Honestly, it feels like forever ago that we were all complaining about the 3DS era of Pokemon. It was a weird time. People were obsessed with the move to 3D models, yet deeply annoyed by the endless tutorials. Then came Pokemon Ultra Sun and Moon. These games are a fascinating case study in how to frustrate a loyal fanbase while simultaneously delivering some of the most mechanically complex content the franchise has ever seen. It’s a polarizing legacy. Some people swear by them as the peak of the handheld era, while others can’t get over the fact that they felt like a "full price" expansion pack for the original Sun and Moon titles released just a year prior.
But here is the thing about Alola. It was different.
Gone were the gyms. Instead, we got Island Challenges. No more HMs (thank goodness). We got Poke Ride. These weren't just surface-level changes; they were a fundamental shift in how Game Freak approached the "journey" aspect of the series. But when the "Ultra" versions arrived in 2017, they brought a darker, weirder vibe that most of us didn't see coming.
The Necrozma Problem and the Difficulty Spike
If you mention Pokemon Ultra Sun and Moon to a veteran player, they will almost certainly bring up Ultra Necrozma. Seriously. That fight is legendary for all the wrong reasons. In a series that had spent years becoming increasingly easy—looking at you, X and Y—the battle at the top of Megalo Tower was a slap in the face.
It was a total wall. Ultra Necrozma starts the battle with an omni-boost to all its stats. It’s faster than your team. It hits harder than anything you’ve faced. Unless you specifically prepared with a Focus Sash, a Zoroark strategy, or a very lucky Toxic stall, it could easily sweep your entire party in six turns.
This difficulty spike wasn't a fluke. The Ultra games tweaked the AI of Trial Captains and Totem Pokemon to be genuinely competitive. They use held items. They have actual EVs and IVs. They don't just spam "Tail Whip." They actually try to win. This is arguably the most challenging single-player experience in the mainline series, which is wild considering the games start with about two hours of unskippable cutscenes that treat you like you’ve never seen a Poke Ball before.
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The duality is jarring. You spend half the game being told exactly where to go by Rotom Dex, and then you get decimated by a Totem Ribombee that has a +2 boost to every stat. It’s a strange mix of hand-holding and hardcore RPG mechanics.
The Lore Shift: Alola Goes Sci-Fi
The original Sun and Moon were very much about family. Lillie, Gladion, and Lusamine. It was a grounded, albeit dramatic, story about a dysfunctional family and a mother’s descent into madness fueled by Ultra Wormholes.
Then Pokemon Ultra Sun and Moon changed the script.
Suddenly, the Ultra Recon Squad shows up. They look like Daft Punk rejects and talk in stiff, alien prose. The focus shifts from Lusamine’s personal obsession to a cosmic threat involving the "Blinding One." Lusamine goes from being a terrifying, sympathetic villain to... kind of a misguided hero? It’s a weird pivot. By centering the narrative on Necrozma and the Ultra Megalopolis, the games lost some of the emotional weight of the originals.
However, we did get the Ultra Warp Ride. This was a massive win. Flying through wormholes to find Shiny Pokemon and Legendaries was a huge upgrade over the stagnant post-games of previous generations. You could literally farm Shinies. The odds were astronomical—sometimes as high as 36% for a non-legendary if you traveled far enough. That’s insane for a Pokemon game.
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What Most People Get Wrong About the "Third Version"
There is a common misconception that these games are just Sun and Moon with a few extra bells and whistles. That’s not quite right. While the first 20 hours feel almost identical, the mechanical depth added in the "Ultra" versions is significant.
Take the Move Tutors, for example.
In the competitive scene, Pokemon Ultra Sun and Moon were essential. They introduced moves that were previously unavailable to the Alolan Pokedex. They added new Ultra Beasts like Blacephalon and Stakataka. They even gave us Poipole and Naganadel, adding a rare evolutionary line to the Beast roster.
- Mantine Surf wasn't just a mini-game; it was a primary way to earn Battle Points (BP) early.
- The Rainbow Rocket post-game brought back every single previous villain.
- The Photo Club was a cute, if mostly ignored, addition for the social media era.
- The Roto-Loto powers gave us basically "O-Powers" on steroids.
The Rainbow Rocket segment alone is a nostalgic fever dream. Seeing Giovanni with a Mega Mewtwo X or Y depending on your version was a "wow" moment for kids who grew up with Red and Blue. It felt like a final celebration of the 3DS hardware before the jump to the Nintendo Switch.
The Legend of the Totem Stickers
Collecting Totem Stickers was the "Korok Seed" hunt of Alola. It was tedious, sure. But the reward was actually tangible. You got to use giant-sized Totem Pokemon in your own battles. There was something genuinely satisfying about sending out a massive Totem Araquanid that towered over the opponent’s team. It didn't change the stats, but the "size" factor was a precursor to the Dynamax mechanic we’d eventually see in Galar.
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Is Alola Still Worth Visiting?
Some people hate the Z-Moves. They think they are long, unskippable, and cheesy. I get that. Watching "Pulverizing Pancake" for the 50th time is a bit much. But Z-Moves added a layer of tactical unpredictability to the game. Unlike Mega Evolution, which was restricted to a few dozen Pokemon, any Pokemon could use a Z-Move. It made your favorites viable in a way they hadn't been before.
The environment of Alola itself is also underrated. The four islands—Melemele, Akala, Ula'ula, and Poni—have distinct vibes. The music is incredible. The transition to a more "human" scale for the world (getting rid of the chibi art style) made the region feel lived-in. It felt like a vacation, right up until the sky turned black and an interdimensional dragon tried to eat the sun.
Pokemon Ultra Sun and Moon represent the end of an era. They were the last time we had a "traditional" handheld Pokemon experience before the series moved to the hybrid Switch console. They are messy, they are bloated with dialogue, and they are sometimes frustratingly difficult. But they are also packed with more content than almost any other game in the series.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Alolan Replay
If you’re thinking about digging out your 2DS or 3DS to play through these again, you should probably change your approach. Don't play it like a standard Pokemon game where you just mash 'A' through the text.
- Turn off the Exp. Share. Seriously. If you want to actually experience the difficulty curve the developers intended, keep it off. It makes the Totem battles feel like actual boss fights.
- Use the Island Scan. Every day, you can scan QR codes to find non-Alolan Pokemon like Charmander, Squirtle, or even high-tier threats like Aegislash. It completely changes how you build your team.
- Don't ignore Mantine Surf. Use it to grind BP early so you can buy powerful held items and move tutor moves before you even hit the third island.
- Experiment with Z-Status moves. Everyone uses Z-Moves for damage. But did you know Z-Splash gives you a +3 Attack boost? Or Z-Celebrate boosts every single stat by one stage? That’s where the real depth lies.
These games aren't perfect. The intro is a slog. The "Ultra" changes to the story are hit-or-miss. But the sheer volume of things to do—from the Battle Tree to the Ultra Wormholes—makes them some of the most "complete" games Game Freak has ever produced. They are a weird, beautiful, difficult goodbye to the dual-screen era.
If you can handle the chatty NPCs, you'll find a deep RPG hiding underneath the tropical exterior. Just make sure you have a plan for Necrozma. You're going to need it.
Next Steps for Players:
- Check your old 3DS saves for any "Bank" exclusive Pokemon before the service eventually changes.
- Look up the "Zoroark strategy" if you are stuck on the Ultra Necrozma fight; it’s the most reliable way to cheese the battle.
- Focus on collecting at least 40 Totem Stickers to unlock the first few Totem-sized Pokemon for your PC.