It was late 2016. The 3ds was already starting to feel its age, honestly. People were whispering about the "NX" (which we now know as the Switch), and Nintendo needed a heavy hitter to keep the handheld relevant. They didn't just give us a game; they gave us a total structural overhaul. Pokemon Sun and Moon for 3ds was a massive risk. It tossed out the Gym Leader system we’d been using for twenty years. It replaced paved roads with volcanic trails and tropical islands. It felt like a vacation, but under the hood, it was a mechanical beast that fundamentally changed how we play Pokemon today.
The Alola Shift: No More Gyms?
Think about that for a second. Since 1996, the loop was always the same. Walk into a town, find the guy with the badge, win, and repeat eight times. Sun and Moon killed that. The Island Challenge (or Mallow’s Trial, or Kiawe’s chaotic dance-off) felt weird at first. Some fans hated it. They missed the prestige of the Gym. But looking back, the Island Trials gave the world of Alola a soul that previous regions lacked. You weren't just a trophy hunter; you were participating in a cultural rite of passage.
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The Totem Pokemon were the real stars here. Remember that Totem Lurantis? It was a nightmare. It wasn't just a "boss" fight; it was a lesson in competitive synergy. The way it would call for help and have a partner use Sunny Day to boost its moves—that was Game Freak actually trying to challenge the player’s intelligence for once.
Technical Magic and the 3ds Hardware Wall
Let’s be real: Pokemon Sun and Moon for 3ds pushed that poor little console to its absolute breaking point. If you played on an original 3ds instead of the "New" model, you probably remember the frame drops during Double Battles. It was rough. The game looked gorgeous, though. It moved away from the "chibi" look of X and Y, giving characters realistic proportions for the first time. This made the story feel more like a JRPG and less like a Saturday morning cartoon.
Junichi Masuda and Shigeru Ohmori were clearly trying to bridge the gap between the old-school pixel era and the high-def future. They removed the grid-based movement entirely. You could finally walk in a circle! It sounds small now, but in 2016, it was a revolution for the franchise. The environment felt lived-in. You’d see a Slowpoke just hanging out on a beach, or a Wingull actually flying, not just hovering in a static pose.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Story
There’s this common complaint that Sun and Moon is too "hand-holdy." Yeah, the first hour is a lot of dialogue. It’s basically a movie. But if you stop mashing the A button and actually read the text, you find the darkest story Pokemon has ever told. Lillie isn't just a sidekick. She’s a survivor.
The plot revolving around Lusamine and the Aether Foundation dealt with themes of obsession, parental abuse, and psychological breakdown. It was heavy. It wasn't about "becoming the best," it was about stopping a woman from literally losing her mind to an interdimensional jellyfish. People who skip the cutscenes in Pokemon Sun and Moon for 3ds are missing the best-written characters in the series. Gladion’s edgy teen angst? It was actually justified! He was trying to save his sister and a Type: Null that he literally stole to protect.
The Regional Form Genius
Regional variants are everywhere now. We have Galarian forms, Hisuian forms, Paldean forms. But Alola started it. The Alolan Exeggutor—with that absurdly long neck—became an instant meme. But beyond the jokes, it made sense ecologically. Why wouldn't a Vulpix living on a snowy mountain become an Ice-type? It was brilliant world-building that didn't require inventing 100 new monsters every time. It breathed life back into Kanto favorites that everyone had grown bored of.
Competitive Meta: The Z-Move Controversy
Z-Moves. You either loved the spectacle or hated the one-shot-kill potential. In the competitive scene (VGC 2017), Z-Moves were a polarizing mess. They allowed any Pokemon to turn a basic move into a nuclear strike once per game. It was a reaction to Mega Evolutions. Game Freak wanted to give every Pokemon a chance to shine, not just the popular ones with Mega Stones.
Did it work? Sorta. It definitely made the games more flashy. Seeing a Snorlax jump into the air for "Pulverizing Pancake" is a core memory for anyone who played Sun and Moon. But it also added a layer of unpredictability that made high-level play feel a bit like a guessing game. You never knew if that Porygon-Z was about to nuking your team with a boosted Z-Conversion.
The Ultra Beast Weirdness
Then you have the Ultra Beasts. Nihilego, Buzzwole, Pheromosa—they didn't even look like Pokemon. That was the point. They were supposed to feel alien. They were "other." Catching them in Beast Balls was a unique mechanic that felt distinct from the usual "weaken and throw" loop. It added a sci-fi flavor to a series that usually sticks to fantasy and nature.
Actionable Steps for Players in 2026
If you’re digging your 3ds out of a drawer to revisit Alola, or if you're buying it for the first time, here is how to get the most out of the experience:
- Pick Rowlet. Honestly, Decidueye is the coolest final evolution, and the Ghost/Grass typing is incredibly helpful in the mid-game.
- Turn off the Exp. Share if you want a challenge. The game is balanced around it, but if you want that old-school struggle, keeping it off forces you to actually rotate your team.
- Talk to everyone in Konikoni City. The world-building in the smaller Alolan towns is top-tier. There are side quests involving a haunted school and even a creepy Ditto investigation that most players completely miss.
- Don't ignore the Poke Pelago. It looks like a mobile game gimmick, but it's the easiest way to farm berries and EV train your Pokemon while you aren't even playing.
- Check the QR Scanner. You can scan random QR codes (even from grocery items!) to unlock "Island Scans." This is the only way to catch non-Alolan starters like Charmander or Totodile in the wild.
Pokemon Sun and Moon for 3ds was the end of an era. It was the last "pure" handheld experience before the series moved to the hybrid Switch. It was experimental, flawed, and incredibly brave. Whether you're hunting for a Shiny Rockruff or trying to piece together the tragic lore of the Ultra Wormholes, Alola remains one of the most vibrant and atmospheric regions Nintendo ever built. It wasn't just another sequel; it was a love letter to the fans who wanted the series to grow up with them.