Pokemon Sun and Moon trailer reveals new starters, legendaries and November release date

Pokemon Sun Moon Popplio — New Pokémon Sun and Moon starter Popplio. The Pokémon Company

Nintendo has released the first trailer for upcoming Nintendo 3DS titles Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon, confirming a 18 November release date for the US and Japan, and a 23 November release date for Europe. The new footage includes a first look at the game's new starters, two of its legendary Pokémon and shows off the first gameplay.

The new starters are Rowlet (a grass/flying type), Litten (a fire type) and Popplio (a water type). The two legendaries spotted in the trailer, which are also the game's cover stars, were not named. Sun's cover star is a large, white lion-looking Pokémon while Moon's star is an enormous winged-beastie.

You can watch the new trailer below...

After being introduced to the new starters we see a compilation of new gameplay showing off the new Alola region, which seemingly (judging by its name) is inspired by Hawaii. A volcano is also spotted on an overview of a part of the world.

A press release offered the first detailed description of each new starter:

Name: Rowlet
Category: Grass Quill Pokémon
Height: 1 '00 "
Weight: 3.3 lbs.
Type: Grass/Flying
Starting Move: Leafage

The first of the potential partners is the highly adaptable Grass Quill Pokémon, Rowlet. This Pokémon can fly silently through the skies, sneaking up on its opponent without being noticed. It can attack its opponents using powerful kicks, and it can also attack from a distance using the razor-sharp leaves that form part of its feathers. Rowlet can survey its environment and turn its neck nearly 180 degrees from front to back, so it can see directly behind itself. When in battle, Rowlet turns its head to face its Trainer when waiting for instructions.

Name: Litten
Category: Fire Cat Pokémon
Height: 1 '04 "
Weight: 9.5 lbs.
Type: Fire
Starting Move: Ember

The cool-headed Fire Cat Pokémon, Litten, is the next choice for a first-partner Pokémon. Litten's fur is rich in oils and is immensely flammable. It constantly grooms itself by licking its coat, collecting loose fur into balls. It then ignites these hairballs to create fireball attacks. When the time comes for Litten to molt, it burns off all of its fur in one glorious blaze.

Name: Popplio
Category: Sea Lion Pokémon
Height: 1 '04 "
Weight: 16.5 lbs.
Type: Water
Starting Move: Water Gun

The third possibility is the acrobatic Sea Lion Pokémon, Popplio. Popplio can create balloons made of water from its nose and utilize them to create a variety of different strategies and attacks in battle. This Pokémon is better at moving in the water than on land, and can swim at speeds over 25 mph. On land, it uses the elasticity of the balloons it creates to perform jumps and acrobatic stunts.

Pokémon Sun and Moon were announced back in February following a leak revealing the game's new logos. Following the reveal, IBTimes UK discussed a few of the features we'd like to see return to the series, and a few we'd like to see added.

Sun and Moon will cap off a year of releases celebrating the series' 20<sup>th anniversary. In February, to mark the actual date on which Pokémon Red and Green were released in Japan in 1996, Pokémon Red, Blue (the name of Green in western territories) and Yellow were re-released on 3DS. Later this year augmented reality, location-based mobile game Pokémon Go will also be released.

Alongside the latest Sun and Moon news, The Pokémon Company also revealed its plans for the 2016 Pokémon European National Championships. Events regarding the Trading Card Games, handheld games and Wii U title Pokken Tournament will be taking place in Liverpool (14–15 May), Kassel, Germany (21–22 May) and Milan, Italy (11–12 June).

All the events be livestreamed at www.twitch.tv/pokemonTCG_EU (Pokémon Trading Card Game National Championships), www.twitch.tv/pokemonVGC_EU (Pokémon VG National Championships) and www.twitch.tv/PokkenTournamentEU (Pokkén Tournament Championship Series).

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