As with previous games in the series, certain Pokémon are only obtainable in either Sun or Moon, with players encouraged to trade with others in order to obtain all Pokémon from both versions. Players are also able to battle and trade Pokémon with other human players using the Nintendo 3DS' connectivity features. Players can capture wild Pokémon, found during random encounters, by weakening them in battle and catching them with Poké Balls, allowing them to be added to their party. By defeating opposing Pokémon in turn-based battles, the player's Pokémon gains experience, allowing them to level up and increase their battle statistics, learn new battle techniques, and in some cases, evolve into more powerful Pokémon. The player controls a young trainer who goes on a quest to catch and train creatures known as Pokémon, and win battles against other trainers.
Pokémon Sun and Moon are role-playing video games with adventure elements, set in the fictional Alola region (loosely based on Hawaii), presented in a third-person, overhead perspective. To date, Sun and Moon have sold over 16 million copies worldwide, making them the third-best-selling Nintendo 3DS titles, after Mario Kart 7 and their predecessors, Pokémon X and Y. Upon release, the games became some of the fastest-selling games in Nintendo's history at that point. The games received generally favorable reviews from critics, who welcomed the change from the formula used by prior Pokémon games and praised the gameplay of Sun and Moon while criticizing the lack of content beyond the primary plot. Pokémon may also be traded in from other games just like in previous installments. While largely independent of one another, the two games follow a similar plot, and while each can be played separately, trading Pokémon between the two games is necessary to complete the Pokédex. Sun and Moon introduced 81 new Pokémon species, and new features such as Alolan forms of previous generation Pokémon, powerful moves known as Z-Moves, alien creatures known as Ultra Beasts, updated battle and training mechanics, and improved polygonal 3D graphics. They follow a young Pokémon trainer's journey around the Alola region-based on Hawaii-with the objective of the games being to complete the island challenge and thwart the schemes of Team Skull, and later the Aether Foundation, all while attempting to challenge various Pokémon trainers of gradually increasing difficulty. The titles began development following completion of Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, with increased emphasis on Pokémon interactions, and relationships. A pair of enhanced versions, Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon, were released for the same consoles on 17 November 2017. First announced in February 2016, Sun and Moon were released worldwide on 18 November 2016, commemorating the franchise's 20th anniversary. They are the first installments in the seventh generation of the Pokémon video game series. Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon are 2016 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS.