[UPD] Pokémon Sun & Moon Demo Pre-Release Hype

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The much anticipated Pokémon Sun & Moon demo is just around the corner, so it’s time for a little pre-release discussion about it! Within the last hour a European press release has revealed two brand-new screenshots of it and shown that we will face Team Skull’s Plumeria as well as get to use Pikachu and its Z-move.

While we don’t know what time the demo will be released on the Nintendo 3DS’ eShop for most areas, we do know that it will be released “late morning” for Europeans.

An important note regarding spoilers: Anything found within normal play of the demo will not be considered a spoiler, however should the game’s file be picked apart and new information/Pokémon/etc be discovered it will be posted behind a spoiler image. Don’t worry!

The paragraph below contains spoilers on the Sun & Moon demo. To read the spoilers please highlight the text.

UPD: A video of the first 15 minutes of the demo played in German has leaked online. For those interested here’s a quick summary of what it showed. Apologies, in advance for the little details regarding dialogue. I don’t speak German…but I can if you’d like:

The demo starts with you checking your mailbox to find a letter from Ash. In it Ash comments on the weather, asks how  your move to Alola went, and how the Greninja he gave you is doing. After reading it, your mom walks out of the house, talks to you, and you are then immediately transported to Town Hall in “Hauholi City”.

The cutscene continues with your mother talking to a clerk, and once she finishes you can finally start to move around on your own accord. When opening the menu you only have access to your Pokémon and your bag – as previously reported you only have the special Battle Bond Greninja on hand. There’s not much else to do in the building, so when you decide to leave Hau will enter.

The two of you leave the building together and are confronted by two Team Skull grunts. Hau and you then separately engage the two grunts in battle. You take on the grunt with a level 25 Yungoos (your Greninja is level 36). After the two of you defeat Team Skull, they run off and you’re able to explore the city a bit until you meet up with Hau again at the Pokémon Center.

Once inside Hau will talk to you about the Pokémon Center, and lets you explore the inside of it. Once you decide to leave Professor Kukui will intercept you and Hau. He talks to you, and once he finishes you’re able to either explore the city more or go north of the Pokémon Center where a man will block you. When approaching him he’ll ask to confirm whether or not you want to continue on to the next area. If you say yes you’ll be allowed to pass and enter a route-like area called “Tenkarat Hill”.

Prof. Kukui will explain something to you and then move on towards the end of the route without you. There is tall grass in this area and one trainer; the player encountered a Pikipek and a Rockruff in the wild, whereas the trainer had a level 20 Rockruff. After you beat the trainer you come to a cave. Upon entering you run into Professor Kukui and a Pikachu.

He talks some more, gives you the Rotom Pokédex and the Pikachu, and tasks you to use the PokéFinder to find some Pokémon. After he finishes talking to you the “Trial Start!” text animation is seen at the bottom of the screen, and you’re able walk around the cave, go to the holes in the wall, and use the PokéFinder to find Pokémon. The player looked through one hole, saw a Jangmo-o using the PokéFinder and defeated it. Before he was able to look through the second hole the video ends abruptly. 

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1,023 thoughts on “[UPD] Pokémon Sun & Moon Demo Pre-Release Hype”

  1. I’m more excited for the data mine than the actual demo.

    I just want a list of pokemon and types but not story details.

    Reply

      • We need that. GF is so weird. They give us like hundred fire-type monkeys and bug-type butterflies but giving us a flamingo or a dolphin is too much to ask.

        Reply

          • To quote Bulbapedia:

            “Its perfumes and avian qualities and origins may also mean that Aromatisse and Spritzee are based on plague doctors, who used various perfumes held in bird-like masks to drown out the scent of the plague and deceased.”

            It has dancing elements, but the beak is clearly inspired by Plague Doctors. Plus its abilities Healer and Armoa Veil match Plague Doctor lore.

          • To quote Bulbapedia:
            Aromatisse appears to share some traits with a flamenco dancer and a can-can dancer; it seems to draw particular inspiration from the idea of French dancers scandalously revealing their legs. Given the white round area on its face and the adornments on its head it may also draw inspiration from traditional carnival masks and costumes used in central and southern parts of Europe, and masks worn at masquerade balls. Based on its looks, abilities, species name, and general association with scents, Aromatisse was most likely also based on perfume bottles, and shares the “hourglass” figure many fancy perfume bottles also have. Its “beak” also more than likely represents a perfume nozzle, considering the “scent line” extensions on its head as well as its placement on the top of the body. Its fluffy lower body may also be based on powder puffs or other cosmetics applicators.

            IMO, Aromatisse is a mix of a dancer and a perfume. It may being inspired by plague doctors, but it design ended up being a can-can dancer

          • At what point did I deny it has dancing elements?

            When you imagine a plague doctor Pokemon you’re probably imagining a creepy SCP-style Dark type. Real plague doctors weren’t creepy, they were just people doing a job and they probably smelt very nice.

            I must admit though, I’d definately lean more towards the masquerade balls than the can-can, it looks to sluggish to dance to the infernal galop.

          • Yeah, I wont lie I do imagine the creepy dark style when it comes to plague doctors. but with your explanation I can see the mask being more doctor oriented and not masquarade oriented

          • Fair enough, everyone does, it’s all SCP’s fault ; n ; (And all those creepy drawings.)

            Yeah, GF did that thing where they take a concept and subvert it. Like Lurantis being an orchid pretending to be a mantis instead of a mantis pretending to be an orchid, except in this case they focused on the beak, the scent and the fact PDs were trying to help/heal people instead of focusing on the macabre drawings. Kind of like how Vultures try to eat you until they’re sure you’re dead but they still get a bad rep.

            The plague was nasty, the doctors were nice. http://img06.deviantart.net/c517/i/2012/018/d/6/plague_doctor_by_sandofsahara-d4mqyyq.jpg

          • Aromatisse isn’t a flamingo or a plague doctor. Maybe my History teacher and my History book was wrong. Who knows.

          • It’s a plague doctor.

            “In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, some doctors wore a
            beak-like mask which was filled with aromatic items. The masks were
            designed to protect them from putrid air, which (according to the miasmatic theory of disease) was seen as the cause of infection.”

            And its abilities are Healer and Aroma Veil. Need any more convincing?

          • Hmm wow, that is Incredibly weird. How and why? My head is just blowing up. Maybe because the design doesn’t fit it to well.

          • I just wish I knew if miasmatic theory or the four humour theory came first.
            I think four humour was first, but I could be wrong.

            (Yay, I paid attention in history, sort of)

  4. Sometimes I ask myself: Is it worth it?
    This is one of those times.
    Honestly I’m having second thoughts about my spoiler-avoiding plan. Ugggghhhh.

    Reply

  8. So, guys I will need your help in the future when the games are released. Because I’m a “noob” in the competitive scene. So I will need some tips amd tricks about some abilities and moves. And i wanted you guys to help me whenever you can. I’ll just post here my question, and hopefully you can answer. That’s all I guess.

    Reply

          • OU if I’m not mistaken is a SMOGON tier and from what I have heard they ban things that are a little too cheap and I am assuming it is because it has Protean allowing to to become almost any type. I do not play by smog rules myself because they are a little too linear in their classifying of things, even though we all know 100% that the Mega Rayquaza/Primal Groudon/kyogre is way too OP and frankly overdone, so one thing I can say if you’re looking to get into competitive, please don’t be that person 😛

          • Ok, i don’t even like legendaries in the competitive scene, this year in VGC they were overused. And was boring.

          • I know, thankfully we have seen a lot of pokemon with really cool competitive abilities that I think will change up the VGC scene, pokemon like Tsareena and Oranguru are definitely going to see some use, and thankfully Mega Kangaskan got a bit of a reduction so it should be more interesting

    • usually most of here follow smogon standards but we are not very strict when it comes to banning moves, abilities or pokemon

      Reply

    • Here is my team building guide and just over all battling tips. Not complete, final or I guess the be all end all, just some stuff that helps me.

      1. Pick one pokemon then base your team around that.
      – Every pokemon has its strength and weaknesses. Every pokemon has a job, or multiple jobs it can do very well. So when you choose a Pokemon, really look into its move set, stats and ability to find out what it can do. For me, this pokemon is often my mega evolution, but don’t force yourself into using megas. Actually with megas being banned in the next VGC, chances are other battle styles like Smogon may follow suit in one way.
      – Once you decide what pokemon you want to use and know what role it will play, choose pokemon based around supporting that. I usually look at what types it has a disadvantage against and use that as a basis for beginning to look for my next pokemon. You should be looking at what will most easily take down your main pokemon and find a way to protect against that. For example, say your main pokemon is a normal type who will get walled as soon as soon as a ghost type is sent out against it. Something to switch into to counter that pokemon is what you need
      – Once you have one or two pokemon to cover your main pokemon’s weaknesses, find pokemon to cover those pokemon’s weaknesses, preferably while also being able to cover for your main mon. Keep following this pattern until you have 6.
      2. Pokemon tend to fall into certain roles.
      -Every pokemon has a role on its team. The main ones are
      * Walls (Defensive pokemon, usually focusing on minimalizing and/or absorbing damage)
      * Attackers(Pokemon that deal damage)
      * Sweepers (Subset of attackers. Sweepers can deal lots of damage at once and can usually kill a pokemon in 1 or 2 hits. Their main job is to take out multiple pokemon quickly. Their draw backs are that they tend to need setting up before attacking leaving them vulerable for those turns and that they tend to have a hard time if they are slower or at a type disadvantage)
      * Set Ups (A pokemon whose main job is setting up. This can include weather effects, field hazards like Stealh Rock or Leech Seed, or stat buffs. These pokemon are usually send out first and are often defensive as to give themselves just enough time to set up. Some of them might use Baton Pass to hand over stat changes to another pokemon and some might not even have attacking moves!)
      * Gimmick (Pokemon that have a risky or odd strategy. They may fall under multiple of these categories or none at all. They usually have strategies that are dangerous to pull off but if you succeed, it can be devastating for the other team)
      – Attacking and Defensive pokemon fall under three categories. Physical, Special or Mixed. Mixed is a combination of Physical and Special and a good example of one is Lucario(Non-Mega). most pokemon however should stick to one or the other and this is where stats really come into play
      3. Practice
      – Chances are, your team won’t be very good the first time around. This is why http://pokemonshowdown.com/ is essential for competitive battling. Build your team on here first then start battling.
      – After a battle, showdown has a button that lets you rewatch your battle. Use this. Watch the battle again. Pay attention to your opponent’s moves, think about the thought process behind why they used it. What effect did it have on the battle as a whole? Was it smart? Look at what you did. If you lost, watch where you went wrong. Think about what you could’ve done differently to get closer to victory.
      – On top of looking at how you could use your pokemon better, look at if a certain pokemon wasn’t contributing like you hoped. Reconfigure their moveset or if you have to, replace them all together. Don’t be scared to restructure your team a bit if you have too. It will go a long way.
      4. Predict
      – This is more of a battling tip and you will get better with experience, but when battling predict what the opponent will do. This will last through out the entire match. The game gives you a team preview before a match. Use that time to predict what each pokemon’s role is, how it interacts with the other team members and what your opponent is going to send in first. Change your strategy accordingly. This is hard starting out but as you battle and start learning the common jobs of each pokemon you will get better
      – Each turn, think about what the opponent will do next. Put yourself in their shoes and think about what move they think will most be effective. Pay attention to their moveset too. This is probably the hardest prediction you will make. If you really aren’t sure, go with the safe option
      – Something to note: Showdown will show you alot of information if you hover over the pokemon. Use that info.
      5. Don’t Give Up
      – I started competitive battling a few months before X and Y came out and I’m just now getting to where I can get a decent amount of wins. It’s tough but don’t be discouraged. I’ve noticed that people improve at this at different paces and hopefully this guide helps kickstart you into it a bit.

      6. Random stuff
      – USE SMOGON. While your movesets may not be very unique, it is so helpful starting out. Be sure to actually read the text that comes with it. It really helps you understand HOW to use it
      – Watch competitive battling. Just watching high level players battle and thinking about what sets and moves they are using is a great learning exercise
      – Be a good looser. You are going to loose alot. Keep yourself together and keep going. If you get to the point where you are angry, take a break. You probably wont win if you are already angry. Leave and do something easy and relaxing like watching TV or reading a book. Something other than games.
      – IDK I might edit this to include other random things but hope this helped!

      Reply

  14. I almost started watching the demo but I realized I want to go in tomorrow surprised at what I see. I cannot wait to play it.

    Reply

  18. Do we have a guess as to when the demo will be launched in America? I saw PJ’s tweet that said maybe around 7 JST but I couldn’t do the math XD

    Reply

  20. Hi, I am new here but has anyone finally realized it has happened? The generation where we can have A full princess Pokemon team?

    Reply

  25. UPD: A video of the first 15 minutes of the demo played in German has leaked online. For those interested here’s a quick summary of what it showed. Apologies, in advance for the little details regarding dialogue. I don’t speak German…but I can if you’d like:

    The demo starts with you checking your mailbox to find a letter from Ash. In it Ash comments on the weather, asks how your move to Alola went, and how the Greninja he gave you is doing. After reading it, your mom walks out of the house, talks to you, and you are then immediately transported to Town Hall in “Hauholi City”.

    The cutscene continues with your mother talking to a clerk, and once she finishes you can finally start to move around on your own accord. When opening the menu you only have access to your Pokémon and your bag – as previously reported you only have the special Battle Bond Greninja on hand. There’s not much else to do in the building, so when you decide to leave Hau will enter.

    The two of you leave the building together and are confronted by two Team Skull grunts. Hau and you then separately engage the two grunts in battle. You take on the grunt with a level 25 Yungoos (your Greninja is level 36). After the two of you defeat Team Skull, they run off and you’re able to explore the city a bit until you meet up with Hau again at the Pokémon Center.

    Once inside Hau will talk to you about the Pokémon Center, and lets you explore the inside of it. Once you decide to leave Professor Kukui will intercept you and Hau. He talks to you, and once he finishes you’re able to either explore the city more or go north of the Pokémon Center where a man will block you. When approaching him he’ll ask to confirm whether or not you want to continue on to the next area. If you say yes you’ll be allowed to pass and enter a route-like area called “Tenkarat Hill”.

    Prof. Kukui will explain something to you and then move on towards the end of the route without you. There is tall grass in this area and one trainer; the player encountered a Pikipek and a Rockruff in the wild, whereas the trainer had a level 20 Rockruff. After you beat the trainer you come to a cave. Upon entering you run into Professor Kukui and a Pikachu.

    He talks some more, gives you the Rotom Pokédex and the Pikachu, and tasks you to use the PokéFinder to find some Pokémon. After he finishes talking to you the “Trial Start!” text animation is seen at the bottom of the screen, and you’re able walk around the cave, go to the holes in the wall, and use the PokéFinder to find Pokémon. The player looked through one hole, saw a Jangmo-o using the PokéFinder and defeated it. Before he was able to look through the second hole the video ends abruptly.

    Reply

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