Pokémon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon returned to Alola on Nintendo 3DS in 2017 with a story that is an alternative to the one in Sun & Moon. The archipelago retains the island challenge, but adds its own activities and expands to more than four hundred the number of creatures that can be found across the two versions.
Mantine Surf turns travel between islands into a stunt challenge, Alola Photo Club creates photo sessions with the team, and Battle Agency assembles battles using only rental Pokémon. The three activities use different parts of the save file without requiring the same preparation.
Mantine Surf combines travel, stunts, and scoring
Mantine Surf carries the Trainer from one island to another on a Mantine, but the route also has its own score. Moving up and down the face of the wave increases speed; reaching the top with enough momentum launches the pair into the air and opens time for a stunt.
The score does not come from the jump alone. Spinning or changing position in the air increases the total, while touching the water at a poor angle interrupts the sequence. Reading the wave therefore determines how much momentum is available and how much time remains before landing.
Better results award more Battle Points, a currency used in its own exchanges. The sport connects travel and reward: the journey ends on another island, but execution along the way determines the total received.
Alola Photo Club separates pose, camera, and decoration
Alola Photo Club places the Trainer and a Pokémon from the team in a configurable session. Before taking the photo, the player chooses the clothing, background, position of both participants, pose, and camera angle; these decisions change the composition without changing the group used in battles.
| Stage | Available controls |
|---|---|
| Preparation | Pokémon, clothing, background, pose, and position. |
| Camera | Angle and framing of the scene. |
| Finishing touches | Frames and stickers over the finished photo. |
| Display | Sharing the image in Festival Plaza. |
After the shot, frames and stickers are applied over the finished image. Some decorative elements become available as the save file progresses, but the session does not require winning a battle to allow another attempt.
The photo can also be presented in Festival Plaza. The result works as a visual record of a specific team member, rather than an automatic screenshot during exploration or battle.
Battle Agency builds entire trios with rental Pokémon
Battle Agency provides the agent with one rental Pokémon and completes the trio with creatures associated with other players encountered locally or online. The team faces another group of three in a Single Battle, without taking members from the save file's main party.
| Moment | What happens |
|---|---|
| Entry | The agent chooses one Pokémon from the rentals. |
| Team formation | Two visitors provide the other members. |
| Battle | The three face an opposing team of three. |
| Progression | Victories raise the grade and award items. |
Encountering stronger Trainers expands the variety and level of the rental options. The activity uses the connection as a source for its catalog: another player does not need to control the battle live for their record to contribute to assembling the trio.
Victories raise the agent's grade and can award items such as Gold Bottle Caps. Because the entire team is temporary, the challenge measures the choice and use of the options offered during that visit, not the training accumulated in the campaign.
Ohmori and Iwao visited Mii Plaza wearing golden pants
To mark the European release, Nintendo distributed the Miis of producer Shigeru Ohmori and director Kazumasa Iwao through StreetPass. Both visitors appeared wearing golden pants, an attribute reserved for special characters within Mii Plaza.
The promotion took place in FNAC stores and was announced through January 9, 2018. It was a campaign for the Nintendo 3DS social application, separate from the activities in Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon and dependent on finding a participating StreetPass point.
The Poké Ball 2DS XL was sold without a game
The launch catalog separated three types of product. Each version had a Fan Edition, the Ultra Dual Edition brought both games together, and the New Nintendo 2DS XL Poké Ball Edition offered only the themed console.
| Product | Announced contents |
|---|---|
| Fan Edition | One of the two versions of the game. |
| Ultra Dual Edition | Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon in the same package. |
| 2DS XL Poké Ball Edition | Themed console, with no game included. |
Nintendo itself emphasized that the special 2DS XL did not include any games. The Poké Ball design identified the hardware, but purchasing one version or the dual edition remained separate.
The Fan Edition corresponded to one version, and the Ultra Dual Edition combined both. The system with the Poké Ball design, in turn, required a separate software purchase to run either one.
