You remember the first time you walked up to a giant, glowing Totem Pokémon, don't you? It was weird. For twenty years, we’d been doing the same dance: find a city, beat the gym leader, get the badge. Then Pokémon Sun and Moon showed up and basically tossed that entire playbook out the window. They gave us the Island Challenge. They gave us Trials. Honestly, some people are still salty about it.
The Island Challenge was more than just a mechanic swap; it was a cultural shift for the franchise. Game Freak took a massive risk by ditching Gyms for something that felt more "organic" to the Hawaii-inspired Alola region. Instead of a sterile building with a puzzle, you were out in the wild. You were interacting with the environment. It felt different.
What Actually Happens in the Sun and Moon Trials?
If you haven't played since the Game Boy days, the Sun and Moon Trials are basically a series of environmental quests. You meet a Trial Captain—who, weirdly enough, you don't actually fight most of the time—and they give you a task. Sometimes you're scavenging for ingredients like in Mallow’s trial at Lush Jungle. Other times, you’re playing a game of "spot the difference" with dancing Marowaks in Kiawe’s trial.
It’s quirky.
The real meat of the experience, though, is the Totem Pokémon. These aren't your average wild encounters. These are beefed-up, aura-shrouded monsters with boosted stats that can call in "SOS" allies. That’s where the difficulty spike hits. Dealing with a Totem Lurantis that’s constantly healing while its Castform buddy sets up Sunny Day is a legitimate tactical nightmare. It forced players to actually think about type matchups and turn economy rather than just over-leveling a starter and spamming a STAB move.
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The Difficulty Gap: Trials vs. Gyms
People often claim modern Pokémon games are too easy. They aren't totally wrong, but the Sun and Moon Trials are a weird exception to that rule. In a traditional Gym, you know what you’re getting: a mono-type team. If you’re at the Water Gym, you bring an Electric type. Easy.
Trials are messier.
Take the Brooklet Hill trial with Araquanid in Ultra Sun. If you aren't prepared for that Speed boost and the Water Bubble ability, it will sweep your entire team before you can even register what happened. The "2-on-1" mechanic of the SOS system effectively turned every boss fight into a raid. You weren't just fighting a Pokémon; you were fighting a strategy.
Why Some Fans Hated It
Not everyone was a fan. A vocal part of the community felt like the Trials were a bit too "hand-holdy" or felt like "busy work." If you just want to battle, being told to go find three different herbs in a forest feels like a chore. There’s also the cutscene issue. Sun and Moon are notorious for stopping your progress every ten feet to explain the lore of a specific trial. For players who value momentum, the pacing felt sluggish.
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The Grand Trials: Facing the Kahunas
You can't talk about Sun and Moon Trials without mentioning the Kahunas. These are the "Grand Trials." Once you finish the smaller tasks on an island, you have to face the island's leader in a traditional Pokémon battle.
- Melemele Island: Hala (Fighting)
- Akala Island: Olivia (Rock)
- Ula'ula Island: Nanu (Dark)
- Poni Island: Hapu (Ground)
This was the bridge between the old and the new. It satisfied the itch for a classic boss fight while keeping the "island protector" vibe alive. Nanu, in particular, became a fan favorite because he was so... over it. He’s a cop who doesn't want to be there, which felt incredibly grounded compared to the over-the-top energy of previous leaders.
How to Actually Prep for Trials
If you’re revisiting these games—or playing them for the first time on an old 3DS—don't walk into a trial blindly. The Totem Pokémon are specifically designed to counter their weaknesses.
Stop relying on your starter. Alola is brutal to players who try to "solo" the game. You need a diverse team that can handle field effects. For instance, the Totem Ribombee in the Ultra versions has a ridiculously high Special Attack and starts with a boost to all its stats. If you don't have a Steel-type or a move like Haze to reset those stats, you're going to have a bad time.
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Use the Roto-Loto. Those little power-ups you get from the Rotom Dex? Use them. The "Roto Boost" can be the difference between surviving a hit and a total party wipe.
The Legacy of the Island Challenge
Looking back, the Sun and Moon Trials were a necessary experiment. They paved the way for the open-world boss fights we eventually saw in Scarlet and Violet. Game Freak needed to see if the fan base would accept a game without eight badges.
They did. Sorta.
The Trials made Alola feel like a living place with its own traditions, rather than just another region on a map. They focused on the relationship between humans and the "guardian deities" of the islands. It gave the world a sense of weight. Even if you missed the puzzles of the old gyms, you have to admit that the Totem encounters were some of the most mechanically interesting fights in the 3D era of Pokémon.
Actionable Tips for Your Next Alola Run
- Prioritize Speed Control: Totems usually get a stat boost right at the start. Use moves like Thunder Wave or Icy Wind immediately to negate their advantage.
- Target the Ally First: In an SOS battle, the "helper" Pokémon is often there to provide support (healing, weather, or status effects). Knock it out fast so you can focus on the Totem.
- Check Your Held Items: Don't just slap a random berry on your Pokémon. Use Eviolite on unevolved mons or Z-Crystals strategically to burst down the Totem before it can setup.
- Talk to Everyone: Alola is dense with NPCs who give you specific items (like the Eevium Z) or trades that are specifically helpful for the upcoming Trial on that island.