Pokemon Sun/Moon PLUS ULTRA (Alola Region Games)

[Sonictrainer]

People have brightened the promo poster to reveal these four at the top, although they seem to all be wearing masks. The one in the back seems like it might be Faba.

Also, Lillie is in her Trainer outfit and is holding a Pokeball. Does that mean she's actually a Pokemon Trainer at the start of the game? Does she get the Starter you and Hau don't pick? I hope this isn't a Post Game thing like the Delta Episode.

[Ellipsis-Ultima]

7 hours ago, Sonictrainer said:

People have brightened the promo poster to reveal these four at the top, although they seem to all be wearing masks. The one in the back seems like it might be Faba.

Also, Lillie is in her Trainer outfit and is holding a Pokeball. Does that mean she's actually a Pokemon Trainer at the start of the game? Does she get the Starter you and Hau don't pick? I hope this isn't a Post Game thing like the Delta Episode.

It looks like Wicke is right next to him too.

[Big Panda]

The Ash cap Pikachu event started today. Use the code PIKACHU20 in Mystery Gift to get it. Remember the code can only be redeemed once, so choose your Pikachu wisely.

I caved and downloaded the original series cap. Interesting tidbit, in Japan the ID numbers of the different Pikachu were references to the Japanese premier dates of their respective series' (original series' ID was 970401, as in April 1, 1997, for example).

In a show of remarkable consistency, the western version has changed the numbers to reflect the American airdates: original series' is now 090898 (September 8, 1998).

[Big Panda]

New trailer:

I have to admit that Mantine surf does look pretty damn cool.

[Salamander]

I knew swapping out all the Ride Pokemon for greater variety was too good to be true - but otherwise, finally, a good trailer for this game!  At least one new trial (an earlier trailer indicated that Kahili's in the mix in some way as well), the old trials are remixed - this is exactly the kind of difference I was looking for, where there are small changes throughout in addition to the more significant alterations to create a fresh experience.  Mantine Surf looks like the water equivalent of the Lati@s Soar in ORAS.  The expanded variety of Pokemon is welcome, too, though again I'd just have traded out all S/M's set of returning Pokemon and exchanged them for different ones rather than just adding more.  But I guess, in the extra version, it's less of a problem if the density of old Pokemon buries the new ones a bit.  There had still better be more Alolan Forms, though.

[Jetronic]

Don't forget about the Japanese trailer too!

Few extra tidbits here and there.

[PC the Hedgehog]

Look how happy Lillie is. Such a sweet lil' cinnamon roll. ^____^

[Sonictrainer]

Alright time for a Ultra Sun/Moon recap.

Story & Human Characters

First off, the promo poster is fully visible on both websites now. Though the 4 people at the top are easier to see now, their true identities are still unknown.

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During your island challenge, you’ll be confronted with troubles involving the Legendary Pokémon Necrozma. You’ll meet mysterious people and Pokémon as you witness the new danger closing in on the Alola region.

 

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Hau is a boy who becomes your friend as soon as you move to Alola. He’s the same age as you. Hau is known to be a laid-back guy, but through the island challenge, he will come to terms with his reasons for participating in Pokémon battles.

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Lillie is a girl about your age. She’s acting as Professor Kukui’s assistant for her own reasons. After experiencing many things during her adventures with you, Lillie will discover a new side of herself.

Still not sure if Lillie's "transformation" will happen earlier than in Sun/Moon.

 

The Island Trial is still ongoing in Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon.

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Island Challenges Revisited

The island challenge is a ritual passed down in the Alola region. Its intention is to help children grow into full-fledged Pokémon Trainers. To complete the island challenge, you must face trials on each of four islands.

Some trials in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon seem to play out in different ways than they did in Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon.

These 5 Trial Captains are visible on the Japanese Site and we see Mallow and Acerola in both trailers, so they're confirmed.

Even Mina, the Fairy Type Trial Captain we met on Poni Poni Island in Sun & Moon finally created a Trial.

 

Pokémon

It's been confirmed that the Alola Pokedex has expanded from 300 to at least 400.

Older Pokémon additions include:

• Mareep, Flaffy, & Ampharos
• Heracross
• Mantyke & Mantine (could be Poke Ride Exclusive though)
• Houndour & Houndoom (Exclusive to Ultra Sun)
• Larvitar, Pupitar, and Tyranitar
• Electrike & Manectric (Exclusive to Ultra Moon)
• Tropius
• Mienfoo & Mienshao
• Inkay & Malamar
• Dedenne
• Zorua & Zoroark
• Larvesta & Volcanora

At least Alolan Marowak is confirmed to be one of the Totem Pokémon

Alola Pokémon are mentioned but no new ones have been revealed yet

 

New Features in Ultra Sun/Moon

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In Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon, you’ll be able to have fun with Mantine Surf, a sport that lets you do some surfing while riding on Mantine’s back. Mantine Surf isn’t just a way to get between islands—it’s also a sport where you compete for the highest score by pulling off different cool moves! Try to become a top-notch Mantine Surfer by riding Mantine like a pro!

Other Confirmed Poké Ride Pokémon are:

• Charizard Glide
• Lapras Paddle
• Tauros Charge

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Take all sorts of photos with the Pokémon you like at the brand-new Alola Photo Club! You choose the Pokémon to appear together with you in the photo, as well as your outfit, the background, camera angle, and more, so you can take the perfect picture. Get an amazing photo with your favorite Pokémon—and show it off to your friends!

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After the shoot, you’ll be able to decorate your photo with frames and stickers. You’ll also be able to show other players the photos you took through communication features.

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Taking a photo with a Pokémon also makes that Pokémon more affectionate toward you. As their affection toward you increases, your Pokémon will try to do even better than usual during battles. Strengthen your bonds with your Pokémon!

 

[Salamander]

Regarding the four mysterious people on the poster: There seem to have been various attempts to upscale the picture, finally resulting in the following (Source):

At which point one can be reasonably confident that these are entirely new characters; they all have visible hair, none of which lines up with any obvious familiar characters.  (The one at the back, initially thought to be Faba, has a moustache.)  Ultra Space explorers from another world, perhaps?

[Sonictrainer]

Here's the GameXplain Analysis on the recent news

 

[Dejimon11]

New trailer 

 

[TCB]

The music used in trailer

The promotional poster from earlier

Is this hyping a movie or a video game lmao

[Big Panda]

Wonder what that dialogue they did a closeup on says...

[Spin Attaxx]

Yikes, I was planning on getting these eventually, but dang if this doesn't get me hyped. I really hope this means the Ultra Beasts have an actual important role in the plot, as opposed to showing up and then disappearing completely until the post game.

But... I'm really not feeling this new team. Something about them just seems very generic and bland next to Team Skull and the Aether Foundation. Or maybe it's because my gut tells me they're likely going to upstage Necrozma and/or Lusamine as the big bad villain. That shot of her lying on the ground in apparant defeat doesn't help... nor does this apparant translation:

I swear, if the first female big bad in the series gets tossed aside for another generic dude...

[PC the Hedgehog]

Welp, I'm finally getting a bit hyped for this game. Just a bit, mind you.

Not that it matters. I'll get it regardless of how much or little new content there is. 'Tis the life of a Pokemon fanboy.

[Sonictrainer]

You can Poke Ride through Ultra Space! 

[Salamander]

I wonder what the sequence of events is, if Solgaleo/Lunala gets Necrozmafied immediately after evolving.  So you go through the game, rescue Nebby from Necrozma, and then you have an Ultra Space PokeRide?  Hmm.

I'm still not convinced that the new Ultra Space team are villains; I get more of a vibe of them being explorers from another world who have had run-ins with Necrozma and the Ultra Beasts before.  Maybe this will be the first game in which certain Pokemon are themselves the threat rather than just being controlled by someone else?  That would seem to fit the overall Sun/Moon agenda of giving Pokemon more prominence and agency.

My one concern about the new story events is that they might feel like inappropriate, fanfiction-like additions to a perfectly good story.  But on the other hand, this might be the trailer that sold me on the game; I was getting pretty sure that I would buy it, and since it's looking like the Ultra versions will do at least two of the things I wanted, that gives me more confidence in that decision.

[Sean]

Really disappointed by no new Alolan forms. Unless they're keeping them a secret (which I very much doubt), it would have been the perfect opportunity to introduce some gen2 ones to coincide with the Gold/Silver VC releases

Might actually give these versions a pass. I don't caaaare about legendary/ultra beast-related stuff tbh

[Salamander]

I'm still crossing my fingers for new Alolan Forms.  It would be absurd for the extra versions, usually so form-heavy, to have new numbered Ultra Beasts but not to expand on the line of forms which were already in the game and which there weren't enough of to start with.  Not saying it won't happen that way, mind, and that would be a huge disappointment.

[Echidna Adventurer CC14]

New trailer, revealing a new world we'll travel to through the Ultra Wormhole (Gives me some World That Never Was vibes), the coining of the new evil team as the Ultra Recon Squad, and yet another new Ultra Beast!

[Marcello]

Finally, a trailer that actually made me want the game. UB Adhesive is really cool looking. I like Burst, too, but I already have a Fire/Ghost type I prefer. The Ultra Space places look interesting. It's also nice to see the UBs in the world. Just finding all of them in the wild made them feel more underwhelming the other legendaries. Catching multiple did, too, but I liked that since it was useful for getting the other version's exclusives. Ultra Moon seems to be getting the better Ultra Space Recon Squad members.

Still, I'm not sure I want to go through Alola again. Especially so soon.

[Sonictrainer]

Time for a ULTRA recap

Japanese Trailer

 

New Ultra Beasts

 

• UB Burst
• Category: Fireworks Pokémon
• Type: Fire/Ghost
• Height: 5'11"
• Weight: 28.7 lbs.
• Ability: Beast Boost

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UB Burst tricks targets into letting their guard down as it draws near with its funny gait, swaying this way and that—then shocks them by blowing up its own head without warning. Before they can recover their senses, it steals their vitality, which it’s said to use as a source of energy.

Its head is made up of collection of curious sparks, and it appears to have the wondrous ability to freely remove its own head and make it explode!

UB Burst's go-to move: Mind Blown - With this Fire-type special move, the user sacrifices half of its maximum HP to deal damage. It seems par for the course for UB Burst, which attacks others by blowing up its own head. And despite its comical appearance, this move packs some serious power.

• UB Assembly
• Category: Rampart Pokémon
• Type: Rock/Steel
• Height: 18'01"
• Weight: 1807.8 lbs.
• Ability: Beast Boost

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While UB Assembly may appear to be made up of stones stacked atop one another, apparently each “stone” is in fact a separate life-form, and this UB is made up of an assemblage of these life-forms.

When confronting another, or when feeling particularly enraged, the eyes on each of these stones begin to glow red.

• UB Adhesive
• Category: Poison Pin Pokémon
• Type: Poison
• Height: 2'00"
• Weight: 4.0 lbs.
• Ability: Beast Boost

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UB Adhesive displays many emotions, and it’s said to be able to understand human speech if it spends enough time together with them.

Their large heads are filled with venom, and they fire this venom from the poisonous needles on top of them.

 

Ultra Wormholes

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In Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon, you'll be able to ride on the backs of the Legendary Pokémon Solgaleo and Lunala to travel through an Ultra Wormhole and reach the worlds that lie beyond.

The Ultra Wormholes are strange pockets of space that have been seen in the Alola region before. In Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon, players saw a hint of the worlds that could lie beyond them, but most of the truth remained shrouded in mystery.

In Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon, you can explore the various worlds that lie through these Ultra Wormholes. Within an Ultra Wormhole, there are countless warp holes that lead to different worlds. Try exploring different worlds by passing through these warp holes! You can even go to the home worlds of the mysterious Ultra Beasts!

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By traveling through an Ultra Wormhole, you can reach Ultra Megalopolis—a world that has had its light stolen by Necrozma. Within this world, wrapped in darkness, a mysterious tower-like building shines with brilliant light. What could possibly wait atop it?

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The Ultra Recon Squad!

The Ultra Recon Squad is a mysterious group that has come from a world that lies beyond an Ultra Wormhole. For what purpose have they come to the Alola region?

Players will see the story told from somewhat different perspectives in each version, with Dulse and Zossie playing a central role in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Soliera and Phyco taking that role in Pokémon Ultra Moon.

From left to right: Dulse, Zossie, Soliera, and Phyco.

The Ultra Recon Squad brings with them an Ultra Beast never before seen. It is known by the code name UB Adhesive. Ultra Beasts possess mighty powers and could pose a threat to humans and Pokémon, so they are feared.

 

[Pawn]

Soliera and Phyco are clearly the superior pair.

So yeah, those Ultra Recon peeps look pretty cool. I'll probably just look up clips of the story on Youtube to see what they're all about.

[Salamander]

Ah, so that's it.  Solgaleo/Lunala riding is postgame, after Necrozma has been purged.  Finding the Ultra Beasts in their own worlds is the Ultra equivalent of S/M's postgame sweeps to find them.  So probably the bulk of the Ultra Beasts, particularly last game's, will just be shuffled off into the postgame (again) - but it looks like Burst/Assembly, Adhesive, and Guzlord will be doing interesting things this time around, at least.

Otherwise, looks like I may well have been on the mark with my reading of Ultra goons, and indeed it's Ultra Moon that gets the better pair.  That and my preference for Assembly's design over Burst's means it's Ultra Moon I would be getting.

[Your Vest Friend]

Wait, so the poison super space alien has the same category as...Nidoran.

Bit of a wild step in what fits the category there.