While it was sad to see that, despite the official reveal of Pokémon Sun and Moon, we weren’t going to get any gameplay footage or real information about the game, the announcement video did give us some hidden insights on what we may be able to expect.

Take a look at all the concept art and other quick shots of work that were shown in the official reveal video! We’ve already looked over and discussed some of the revealed artwork here, but in this article we’re going to be tackling everything we’ve seen and we’re going to take as in depth of a look as we can.

Pikachu

It doesn’t shock me, and it shouldn’t shock you, that the first images we got were sketches of Pikachu. While the chances that these sketches are going to be for the game, as Pikachu’s design is considerably different here than its in-game model, it’s still fun to look at! These are more likely sketches for the 20th anniversary.

Wall of images

Take a look at the wall to the right of this frame– it’s obvious that these images are potential locations and interiors that we could see come the release of Sun and Moon.

Some of the images are obscured, but we can clearly see what looks to be a Pokémon Center and its features at the very top, right, and bottom.

Towards the middle, there are a few images of a warm brown interior that looks to be like a café. Not only would the colors suggest this, but the counter, and what appears to be a cash register, as well as the sign at the top (which looks like a coffee mug and chalkboard menu!), allude to this as well.

What’s interesting about these images, especially amongst the art of the Pokémon Center, is that on the left-most image of this supposed café, you can see a faint hint of red peeking through the right. This is quite obviously the counter at the Pokémon Center, which means this café would be an extension of it. How homey! Whether or not this would simply be an arbitrary place to stop by, or a place to purchase consumable HP items for your Pokémon, is yet to be determined.

It’s a little unclear what the images above the “café” represent; however, following the same logic of the café (and that same hint of red coming from the left of the first image), it’s fair to assume that whatever this feature is stands at the right of the Pokémon Center counter, opposite of the “café.”

Designing the logos

Here’s another image that doesn’t give too much information away, but we can see Ishihara himself designing the logos for Sun and Moon.

On the table with him are what appear to be silhouettes, potentially of new Pokémon? And, if you take a close look at right under the logo for Moon… it’s unclear, but that looks like it could be a Pokémon, as well.

Pokémon Center

Here we can see the exterior of the Pokémon Center, and its differences to the other Pokémon games is immediately apparent.

Taking on a rounder shape, the Pokémon Center appears to be a little smaller this time around. But, taking a look at the image to the left of this one, we can see that same structure that we’re guessing appears to the right of the counter– if this is the interior of the Pokémon Center, it really looks to be a lot more hospitable than in previous installments!

Vehicles

I think, despite what most people might initially expect, we can gather some of the most information out of this concept art for various vehicles. Vehicles have always been fairly sparse in the Pokémon games, though not nonexistent, but the fact that we’re seeing three different designs is pretty telling. While I doubt the game is going to take a specific emphasis on cars, it’s important to take into consideration the one Pokémon of this new generation (supposedly) that’s been announced: Magearna. As an obvious representation of the Industrial Revolution, these cars become much more significant.

Take a look at the bottom left, yellow, truck. While not red in color, this is obviously a fire truck. If the long, segmented body and sirens at the top don’t give that away, then the massive Blastoise riding in the back should. Additionally, sketches next to the truck indicate that the platform Blastoise is riding on can be lifted, which would allow greater access to fires at higher altitudes and is another feature on real-life fire trucks. The green car at the top also appears to be a pickup truck of some sorts, but when you take a look at the driver, he looks as if he may be wearing a farmer’s hat or construction helmet. Either way, his appearance alludes to a profession that involves a lot of physical labor, which is where the Machamp in the back becomes significant. And of course, the bottom vehicle, which is quite obviously a Mobile Pokémon Center, shouldn’t have to be explained. But the idea of a Pokémon Center being on the go has never been implemented in the series before, so to see this concept coming to fruition via truck is quite interesting.

These images alone give a lot of insight as to what the themes of the next generation might be. This could easily have something to do with the “new world” and Pokémon working together with advancing technology to further the world even more. The possibilities are endless, but it’s clear to me that there is going to be significant emphasis on this idea, and these vehicles are a great indication of that.

Also something to note: The driver’s side of the the vehicles in these games seem to be on the left, however the license plates appear to me longer and thinner, more similar to what you’d find in Europe over the United States. If the Pokémon team did its research, this could be telling of what region of the real world Sun and Moon are based off of.

Buildings

More buildings, yay!

While the main focus here is the large aquatic building, I want to focus too on the smaller thumbnails towards the left. The one to the very left shows a large, interconnected white building with a purple roof, and while its structure may be indicative of what the building’s purpose might be, its sign is the definitive answer. This is most likely some sort of inn or motel, though as far as high-class hotels go, this probably won’t fit the bill. We’ve seen higher-end hotels in the Pokémon universe before, so the idea that this may be on the lower-end of things could be significant.

The thumbnail to the right of that looks like it could be the interior of one of the rooms, though it’s hard to tell.

The largest image here, and the clear focal point, could be a number of things, but let’s take a closer look…

Aquatic building

At first glance, one might think that this is a Water-type Pokémon Gym, but the contextual clues would suggest otherwise.

While the fountain in the front does feature a Horsea, and we can clearly see silhouettes of Spheal, Staryu, and Chinchou (and Magikarp, Horsea, and Krabby, from the previous image), which are all Water-types, the sheer scale of the building itself would hint that this may not be a Pokémon Gym at all, but serve some sort of other purpose. My immediate thought was that this could be an aquarium– the building is elegant and grand; it could certainly accommodate many types of Water Pokémon, and it definitely gives off that vibe. But the girl standing outside with a bag of luggage would argue otherwise. Chances are, this is an extremely high-class, five-star hotel that’s meant for the best of the best. We can see that what’s meant to be the protagonist is talking to a civilian, who’s clearly meant to be a guest either checking in or out of the building, and her suitcase would absolutely give us reason to believe that she intends on staying more than just a few hours inside.

However, Pokémon Gyms have been known to serve dual-purposes in the past, so I wouldn’t rule that out by any means! The Poké Ball motif seen on this building as well is often seen on Pokémon Gyms, so I wouldn’t say that it’s impossible.

New Pokémon?

Here’s another interesting one!

While I’m sure many of you initially thought, like me, that (weirdly enough) this framework was a Fletchling in the making, taking a second look at the first frame of this clip would tell you otherwise. Pokémon is notorious for giving us a standard, common bird Pokémon for every generation, and while this Pokémon certainly has some Fletchling-like qualities, its uniquely pointed head and defined neck set it apart from the Kalos native.

And, if you need any more proof it’s something we’ve never seen before, take a look at this next image:

While the color scheme is similar, the patterning is very different on this new bird. This Pokémon has a white face, with the top of its head being orange and the back being black. Its body also appears to be entirely black with the exception of its white underbelly, with white, striped legs and and a white beak that’s tipped red. We have no idea what this little one could be, but the just the idea of new Pokémon is enough to get us excited!

What to walk away with after this Direct…

That’s all as far as any new information about Sun and Moon might go. Taking a look at the video frame by frame has certainly given us some important and interesting information regarding the upcoming games, and we can only be sure that as time moves forward, we’ll see more details come forth.

And please remember that all the ideas we went over here, as well as what was shown in the video, are early concept art. What appears in-game may end up drastically different, or not at all what we saw today. But looking at everything from the video gives us an interesting idea of what we can expect.

In the meantime, have a look at the official Sun and Moon page on Pokémon’s official website, and take in as much information as you can!

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