Pokemon Ultra Sun and Moon Reviews

Pokemon Ultra Sun and Moon is ranked in the 91st percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
RPG Fan
Top Critic
89%
Nov 29, 2022

Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon is only worth playing if you haven't already experienced the base game.

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RPGamer
Cassandra Ramos
4 / 5.0
Mar 30, 2018

While I would have preferred direct sequels or have the changes be more substantial and better-paced, Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon is still a great swan song to mainline Pokémon games on the 3DS.

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A-
Feb 15, 2018

Fans that already made the trip to the Alola region might find that it takes a while to get to the juiciest new additions to the game, but diehard Pokémon fans and those that held off on Sun and Moon will find a lot to enjoy.

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9 / 10
Jan 30, 2018

For me, the returning Pokémon – like old friends at this point – and tweaks to the plot and Totem fights justified the return, but not without reservations, and not without being prepared to be taught how to catch a Pokémon for the millionth time.

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9.6 / 10.0
Jan 8, 2018

For longtime fans, there are a few new Pokemon added exclusively in Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon and there are more catchable, wild Pokemon than previous games. Unfortunately, for people who played Sun and Moon extensively, you will have to go through quite a bit of old content before you get to the newer content towards the end. That said, Pokemon Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon are the definitive versions of the 4 games. If you haven't played Sun or Moon, by all means pick up Ultra Sun and/or Ultra Moon as they are an excellent departure from the old series formula of past games. For Sun/Moon veterans, the games are worth it, but they will feel like deja vu more often than not.

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8.5 / 10.0
Dec 31, 2017

Overall, from a gameplay perspective this version of Alola is vastly superior to its predecessor. The story is weaker due to how the changed the climax of the game, important character moments don’t happen and it’s a real shame. The story is still very good for a Pokemon title and I’m happy I got to experience it.

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Geeks Under Grace
Juliana Purnell
8.9 / 10.0
Dec 20, 2017

Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon offer a fresh journey through the wonderful region of Alola, though it may be too soon for some players to fully appreciate the revisit.

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Unscored
Dec 19, 2017

Pokémon Ultra Sun & Moon is a supposedly finished version of the seventh generation. It brings various novelties to the archipelago region, Alola, among which we highlight the Mantine surfing and the Team Rainbow Rocket. In addition to allow us catching all the existing species. The game is fine and beautiful, but you can tell that it lacks work in general.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Dec 17, 2017

"Updated version of Sun and Moon."

Review in Finnish | Read full review

Ian Howarth
Top Critic
6 / 10
Dec 14, 2017

The challenge and fun are waiting right there at the end for those who want to power through for it. It's just a shame there are so many little things that pile up against the experience, like the pokémon-infused pokédex that never stops asking the same questions over and over or the lack of Pokémon-worthy music.

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8 / 10
Dec 13, 2017

"The sooner the better" This may apply to Pok'mon Ultra-Sun and Ultra-Moon in many ways. While fresh memories from the previous episodes help to notice the small, delicate differences, with clever twists aimed at Alola's returning vacationers, the main story transformations happen rather late. Similarly, the additions are mostly interesting, even captivating, but they often lack more development to express their full potential, and overall flaws were not really addressed, in particular tedious pace and inconsistent challenge. However, the generous amount of commemorative - not to say recycled - content suggests Game Freak tried to reach some closure there, broken rules like the introduction of new species during this generation hinting that the series might seriously evolve in the future. Better late than never...

Review in French | Read full review

7.5 / 10.0
Dec 13, 2017

Even a game like Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, which is objectively better than its predecessor, needs a little life breathed into it to escape the tedium.

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8 / 10.0
Dec 13, 2017

Alongside the familiar narrative and beautiful locations of the original game, the ‘Ultra’ prefix feels like a fantastic upgrade to a game that was already brilliant, elevating it to become the definitive generation 7 Pokémon experience.

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8 / 10
Dec 6, 2017

Now is a better time than ever to jump in and experience the hype. If these games are the current limit to what the 3DS can offer, then one can only hope that the Switch does the franchise proud.

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8 / 10
Dec 5, 2017

Pokemon Ultra Moon expands on the original Sun/Moon plot and provides more post-game content, but is overall the same journey through Alola.

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9.5 / 10.0
Dec 4, 2017

This is the the single most perfect Pokémon game up to date. With new Ultra beasts, the inclusion of every legendary Pokémon and a lot of small improvements this is the ultimate version to play. Sadly the story isn't as exciting as in the Sun & Moon games before because you've already 'been there' somehow despite the new story arcs.

Review in German | Read full review

8.2 / 10.0
Dec 4, 2017

Pokemon Ultra Sun has plenty of content to offer to those who spent hours with Pokémon Sun & Moon. Though its main campaign isn't very different from what we played in his predecessor, Game Freak cut a lot of things to make it more direct. Also, this entry has a lot of postgame content for players that want to be the very best.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

83 / 100
Dec 4, 2017

In the end, the caramel center of the Pokémon experience remains unchanged.

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4 / 5.0
Dec 4, 2017

There are still a few niggles in the game, such as the frame rate getting an atrocious dip whenever you're in 2v2 battles, or the fact that you still have to slog through most of the early game tutorials before things start getting good. Ultimately, the question of whether you should pick up Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon depends on how you felt about the original games, if you've already played them.

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Gamersky
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Dec 3, 2017

Comparing to the original version, you barely can find any difference in Ultra Sun/Moon. The good part is, USUM keeps the advantages of SM, while the bad part is, many previous faults can still be found in USUM. This is an expansion with no sincerity.

Review in Chinese | Read full review