With Pokémon celebrating its 20th anniversary and having regained new relevance with the release of Pokémon Go, Game Freak and Nintendo have released the next generation of Pokémon games, Pokémon Sun and Moon for the Nintendo 3DS.

With the highest pre order sales of any game in the series, will Sun and Moon live up to the hype? Certainly yes. 

The biggest change at a glance is the reworked overworld. No longer are the trainers that fill the region chibi-looking models, instead every character is rendered to be full scaled 3D model. Along with this change the movement grid in previous games is gone. Players can now move in any direction they chose. With these changes it feels like Pokémon has really stepped into modernity.

The gameplay has as well. Gone are the days of HMs that would force you to waste a moveslot or catch an unwanted Pokémon to progress. Now you can call Ride Pokémon, like Tauros or Charizard, to break rocks or fly anywhere making exploring the world less tedious and more fun.

The game now displays how effective a move will be, providing you’ve fought that Pokémon before. This helps forgetful players or players who are just too lazy to learn hundreds of type match-ups. The game is also harder than the previous generation, meaning no more mash A on Hyper Beam to win trainer battles.

Trainers actually give some challenge this time around and I was surprised when I would actually lose all of my Pokémon to another trainer. The island challenge format end ups working a lot better than gyms since Totem Pokémon all have actual strategy for their fights instead of just a trainer with 4 Pokémon.

The 4 island Alola region might just be the best region that has been in these games. It’s so full of life and every town and island is filled with interesting people and Pokémon to encounter.

The story is also arguably the best in the series. While its climax doesn’t hit the same highs as Pokémom Black and White, Sun and Moon still feature fully-rounded characters that go through actual arcs. No longer is it just a 10 year old gets through gyms and fights a random evil organization, the island challenge is much more of an adventure and the game reminds you how important it is.

While I won’t spoil the story, expect something much more dark than usual fare. There was times where I was straight up unnerved at the story. Even the side stories are great. Some of them can deal with real problems like getting laid off from a job, which is pretty adult for a game that is mainly marketed at children.

With Pokèmon Sun and Moon, Pokémon enters the modern times. The team at Game Freak seems dedicated to make the games easier and more accessible while still fun and engaging for the fans who have followed the series for its 20 year run, and they passed with flying colors.