Pokemon Ultra Sun

 3DS
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1103 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 789 out of 1103
  2. Mixed: 109 out of 1103
  3. Negative: 205 out of 1103
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  1. JudgementalFool
    Jul 30, 2018
    10
    Had good post-game content and new op **** to abuse,it's truly one of the best pokemon games that I had played.Recommend buying it
  2. Fro_Ring
    Apr 10, 2018
    10
    Very close to be the best pokemon games ever made. Lots of extras, fixings and improvements over the previous ones. Longer story too, and thats without even mentioning the online battles and trading.
  3. AngryShark92
    May 27, 2018
    9
    Pokemon Ultra Sun kinda fills out what the original version should have been, from the plethora of legendaries to capture, to the well rounded side quests/activities, this game delivers in a way that the original version really couldn't. In addition, this version is a bit more challenging which is a welcomed addition seeing as most of these games tend to be a breeze when it comes toPokemon Ultra Sun kinda fills out what the original version should have been, from the plethora of legendaries to capture, to the well rounded side quests/activities, this game delivers in a way that the original version really couldn't. In addition, this version is a bit more challenging which is a welcomed addition seeing as most of these games tend to be a breeze when it comes to difficulty. The wormhole travel is also fun and the ability to catch a lot more Pokémon from different regions in this version is also a great addition.

    It's not all perfect in the Alola region, as a Pokémon player for nearly 22 years now, these modern games are really starting to push it with the amount of chatter and robotic actions from the npcs you encounter or travel with. What I mean by this, is that there is simply too many moments throughout the journey where you are stopped in your tracks to have a lengthy conversation about topics that are repeated and regurgitated over and over and it is becoming tiresome and it completely breaks the pace of the story.

    Please for the love of Ultra Beasts, Gamefreak please cut this down or implement a skip button, I sometimes find myself just forgetting about the plot entirely because I'm just spamming A + B so I can get back to exploring and battling, which is what makes these games fun.

    + Fun gameplay (battles & explorations)
    + Excellent visuals
    + Great soundtrack
    + Refined arena (Pokémon Stadium) mechanics
    + Loads of side quests/activities
    + Great legendaries and lore
    + The surfing mini game is fun with a classic reward
    + Poke Pelago & Refresh are fun

    - Too much dialogue that is un-skippable, narrative was never this series' strongpoint
    - Wormhole travel controls are awkward
    - Some useless side activities imo
    - Uninteresting npcs and side characters

    I also have to mention that I am not sure I like the sequels direction they are taking, feel like the additions made in the sequels should be included in the original version for a single release, rotating with a refresh of the older games in between.

    Overall this is a solid effort that should have been part of the original release, but they did get it right regardless, and the Alola region proves to be another solid entry in the franchise that will be fun for fans of the series to explore. This game is an 85/8.5 for me.    … Expand
  4. Trunks-M
    Apr 27, 2018
    10
    As a vet-player who has played every game since Red and Blue, I'm having a ball with this one, it may be even the best pokemon game to this point, worth every penny. It's also surprisingly HARD when playing without the exp share, the totems are harder than before and have each their own strategy, npcs are tougher than they seem and the final boss is the hardest in any game. It also fix itsAs a vet-player who has played every game since Red and Blue, I'm having a ball with this one, it may be even the best pokemon game to this point, worth every penny. It's also surprisingly HARD when playing without the exp share, the totems are harder than before and have each their own strategy, npcs are tougher than they seem and the final boss is the hardest in any game. It also fix its predecessor's flaws, for example I get my starter way earlier now and can already go starting off my team way earlier.

    Specially recomended to hardcore and old-time players of the series thanks to said difficulty, amazing competitive online and being the most practical game to make your own team in legitimate ways (you can train ivs, catch almost everything, has good move tutors and pokepelago makes breeding and ev train a cakewalk). I would recomend to beginners too, but be warned if you turn down the exp share, the game becomes a challenge, which I wouldn't say about any previous pokemon, despite loving them all.    … Expand
  5. Be997
    Apr 29, 2018
    10
    It overall adds more than you'd expect from the usual enhanced versions pokemon receives:
    It fixes and enhances some things, including the following:
    - Way, way quicker begininat the very early game, getting you right to the starter way earlier instead of waiting till the Kahuna meets you - fixes where you can evolve pokemon that need specific areas to do so, by bringing those earlier    It overall adds more than you'd expect from the usual enhanced versions pokemon receives:
    It fixes and enhances some things, including the following:
    - Way, way quicker begininat the very early game, getting you right to the starter way earlier instead of waiting till the Kahuna meets you
    - fixes where you can evolve pokemon that need specific areas to do so, by bringing those earlier
    - gives away a whole extra trial for Mina, the last captain, adding a whole part to the game and an extra totem too.
    - gives the battle tree a new mode, that's more enjoyable to play, making it way better to get bp too
    -adds more features to the rotomdex, making it more wholesome
    -adds more exclusive z-moves that help strenght certain pokemon
    -makes every trainer stronger, but specially Hau
    -develops many side characters that weren't doing much before
    -adds in a new way to travel between the islands that's more interactive
    -the pokedex has more pokemon per island so the route mons don't feel repetitive
    -we actually get to see the UBs worlds, adding more individual lore to each one of them
    -two new UBs
    -more move tutors
    -access to early legends with a lore reason to justify them (instead of them just happening to live in another region just because)
    -thanks to what happens to the postgame, the story's ending feels more conclusive
    -new totems and the ability to have a version of them too
    -a new facility/feature inside the festival plaza to justify itself more
    I'm forgetting a lot of things, but by those alone I consider it one of the better recent entries.    … Expand
  6. Yorkishimitsu
    Nov 24, 2018
    10
    -does fix any and all problem sun moon still had
    -tons of differences over sun moon (at the very start, when you get the starter, between first and second islands with the mantines, literally everything after mid-third island etc)
    -TONS of changes (goes from entirely new sections to new pokemon, something no other game ever did in the middle of a generation) -EVEN MORE TONS of    -does fix any and all problem sun moon still had
    -tons of differences over sun moon (at the very start, when you get the starter, between first and second islands with the mantines, literally everything after mid-third island etc)
    -TONS of changes (goes from entirely new sections to new pokemon, something no other game ever did in the middle of a generation)
    -EVEN MORE TONS of improvements (the fixing/improvement of a previous version is superior to what platinum and emerald did for example so they're learning how to make the 'extra games' more relevant)
    -difficulty, secret side missions, ultra beast different dimensions to explore, battle factory lookalike... they made some of the best possible aditions and made one of the best nintendo games    … Expand
  7. AdamantNature
    Apr 17, 2018
    10
    One of the best pokemon games, specially for experienced players, as it's very good for finding rare pokemon, training their ivs, get move tutors etc
  8. Piantapiana
    Nov 16, 2018
    10
    Merece 10, juego con muchas adiciones en particular después de cuando vence la liga, agrega mucho para con Pokémon Sun
  9. Chucle_Mordecai
    Apr 23, 2018
    10
    The base game was already good, the new z-moves, pokemon, stories and the many new areas being added on top of it elevate the alola games in this version to be one of the best adventures in the "pokemon" series
  10. giratinat
    May 7, 2018
    10
    Muito bom jogo com boa historia, 100% aprovado. Gastei horas só na caça aos shinies no Ultra Warpride e esse foi só um de muitos, MUITOS positivos,até novos pokemon, ponto altíssimo pra série.
  11. AIZEN-Sosuke
    May 29, 2018
    10
    I truly liked those games, I liked every pokemon game till now, playing since gen 1, but this was truly a top, and best 3rd one. Sun and moon were cool, but ultra upped it by the thousands, giving me thousands of good memories of gen 7 already
  12. HarkyTheReal
    Jun 25, 2018
    10
    Best gameplay in pokemon, They are VERY good Games with the right seasoning of a good story as a complement. I reeplayed it and finished it many times already, without being bored, which didn't happened with a pokemon game in years. Also great dialogues, better written than previous games, and lots of new sidequests.
  13. Poru-Povin
    Nov 15, 2018
    10
    The best mainline pokemon game in my honest opinion. Excellent core gameplay meets a divine amount of optional content thats really fun.
  14. Moby_Samus
    Nov 15, 2018
    10
    Best game I played in the franchise in a long, looong time, I may rank "USUM" as my second favorite overall. It's so polished and the formula works so well, you can feel care went on, no wonder the series hasn't gotten stale (in fact it got less so) unlike others as old as it is. Fully recomended as one of the best times you can get with pokemon named in it, worth every penny.
    For    Best game I played in the franchise in a long, looong time, I may rank "USUM" as my second favorite overall. It's so polished and the formula works so well, you can feel care went on, no wonder the series hasn't gotten stale (in fact it got less so) unlike others as old as it is. Fully recomended as one of the best times you can get with pokemon named in it, worth every penny.
    For *hardcore* side it has movetutors, new online modes, some good new pokemon, good levelling distribution to get them, and some of the extra mini games you can play in certain places could be their own spin-offs and be as revered as stadium, and snap. They're that good.    … Expand
  15. ilovepkmn
    May 28, 2018
    10
    U know what?
    i dont care about your critics,i just loooove this ***king game. :D
  16. ara-rem
    Oct 8, 2018
    10
    Recommend the playing of this game
    Strong points: -variety of pokemon to catch and evolve, training is never boring
    -s.o.s. chains, making having shiny pokemon and extra abilities easier at minimum extra skill -extra games and minigames that are genuinely fun by themselves and full of depth and content -strong story -rides so you don't need "hm-slaves" -pokepelago, so you can play    Recommend the playing of this game
    Strong points: -variety of pokemon to catch and evolve, training is never boring
    -s.o.s. chains, making having shiny pokemon and extra abilities easier at minimum extra skill
    -extra games and minigames that are genuinely fun by themselves and full of depth and content
    -strong story
    -rides so you don't need "hm-slaves"
    -pokepelago, so you can play with all the pokemon
    -refresh so the pokemon can also be like your pet
    -wonder trade so you can get crazy unexpected pokemon from all over the world    … Expand
  17. Marcelinus
    Oct 26, 2018
    10
    My favorite pokemon game. The postgame is gigantic as a additional version should be and the main game was always exciting, with places to check and the best side games of all pokemon games. I faced the league with a team of Lycanrok, Bewear, Incineroar, Golisopod and Slowbro, was a really fun journey.
  18. zeffsrightleg
    Nov 17, 2018
    10
    Went not expecting much but his was a experience of a life, one of the supreme pokemon games in term of quality, content, variety, etc. It improved so much even though I already loved Sun and Moon and even though I thought there was almost nothing to improve, but they make the good even better. The story has differences but I found it as good as the original. First of all its a hard gameWent not expecting much but his was a experience of a life, one of the supreme pokemon games in term of quality, content, variety, etc. It improved so much even though I already loved Sun and Moon and even though I thought there was almost nothing to improve, but they make the good even better. The story has differences but I found it as good as the original. First of all its a hard game for pokemon standards, that's an objective change that surprised me as pokemon never cared much for it before (games like black were cakewalks despite my love for them), anyone who'd call this easy or that it didnt changed much is trolling you and haven't played because not only each and every island is full of all kinds of extras but oh boy, without spoilers lets say there's a BIG surprise at the end: a real gift to the 20 years of the series.… Expand
  19. chavelucre
    Apr 27, 2018
    10
    Excelente jogo: tudo o que versões anteriores fizeram esse faz melhor. A região também tem muitas adições que a enriquecem te deixando com muitas opções para o que fazer e como se aventurar. De surfing, para novos pokemon para batalhas e lugares novos a todo momento. Altamente recomendado
  20. DRAKEDRAKSDREKE
    Jul 9, 2018
    10
    The Best game for hardcore and longtime pokemon players: tons to explore so it never gets bored and harder than previous ones. S/M was already one of the best in the franchise, but here we have its setup with more enhancements, much more content and polished to a shine. Unlike previous third versions that felt like just the same game but better, here the Ultras feels like a whole new pointThe Best game for hardcore and longtime pokemon players: tons to explore so it never gets bored and harder than previous ones. S/M was already one of the best in the franchise, but here we have its setup with more enhancements, much more content and polished to a shine. Unlike previous third versions that felt like just the same game but better, here the Ultras feels like a whole new point of view in the Alola adventure and story, bringing in new flavors and feelings that justify its existence way better than some of them did.… Expand
  21. Hell-Sing-Champ
    Apr 12, 2018
    10
    Harder and more dynamic than SM. Includes new pokemon and characters not before present in the game. The beginning is also changed and quicker, with you getting your starter way earlier instead of during the festival held by the Kahuna. This change and many others made the game way more dynamic at the beginning, with the "middle" improved with things like the new surfing parts of the gameHarder and more dynamic than SM. Includes new pokemon and characters not before present in the game. The beginning is also changed and quicker, with you getting your starter way earlier instead of during the festival held by the Kahuna. This change and many others made the game way more dynamic at the beginning, with the "middle" improved with things like the new surfing parts of the game and extra quests, and the ending getting a whole new boss fight in a new area.… Expand
  22. CelebiJirachMew
    Apr 30, 2018
    10
    It's easier than ever to make a balanced team with your prefered mons, and the enemies are strong and balanced too. And the BEST and BIGGEST postgame ever.
  23. SuperMatt777
    Dec 14, 2017
    10
    Pokemon Sun and Moon were amazing games, something that my original review for them did not specify well enough. After time with the original games, my opinions have vastly changed and I see Sun and Moon as amazing games. Let my review on Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon be the real deal when it comes to the seventh generation Pokemon games.

    Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon differ slightly in their    Pokemon Sun and Moon were amazing games, something that my original review for them did not specify well enough. After time with the original games, my opinions have vastly changed and I see Sun and Moon as amazing games. Let my review on Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon be the real deal when it comes to the seventh generation Pokemon games.

    Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon differ slightly in their stories. Initially, it seems relatively the same, with a few new scenes appearing here and there, few new small details in some of the trials, stuff like that. However, once you reach the end of the third island, that's where things start to change. Everything leading up to the game's climax is what separates Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon from Sun/Moon. While I won't spoil anything, the games' altered storyline is like a "what if something happened differently" type of story; the characters develop and act in different, yet similar ways to Sun and Moon, which I greatly appreciate. I never truly got into depth on how much I loved Sun and Moon's story and characters, with the characters developing much better than past generations have in my eyes. The story's climax once again held my attention with the ever fascinating Ultra Beasts.

    A lot of my original gripes with Sun and Moon are mostly gone at this point, with SOS battles posing as a little problem now, the additional location evolution areas for certain Pokemon being a good add for people looking to use Vikavolt or Magnezone and Z-Moves becoming more interesting (though still lacking compared to Mega Evolutions). The additional content these games offer makes them easier to play for longer, especially the legendaries to catch and the amazing post story involving Team Rainbow Rocket. Said post story was amazing, giving fans from all over the generations throwbacks they'll recognize and enjoy. The difficulty was well paced within the entire game as well, which is also appreciated.

    Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are definitely the definitive games for generation seven. Expanding greatly on Sun and Moon's content and fixing a few of Sun and Moon's problems made them better than their originals, yet also letting the originals hold a few details that were better (in my personal case, Lusamine's portrayal as a villain). Overall, these are definitely games any Pokemon fan should pick up, even if they already played the original Sun and Moon.    … Expand
  24. Mylabugz
    Dec 7, 2017
    10
    Small spoiler. YOU CAN SURF! I'm not talking about HM surfing, I mean hang ten doing tricks on a massive wave surfing. BEAT THAT! I've only beat the first island so I don't feel like I'm really spoiling anything.
  25. PacoRB
    Dec 21, 2017
    10
    La experiencia que ofrece este juego es muy buena, se mejoraron los gráficos con respecto a las entregas originales, se incluyeron arcos en la historia muy interesantes como el del Team Rainbow Rocket, la manera de viajar por el ultra espacio para encontrar pokemon raros y legendarios fue muy original, la historia no cambia mucho, pero esto se compensa con muchas características añadidasLa experiencia que ofrece este juego es muy buena, se mejoraron los gráficos con respecto a las entregas originales, se incluyeron arcos en la historia muy interesantes como el del Team Rainbow Rocket, la manera de viajar por el ultra espacio para encontrar pokemon raros y legendarios fue muy original, la historia no cambia mucho, pero esto se compensa con muchas características añadidas muy útiles para quienes juegan en competitivo. Una digna tercera versión de pokemon sol y pokemon luna.… Expand
  26. BasilZero
    Mar 10, 2018
    10
    Game: Pokemon Ultra Sun
    Genre: RPG
    Developer: GameFreak Publisher: Nintendo System: Nintendo 3DS (3DS) Year of Release: 2017 Length of Playthrough: 40 Hours Total Score: 95/100 Value Score: 9.5/10 • Story: 9/10 • Characters: 10/10 • GamePlay: 9/10 • Graphics: 9/10 • Sound: 9/10 • Music: 10/10 • Length: 10/10 • Replay Value: 10/10 • Player Value: 9/10 Pros +Island    Game: Pokemon Ultra Sun
    Genre: RPG
    Developer: GameFreak
    Publisher: Nintendo
    System: Nintendo 3DS (3DS)
    Year of Release: 2017
    Length of Playthrough: 40 Hours

    Total Score: 95/100
    Value Score: 9.5/10

    • Story: 9/10
    • Characters: 10/10
    • GamePlay: 9/10
    • Graphics: 9/10
    • Sound: 9/10
    • Music: 10/10
    • Length: 10/10
    • Replay Value: 10/10
    • Player Value: 9/10

    Pros
    +Island Trials from the original Sun have been expanded with additional trail quests
    +Region is split into 4 islands with a Hawaiian theme
    +Some first gen pokemon have new forms with new typing just like the original Sun
    +Pokedex now Rotom-Pokedex which talks with you and splits entries into 4 categories (for each island) and the entire region
    +QR Scanner allows players to scan in data of pokemon that they have not caught
    +New battle type called Battle Royal where it allows you to do a 4 way free for all battle
    +Z-Moves bring a new way in battling allowing you to do special moves in a cinematic cutscene, this replaces mega evolution - further expansion of Z-moves in Ultra Sun
    +Poke-rides are a new feature which allow you to use certain pokemon to traverse the region, this makes surf, flying, strength obsolete as HMs (there are no more HMs)
    +Hyper training returns
    +Festival Plaza allows players to see other players and interact with them for battle or trade, they can access the GTS here as well. Festival coins can be obtained here by interacting with characters which can be used to increase the rank of your festival plaza
    +Poke Pelago is a new feature which allows you to create your own island to have your PC stored pokemon to find items, discover wild pokemon and to even raise levels and stats.
    +81 new pokemon (Same as Pokemon Sun)
    +Main story is expanded and introduces some new characters compared to the original Sun version
    +Episode Rainbow Rocket (RR) gives a side story featuring villains from past games

    Cons
    -No more gyms (replaced with Island challenges)
    -No HM moves/field moves
    -No Bicycle
    -FPS gets lowered in horde battles
    -No National Pokedex    … Expand
  27. CaponeGANGBege
    Nov 20, 2017
    10
    This is my review after playing Ultra Moon, but Ultra Sun and it are the exact same game, with a few different exclusive pokemon and some other minor tidbits similar to how Sun and Moon differ: If you are like me a veteran player who played all games since gen 1, you'll 100% LOVE this one. It takes everything that work on Sun, adds great post-game, a new take on the Battle Factory conceptThis is my review after playing Ultra Moon, but Ultra Sun and it are the exact same game, with a few different exclusive pokemon and some other minor tidbits similar to how Sun and Moon differ: If you are like me a veteran player who played all games since gen 1, you'll 100% LOVE this one. It takes everything that work on Sun, adds great post-game, a new take on the Battle Factory concept in the form of the Battle Agency, new miniquests through all the islands and one of the coolest shiny hunting methods I had experienced yet.

    Before starting the game, I feared I'd face problems with the pokemon distribution since it's divided into two versions but then I 1- remembered that all solo third versions also had exclusives locked-out, as any player who truly played them can tell you (Mareep in Crystal, Glameow in Platinum etc), and 2- when I got to play the game, was faced with one of the best distributions of pokemon in the series, I'd rank the distribution alongside Black 2 and Y in how much it gives you space to mount your own teams. Add in move tutors and this may be the best game to start off if you ever plan to try out the competitive scene. You can build all kinds of teams. (as a last tidbit, it also one of the best musics in the series, won't spoil, you'll know when you get to listen to it)    … Expand
  28. 1in1battletoadz
    Dec 3, 2017
    10
    For old players: tons of new things to do, new pokemon and activities, new areas and enough to hold me off until next gen

    For returning players: New pokemon, more different story and quest than previous gens

    For new players: easy to understand mechanics, tutorials, menus, type-system and what to do
  29. Fadomas
    Jan 22, 2018
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Loved the first one sun game, also big fan of pokemon so I couldn't miss that one. First impressions were the battles that are tougher and the variety of pokemon that appears on this game. Very smart the sticker exploration the game forces you to explore all alola to collect them due to the good price. The online part is better than ever battles trades competitions. The best part is the legendary pokemon I think it's all of them to catch out there. The team rocket appears again also all the villains from previous games that's the cherry on the cake. Really so many things to do even though it's kinda remake game with different story.… Expand
  30. joaojorgeneto
    Nov 25, 2017
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I enjoyed this one, may be top 2-3 best pokemon games to me and certainly the best 3ds game of 2017. I'm more of a casual player myself, I don't get myself into the metagame etc, but my more "hardcore" friend also loved it, so I guess it's great to all kinds of players as long as you like pokemon and rpgs.

    Also: Giovanni back! And so is all previous villains of all gens, they even got remix themes! Ghetsis theme being back was so good!

    Also worth mention: 5 new pokemon are added in, through one is a event exclusive it seems, so it's mostly the other 4.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Best 3DS Game of 2017
1
#1 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2017
16
#16 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 59 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 54 out of 59
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 59
  3. Negative: 0 out of 59
  1. RPGamer
    Apr 2, 2018
    80
    Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon is still fantastic, especially since the original was a major shake-up to the decades-old Pokémon formula. The update may be overly samey to someone who has already played Sun & Moon, but it does improve upon the base game in several ways. The new version is a must for newcomers to either this current generation or to Pokémon in general.
    Read full review
  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Feb 16, 2018
    80
    Pokémons improved in a visual and gameplay way. Devs could let go the monster management, but otherwise the changes are definitely for the better. If you have a weak spot for Pokémons, this is your game. [Issue#282]
  3. Nintendojo
    Feb 15, 2018
    91
    Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are the definitive versions of Generation VII. Fans that already made the trip to the Alola region might find that it takes a while to get to the juiciest new additions to the game, but diehard Pokémon fans and those that held off on Sun and Moon will find a lot to enjoy. The games are truly robust experiences, and the new additions help flesh out a game that was already quite strong. I could detail more about the story changes and enhancements, Mantine surfing or Team Rainbow Rocket, but not much else needs to be said. This is a terrific Pokémon experience that has only gotten better.
    Read full review
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