5 Biggest Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Changes You Need to Be Aware Of

New Legendary Pokemon and Ultra Beasts

5 Biggest Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Changes You Need to Be Aware Of

The Ultra Beasts were introduced as powerful, frightening beings in the original games, and they’ll be making a return in Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. Though the post-game content in the original Sun and Moon did let us follow a short quest chain to hunt down these powerful creatures, there’s still so much we don’t know about them.

It looks like Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon will focus a little more on the Ultra Beasts, and the games will feature three new ones on top of the ones we already encountered previously.

In addition to that, Solgaleo and Lunala will be reprising their roles as the main legendary Pokemon in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. However, there is a slight twist to this. They can also be possessed by a new legendary Pokemon named Necrozma, and this will transform them into ‘dark’ versions of themselves.

New Mini-Games

5 Biggest Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Changes You Need to Be Aware Of

Whether you loved it or hated it, the Festival Plaza is making a return to Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. This is the game’s online interaction area, and you can play mini-games to earn Battle Points and get some useful items to take with you to the Battle Tree.

The first new mini-game in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon is called Battle Agency, which allows you to take part in a short tournament with various Pokemon. The second is called Mantine Surf, which lets you earn Beach Points as you travel between the different islands of the Alola region. These can also be exchanged for Battle Points, which are used for redeeming items at the main counter. Overall, it looks like players will have a lot more options when it comes to grinding for Battle Points at the Festival Plaza and other mini-games, so that’s a plus for fans of the feature in the original releases.

Minor Story Changes

5 Biggest Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Changes You Need to Be Aware Of

Though Nintendo and Game Freak have promised that Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon will feature an alternate storyline, don’t expect too many dramatic changes for the main portion of the game. You’ll still have to go through the same island trials (though there are some minor changes here), and you’ll occasionally run into members of the Ultra Recon Squad along the way.

At least for the first half of the game, you’ll be retreading old ground. However, the story will start to open up later on, and players will be able to explore new areas in Ultra Space. In addition to that, there’s also a new trial captain for you to test your Pokemon training skills against. There’s also the new Team Rainbow Rocket, which is comprised of former ‘Team’ bosses, such as Giovanni, and the heads of Team Plasma and Team Flare.

New Photography Mode

5 Biggest Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Changes You Need to Be Aware Of

The world of Alola is a gorgeous one, and players will be able to take photos of their favorite Pokemon in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. This new photo mode lets you dress your Pokemon up in different clothing styles, and pose them against various island backdrops.

There are also stickers you can use to decorate your photos with, and it looks like taking photos with your Pokemon will also cause them to become more affectionate towards you. This means you no longer have to stuff them with Poke Beans to make them love you. Now, you can take photos instead.

New Z-Moves

5 Biggest Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Changes You Need to Be Aware Of

Z-Moves were powerful abilities you could use in the first game, and there are going to be even more of them in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. First off, your Rotom Dex will now have its very own Z-Move, which can be used to help assist you in battles.

The legendary Pokemon Solgaleo and Lunala will also have access to new Z-Moves in their possessed forms. Necrozma, the new introduction in the game, will be able to use all their Z-Moves as well. However, because these moves are of different types, Necrozma might need to hold the relevant stones to be able to use them.

Lastly, Lycanroc and Konmo-o have also been confirmed to get their very own Z-Moves, though there may be other Pokemon with new abilities, too.

Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are set to be released for the 3DS on Nov. 17.