Honestly, I still think about the backlash. When Game Freak announced Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon just a year after the original Alola games dropped, people were mad. They wanted a Switch game. They wanted Stars. Instead, they got what looked like a "Director's Cut" for the aging 3DS. But looking back from 2026? These games were the peak of the classic Pokémon formula before everything changed with the jump to home consoles.
If you haven't played them recently, you're missing the most refined, most difficult, and most content-dense version of the Pokémon world. It's Alola, but darker. It’s Alola, but with better monsters.
The Necrozma Problem and Why It Changed Everything
The biggest shift in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon isn't just the extra clothes or the Mantine Surfing. It’s the story. In the original Sun and Moon, the plot was a family drama centered on Lillie and her mother, Lusamine. It was poignant. It was personal.
In the Ultra versions? They basically shoved a cosmic horror story right into the middle of that family dinner.
Necrozma is a terrifying antagonist. It doesn't want to be your friend. It doesn't want to rule the world. It wants to eat all the light in the universe because it’s in constant, agonizing pain. That shift makes the Alola region feel much more dangerous. You aren't just a kid on a tropical vacation anymore; you're the only thing standing between the world and total darkness.
I remember hitting the Ultra Necrozma boss fight for the first time. I was cocky. I had a balanced team. I got wiped in three turns. That fight is widely considered one of the hardest—if not the hardest—mandatory battles in the entire franchise. It's a level 60 beast with a massive stat boost to every single category. If you don't have a Focus Sash or a very specific strategy involving Zoroark, you're going to see the "Game Over" screen. It forced players to actually use the mechanics Game Freak spent years building.
What People Get Wrong About the "Rehash" Label
The common complaint is that the first twenty hours are identical to the originals. That's kinda true, but also a bit of an exaggeration.
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The pacing is snappier. You get your first Pokémon faster. The Rotom Dex—while still incredibly annoying and talkative—actually gives you useful "Roto Loto" powers that function like the old O-Powers from Gen 6. More importantly, the Pokédex is expanded significantly. You can catch Pokémon like Zorua, Mareep, and Larvesta much earlier than before.
The Ultra Wormhole: A Shiny Hunter's Fever Dream
If you want to talk about value, we have to talk about the Ultra Warp Ride. This minigame lets you fly through space on the back of Solgaleo or Lunala.
- You can find legendary Pokémon from every single previous generation.
- The shiny rates in the "non-legendary" holes are ridiculously high.
- Some players have reported shiny odds as high as 36% if you travel far enough.
- It turned the 3DS into a legendary Pokémon factory.
It’s the kind of feature we just don't see anymore. In the newer Switch titles, Legendaries are often tucked away behind DLC paywalls or static, boring encounters. In Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, you actually felt like an interdimensional explorer.
The Totem Pokémon Are Better Than Gym Leaders
I'll say it: Gym Leaders are boring. You walk into a room, you fight three lackeys, and you beat a guy with three Pokémon of the same type.
The Totem Pokémon in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are legitimate boss fights. They have "Aura" boosts that raise their stats automatically. More importantly, they use actual competitive strategies. Take the Totem Ribombee on Poni Island. It has a boost to all stats, it holds an Occa Berry to survive fire moves, and it calls in allies like Blissey to heal it or Pelipper to set up Tailwind.
It’s brutal. It’s smart. It treats the player like they have a brain.
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Side Quests and the Weirdness of Alola
There’s a specific kind of charm in these games that feels like it’s missing from the more "sanitized" modern entries. Have you done the "Seven Mysteries" quest at the Trainers' School? It’s genuinely creepy. There are ghost girls, drifting diaries, and a Hypno that's definitely up to no good.
Then there’s the Pikachu Valley. Or the quest where you help a guy find his lost Stufful. These small, narrative-driven moments make Alola feel like a place where people actually live, rather than just a series of routes connecting towns.
The Competitive Legacy
Even now, Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are seen as the "End of an Era" for competitive play. This was the last time we had the National Dex in a main-series game. You could use every single Pokémon you had transferred up from the Game Boy Advance era.
Mega Evolution was here. Z-Moves were here. Primal Reversion was here.
While some people found Z-Moves a bit over-the-top, they added a layer of unpredictability. You couldn't just switch in a counter and feel safe; you had to wonder if your opponent was about to drop a "Gigavolt Havoc" on your face. The sheer variety of viable strategies was staggering compared to the more restrictive "DYNAMAX" or "Terastallization" metas that followed.
Team Rainbow Rocket: The Ultimate Fan Service
We can't talk about these games without mentioning the post-game. Team Rainbow Rocket is basically a "What If?" scenario come to life. Giovanni returns, and he’s brought every villainous leader from the past—Maxie, Archie, Cyrus, Ghetsis, and Lysandre—from alternate timelines where they actually won.
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Fighting them felt like a victory lap for the entire series. Each leader uses their signature Legendary Pokémon. Hearing the remixed villain themes on the 3DS speakers was a core memory for a lot of us. It was a love letter to the fans who had been playing since Red and Blue.
Is It Still Worth Playing?
A lot of people ask if they should play the original Sun/Moon or jump straight to the Ultra versions.
Honestly? Skip the originals.
Unless you are deeply invested in the specific nuances of Lillie’s character arc (which is slightly stronger in the first games), the Ultra versions are superior in every functional way. You get more Pokémon, better moves, a harder challenge, and a significantly larger post-game.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Alola Journey
If you're picking this up for the first time or returning after a decade, don't rush.
- Turn off the Exp. Share if you want a challenge. The game is balanced around it, but if you're a veteran, keeping it off makes the Totem fights feel like Dark Souls for kids.
- Talk to the NPCs. Alola has some of the best writing in the series. People will give you items, tell you lore, and trigger weird side quests.
- Use the QR Scanner. You can unlock "Island Scan" Pokémon that aren't normally in the Alola Dex, like Charmander or Greninja.
- Try Mantine Surf. It’s not just a minigame; it’s the fastest way to earn BP (Battle Points) to teach your Pokémon "Tutor Moves" like Knock Off or Stealth Rock.
The Final Verdict on Alola's Best
Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon represent the peak of the "Classic" Pokémon experience. They are the final evolution of the engine that started in X and Y, polished to a mirror sheen. They have a soul. They have a difficulty curve that doesn't treat the player like a toddler.
They might have been controversial at launch, but time has been very kind to them. In an era where Pokémon games often feel unfinished or technically lacking, these 3DS titles stand as a reminder of what happens when Game Freak has total mastery over the hardware they're working on.
Your next steps for Alola:
- Check your 3DS battery. If it's been sitting for years, those lithium-ion packs can bloat.
- If you have an old save, head to the Battle Tree. It’s still one of the best "Endless" battle modes in the series.
- Try a "Nuzlocke" run. These games are notoriously difficult for Nuzlocking because of the Totem Pokémon, making them a favorite for hardcore challengers.
- Hunt for the 100 Totem Stickers scattered across the world. Turning them into Samson Oak gets you "Totem-sized" Pokémon for your own team, which is a flex in any casual battle.