Pokemon Moon

 3DS
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 982 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 682 out of 982
  2. Mixed: 131 out of 982
  3. Negative: 169 out of 982
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  1. MazdoTechno
    Nov 19, 2019
    7
    Pokémon Moon is the step in the right direction we needed after the painfully mediocre X and Y
    The story is actually engaging, there may be too many cutscenes for some but I for one loved the more story focused experience of Moon.
    Z moves are not as good as Mega Evolutions but they are alright. The island challenge was a good change of pace from the gym system (even though I love the    Pokémon Moon is the step in the right direction we needed after the painfully mediocre X and Y
    The story is actually engaging, there may be too many cutscenes for some but I for one loved the more story focused experience of Moon.
    Z moves are not as good as Mega Evolutions but they are alright.
    The island challenge was a good change of pace from the gym system (even though I love the gym system)
    The game wasn’t a total cakewalk, obviously not super difficult because it’s Pokémon but it’s definitely not X and Y easy
    Hau and Lillie make for friendly rivals that actually work (unlike the horrible rivals in X and Y)
    My main man Grimsley shows up at one point (my favourite Elite Four member of all time)
    For my rating system a 7 is pretty great but not quite amazing, and that’s what this game is    … Expand
  2. FutureWorld
    Nov 18, 2016
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Don't get me wrong. I have played all of the Pokémon games, and I am a definite fan of the franchise. However, I do feel that Pokémon Moon is not the epic Pokémon game that I was looking for. Remember, this is just my own opinion, and I do agree that the game has some cool new additions and finally changed the gameplay into a full 3D world. However, I just didn't feel as hyped as what others have been all over the Internet. One of the main things that I have criticized heavily on Sun is the fact that they changed the Gyms. The trials were a great idea.......for post-game content that is. To me, Gyms in Pokémon are like the Rings in Sonic or the Mushroom in Super Mario. They are important to the game, and are part of the formula of the game. Losing the gyms makes the game feel a bit left out, but this is just my opinion. I would love to go on with more details, but here is what I will finally say: Pokémon Moon has its fun moments, but there is plenty that can be desired for the next Pokémon generation.… Expand
  3. thiagomestres
    Nov 19, 2016
    5
    Pros: No hms. They are trying to do something new by having the Trials instead of gyms. Some of the pokemon's designs are really cute. Non chibi characters (i kind of liked them though, but it seems like most people didn't...). Being able to see what's super-effective.
    Cons: Handholding, unskipable tutorials that teach you something you could either find out for yourself or that you    Pros: No hms. They are trying to do something new by having the Trials instead of gyms. Some of the pokemon's designs are really cute. Non chibi characters (i kind of liked them though, but it seems like most people didn't...). Being able to see what's super-effective.
    Cons: Handholding, unskipable tutorials that teach you something you could either find out for yourself or that you already knew. Unnecessary amount of cutscenes, they are long and unskipable too. No national dex, instead you have to buy the Pokémon Bank for something that should be in the game. Less battle modes than it's predecessor. Lots of copy-pasted features with just a few differences, like the Festival Plaza (Join Avenue), Pokémon Refresh (Amie without minigames) and the Battle Tree (Battle Tower with a few cameos). Story extremely slow paced. They reveal every plot twist right at the start of story. Battle menu's options are too small. Almost 0 postgame. Battles can be quite laggy. Loading can take a lot of time in the o3ds.    … Expand
  4. Lazor
    Nov 19, 2016
    7
    The last pokemon game I played was Black 2, so I'm a bit out of the loop when it comes to recent innovations. To get straight to the point; the game is what I would describe as "alright".

    Here's what's wrong with the game: The amount of hand-holding and linearity is absurd. There's no way you can even turn off tutorials or the constant directions, the best you can do is set your text    The last pokemon game I played was Black 2, so I'm a bit out of the loop when it comes to recent innovations. To get straight to the point; the game is what I would describe as "alright".

    Here's what's wrong with the game:

    The amount of hand-holding and linearity is absurd. There's no way you can even turn off tutorials or the constant directions, the best you can do is set your text speed to fast and mash A. You can tell they went above and beyond to try to make this game as child friendly as possible. Unfortunately, in doing so, they've alienated their teenage and adult consumer base.

    I don't care about the lack of gyms, to be honest, I was never really a fan of them to begin with. The rest of the experience is generally what you'd expect from a pokemon game. There are some new innovations, like the lack of HMs, but I feel as if they're overshadowed by the aforementioned hand holding and linearity.    … Expand
  5. FranklinDiancie
    Nov 19, 2016
    5
    Pokémon Sun and Moon are worth the price, just not quite as good as the hype. To be honest I was somewhat disappointed but I do think the game is worth the price. I've been playing since blue originally came out so I'd like to say I've been for quite a while. This game has a lot of hit and misses. I don't think this will be the game to revolutionize Pokémon completely but it does take somePokémon Sun and Moon are worth the price, just not quite as good as the hype. To be honest I was somewhat disappointed but I do think the game is worth the price. I've been playing since blue originally came out so I'd like to say I've been for quite a while. This game has a lot of hit and misses. I don't think this will be the game to revolutionize Pokémon completely but it does take some steps in the right direction which makes me excited for future instalments. This game did feel unfinished but I wonder if that's because of the rumored new game for the switch.

    The story is relatively boring until it does a 180 and escalates really quickly. It feels like it takes age for something worthwhile to happen. When it does it's over almost as soon as it starts. Most if not all the story revolves around the character Lillie. So much of the story revolves around her and "Nebby" that you almost the main character by proxy only. Lillie's constant inability to do anything for herself did sort of get on my nerves. Even when she "changed" it felt like the majority of that was her wearing different clothes and remind us how different she is now. However, she still refused to use Pokémon, become a trainer, etc. She still relies on you to do everything until the very end when she leaves to Kanto. Gladion could have been removed from the story and it would have been almost 100% the same. He only really felt like a vector to shoehorn in type: Null    … Expand
  6. Flyingpigm0nkey
    Nov 18, 2016
    5
    A mediocre expansion to the Pokémon universe. If you enjoy stupid gimmicks like mega evolution then you might love this but Sun and Moon have very little improvement on the tried and true formula and do a lot of hand holding.
  7. PokeCritic
    Nov 19, 2016
    6
    Personally, I have mixed emotions about the game. Yeah, I'm excited for the new changes, and yeah, SOME of the Pokémon look horrendous. There's a lot of new features so I'm holding my breath wondering why this game sucks. Hoping for the best. On a more positive note, I got the game for FREE!!!!
  8. SpectrumZeta7
    Jan 4, 2017
    7
    As a fan who has followed Pokemon for the full 20 years, Sun and Moon are mixed if not frustrating package.The world building, characterizations, and unique culture found in the Alola Region are A+, and it all comes with a beautiful presentation that greatly surpasses Pokemon's first step into 3D. But in terms of gameplay, this installment, by and large, is not a strong successor to itsAs a fan who has followed Pokemon for the full 20 years, Sun and Moon are mixed if not frustrating package.The world building, characterizations, and unique culture found in the Alola Region are A+, and it all comes with a beautiful presentation that greatly surpasses Pokemon's first step into 3D. But in terms of gameplay, this installment, by and large, is not a strong successor to its predecessors at all in my humble opinion. There are a number of nice, small things that it gets right in this regard, but it also takes huge steps backward for reasons that I just cannot comprehend. Several features were either removed or made worse than what they were in previous games, and it leaves this Anniversary title feeling somewhat empty and unsatisfying once the main adventure is over and that 'New!' smell wears off.

    If you want Pokemon to be a more story intensive series, or if all you’re invested in is a good run through the campaign, then this game will probably tickle your fancy. At the same time, if you like to go into the deeper game mechanics and enjoy after-game activities, I would advise treading with caution. This isn’t a bad game, but it's not at all the greatest that Pokemon has to offer.

    Positives ~
    - The world is well conceived, [mostly] well-written, and comes with a-lot of charm.
    - The game in general is gorgeously presented.
    - Ride Pokemon replace the need for HMs.
    - Farming Berries, EVs, and treasure through Poke-Pelago is a nice luxury to have whenever I’m busy with studies or business.
    - Pokemon Refresh is a pleasant successor to Amie.
    - Small Quality of Life changes, such as making the ‘Judge’/IV Checker a feature of the Box, or asking if you want to swap a newly caught Pokemon into a full party.
    - Choosing to break the mold of the Gym structure with the Island Trials as a new form of game progression.

    Negatives ~
    - The early game, even after 20 years, still insists that everyone playing Pokemon is a child who needs to be taught how to play. With no option to object or say ‘I know what I’m doing’. It can be intrusive.

    - XY’s Player Search System is gone, leaving the game’s core multiplayer/online services slower and significantly less intuitive. In its place is the Festival Plaza, an online hub that you'll be logging into and out of regularly if you want to do anything related to Wi-Fi. Its a downgrade from being able to play the regular game and stay online at the same time.

    - The DexNav, which allowed you to keep track of captured Pokemon in a given area (and actively search for them in the wild nearby), is gone.

    - Friend Safari, which made Hidden Abilities, version exclusive Pokemon, starter Pokemon and even high IVs more readily available, is gone.

    - Super Training and Reset Bags are gone, so stat management isn't quite as effective.

    - The National Poke-Dex is gone after being built into every game since FRLG, and will instead be a feature of the Pokemon Bank...A paid service...

    - There’s only one fishing rod now, and Magikarp has a higher encounter rate than everything (and no, that wasn’t a joke…I wish it was...).

    - Triple Battles, Horde Battles, Rotation Battles, and Inverse Battles are all gone.

    - The Frame-rate dip during Double Battles and Battle Royal is positively dreadful…

    - The Rotom Map that regularly appears on the touch screen makes bare minimum use of it when compared to previous DS/3DS entries.

    - The services available through the Festival Plaza hub are a poor follow-up to the Join Avenue. It features a series of shops that you can use in a similar fashion, but you can no longer pick what shops you want, and they won’t level up as they’re continually used and visited. You receive shops at random as you earn more Festival Coins for completing online missions, and you use those coins as a secondary currency to purchase stores from other players that you meet online…It’s...Kind of convoluted by comparison.    … Expand
  9. joacoandresen
    Oct 24, 2018
    7
    Pokémon Moon is great as most Pokémon core games. It makes great changes to the formula such as Poke Ride replacing the annoying HMs and has great graphics. For newcomers is great that there are fewer new Pokémon added, since having to learn 150 new Pokémon can make you feel lost.

    However, the pros end there. For being an RPG Pokémon Moon feel VERY linear. The tutorial feels like it    Pokémon Moon is great as most Pokémon core games. It makes great changes to the formula such as Poke Ride replacing the annoying HMs and has great graphics. For newcomers is great that there are fewer new Pokémon added, since having to learn 150 new Pokémon can make you feel lost.

    However, the pros end there. For being an RPG Pokémon Moon feel VERY linear. The tutorial feels like it will never end and there is little incentive to stop and roam around the place. The storyline is way more interesting than older entries in the series but the abundance of cut-scenes make it feel slow at times.

    The difficulty is non-existent until the last hours of the main content. The EXP SHARE makes leveling up your Pokémon a breeze and turning it off makes the game way more challenging.

    For a Pokémon game it's fine, the post-game content is extensive and interesting.    … Expand
  10. AmyRoses
    Nov 26, 2016
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Pokémon Sun and Moon does very little to add to the long-running series that is Pokémon.

    First off, let's talk about what Sun and Moon do right. The most obvious change from previous iterations of the Main-Series games is the removal of HMs. This is a huge step in the right direction, as HMs have always been widely regarded as a bad game mechanic. Now, you don't need to teach your Pokémon unuseful moves in order to progress. Now, we can only hope they continue this trend in the future, but I have little faith in Game Freak as a whole.

    Sun and Moon are potentially the first Pokémon games with interesting characters. Lillie and her mother, Lusamine, both have some depth. Sun and Moon also bring Pokémon one step closer to the 'modern' age, by introducing cinematic cutscenes.

    The new Pokémon are overall fairly well designed, even if their shiny variations are less than spectacular. My personal favourites are Brionne and Mimikyu.

    And finally, the change of formula is mildly refreshing, but overall, underwhelming.

    Now I'm going to talk about what Sun and Moon do wrong. And let me tell you, there's a lot of it.

    First of all, despite Game Freak's attempt to 'change the formula', the game once again feels very samey. This is Pokémon, after all, so what do you expect? The only problem is that the games promised a change from the status quo, and changing Gyms' names to 'island challenges' doesn't really feel all that different. Almost every challenge is played very similarly to how gyms are, but somehow, a whole lot less satisfying. The rewards of an TM after defeating a gym seem to be long gone, and unlike beating a gym, completing an island challenge doesn't feel like a milestone. You don't get a badge, but a 'stamp' in your passport, which is a whole lot less exciting, and doesn't feel like something to be proud of. Not only that, but these challenges are even a whole lot easier than the gyms of previous games, usually involving you to walk through an area and battle a single Pokémon.

    Whilst I praised the mildly interesting story, it's impossible to ignore the cutscenes. It feels like there is a cutscene every 5 minutes in this game, making it drag on for no real reason. In fact, if you want to restart the game to get a female starter, or one for a specific nature, the cutscene for getting your starter lasts around five minutes, so tough luck. This, coupled with the low framerate on the o3DS makes the cutscenes unbearable.

    This brings me to the next problem: Performance. On the New 3DS, I have heard that the game has a relatively stable framerate, but with the occasional drops in Totem/Double battles. On the original 3DS, this is taken to the next level, with moments where you can actually count the number of frames per second. Fortunately, it doesn't affect the gameplay, as it is a turn based game, but it's still unpleasant to look at. On the other hand, though, the overworld seems devoid of lag during regular play, which is actually slightly impressive. However, after playing ORAS again after S/M, the difference in the overall experience was obvious. Faster encounter times, less loading, smoother framerate, it's just painfully obvious that the 3DS lacks the power needed for Sun and Moon to work.
    Overall, Sun and Moon are a huge disappointment. They just don’t feel like a new generation. It’s as if Sun and Moon are just X and Y with a coat of Hawaiian paint. Let’s just hope the possible Switch version is more enjoyable.    … Expand
  11. alienators
    Nov 24, 2016
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I have played every pokemon game and my personal favorites are red, ruby, oras, and crystal. I had imagined this one playing similarly to oras but it wasn't quite so. It didn't live up to expectations. It wasn't the changes that made it so disappointing, most of the changes were bearable. It's just not that refined of a game. They tried to add too much too fast and it was a bit of a hit and miss. The hand holding is terrible and the amount of cut scenes is unbearable. It's as if they're forcing the story on you instead of just letting it happen. I'm mostly frustrated with the game because they took away some my favorite things. One, being able to actually evolve my god damn pokemon just by lvling them instead of having to meet some stupid evolution condition like lvl up in snow, which they made is so that there's only snow at the end of the game. Two, taking away my HM mules. Three, having the ability to not feel like a fckn baby from all the hand holding; oh, ember is not very effective against tentacruel, who would've god damn known that? This game doesn't challenge you; there aren't any neat little puzzles or things you have to figure out for yourself.
    I think this game can be summed up in one sentence: It's not even nearly as good as it could've been and if it was anymore handholding, you could watch the game complete it by itself. . . but it's not half bad.    … Expand
  12. thefishslap
    Nov 29, 2016
    6
    One light, a crib full of pokemon. pokemon the solar series is the crisp game ever to chip away at yet angaing another heart renckhing story, and a child one at that. I've finished the a game, but it was around thanksgiving. The ulntra beats are very strong, and that was not a the eggs at your nation! Although the past game to get tougher, it wouldn't matter after the fact that when the toOne light, a crib full of pokemon. pokemon the solar series is the crisp game ever to chip away at yet angaing another heart renckhing story, and a child one at that. I've finished the a game, but it was around thanksgiving. The ulntra beats are very strong, and that was not a the eggs at your nation! Although the past game to get tougher, it wouldn't matter after the fact that when the to get the starter pokemon at the best in the game. I love it. Love it, love it, love it!… Expand
  13. geo333
    Dec 21, 2019
    7
    It's a different pokemon format that goes away from the traditional way. Also, the game feels short for a Pokemon game, add to it the difficulty is lacking. In the end, for new owners this is a solid P.game for previous players its an easy game.
  14. b00lpr0p
    Dec 11, 2018
    5
    The new features are just boring, looks weird, and didn't hit me. Too many dialogues, and they are mushy and sugary to the point it can make you sick.
  15. Dethstroek
    Mar 2, 2017
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I have played every game since Pokemon Ruby, and Pokemon Sun and Moon are amazing games in terms of story, although they are super handholdy. I love the abscense of HMs, the deviation from the gyms, and the intergration of the Hawaiian culture into the games. However, once you make it past the Elite Four, catch the Tapus, and complete the Ultra Beast Mission, the end-game content is very lacking. Sure, you can challenge the Battle Tree/Royale endlessly, or breed a competitive team, but the grind in these games far outpaces that of Gen 6. The breeding in these games is absolutely horrible in comparison to that of ORAS, and the entry level of the Battle Tree is scaled to that of needing a fully IV and EV trained team (at a point that you do not have the correct items to breed such). Pokemon also messed up with Tapus and UBs in VGC because it doesn't make sense to even train a team if everyone is going to use overpowered Tapu and UB Pokemon anyways. All in all, the story content is great, but end-game content is horrible.… Expand
  16. Panzidane
    Mar 8, 2017
    7
    A ausência de ginásios incomoda, e muito, O jogo não tem mais o feels de dificuldade, tudo que parecia fazer sentido não faz mais. Tudo fica perdido quando você tenta entender o real objetivo de seu personagem, ou as forçadas e enormes CGs obrigatórias. A história é fraca e o carisma é baixo. A organização criminosa não tem um carisma tão grande quanto dos jogos antecessores. É lastimávelA ausência de ginásios incomoda, e muito, O jogo não tem mais o feels de dificuldade, tudo que parecia fazer sentido não faz mais. Tudo fica perdido quando você tenta entender o real objetivo de seu personagem, ou as forçadas e enormes CGs obrigatórias. A história é fraca e o carisma é baixo. A organização criminosa não tem um carisma tão grande quanto dos jogos antecessores. É lastimável o rumo que a 7° Geração chegou, mas erros são necessários para crescer e se aprimorar.… Expand
  17. brendo214
    May 21, 2019
    6
    I really appreciate all the new changes that Gamefreak has made to the series, but this game was so easy that I had a hard time having any fun.
  18. Matias8654
    Jun 1, 2018
    7
    El ser un nuevo Pokemon donde se quisieron ir mas hacia la idea de 4 Pokemones como son los Tapu's y el tener que ir recogiendo gemas en vez de ir obteniendo medallas me parece que no deja de convencer en este juego donde se busca mas atraer a otro publico que el de mantener al que a jugado Pokemon por años, por otro lado el incluir estos "utraentes" en cierta parte quiebra un poco a loEl ser un nuevo Pokemon donde se quisieron ir mas hacia la idea de 4 Pokemones como son los Tapu's y el tener que ir recogiendo gemas en vez de ir obteniendo medallas me parece que no deja de convencer en este juego donde se busca mas atraer a otro publico que el de mantener al que a jugado Pokemon por años, por otro lado el incluir estos "utraentes" en cierta parte quiebra un poco a lo que estamos acostumbrados a ver.
    Uno de los puntos rescatable es que ya no es necesario los MO para ejecutar alguna acción como lo es volar sino que con las PokeMonturas esto se ve facilitado    … Expand
  19. idkwhattocallme
    Apr 28, 2019
    7
    The battles can really be **** sometimes with the rng but it's a fun game overall and I recommend it to someone who has never played a pokemon game in their entire life.
  20. Kiraki1120
    Nov 16, 2019
    7
    This game has good points, but also lot of downsides for me. The good points were the removal of the Hidden Machines and the change of the Gym badges concept, but the bad points were the frame rate and performance issues, plus the innovation was not that great in this game. Not a disappointment, but a step down compared to previous Pokemon games.
  21. ThePSButton
    May 3, 2020
    5
    Técnicamente pobre en ocasiones, sin 3D y con una narrativa muy mediocre. Los modelos durante las batallas son lo más destacable, pero de igual manera las animaciones se quedan cortitas. Una de las peores campañas de la serie.
  22. asael24
    Jun 24, 2020
    5
    Pokémon Moon es el juego de Pokémon mas aburrido que he jugado, la verdad, tal vez no fue hecho para mi pero tengo que decir que hasta el lets go fue mas divertido. No conecte con nada, de hecho no se sentía la esencia de la saga. opinión personal.
  23. JoelArpal
    Jan 5, 2021
    5
    Esta bien, pero meeeh... La historia es aburrida e insulsa y los personajes o estan completamente vacios o son odiosos. Algunas ideas como las formas regionales estan bien pero no levantan todo lo que el juego tiene en contra.
  24. DieterU
    May 17, 2021
    6
    I thought it was pretty good for the most part. The pokemon games have definitely gotten too caught up in a formula, though, and it wasn't particularly original. It's main attempt at originality was the Z-moves, which just seem lazily done, and unlike mega-evolution, don't add much to the story. The post game of completing the rest of my Alola pokedex was definitely fun, though. I wish theI thought it was pretty good for the most part. The pokemon games have definitely gotten too caught up in a formula, though, and it wasn't particularly original. It's main attempt at originality was the Z-moves, which just seem lazily done, and unlike mega-evolution, don't add much to the story. The post game of completing the rest of my Alola pokedex was definitely fun, though. I wish the story was more interesting too. Nonetheless, it was still pretty fun. I liked the new characters for the most part.… Expand
  25. BaldursThones
    Apr 15, 2022
    6
    Many people complain about how pokemon games just re-use the same formula and this one does change it somewhat but personally I didn't like the lack of gyms.
  26. AlexMakesToast
    Dec 16, 2022
    7
    Moon = 7/10
    ...............................................................
  27. LBoomsky
    May 16, 2023
    7
    This game was the first to introduce big ass variants of pokemon, and I respect that.
  28. HydrophobikFish
    Jun 9, 2023
    6
    What fun this game is able to tease out of its innovations to the pokemon formula is stifled by lack of difficulty and extensive tutorials. Ultimately for all of its changes, it feels a bit like the game is jumping the shark. An ultimately forgettable pokemon experience.

Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Best 3DS Game of 2016
2
#2 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2016
4
#4 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 84 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 82 out of 84
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 84
  3. Negative: 0 out of 84
  1. Vooks
    Apr 8, 2017
    100
    Pokémon Sun and Moon make terrific changes the twenty-year-old formula, allowing new fans and returning ones back into the series with a wonderful lively and colourful world. It's just a little too easy for us who have been here from the start - but it's easy to forgot that when you're having such a blast.
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  2. Easy Allies
    Mar 19, 2017
    90
    If you’re a newcomer to the series, this is an excellent opportunity to learn the fundamentals in a laid-back setting. If you’re a pro, you’ll relish the new options in place for making your Pokémon all they can be. Sun & Moon is a Pokémon vacation we’d gladly take again.
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  3. Vgames
    Mar 8, 2017
    90
    These games exceeded my expectations by a mile. Pokemon Sun and Moon are games that every Pokemon fan and every 3DS owner needs to own. Nintendo and Gamefreak did an awesome job creating a great story and the changes they made for the format make the game feel fresh and exciting more so than ever before. The game has its minor issues like the end game and some performance issues on Old 3DS models but the soundtrack, the story and the new features more than make up for it, to make an unforgettable experience.
    Read full review
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