Sun & Moon: The Review Panel: Part 3
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Art by Matryoshkat.
Introduction
To celebrate the fact that Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon are now over a month old, we've asked some of our panelists to review the games. We'll be covering everything from Ultra Beasts to Team Skull. Today, we'll be taking a more in-depth look at the characters.
This is the final part of our three-part series; let's welcome FellFromtheSky, Matryoshkat, and heritage.
| FellFromtheSky | Matryoshkat | heritage |
| Click on the images to read their thoughts! | ||
Team Skull
Were they worthy villains? What were the best parts about Team Skull?
FellFromtheSky
I admit, when Team Skull was first revealed this past summer, I was severely disappointed. While it was a unique take on the archetypal "evil team" the Pokémon series includes in all of their main series games, I found the grunts' designs, dialogue, and overall demeanor to be rather lacking. This distaste I had extended to the more prominent members of Team Skull as well—I found Guzma unfunny and in need of a good chiropractor, while I found both Plumeria and Gladion too edgy and too uninteresting. However, upon playing Pokémon Sun (which I chose because of Alolan Ninetales's version exclusivity, as any sensible person would), I found that I really appreciated the angle Game Freak decided to take with their "evil team" this generation. Guzma, unlike nearly every other sinister boss, is not motivated by delusions of grandeur or plans for world domination (or destruction, or reconstruction, as the case may be). Rather, he's an insecure man with the very human desire for recognition (which later leads him to allow Team Skull to become an arm of the Aether Foundation). In addition, Plumeria is not as bland and uninteresting as the admins of past teams either—she's a tough but caring individual who can admit when she's wrong (and not to mention actually has some plot relevance). Gladion, too, was a pleasant surprise. His mysterious past, his mysterious relation to Lillie and Lusamine, his mysterious and awesome partner (and rescue story) in Type: Null, as well as being one of the few characters in the entirety of the Pokémon franchise to actually undergo some character development cemented his status as one of my favorite characters in the Pokémon franchise.
Team Skull was admirable in more than just the aforementioned ways as well. They're a collection of misfits who just want some time in the spotlight. While this may be true of the grunts of many evil Pokémon teams, this aspect of this archetype of character is done especially well with Team Skull. They aren't notable only in terms of characters either, though! The way they were woven into the plot was clever and enjoyable—I was both riveted and surprised when I discovered Plumeria and her underlings had stolen Lillie away to Aether Foundation, and that Team Skull was under Lusamine's control (by proxy) the entire time. Their base of operations, Po Town, was an exciting, fitting, and elegantly crafted location for the cranial gang's story arc. The constant downpour and state of disrepair of Po Town and the Shady House lends insight, I think, into Team Skull's characters and methods of operation (it's also worth noting that the only part of Po Town not in shambles is Plumeria's room). All in all, I could not be more pleased with what Game Freak did with Team Skull. My compliments to them.
The Ultra Beasts
Some say it was a huge gamble adding them in to the game in regards to reaction; what do you think? Did they pull it off?
FellFromtheSky
I have mixed feelings about the Ultra Beasts; some days I think they were a genius move on Game Freak's part, other times I find them to be horrible abominations with no place in the Pokémon world. Then again, perhaps their alien designs are part of what makes the Ultra Beasts work—they aren't meant to look like Pokémon. That aside, most love I have for the Ultra Beasts stems not from their designs or flavor (the only one I truly like, aside from the Cosmog line, is UB 01: Symbiont), but for their plot relevance. The UBs (mostly Nihilego and Cosmog) are, in essence, the premise of the entire games. If not for them, Mohn might never have disappeared, Lusamine would never have descended into psychotic insanity (probably, anyway, I'd wager she was a bit unstable even before becoming affected by Nihilego's neurotoxins), Gladion and Lillie would not have run away, Team Skull would never have wound up working for the Aether Foundation, and, as such, the most interesting bits of the plot would be nonexistent. So, long story short, I do think Game Freak managed to pull off the UBs, at least with regards to the plot.
With regards to how they look, I think a friend of mine described them quite eloquently, as "humanoid, robotic, over-designed, impractical, unnatural, and soulless," as well as "everything people ever feared about Game Freak taking the wrong route" with regards to design. While this stance on the UBs might be a touch extreme, I can still see where he's coming from. Aside from Nihilego (and, again, the aforementioned Cosmog line), all the UBs don't even remotely resemble the typical Pokémon style. But, as I said before, I think their otherworldliness actually enhances the story, emphasizing that the Aether Foundation has overstepped some boundaries, meddling in things that can only lead to disaster.
Lillie
Should she have given Nebby to you? What did you think of her transformation?
FellFromtheSky
So, I mentioned above that I thought Gladion was exceptional because he actually had some character development and made some difficult choices. Well, his character development is nothing compared to his sister's (though, to be fair, he could have been an equally well-developed—and possibly more interesting—character than even Lillie if he had had more time in the spotlight). Lillie, a timid, reserved girl, runs away from her family and home at the Aether Paradise in order to rescue a Pokémon called Cosmog—after seeing it suffer at the hands of her less-than-completely-sane mother, Lusamine—that she affectionately dubs "Nebby." When you meet her, she's hiding from her deluded-with-grandeur mother in Professor Kukui's borrowed loft. She's afraid to stand up for herself after having been treated like a doll by her mother up until her escape from the Aether Paradise; but as she journeys with both the player character and Hau, she gains confidence in herself and decides that she has to face her abusive mother in order to do what's right—which, in this case, happens to be saving not only Nebby, but the world (from the threat of the UBs, which is dealt with at length later on, in the post-story). Her character development culminates when confronting her mother in the Aether Paradise, where she begs Lusamine to spare Nebby, but Lusamine goes along with her devious plan anyway, escaping with Nihilego and Guzma to Ultra Space and unleashing hostile Ultra Beasts all over Alola. Following her less-than-pleasant confrontation with her less-than-sane mother, Lillie decides to become her own person, swapping the clothes her mother always dressed her in for those she chose herself, as well as adopting a new, positive, and determined outlook—not only for herself, but to save Nebby, who has by then fallen into a sort of motionless, coma-like state after Lusamine used the Cosmog (now a Cosmoem) to open the gateways to Ultra Space.
The story then climaxes a second time with Lillie's second confrontation with her mother, this time in Ultra Space, the realm of the UBs, after having journeyed with the player character to collect the flutes of the Sunne and Moone to open the portal to Ultra Space. She bravely confronts Lusamine, who haughtily claims that she doesn't need anyone now that she has Nihilego and that Lillie has become ugly and unfit to be present in her "beautiful world." Lillie responds by asserting that children are not playthings, and neither are Pokémon. She eloquently explains to her mother that she, Nebby, and every other person or Pokémon Lusamine's abused or manipulated doesn't exist for her to dress up, play with, and discard once she's bored. This particular scene is why I find it easy to say that Lillie is certainly one of the, if not the, best characters in the Pokémon franchise. Her words in this scene are empowering and the authors did a fantastic job of expressing that she has come far and that everything she's been through was not for naught. The one issue I have with Lillie is the fact that she allows you to take Nebby, whom she was clearly very close to. It feels incredibly artificial and, frankly, leaves me wishing I couldn't catch the cover legendary—just so Lillie could. Even still, if I could only grace Game Freak with one compliment on Pokémon Sun and Moon, it would be the inclusion and shockingly good execution of Lillie's character in the games.
Team Skull
Were they worthy villains? What were the best parts about Team Skull?
Matryoshkat
For every hero, there's a bunch of bumbling buffoons who are intent on causing ruckus. Thankfully, this particular group of buffoons are entertaining. Skull represents a step up from the humorless, unmemorable Flare and a return to the simple days of hoodlums with Zubats. Gone are the extremist goals of the apocalyptic doomsday weapon wielding outrageous maniacs, and Skull goes simple and lovable; much like a lot of Sun and Moon's new characters, it encapsulates whimsy. All of the grunts bark more than they bite, and they're the chihuahuas of the thug world; fun to watch and never threatening. When push comes to shove, though, the lack of many distinguished Skulls works to its detriment; Plumeria, Guzma, and the turncoat Gladion are just about the only NPCs from the team to have a defined character, and, as a result, Skull largely consists of faceless mooks who say funny things. Guzma kind of puts a damper on the easygoing and affable nature of the team, barely cracking a joke (memetic fanart fuel though he is) and packing a legitimately intimidating team. The result is kind of a mixed bag between a silly team and their serious commander, who follows the call of a deranged maniac because she's the only one who would take him seriously. Guzma, as a character, might not be the Team Skull admin we deserved. Plumeria doesn't help, appearing in only a small handful of scenes and, even in those, not showing particularly strong character, eliciting perhaps nothing more than an "eh, it's her again." Not to say that the fantastic design is wasted on those two, but they could have been a bit more compelling than they were. Beating Guzma doesn't give you the satisfaction that it should, because his confidence never really gives in, and your victories feel sidelined by the rapidly advancing plot. The change from villain to reluctant ally is glossed over in the finale, as the looming threat of the Ultra Beasts coerces you to confront the final boss. Skull works as a team, with fun dialogue and amazing designs, but their role in the plot appears largely inconsequential and second fiddle to the much less entertaining Aether Foundation.
The Ultra Beasts
Some say it was a huge gamble adding them in to the game in regards to reaction; what do you think? Did they pull it off?
Matryoshkat
Ultra Beasts are often mocked for their G-rated-Lovecraft appearance, but I think that's great. In a series of electric mice and fire lizards, adding a muscle bug and a thirty-foot-tall metal... thing seems a bit weird, but we've had stranger looking things (what even is Giratina?). Xurkitree and Kartana don't even have a face, resembling a Neon Genesis nightmare more than anything of the same genus as Ferroseed or Pikipek. This is, however, only if you think of them as actual Pokémon, which the game itself seems to want you to do, making them catchable, providing them in multiples, and letting you play with them in Pokémon Refresh. Defanging the monstrosity and making it into yet another plaything undermines any terror factor these alien beasts with their intimidating appearances might have had. If you can pet the main villain of the game on the head and feed it beans, it's not much of a villain, no matter how many middle-aged moms it fuses with. Keeping them strictly boss characters would have made the invasion force a lot more exciting, and so would having them be way more powerful than any other singular Pokémon you might have had; even if they weren't able to be caught and used. The scene where they invade and are able to overwhelm trainers gets way more believable if the Kahuna's (Elite Four) teams don't easily outclass them. Alien Destroyer? The only real advantage they have over any Trainer's teams is levels. It seems downright silly to think that Z-moves and Mega Evolutions are the only way to beat them. Despite their gameplay dissonance, I can't help but adore the designs. The animations for the beasts are oddly visceral and satisfying to look at; as weird as they appear, they're done really well. Mention goes to my favorite of them, Xurkitree, which looks like something from Dead Space and has the jumpy, unnatural animation to prove it. Pokémon has never been so cool.
Lillie
Should she have given Nebby to you? What did you think of her transformation?
Matryoshkat
Lillie is adorable. She hits all the cues of a typical anime moe ("cute") girl; the angry eyebrows of her prerelease art just seem to be an art thing than an actual indication of her character. She's not the tsundere, "cold on the outside but cute on the inside," type I expected, but she's still cute and encapsulated the hearts of many a player with her self-doubting moe tendencies and need for protection from just about anything, as well as her tragic backstory. Her friendship with the ridiculously adorable Cosmog just solidifies her status as all things cute in Pokémon, and you can't help but root for her character development throughout. That said, she doesn't really serve much purpose to the player except as another person to save, yet again solidifying the notion that nothing whatsoever can get done without the player character; even worse is how her chemistry with the Nebby-turned-God is shoved out of the way to make it catchable for you, the player. Even if done in a touching way, her only Pokémon is given to you in a flash, and it honestly feels undeserved. Sure, you saved it from death at the hands of a wild Pokémon (with an unblinking grin), but Nebby, really, owes nothing to you. While I like the non-threatening girl that Lillie turned out to be, I can't help but like the Satsuki Kiryuin-like tsundere rival her prerelease art seemed to be hinting at. At the time, I thought she might have been a genderswapped Blue Oak type. As it stands, she's a less clumsy, more plot-important Bianca. Her outfits are both really, well, cute. The first has an obvious resemblance to Nihilego, which could be interpreted as Lusamine's influence. The second is similarly well done and does a good job of representing her symbolic release from her mother's clutches. Her departure at the end of the game also feels like a good decision, as it's a permanent change that impacts all of the characters and might make you a bit teary eyed as well. Overall I like Lillie for what she is, and she elicits a lot of "awws" from most people.
Team Skull
Were they worthy villains? What were the best parts about Team Skull?
heritage
Hahahahaha, where do I start with this one? Team Skull isn't what I'd call a deep villain team. I admit that I was hoping they'd have a villain team with a deep lore after the disappointment that was Team Flare, but you know what? As soon as I saw Team Skull, I stopped caring. They're so funny! The goofy outfits, hilarious in-game models... Hell, there's even a scene where two of the grunts switch places and say something like "what, since we switched you can't tell us apart?" That absolutely cracked me up the first time I saw that, and it wasn't the first time they made me laugh. I can appreciate the route that Game Freak took with this. They're a huge source of entertainment throughout the entire game, and I'm really glad they didn't try to shove backstory into them.
The Team Skull admins and leaders are all amazing in their own ways and all have different personalities. Guzma in particular is one of the most hilarious villains in the Pokémon franchise just based on his dialogue alone. You know what's great foreshadowing? His theme. If you listen closely somewhere around the 40 second mark, you can hear notes from Team Aether's theme playing. Well done, Game Freak. Plumeria is an admin with actual reason, unlike, say, the Team Galactic admins (sorry DPP fans). The way she describes the grunts as "younger brothers and sisters" makes Team Skull feel like an actual team rather than a mishmash of random people. And then, there's Gladion. For sure one of my favorite characters in the entire franchise. Good lord, the character development. Game Freak actually made me care about him before revealing his past, I can't stress that enough. A lot of times, franchises try to make you feel bad about a character through their death or bad past or something but don't give you any actual reason to feel bad (think: Walking Dead or something, I'm only talking about the side characters put the pitchforks down), and I was worried they would do something like that this generation. Gladion's character takes those fears of mine and smashes them over the head with a sledgehammer. Lusamine borders on that line, sadly; I didn't really care about her getting hurt at the end of Ultra Space (in fact I wanted her to get hurt, but this could be a result of me playing that part at 4 in the morning...), but I cared enough about Lillie to ignore that.
Team Aether tried to have lore and connections with Team Skull... with mixed results. I was really surprised when I found out the two teams were working together. In fact, I was so blind to it. I remember being in a Skype call during the moment when you have to rescue Lillie from Lusamine and hearing my friend say (in a super unamused tone I might add): "You know they're working together right?" I honestly didn't know what to say. I was super confused after the fact because later on most of the Team Aether grunts started acting all friendly again. Lusamine is the only Aether member who has any sort of... anything really. I liked her connection to Team Skull, but once again I feel like it falls flat. How did they come into contact? Do they really get along? I felt the game as a whole was rushed to meet a deadline, and this is a big factor in that. Team Aether is the complete opposite of Team Skull, one-sided, boring "villains" that are just there for the sake of having a "bad guy." Like Team Flare. Great. Last part here might have been a bit off topic but I did want to address their connection to Team Skull.
The Ultra Beasts
Some say it was a huge gamble adding them in to the game in regards to reaction; what do you think? Did they pull it off?
heritage
This is tricky, to say the least. I was scared to death when the first Ultra Beast, which I believe was Nihilego, was revealed. Such an alienating (no pun intended) concept. In the end, do I personally think it paid off? Well... no, not really. I wasn't impressed by the Ultra Beasts at all, and the only one that actually intimidated me was Nihilego itself, mainly because of its connection to Lusamine. That cutscene man, I'm still getting chills. Every other Ultra Beast? Pheromosa? Guzzlord? Meh, pastime, who cares. For such a main driving point of the plot, they really didn't get a lot of screentime, and by the end of the plot I had kinda pushed the Ultra Beats aside to focus on the character development (which was done MUCH better thankfully). They seem quite forced. Like, remember that cutscene that plays right after you leave the Dimensional Research Lab? Oh, look, there's a tear in the sky! That seems relevant, let's bring that up with... nobody. The first time you see Nihilego at Aether Paradise seems extremely downplayed as well. To be fair, this could be a result of the main character being an emotionless mute (this has always bugged me in Pokémon games), but I feel there should be more of a reaction since these Ultra Beasts are Super Dangerous™. I won't say too much on the designs, but they are pretty nice. I guess Nihilego is a bit basic on paper, but I really enjoyed watching the way it moved in-game. I swear that it was trying to talk to us at multiple points, and it adds character. I think all the designs look solid for what they're trying to be, alien; they sure don't look natural. I don't think there's really a standard on what Pokémon are supposed to look like, but none of the Ultra Beasts look like Pokémon you'd just find wandering around.
I'm one of those people who were disappointed when we found out they were catchable. They're supposed to be "unknown alien creatures" and they ended up just like any other random legendary. Some of their catch rates are super high, too!!! Like come on, if you're going to make them out to be these "all-powerful beings" then make them all harder to catch than Caterpie and don't give us an insta-capture Poké Ball in the Beast Balls. This could be just an effect of the game being easier than most main series game, but still, I just wish Game Freak would have gone out of their comfort zones with them and made them all insanely hard, uncatchable bosses. They did this before, all the way back in Fire Red and Leaf Green with Marowak, so we know they've done something like that before, even if the circumstances were different. At the very least, I enjoyed the lore of Lusamine's connection with them, but I'm not sure if that was expanded on enough. So much potential that was wasted to have an excuse for some post-game content.
Lillie
Should she have given Nebby to you? What did you think of her transformation?
heritage
Let me just start this out with: I don't think Lillie is the best character in all of Pokémon, I guess I'm just indifferent. I do feel like they tried a biiiiit too hard to make her the "you have to love her" character, and I admit that I rolled my eyes at her a lot sadly. There were a lot of times where I wanted to go somewhere and a cutscene interrupted me saying "look, here's Girl, now defend her." She's a cute character and all, but maybe her attitude just doesn't have the same effect on me. What really bugs me is how she gave Nebby to you... I mean I understand where this was coming from but something about it rubs me the wrong way, and I wouldn't be able to explain why if you asked. There's another Cosmog in the game later on, so why not just keep that one instead? This way Lillie would be able to stay with her cherished partner and maybe even learn a bit about being a Trainer, as she showed interest in. But good lord, the fact that your character shows NO EMOTION AT ALL ruined the moment of catching the legendary. Pokémon franchise... why? You need to have a main series game where your character isn't a complete mute.
However, I'd be lying if I said I didn't admire her courage in stealing Nebby from Team Aether, and I really liked her near the end of the game. I was rather unimpressed with the way Game Freak handled her character development up until the end of Aether Paradise. Her adorable "Z-form" fits her so well, and trying to separate herself from her mother's beliefs she'd been following probably her whole life must have taken some guts. But what really changed my mind on her was in Ultra Space when she stood up to her mother all on her own (because the main character doesn't say anything). The way she criticizes the way her mother treated the trainers, Guzma, herself, and so on shows her growth as a character. I'd say that the massive change in character was a bit... sudden, but this could be a result of the main story being quite short.
Conclusion
What do you guys think? Do you agree with our panelists? Let us know on Smogon's Facebook page!
That's all, folks! Hope you enjoyed the games as much as our panelists did!
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