Moon, the latest entrants into its famous Pokémon series. Here is what we know so far…

The logos for Pokémon Sun and Moon, which will release for Nintendo 3DS later this year

Pokémon Sun and Moon will release ‘Late 2016’ for Nintendo 3DS

While there was no definite release date, Nintendo confirmed in a short celebratory Pokémon video that Sun and Moon will be coming for Christmas this year. It will release on the handheld 3DS, meaning it is the second fully-fledged Pokémon the console has seen following Pokémon X&Y (in addition to the Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire remakes).

‘Generation 7’ is here already

The different Pokémon games tend to be grouped into ‘generations’, depending on the breed of Pokémon that appear in each. Often a generation will span two or three games, with many of the same Pokémon appearing between each title, as well as the cartoons and spin-offs released during that time. For example, Generation I incorporated Pokémon Red, Green, Blue and Yellow as well as the original anime series.

In a tweet, the official Pokémon account revealed that Sun and Moon would be ‘the next era of Pokémon games’, meaning that we are entering Generation VII rather than a continuation of Pokémon X&Y. In short: Sun and Moon will have scores of new Pokémon to catch. Probably including  Magearna, a new ‘man-made’ Pokémon recently revealed in Japanese magazine Coro Coro (below) and set to appear in the latest Pokémon movie.

 

Japanese magazine Coro Coro unveiled new 'man-made' pokémon Magearna

Pokémon caught in the virtual console releases of Red, Blue and Yellow will be compatible

You have long been able to transfer your captured Pokémon from one game and generation to the next using the online Pokémon Bank and Pokémon Storage Systems. However, until now Nintendo hadn’t figured out how to move Generation I characters over from the Game Boy. But with the recently release of Red, Blue and Yellow onto their Virtual Console service, meaning you can download the series origins onto your 3DS, you will be able to transfer Pokémon you catch to Sun and Moon. So you’ll finally be able to use that original Mewtwo in a new generation… if you catch it on the virtual console first.

Sun and Moon will be the culmination of Pokémon’s 20 ^th  Anniversary year

The day that Sun and Moon was revealed was also Pokémon’s official 20 ^th  birthday. Six generations, scores of games and 722 breeds have come and gone over the course of one of Nintendo’s most successful properties. This year will continue to celebrate Pokémon’s success, starting with the Virtual Console release of Red, Blue and Yellow and continuing with the fascinating Pokkén Tournament, a Wii U beat ‘em up from the makers of Tekken. While Pokémon Go, an augmented reality smartphone app that allows players to capture Pokémon in the real world before pitting them against other players, will also release in 2016.

Sun and Moon will be the culmination of this celebration, with The Pokémon Company saying that the game will ‘bring everything together’, so expect plenty of nostalgic celebration. Many internet sleuths are predicting Sun and Moon will feature many of the different regions from the series history.

 

A glimpse at Pokémon Sun and Moon

Sun and Moon will be the first Pokémon to release in localised Chinese

Some viewers of the Sun and Moon reveal expressed surprise at the celebration of localisation: ‘Available in nine languages!’. But along with the usual  Japanese, English, French, Italian, German, Spanish and Korean, Sun and Moon will be released in traditional and simplified Chinese on the same day for the first time in the series’ history. This is more significant than it may first appear, as the lucrative Chinese video games market is now available to Nintendo since the country lifted a ban on gaming consoles in July 2015. Tapping into that market for the first time could be a real boon for Nintendo’s business and Pokémon Sun and Moon would be suitably tantalising start.