Don't you just love it when you're right about things? Just last month we reported on the long-awaited reveal of Pokemon Sun and Moon's starter Pokemon, Poppilo, Litten and Rowlet - the three Pokemon who'll make up this game's excruciating choice when it comes to picking the Pokemon you'll start your creature catching, battling and raising adventure alongside. But the starter Pokemon wasn't all Nintendo revealed - alongside the 'mon, the company also showed the boxart for both versions of the game, each emblazoned with a picture of the 'Legendary' powerful Pokemon unique to the game in question - but no names were officially revealed.
The packaging showed Pokemon Sun's chief beastie was some kind of white lion, with a orange and yellow flecked mane and a rather epic moustache, whilst Moon's Legendary 'mon was some kind of purple and gold bat, with crescent-shaped wings. Being the intrepid journalists we are though, a little bit of digging revealed that Nintendo had filed trademarks for the names Lunaala and Solgaleo, and even our nigh-on-none-existenty knowledge of Latin let us have a good guess at which was which - Luna being the Latin for moon, while Sol and Leo translate as sun and lion respectively. Now, around a month later, it seems Nintendo have officially revealed the names for the pair and they are - you guessed it - none other than Solgaleo and Lunala (the superfluous a has been removed), along with more details on each.
No prizes for guessing which 'mon is which...
Solgaleo, the sun lion, is a dual Psychic and Steel type, and has apparently been revered as an emissary of the sun since ancient times, dubbed "the beast that devours the sun" by the folks of the Alola region. He comes with a never-before-seen ability, Full Metal Body, which prevents it's stats from being lowered by any of it's opponents moves or abilities, while his signature move, Sunsteel Strike, charges at an opponent "with the force of a meteor", "disregarding" his opponent's ability in the process, presumably nullifying its effects for the duration of the battle. Lunala meanwhile, is a Psychic and Ghost type who is essentially Solgaleo's nighttime alter ego, known as the emissary of the moon and referred to as the "beast that calls the moon" in the Alola folklore. For its signature move, Moongeist Beam, it releases an ominous beam of light that "disregards the target's ability" (we're spotting a pattern here!), while its Shadow Shield ability means the Pokemon takes less damage from an attack when Lunala has full health.
Other interesting titbits of information have emerged alongside the announcement, including the fact that character customisation will return, presumably in a manner similar to Pokemon X and Y, where you could alter your character's hair, clothes and accessories. It seems three characters in particular will play an important role in Pokemon Sun and Moon's story too - the slightly eccentric Professor Kukui, the obligatory Pokemon professor of the region, who sends you off on your journey; Hau, a young, and very hungry, boy who quickly becomes the player's best friend, and has a weakness for the Alola delicacy malasadas; and Lillie, the Professor's mysterious young assistant who likes reading books but doesn't approve of making Pokemon fight in battles.
It also appears the ever-present Pokedex, which records data on every Pokemon you encounter on your journey, is getting a bit of a makeover too. Towards the beginning of your adventure, Professor Kukui entrusts you with a special Rotom Pokedex, which is inhabited by the electrical scamp Pokemon Rotom. Now with it's own personality, it does more than simply act as a Pokemon encyclopedia, and now shows the player's current location and next destination, based on the conversations players have had with other characters - undoubtedly useful for everyone who's ever come back to Pokemon after a little while and forgotten where they got to.
Pokemon Sun and Moon will be hitting the 3DS later this year, on the 23rd November. Why not check out the new trailer, which shows off the new Legendary Pokemon, below:
