Pokémon is about as iconic a name as you will find. Encompassing games, toys, TV shows and more, the Pokémon franchise has been a huge part of the gaming market for over twenty years and continues to produce new games yearly.

The latest of these releases is “Pokémon Sun and Moon”, and despite the formulaic nature of the franchises’ games, they have been met with record sales and reviews. Moving millions of units in the first week alone has been a kind of revival for Nintendo after suffering a long spell of decline.

Much of “Sun and Moon’s” praise has been due to the reinventions of older game mechanics. For example, the classic eight-directional grid movement has been completely foregone in favor of free movement. The series’ characteristic Pokémon battles now also feature new systems and strategies.

Another new idea introduced by this generation of Pokémon is the sheer customizability of the trainer, the player’s character. While older games often featured the option of either the male or female model, the new games allow for clothing and hair changes, both in style and color. The new options in skin color have also been seen as a step forward for the games.

The game also features a far more compelling storyline than its predecessors, opening the game’s appeal to a wider and older audience. This has been a significant reason for the success of the new generation. People who grew up collecting Pokémon are less alienated by the usual childish themes like the traditional battle of obvious good vs. evil.

This storyline improvement is further enhanced by the new ideas injected into the games. A new sense of life is instilled in them by “Sun and Moon’s” basis in traditional Hawaiian culture, while maintaining the classic atmosphere of the games.

The game is certainly not perfect, however. The last generation’s horde battles have been replaced, likely due to the extra processing power required to render the player’s avatar behind their Pokémon in battle. Even still, battles with more than only two or three participants can cause a drop in framerate.

Overall, “Pokémon Sun and Moon” represent a promising new direction for the classic franchise. While branching out into new territory, the games certainly retain their iconic charm and overall themes. The innovations of this generation of Pokémon hold great promise for what is to come in the future of “catching them all.”