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

All of the new Pokemon in Sun and Moon are quite distinct. What influenced your decision to make them stand out so much, and which of them are your favorites?

Ohmori – I actually rediscovered the charm behind Pokemon animations back in X and Y, so we kept in mind how the Alola region’s Pokemon would be animated while crafting their personalities. My personal favorite is Rockruff, I think it looks really cute in motion. It is quite active in the Alola region. Rockruff’s evolution will differ depending on whether you’re playing Sun or Moon. You could say it’s the poster child for the games’ uniqueness. Both its appearance and abilities are different between the two evolutions, so players will likely have a lot of discussions about which they prefer.

Masuda – My favorite is the Alolan Exeggutor, it’s really something. But it also makes perfect sense. In a warm environment, it’s only natural that something would grow taller, in order to take in more sunlight(laughs). It’s a simple and easy to understand design. The other Pokemon from Red and Green that appear feel nostalgic, while also appearing warmer and more personable thanks to the new engine. Out of all of the new Pokemon, my favorite is Mimikyu.

The Halloween campaign has already made Mimikyu rather popular amongst fans.

It’s very Pokemon-ish, isn’t it. Just don’t look inside its rag.

That’s part of the charm of Pokemon, that they have scary sides to them(laughs).

You mentioned earlier that the Alola forms were mainly meant to be fan-service for the 20th anniversary, correct?

Ohmori – That is correct. We thought of many different ways we could incorporate Pokemon from Red and Green to celebrate the anniversary. The new Exeggutor was actually our first idea (laughs). Thanks to that, we came up with the idea to have other unique forms.

Masuda – The Alola Exeggutor might seem like a bit of a gag, but it’s really not.

Ohmori – We were trying to examine how Pokemon would have evolved to look in an isolated habitat like the Alola region.

And your research led to that design. Now, turning towards the battling and training aspects of the games, what kinds of ideas influenced the decisions you made regarding them?

Ohmori – Well, I wanted to make it possible for a wider variety of Pokemon to be viable in battle. That was where the Z-Moves came in. I also wanted more players to get more in-depth while raising their Pokemon. Everyone who has played in these last twenty years have certain pokemon they’re attached to, and with the inclusion of Z-Moves, they’ll be able to make better use of those favorites when fighting. That’s also why we included Hyper Training, which allows
you to increase a Pokemon’s natural abilities. This way, even people who are new to battling can fight on the same level as someone much more experienced, so long as they have enough Bottlecaps. Bottlecaps are a precious commodity, but I hope they’ll help players find a way to enjoy the battles.

You must have had a similar reason for including QR Rental Teams.

Ohmori – That’s right. If someone wants to see what a Pokemon is like in battle, there should be an easy way for them to try that Pokemon out. Then, after using a rental team and deciding they liked it, they’ll be willing to raise one of their own. There are many ways for people to approach battles now. It is a very deep game, and players can be as competitive or casual with battles as they want.

Masuda – We want experienced players to enjoy the games, of course, but we also wanted to make it so that players who might find them too challenging can still enjoy the game in different ways. It’s something we’ve strived for in each game we make. The Battle Royale mode is one of the new additions we’ve made in order to help. We’ve always wanted to include something that would motivate players to give try out the battles, and I believe we’ve finally found something that fits the bill. I think the fact that 4 players can play together is quite interesting. I hope everyone gets their friends and family involved in the Royale, and have a wild time together.

There are numerous other ways for players to play together besides just battling. What can you tell us about those?

Ohmori – The Festival Plaza is a major feature. The more players that gather in your Plaza, the bigger it will get, making more and more exciting attractions available for everyone to enjoy. We’ve had group activities in previous games, but the Festival Plaza takes things to a whole new level of togetherness.

So players from around the world can play together and try to achieve a common goal, using the PGL (Pokemon Global Link)?

Ohmori – Correct. Everyone around the world will be able to communicate with each other, whether by can competing for the highest rankings, or working together towards some objective.

Masuda – We’ve challenged ourselves with a wide variety of connectivity features up until now. Even though we have succeeded in creating many advanced features, we will continue to challenge ourselves, no matter how difficult they are to implement. In Sun and Moon, the connectivity features are closely tied to the gameplay, so I think players will be able to more easily appreciate why exactly they enjoy playing together with others.

The Poke Pelago and Poke Finder features also appear in these games. Can you tell us about them?

Ohmori – The Poke Finder lets you take pictures of rare and exotic Pokemon in their natural habitat, which you can do while exploring Alola. We’ve even included a social media-esque aspect to it. We hope that players will enjoy this feature while reliving memories of Pokemon Snap (Nintendo 64 game released in 1999), which many people still speak of fondly.

There are certainly a large number of fans of Pokemon Snap, even now.

Ohmori – The Poke Pelago are islands that you can check on at any time, where the Pokemon that are in your PC boxes will train, look for items, and do many other things. There are a lot of people who wish to use their time effectively these days, and we believe that those types of players will appreciate the extra items they’ll acquire through this feature while they’re enjoying the main adventure.

I was impressed by the Poke Ride Tauros that was available in the demo. Will the other rideable Pokemon be as exciting?

Ohmori – We made sure to choose ones that fit the theme of transportation while being enjoyable to control. I think it will really feel like you’re connected to those Pokemon. There are a number of Pokemon available to Ride, and we hope that players will each have a favorite.

Masuda – You can even Surf on Sharpedo, which is quite fun. We spent a lot of time fine-tuning the things you could do while riding, to make sure everything felt natural.

I see. So you’re a fan of Sharpedo-surfing, Mr. Masuda.

Masuda – I am (laughs). We wanted Tauros to be really fast, and it ended up being crazy fast. Every rideable Pokemon was designed with slightly different controls, while still being comfortable to control.

Tauros was great, but I’m looking forward to riding the rest of them as well.

Masuda – You’re going to love them.

Since the games will soon be out, is there anything you want to tell people about the start of the games, or things people should be aware of?

Ohmori – The way the story begins and unfolds throughout the games is a little different from our previous titles. I hope players will take note of these as they make their way through the game, and wonder to themselves, “What’s going to happen next?”. The story is more intricate this time, and we hope players will continue to wonder about it as it progresses, and become more immersed in the gameplay as a result.

Masuda – You’re probably wondering what he’s talking about. All I can say is, be careful whenever you’re on a bridge (laughs). I think that, because the story develops more dramatically, it’s easier to get into, and more people will be able to enjoy each of the new developments. It deals with that question: “What are Pokemon?” Players can also look forward to a new take on the selection of their starter Pokemon.

Ohmori – Team Skull, the Aether Foundation, as well as creatures known as Ultra Beasts, all play an active role in the story. People who enjoy the cinematic parts of games will find it very satisfying, and anyone who enjoys a good mystery will want to try the game out.

Masuda – Some people who don’t play Pokemon games think that they’re targeted towards children. We hope that the more human-like proportions and enhanced cinematic aspects will make it easier for a wider audience to enjoy these games. We also hope that newcomers to the series will try Sun and Moon out, and find out exactly what makes Pokemon the deep, interesting and cool experience it is.

Massive thanks to Gessenkou and iYakku for their help with this translation!

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