My experience with generation 7 and Alola has always been negative. I was never a fan of Sun/Moon, Alola, Z-moves, the cast and so much more. I felt it was always the "weird" entry that just didn't belong in the franchise.
So, in the vein of giving things a second chance I decided to finally play and finish the only Pokemon game I had not touched. To my surprise I enjoyed this game a lot. I'm unsure if its the passage of time or just a difference in how I play games but Ultra Sun was a lot of fun. I still have some grievances with it. I was not a fan of how much the performance of this game lacked, it made the journey really unappealing. I felt a majority of the routes and towns were unmemorable. Of note, the only routes I felt were "good" are Vast Poni Canyon and Mount Lanakila. Totem Pokemon felt unfair and while the difficulty was nice, I think the game should have done more mechanically to make each encounter satisfying. I was also not a fan of Z-moves, I don't think that will ever change.
On the other hand, I absolutely adored the cast. I felt this game had a strong cast overall, from Hau to Gladion to Lillie, it genuinely felt like each character had purpose. I was a big fan of their respective character arcs. I really enjoyed the region with this game. Alola has a big overarching theme of connection and I really did come to understand that through Ultra Sun. I think the OST was really strong and had some great tracks throughout. And ultimately, the second half of this game (after the Sophocles trial) was really well done. In fact, I feel that Ultra Sun is at its best when it isn't following the conventional 8 gym/trials formula. The game stepped away from this structure shortly after Acerola's trial and I was much more enthralled with the overall journey. Of course, I would be remiss not to mention all of the references and returning characters within Alola. Keeping true to the theme of "connection" there are a lot of familiar faces and references to other regions. In many ways, this game feels like a celebration of this franchise's history and I enjoyed this aspect a lot.
I will admit, this playthrough really did warm me up to generation 7 and can confidently say it's a comfy game. I don't think it's THE BEST but it's a game I will look back on fondly.
So, in the vein of giving things a second chance I decided to finally play and finish the only Pokemon game I had not touched. To my surprise I enjoyed this game a lot. I'm unsure if its the passage of time or just a difference in how I play games but Ultra Sun was a lot of fun. I still have some grievances with it. I was not a fan of how much the performance of this game lacked, it made the journey really unappealing. I felt a majority of the routes and towns were unmemorable. Of note, the only routes I felt were "good" are Vast Poni Canyon and Mount Lanakila. Totem Pokemon felt unfair and while the difficulty was nice, I think the game should have done more mechanically to make each encounter satisfying. I was also not a fan of Z-moves, I don't think that will ever change.
On the other hand, I absolutely adored the cast. I felt this game had a strong cast overall, from Hau to Gladion to Lillie, it genuinely felt like each character had purpose. I was a big fan of their respective character arcs. I really enjoyed the region with this game. Alola has a big overarching theme of connection and I really did come to understand that through Ultra Sun. I think the OST was really strong and had some great tracks throughout. And ultimately, the second half of this game (after the Sophocles trial) was really well done. In fact, I feel that Ultra Sun is at its best when it isn't following the conventional 8 gym/trials formula. The game stepped away from this structure shortly after Acerola's trial and I was much more enthralled with the overall journey. Of course, I would be remiss not to mention all of the references and returning characters within Alola. Keeping true to the theme of "connection" there are a lot of familiar faces and references to other regions. In many ways, this game feels like a celebration of this franchise's history and I enjoyed this aspect a lot.
I will admit, this playthrough really did warm me up to generation 7 and can confidently say it's a comfy game. I don't think it's THE BEST but it's a game I will look back on fondly.