Pokemon Sun/Moon devs on tough task of implementing Z-Moves, getting the most out of 3DS, new Pokemon and features

Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon finally launched last week. As the two games were approaching their release, Japanese magazine Famitsu caught up with director Shigeru Ohmori and series producer Junichi Masuda to speak about the new games.

Ohmori and Masuda had plenty to say about the challenge of implementing Z-Moves, getting the most out of the 3DS hardware, and new Pokemon/features introduced this time around. Head past the break for our full translation.

First, could you tell us about some of the ideas behind the new games, and what your hopes for them are?

Ohmori – To get right to the point, we’ve created a world where humans and Pokemon have a closer relationship. These titles are launching on the 20th anniversary of the original games, so I thought it would be good to once again ask myself: “What are Pokemon?” I was tasked with directing an entirely new Pokemon generation for the first time, and I wanted to really think about what kinds of creatures Pokemon are, and how they should fit into the games.

Masuda – As you know, I am the producer for the new games, a different role than I am used to. It was difficult for me to break the habits I had formed while working on previous titles, so I hoped that Ohmori could change things from the bottom up as the director this time. I am glad to say that we were successful, and managed to create many unique experiences that were not present in previous games. We believe that everyone who plays Sun and Moon will be able to
enjoy a brand new kind of adventure.

How do you feel now that the titles are finally nearing their release date?

Ohmori – It feels like the time has finally come. The team and I wracked our brains all throughout development, so I really hope that everyone has a lot of fun playing the games, and I look forward to seeing what kind of cultural impact they will have. I’m anxious to see whether our new design choices will be well-received.

Masuda – It is pretty nerve-wracking isn’t it (laughs). For some games I’ve directed, I’ve been unable to sleep the night before they release. For others, I have nightmares where nobody buys the game, and wake up in a cold sweat (laughs).

Fear of failure can certainly take its toll. This summer, you were very proactive in holding events overseas and reaching out to foreign news sources. What kind of reaction do you think you got?

Masuda – Sun and Moon owe some success to Pokemon GO’s popularity overseas, but even things like the card game and television show are taking off again thanks to it. It’s as if people are rediscovering the allure of Pokemon. We focused Pokemon GO’s design on the capturing aspect, but Sun and Moon allow players to raise their Pokemon as well, and we hope everyone will enjoy that part of the games. Since there are many people that are looking for that kind of
experience, I believe even those who have never played any previous Pokemon games will be attracted to Sun and Moon.

Pokemon GO was a truly massive social phenomenon over the summer. I’m interested in how it will influence Sun and Moon’s launch.

Masuda – When Pokemon GO released, everyone around the world was doing “this” (the swiping gesture to toss the Pokeball). You don’t see something like that every day. That excitement will flow toward games where you can raise Pokemon. Everyone’s expectations will flow toward Sun and Moon. I hope that people will appreciate things that they weren’t able to experience in GO, like the battling and trading, and that their appreciation will help Pokemon’s popularity grow.

The Pokemon that appeared in Pokemon GO are from Red and Green, and in Sun and Moon there are Pokemon from Red and Green that have new regional forms. I’ve been wondering, did you plan for this kind of crossover from the beginning?

Masuda – GO and Sun and Moon were developed by different teams, so there wasn’t any coordination regarding one another. The 20th anniversary just happened to draw the two games near each other.

Ohmori – That’s my take on the matter as well. Pokemon GO’s release was influenced by the anniversary, and we too wanted to find some way to surprise the players who have followed the series for these last twenty years. We thought that giving Pokemon from Red and Green new forms would be a good way to do so. It was unintentional, but the launches ended up synergizing quite well.

Exeggutor is quite popular in Pokemon GO, so when I saw its Alola Form in Sun and Moon, I was taken aback by how well their appearances complimented each other. But you didn’t plan for that in advance, the games just happened to both come on the 20th anniversary. Moving on, what aspects of Sun and Moon did you two find to be challenging to implement?

Ohmori – For me it was the Trials. In typical Pokemon games there are a series of Gyms that you have to defeat, but we decided to try changing the formula completely for Sun and Moon. We redid the internal systems many, many times, working diligently to finalize them up until the very end of development. The Gym battles in previous games focused on the ‘trainer vs. trainer’ aspect, but this time we wanted the Pokemon themselves to take a more active role. We started with that simple thought in mind, but in the end they turned out to be much more difficult to implement than we ever imagined.(laughs)

The Gym battle format from previous games had been perfected, after all.

Ohmori – That’s right. If we changed one thing even slightly, it would have a drastic effect on many different levels. Those kinds of adjustments couldn’t be made lightly. But despite the doubts we had about whether or not we should make those changes, we were determined to take the plunge. This might sound a little boastful, but our previous games were very well designed, and it took a lot of courage for us to take a break apart a working formula. So, even we had our own Trials to overcome (laughs).

Masuda – Gym battles were kind of like checkpoints within the games. Once you were powerful enough, you would go and fight the gym leader, and win their badge. It was like getting a certificate showing you had made progress. We had a lot of discussions about the Trials, as we were worried they would feel too much like wild Pokemon battles if they didn’t have that same sense of progression. The team must have worked tirelessly to find a system that fit that requirement.

Mr. Masuda, you told us you took on a different role than usual in this project. What did you find challenging to include, from the perspective of a producer?

Masuda – I’d say it was the Z-Moves and the Z-Ring toy. Each and every Pokemon are capable of using Z-Moves, so we had to create new animations for all of them as well. We also had to make sure the Z-Ring glowed properly when you used them in-game. I expected it would be difficult, and it certainly was (laughs).

Ohmori – There are different variations of the Nintendo 3DS system, each of them having small differences between each other. It was quite the arduous task, trying to achieve proper Z Ring functionality across all available models.

I see. The introduction of Z-Moves seem like they will make a big difference in how battles play out. I think their inclusion will add more depth to the competitive side of battles as well.

Ohmori – That’s right. I believe we’ll see a much wider variety of Pokemon used in battle now, since they all have the capacity to use Z Moves. Certain Pokemon may influence battles differently now, leading players to develop new strategies. It will be interesting to see the more unusual Pokemon make an appearance.

Unexpected Pokemon may take on unexpected roles in battle now.

Masuda – That’s what I’m most looking forward to.

As we saw in the Special Demo Version, the graphics are much richer, and sound design much more full than in previous games. Is that all due to the new engine?

Ohmori – Indeed, the graphics were even done from the ground up. We also made adjustments to things such as screen transition speeds, in order to give players a more enjoyable experience.

Masuda – I wanted the team to reconsider the ways in which we could make the Pokemon, characters, and the world around them look more alive. By rebuilding the engine, we had the chance to reexamine exactly how we could do so, which made a big difference.

This is the third game coming to the same system. Since you’ve enhanced many things without changing to more powerful hardware, you must have had to find new ways to draw out the 3DS’s power.

Ohmori – I thought we had reached our limits with the previous game, but the team had no other choice but to go beyond those limits, and in the end they were able to work their magic into what we have now. For example, many of the cinematic aspects of the game have been improved, and more information is available to the players all at once. I think people will be surprised by the advances we’ve made.