Months after a somewhat lackluster Nintendo Direct, Pokémon Sun and Moon finally have a series of trailers to build excitement for the new generation of games. There are two regional trailers, one in English and one in Japanese, that focus on completely different marketing angles. But for both the message is the same: the next generation of Pokémon will be out late November (the 18th Worldwide and the 23rd in Europe) of this year!
All three starting types have been revealed adding some cool new designs to ever growing roster of pocket monsters. Having a few cats of my own, Litten stands out as the most interesting. It’s hard not to be excited with a description (from the official website) like this:
“Litten can attack with flaming hairballs! Its fur is rich in oils and immensely flammable. Litten grooms itself by licking its fur, and then uses the collected fur as fuel for fireball attacks!”
Rowlett comes next with its flying/grass mix and ability to turn its head nearly 180 degrees around. This perfectly rounded owl that’s as small as a diglet fills out the cute quota for the starters. It’s described as:
“Rowlet can attack without making a sound! It flies silently through the skies, drawing near to its opponent without being noticed, and then lashing out with powerful kicks. It can also attack from a distance using the razor-sharp leaves that form part of its feathers.”
And finally we have the mandatory water type to finish the starter trifecta with Popplio. This seel meets circus clown is at the bottom of the trio for me, but maybe after seeing it in action more (and looking up its move list online) that’ll change. Its summary reads as follows:
“[W]hen it’s on land, it takes advantage of the elasticity of its balloons to perform acrobatic stunts and jumps. Popplio can snort out balloons made of water! Watch it spin water balloons into a playful battle strategy!”
There were also some neat little tidbits thrown in the trailers and box art that adds more character to this unnamed Pokémon region (correction: Aloha region). The tropical setting and the fact that Hawaii is featured prominently in the slice-of-life Japanese commercial shows the obvious inspiration for the new setting. Character customization is also briefly shown in the trailer for the Japan. The two new, nameless legendaries are both shown in action and on the box art. While the sun lion looks decent, it’s the moon bat that fills my Castlevania lust. And while on the topic of daytime and nighttime, both are shown in the trailer and it’s clear that the time of day is going to be an important mechanic in this Pokémon.
These videos are just the floodgates creaking open and oprainfall will be there to sift through the Pokémon deluge that will come crash through over the next few months. What do you think? Do any of these starters appeal to your sensibilities? Are you excited to try time after time again to try and entrap these new legendaries? Tell us below!
