First Impression: Kaguya-sama: Love is War

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Reader's Rambling: Professor Layton and the Last Specter

Talking About Video Games: Pokemon Sun and Moon

     Some people may have described Pokemon Sun and Moon as 'vanilla' or 'boring,' but I would have to disagree. The game doesn't take itself too seriously, has a fantastic story line, poignant characters, and a new take on the old formula.

     Let's start with that last part first. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Pokemon franchise, a regular Pokemon game comprises of the player picking a starter Pokemon (water, grass, or fire) and then building up their team as they travel the land. Over the course of the game the player dukes it out with eight Gym Leaders before facing the Elite Four and clearing the game. There is usually an evil organization trying to destroy the world as we know it that the player ends up beating single handedly. Sun and Moon keep a lot of that format. It is still very much a Pokemon game. However, instead of facing off with Gym Leaders, players have to overcome various elemental themed trials, as well as defeat the island kahunas to complete their island challenge. While I still prefer the 8 gym format, this new format gives a breath of fresh air to the franchise, supports the storyline exceptionally and allows for a closer connection with the in-game characters.

     Speaking of characters, they were what really drove the game for me. I think the island challenge format did a better job of showcasing the personalities of the captains and kahunas, allowing me as a player to feel like I actually knew them. With other games the gym leaders are just some enigmatic figure you face off with once and never see again. I also appreciated the way the main central characters were portrayed - especially the way the game handled rivals and reoccurring characters.

     Before playing Pokemon Sun, I had just finished playing Pokemon X. The game left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. Part of that was from the rivals. In Pokemon X and Y the player is given 5 different rivals. There are too many! I felt unattached to most of the rivals and thought some were unnecessary. Although the Alolan rivals still healed your Pokemon more often than not before challenging you to a battle, they were far better handled. Instead of being propped up by tropes and singular defining characteristics, the Alolan characters felt original. Also, they actually had believable character arcs in-game! I was also excited to have an anti-hero in the mix. A lot of the previous characters were too nice. Gladion reminded me of the rivals of old (ex. Silver from Gold/Silver) and was one of my favorite characters.

     I will admit, I was a little skeptical of the game at first. For one thing, the game is so over the top! A lot of this comes up in the varied cast (we're looking at you Gladion), but also in the game play. I mean, the mini bosses actually glow! Initiating battles with other trainers is so much more intense, and do I even need to mention the Z-moves?

     The main villains were treated differently in Sun and Moon, in comparison to the other games. Firstly, I found it interesting that the members of Team Skull weren't a random outside force that decided to barge in and terrorize the people of Alola. They were Alolan themselves - all the people who had failed the island challenge and were rejected from society. Generally, they embody the definition of incompetent, more so than other Team grunts. Grunts were never known for using their brains, but these grunts exhibited a special definition of dumb - one that is acknowledged in-game. They are almost lovable for being so stupid. I also liked how they were integrated back into society at the end of the game. Also, I half-way expected the game creators to do a throw-back to the Kanto Region and have the Mega Mart be a front for the evil organization.

     On the other side of the coin is the Aether Foundation. Pokemon has taught me not to trust large corporations who promise they are doing good for the world, and the Aether Foundation definitely seemed a little fishy from the start. It was interesting to see how these two groups intertwined, especially in the end climax. With these two questionable organizations and an altered playing format, Pokemon Sun and Moon's story line was original and a change of pace to the Pokemon franchise.

     Real quick, before we end officially, I'd like to talk about a couple of other things I noticed in the games that were different. One of the things I missed in the game were the puzzles that were usually found in Pokemon gyms and in caves and dungeons. I wish the 'Strength HM equivalent' was introduced earlier in the game and that there were more 'boulder puzzles.' Another interesting thing I noticed, was the altered stats of some of the moves. Some went down in power while others went up. The most noticeable being Leech Life, a move you can teach by TM. In previous generations Leech Life is a low-power bug move, probably not more that 20% power. In Sun and Moon however, they boosted it up to an 80% power move. With a more than decent base power and the ability to regain health, Leech Life is definitely a move that is now useful and feasible to use for the in game.