Pokémon Sun and Moon (2016, 3DS) and their Ultra counterparts (2017, 3DS)

Pokémon Sun and Moon were a swerve from established formula in many ways. Rather than gym battles, you’d have to tackle various trials that culminated in a fight against a super-powered Pokémon. There were still eight of these challenges, and you still fought an Elite Four, but bucking the long-standing “gym leader” format was a refreshing escapade.

Sun and Moon also introduced the idea of region-specific Pokémon, which was initially confusing but ultimately neat, particularly for those who’ve been with the series since day one. For instance, Vulpix, a fire-type Pokémon who’s been fire-type since the Clinton era, was turned into an ice-type Pokémon. This made sense. Like real-world fauna, of course Pokémon would be different from region to region. That such a world-building decision had ramifications for gameplay—chiefly, that you now had to reassess the various types of various Pokémon you’d committed to memory—was a cherry on top.

The only major drawback was the addition of Z-Moves. You could only use them once per battle, but they more often than not guaranteed victory, type matchups be damned. It was like playing a friendly match of rock-paper-scissors, flipping the bird, and declaring yourself the victor. Combine that with the fact that, later on, you could unlock Mega Evolutions (more on that in a few slides), and the notion of a fine-tuned battle was something you could point and laugh at. Also, the follow-up games, Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, added precious little to Sun and Moon. Sure, there were new quality-of-life features (an autosave, a photo mode) and some new Pokémon, but the core experience stayed largely the same.

Still, all four games have one thing no other Pokémon game can rightfully claim: Litten, the cutest first-form starter in series history. (Sorry, Popplio!)