Pokémon Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon on 3DS, enriched versions with a more developed Ultra Beast arc. New narrative content, more legendaries and improved gameplay. The definitive Alola generation version.
Your verdict
Category
RPG4 players7+
Description
Enriched version of Pokémon Moon in Alola with a new plot involving Ultra Beasts and Ultra Necrozma and new areas. Published by The Pokémon Company, released in Europe in November 2017. New Ultra Wormhole zones, new Ultra Beasts, extended story, over 400 species accessible. Translated version including Chinese and Korean.
Pokemon Ultra Moon review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
3/5
Story
★★★★★
"Solid"
Extending Alola's sunshine, this enriched version rearranges and fleshes out its island themes with new, nervy tracks tied to the Ultra Beasts. Between tropical gentleness and dramatic tension, the music gains in depth. This sonic generosity, faithful to the spirit of Sun and Moon, still delights trainers.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first minutes"
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Taking up the Alola adventure again, enriched with new forms, trials and post-game content, extends the iconic catching-and-raising loop for completionists. Filling out the Pokédex and refining your battle teams keep you going endlessly. The recycled story limits the surprise, but this generosity and the hunt for Pokémon retain a tenacious grip.
Difficulty
"Balanced"
Lifespan
"Massive"
An enriched version of the Alola adventure, this entry adds a plot around the Ultra Beasts, fresh areas and a fleshed-out endgame. Finishing the main quest, completing the Pokédex and exploring the additions fills very long hours. That surplus of content, set upon the series' endless collecting, makes it the most generous cut of the generation.
Multilingual Asian edition of Pokemon Ultra Moon, bringing together traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese and Korean on one cartridge for the Taiwanese, Chinese and Korean markets. This trilingual configuration is proper to the Asian zone and distinct from the Western and Japanese editions. Desirability rests on this multiple-localisation singularity, sought by collectors of Asian variants of the Pokemon franchise on 3DS.
A questionable morality
The whole universe rests on a routine you never question while playing: you catch wild creatures, lock them inside little balls, then send them to fight in your place so you can become the best. Sold as a grand tale of friendship, the adventure mostly comes down to collecting living beings and making them brawl, which raises a smile in hindsight.
Is Pokemon Ultra Moon still worth playing in 2026?
Enhanced versions of Pokémon Sun and Moon, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon extend the Alola adventure with a plot centred on Ultra Necrozma, new areas and more post game content. The formula stays that of the seventh generation, generous in staging and characters, but the framework and the slow early pace repeat against the originals. These are the best versions of the Alola adventures on the console. For a series fan or a player discovering this generation, the title keeps a copious and solid content.
