It feels like a lifetime ago that the Nintendo 3DS was the king of handheld gaming. In 2017, the world was moving on to the Switch, yet Game Freak dropped Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon as a sort of "swan song" for the dual-screen era. Some people hated them. They called them "glorified DLC" because the first few hours felt identical to the original Sun and Moon. But honestly? If you look at the raw mechanics, the sheer volume of legendary encounters, and the difficulty spikes, these versions are basically the definitive way to play through Alola.
The Alola fatigue was real, but misplaced
The biggest hurdle for Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon was the release timing. People were already playing Breath of the Wild on their shiny new Switch consoles. Going back to 240p resolution felt like a chore for some. Plus, the tutorial phase in Alola is legendary for being slow. It's hand-holdy. You can't walk five feet without Hau or Lillie stopping you to talk about malasadas or some mysterious bag-dwelling creature.
But if you push past the first island, the game opens up into something much more aggressive than its predecessors. The "Ultra" versions aren't just a retread; they're a remix. They changed the Totem Pokemon, updated the Pokedex to include favorites like Zorua and Mareep much earlier, and introduced the Ultra Recon Squad. These weird, blue-clad aliens from another dimension added a sci-fi layer that the original games lacked. They weren't just about tropical vibes anymore. It became a story about interdimensional travel and the literal theft of light.
Ultra Necrozma is the boss fight we needed
Let's talk about the golden dragon in the room. Most Pokemon games are easy. You over-level your starter, mash a STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) move, and win. Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon threw that out the window with Ultra Necrozma.
When you reach the top of Megalo Tower, you aren't just fighting a high-level Pokemon. You're fighting a boss with a +1 boost to every single stat. It's fast. It hits like a freight train. It will wipe your entire team if you aren't prepared.
I remember the forums back in 2017. People were genuinely angry. They weren't used to losing to a wild Pokemon. But that's exactly why these games matter. They demanded strategy. You had to use Focus Sash, or Toxic stall, or Zorua’s Illusion ability to bait out Psychic moves that wouldn't hit. It was a rare moment where the "children's game" actually fought back. It’s arguably the hardest mandatory story fight in the history of the franchise, eclipsed maybe only by Volo in Legends: Arceus.
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Mantine Surfing and the end of the grind
One of the best additions was Mantine Surf. It sounds like a silly mini-game. It’s not. It’s the most efficient way to earn Battle Points (BP) outside of the Battle Tree. In previous games, if you wanted a Life Orb or an Evolution item, you had to grind through dozens of tedious AI battles. In Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, you just go surfing.
You perform flips. You dodge Tentacool. You rack up points.
It changed the "meta" for casual players. Suddenly, competitive-grade items were accessible before you even finished the main story. This shifted the power dynamic. You could actually build a semi-competitive team while moving through the islands, rather than waiting for the post-game. It felt rewarding. It was fun.
The Ultra Wormhole: A shiny hunter’s fever dream
If you ever wanted a collection of legendary Pokemon but didn't want to spend three years resetting your game, the Ultra Wormhole was a godsend. By riding Solgaleo or Lunala through a psychedelic tunnel, you could find almost every legendary from previous generations. Mewtwo, Ho-Oh, Kyogre—they were all there.
The odds were insane, too. The further you traveled into the wormhole, the higher the shiny rate became for non-legendary encounters. It wasn't uncommon to find a shiny Sigilyph or Abomasnow with a 1-in-100 chance. For a series that started with 1-in-8192 odds, this was a massive shift. It made "completion" feel attainable for people with full-time jobs.
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Why the "Third Version" formula died here
This was the end of an era. After Alola, Game Freak moved to the Expansion Pass model with Sword and Shield. We don't get "Ultra" versions or "Platinum" versions anymore. We get DLC.
There's a specific charm to the "complete" package of Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. You get the move tutors. You get the expanded Pokedex. You get the Rainbow Rocket post-game episode, which, let's be real, was pure fanservice. Seeing Giovanni return with a Mega Mewtwo and a team of leaders from every previous villainous team was a peak "anniversary" moment. It felt like a celebration of the previous twenty years of the franchise.
The game also pushed the 3DS hardware to its absolute limit. You can hear the fans spinning. You can see the slight frame drops during double battles. It’s clear that Game Freak squeezed every possible drop of power out of that little handheld. The environments are lush, the character models are actually proportional (unlike the "chibi" style of the DS era), and the Z-Move animations are flashy, even if they take a bit too long to play out.
What people still get wrong about Alola
"Too many cutscenes." That’s the standard complaint. And yeah, it’s true. If you’re trying to speedrun the game, it’s a nightmare. But if you actually sit with the characters, Alola has some of the best writing in the series. Lillie’s arc from a terrified girl hiding a "nebby" in her bag to a confident trainer heading to Kanto is actually touching.
Guzma is another highlight. He isn't some world-ending cult leader. He’s a guy who failed the island challenge and decided to be a bully because he didn't know how to handle rejection. He's relatable. Team Skull felt like a real group of outcasts, not some generic "evil" organization. They had personality. They had rhythm.
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Exploring the mechanics
The removal of HMs (Hidden Machines) was the best thing to happen to the series. No more "HM slaves." You didn't need a Bibarel in your party just to cut a bush or swim across a pond. The Poke Ride system in Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon perfected this. Charizard for flying, Tauros for breaking rocks, Mudsdale for crossing rocky terrain—it made the world feel lived-in. You were partnering with the world's creatures, not just using them as tools.
The Rotom Dex was... a choice. It talks a lot. It tells you things you already know. But it also gives you "Roto-Loto" powers. These are basically the "O-Powers" from Gen 6, giving you boosts to catch rates or experience. If you’re playing the game today, don’t ignore these. The "Roto-Catch" power makes catching those stubborn legendaries in the Ultra Wormhole significantly less frustrating.
Real talk: Should you play it in 2026?
With the eShop closed and the 3DS becoming a legacy console, finding a physical copy of Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon is getting harder. But it’s worth the hunt. It represents a bridge between the classic grid-based movement of the old games and the open-world ambitions of Scarlet and Violet.
If you want a challenge, try a Nuzlocke run here. It is notoriously one of the hardest games to finish with permadeath rules. The Totem Pokemon like Lurantis or Araquanid use actual strategies. They hold items. They have teammates that set up weather or status effects. It’s not a mindless experience.
Actionable Next Steps for Alola Explorers
If you're dusting off your 3DS to jump back into Alola, keep these specific tips in mind to maximize your run.
- Don't skip the Big Dreams: Talk to the NPCs in the motels and side-routes. Alola is packed with "mini-quests" that reward you with unique items or strange bits of lore that you won't find in the main dialogue.
- Farm the Mantine Surf: Get that "Surfing Pikachu." If you get the high score on all four islands, you get a Pikachu that knows Surf, a classic throwback that’s actually a decent niche attacker.
- Check your QR Scanner: You can still use the QR scanner to trigger "Island Scan" encounters. This is the only way to find certain non-Alolan Pokemon like Charmander or Greninja in the wild.
- Manage your PC boxes: These games have a lot of "gift" Pokemon and mandatory encounters. Keep your boxes organized early so you don't lose track of your synchronize-nature leads when you start hunting legendaries.
- Prep for Necrozma: Before you head to the Altar of the Sunne/Moone, ensure you have a Pokemon with the move "Toxic" or a "Focus Sash." Even an under-leveled Pokemon can win that fight if they can survive one hit and land a status move.