The Pokémon Company International showcased a bunch of new information for the latest games in the Pokémon franchise, Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon, coming to Europe on 23 November and available exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.
The evolved forms of the three first-partner Pokémon, Dartrix, Torracat and Brionne, were unveiled:
Dartrix
Type: Grass-Flying
The Blade Quill Pokémon Dartrix evolves from Rowlet. Dartrix attacks by throwing its knife-edged feathers, and it possesses extremely sharp senses. This Pokémon can detect opponents behind it and can throw feathers to strike them without even seeing them. This Pokémon cares a great deal about its appearance, grooming its feathers in every spare moment it has.
Torracat
Type: Fire
The Fire Cat Pokémon Torracat evolves from Litten. This Pokémon produces flames for its attacks from a bell-like sac attached at the base of its throat. Torracat has a great love for battle and will attack relentlessly. Its mane can sense what is going on around it, even in the dark, and is able to detect the presence of hidden enemies.
Brionne
Type: Water
The Pop Star Pokémon Brionne evolves from Popplio. Brionne can dance in perfect time with others and is always cheery and positive. A very hard worker, Brionne learns dances by imitating other members of its colony and can sometimes even learn dances from humans. As this Pokémon dances, it creates balloons and slaps them into its target, making them explode and deal damage to its opponents.
In Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon, communication features are gathered together in the new Festival Plaza. Players will be able to see other people playing near them, or other players that are connected to the internet to battle or trade. By talking to people and listening to their requests in Festival Plaza, players can receive Festival Coins. There are cool stores to spend Festival Coins in, such as dye houses, goody shops (where rare items are sold) and even bouncy castles for Pokémon to train in. As players gather more Festival Coins, their Festival Plaza will rank up, yielding rewards and making more activities available. Players will even gain the ability to host missions, where multiple players can work together to try to achieve certain goals.
Another new feature that was announced was Poké Pelago. In Poké Pelago, Pokémon that are stored in a PC Box can explore a variety of isles, play on athletic equipment and enjoy other fun activities. If players send many Pokémon to Poké Pelago, they can develop more facilities on the isles and also develop new kinds of isles. As these isles are developed and increase in number, they will allow players to obtain items and even raise Pokémon.
Mega Evolution is making a return as well. Pokémon that were able to Mega Evolve in previous Pokémon games will also be able to Mega Evolve in Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon. The Mega Stones for Pokémon with the capability to Mega Evolve that appear in the Alola region may be received from characters in the game or obtained from special shops.
The Pokémon Global Link will be updated for Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon and will be available from the games’ launch date. The updated Pokémon Global Link site will have new features, including new online competitions, global missions and more.
The Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon Special Demo Version was also unveiled and will be available to download directly from Nintendo eShop or via the official Nintendo website starting from 18 October. The Special Demo Version introduces players to the Alola region and features Ash-Greninja, the Pokémon that appears alongside the hero Ash in the animated TV series Pokémon the Series: XYZ. Players will be able to transfer their Ash-Greninja from the Special Demo Version to their full version of Pokémon Sun or Pokémon Moon once the game launches on 23 November.