Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 55 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 50 out of 55
  2. Negative: 0 out of 55
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  1. Nov 15, 2017
    Anyone who skipped Sun and Moon has no excuse not to buy their Ultra successors. Returning players should know they're in for a slow start but should consider buying the new games anyway.
  2. Nov 17, 2017
    Pokémon returns for a 3DS victory lap in this generous, definitive retelling of the Alolan story. [Recommended]
  3. Nov 16, 2017
    These games include a stupidly large amount of content and Sun and Moon remain the most compelling, charming and interesting world Pokemon has presented since it was brand new back in the the 90s. For its audience, this enhanced edition is well worth the price of admission, though I’d be lying if I said my eyes weren’t firmly towards the future when Pokemon arrives on the big screen via Switch.
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 829 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Mar 4, 2018
    10
    Better dex distribution, new surprise ending, multiple new Pokemon, new moves, different beginning, all nonevent legendaries, new tracksBetter dex distribution, new surprise ending, multiple new Pokemon, new moves, different beginning, all nonevent legendaries, new tracks complements previous GREAT ones, o-powers back with new name, a HUGE postgame surprise in some surprising characters and the strongest "final boss" ever in the series (and I'm talking about the story, not the champion, but that is a surprise too) Moon was good but Ultra Moon manages more in every way. Full Review »
  2. Nov 17, 2017
    9
    The Awesome
    -Totem Stickers. The most fun and entertaining exploration element in any Pokémon game to date. Fun to look for these even if
    The Awesome
    -Totem Stickers. The most fun and entertaining exploration element in any Pokémon game to date. Fun to look for these even if there was no reward, but there is a pretty cool reward for every certain number of stickers. Probably the most fun I’ve had in the overworld of any Pokémon game ever.
    -Team Rainbow Rocket. For anyone who takes interest in the bad guys of the main games over the past 21 years.
    -Parallel universe ultra recon squad giving story elements and designs new to the series.
    -Best trainer placement of any Pokémon game to date by far. The karate guys on champion road, the golfer at hokulani, lotta laughs.
    -All legendary Pokémon. Probably the biggest sales point for fans of the series.
    -Charmander and all the other starters also available to catch so it’s pretty cool for old people with nostalgia. Same was with Rainbow Rocket.
    -Background Pokemon. Much like the trainer placement, the sense to have a Pokémon walk by the window outside or come down a chimney etc is superb. No value to find other than the satisfaction of seeing some neat Pokémon walking around. The rare chimney one was funny too.

    The Pretty Good
    -A ton of new sub events. Some of these are awesome, some not. Ditto becoming human being official stuff in the games was awesome etc.
    -The photo club was a lot more fun than I expected. Still don’t think there’s enough reason to spend a lot of time ther but it’s neat.
    -Surfing is also surprisingly a pretty fun mini game. But also not something I feel the urge to do too many times.

    The Not So Good
    -Main flow of game is pretty much the same as Sun and Moon, even though much of the story is different.
    -Some new backgrounds are pretty bland areas with some exceptions as well.
    -Some things in the game are jokes that will go over the majority of everyone’s head most likely. The new gym for example.
    -Nothing groundbreakingly innovative. But this can be said regarding almost all Pokémon games since the original. They stick by the if it’s not broke don’t fix it mind set, which does have its benefits.
    Full Review »
  3. Nov 17, 2017
    10
    Building up and developing further into what Sun and Moon helped create, this game takes all the freshness and innovations of the originalsBuilding up and developing further into what Sun and Moon helped create, this game takes all the freshness and innovations of the originals and expands it further into an even better experience than before, between multiple side features, bigger post-game and even being the first mid-generation game to introduce all new Pokemon to be collected and trained by players, it's a worthy sendoff to the 3ds generation of games. Full Review »