Ah, November. The month of turkey, elections and the cold realization that finals are in a month. But in between the voting and eating, we do get a nice little treat courtesy of Nintendo. In celebration of Pokémon’s 20year anniversary, this November sees the release of Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon, marking the seventh generation of Pokémon video games. I personally am extremely excited for these games and I know I’m not the only one. With that being said, to celebrate the upcoming release of the games, here are 20 reasons why you should be excited for the release of Pokémon Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon.

1. It’s too cold for Pokémon Go

Since its release in July, Pokémon Go has taken the globe by storm. Although its popularity has declined in the last month or so, die-hard Pokémon fans as well as fans of the app in general still enjoy playing. However, with the temperature falling, a lot of people probably don’t wanna be going outside to catch Pikachu and Magikarp. That being said, if you want to keep the child in you alive, then Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon will do just the thing.

2. New Region

Nintendo has always been known for giving us unique and colorful regions in each new Pokémon game. Each region thus far has been based on a real life location. The new region in Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon is called Alola, which is based on Hawaii. Alola consists of five islands, four natural and one artificial. Each of the four main islands are protected by a tapu, a Pokémon that acts as that island’s guardian deity and is also led by a kahuna, an individual who acts as the island’s leader. Alola is surrounded by the sea and has a diverse mix of Pokémon that are both native to the region and come from different areas of the world. The relationship between Pokémon and humans is incredibly close and has resulted in a culture noticeably different from other regions.

3. Island Challenge

One of the primary criticisms of the main series Pokémon games is that they mostly adhered to the same basic formula. You choose a starter Pokémon, win some Gym battles, fight an evil team, and then become champion. In Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon, however, Nintendo tweaked their formula and created something called the Island Challenge. On each of the four islands, you the player will have to complete a challenge unique to each island. Towards the end, you will have to face a Totem Pokémon which are much larger and stronger than other Pokémon of their species. These Totem Pokémon are surrounded by a unique aura and have the ability to call on weaker Pokémon to assist them. After defeating the Totem, the player must then defeat the Trial Captains, trainers similar to Gym leaders who specialize in a certain type. Currently it is unknown what you will earn for completing the Island Challenge but with the Alolan Pokémon League currently under construction, who knows what we will get!

4. Awesome Starters

Like with its predecessors, Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon starts off with the player character receiving a starter Pokémon, which were revealed to us in May. These are the Grass/Flying-type Rowlet, the Fire-type Litten, and the Water-type Popplio. Each of these starters have a unique design and recently their final forms were revealed to us, each having a unique dual typing that defied expectations; the Grass/Ghost Decidueye, the Fire/Dark Incineroar, and the Water/Fairy Primarina. Like their pre-evolutions, each of the final evolutions of the starters have a unique backstory, design, and have a real-life inspiration.

5. Z-Moves

In Alola, if a trainer and their Pokémon have formed a strong enough bond, then they can unlock a unique move known as a Z-Move. In order to do so, the trainer must wear a Z-Ring while the Pokémon must be holding a Z-Crystal. Currently there are two kinds of Z-Moves; one kind are generic Z-Moves that are available to each of the 18 types and a second kind that consists of Z-Moves unique to certain Pokémon. Pokémon with exclusive Z-Moves include Pikachu, Eevee, and Snorlax. Z-Moves are incredibly powerful and you can only use a Z-Move once per battle. Z-Moves were created to emphasize the stronger and more unique bond between the Pokémon and trainers of Alola.

6. New Pokémon

Another major criticism about recent Pokémon games is that the designs of certain Pokémon just aren’t as unique as they supposedly once were. In some cases this may be true (I dunno whose idea it was to make a Pokémon based off a ring of keys. but compared to some of the older designs some of the new ones are much more improved. Generation 7 is no different. These include the Jangmo-o line, a group of Dragon-types, Wishiwashi, a Water-type with the ability to combine with other Wishiwashi to create a powerful School Form, and my personal favorite Mimikyu, but we’ll get to him later. There’s even a line of Pokémon that bear a striking resemblance to a certain Republican presidential candidate, but that’s just a coincidence… I think.

7. Alolan Forms

In Alola, Pokémon from the Kanto region have apparently adapted to the unique and very different climate from which they came from. As a result, they’ve developed new forms that result in different appearances and different typings. This includes the now Grass/Dragon Exeggutor, the Ice/Fairy Vulpix and Ninetails, and the Poison/Dark Grimer and Muk. Alolan forms are meant to provide old-school players with a feeling of familiarity and nostalgia when playing while at the same not burdening new players with old Pokémon that they may not want to use in favor of the new ones.

8. Rotom Pokedex

Anyone who has played Pokémon from Generation 4 onwards knows all about the sneaky little Electric/Ghost Pokémon known as Rotom. This little guy liked to cause all kinds of problems and also had the unique ability to possess appliances, such as a fan, an oven, and a lawn mower. In Alola, Rotom has taken the pleasure of possessing your Pokedex and with it can now communicate directly with you. In this form, it identifies and categorizes Pokémon you have captured, includes a map of the region, and reminds the player when they have an upcoming goal. This new innovation adds a new layer to the idea of trainer and Pokémon growing closer, an idea that has been central to Pokémon for so long.

9. Ash-Greninja

Fans of the Pokémon anime know that in the recent XY/XY&Z that the protagonist Ash received a Froakie in the second episode of the series which eventually evolved into a Greninja. The incredibly close bond between Ash and Greninja allowed Greninja to gain a new form known as Ash-Greninja. According to legend, this form has only ever occurred once before, several centuries ago. In the Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon demo, you receive a Greninja with the ability Battle Bond, which allows Greninja to briefly transform into Ash-Greninja after defeating an enemy. In this new form, he gains a noticeable stat boost. Once you complete the demo you can transfer Greninja to your copy of Sun or Moon. I’ve played through the demo and used him and trust me when I say that he is incredibly powerful and fun to use.

10. New Competitive Rules

Fans of competitive Pokémon know how much fun playing in competitions can be. VGC (video game championships. adds a new dimension to the game and require more strategy and understanding of abilities and team synergy as well as promotes friendship and connection between players. Those that have competed in VGC in the last couple of years know that it has obtained a bit of a bad rep. These includes complaints about there being little variety in the Pokémon used, accusations of cheating, and the imbalance caused my Mega Evolution and legendaries. However, the Pokémon Company seems to have learned from the past and are resetting the formula for VGC. Mega Evolution is banned, Pokémon allowed is restricted only to those in the Alola regional Pokedex, and there will be tighter regulation of cheating. With all of these things, the upcoming VGC season is anticipated to be the most exciting year yet.

11. Friendly Competitions

Another new feature in online play is the ability to create your own tournaments. This allows for players to participate in tournaments outside of VGC and have much friendlier competitions without the need to feel pressured to do well. You get to face off with your friends while using new rules that you can come up with and enforce at will.

12. Red and Blue

Pokemon Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon will also have a new feature known as the Battle Tree, where players will get to have epic battles with strong trainers from previous generations. While battling alongside Cynthia from Generation 4 and Wally from Generation 3 is exciting, I think the ones we’re most excited for are Red and Blue, the player character and rival of Red and Blue, respectively. This will be the first time the two characters will have major roles since Gold and Silver and their appearance will no doubt excite a number of people.

13. Pokémon Bank

Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon also features the return of Pokémon Bank, a feature that allows you to transfer Pokémon from previous games. This will also include the ability to transfer Pokémon from Red, Blue, and Yellow which were all released on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console in February to celebrate the game’s 20^th anniversary.

14. Mimikyu!

Remember when I was talking about all the cool new Pokémon and I mentioned one that I was most excited for? That Pokémon is called Mimikyu, and of course I had to give it its own separate spot! Mimikyu is a Ghost/Fairy Pokémon who hates sunlight and so it must live under a cloth. Legend has it that if you look under Mimikyu’s cloth and look at its true form then you will be struck with a mysterious illness. Because if this, Mimikyu is often avoided. Seeing how popular Pikachu is, Mimikyu wears a cloth that resembles the Electric Mouse in hope that people will love it the same way. To me, Mimikyu represents the common human fear that our true appearance is never enough for people and that we must change it to appease others. When I first heard Mimikyu’s backstory I was in tears and I wanted one so badly. You try hearing Mimikyu’s Rap and not break down in tears. I dare you.

15. No more HMs

If you’ve played through the previous games, you know one of the most annoying features was having natural obstacles like trees and water keeping us form moving forward. In order to get past these things, we had to get HMs, or Hidden Machines, and then teach them to certain Pokémon. HMs are moves that can be used outside of battle in order to move forward in the game and it can’t be deleted by natural means like trying to teach a new move. Also, you needed to have a certain Gym badge I order to use a HM outside of battle. HMs never made much sense to me. Like why does my Pidgeot need to know Fly in order to fly me somewhere? It’s a freakin’ bird! But in Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon, we get Riding Pokémon. This feature was first introduced in Pokemon X&Y in which Pokémon can be temporarily borrowed to allow the player to overcome natural obstacles. This eliminates the need for HMs as well as the need to have the dreaded HM slave on your team

16. Aether Foundation and Team Skull

Not much is known about either the Aether Foundation or Team Skull. The Aether Foundation is a research group responsible for the construction of the artificial fifth Alolan island. Here they care for abandoned Pokémon and do research on Ultra Beasts (we’ll get to them in a bit. . Beyond this we don’t know much about their true motives. Team Skull is the new enemy team that appears to be hellbent on… well I don’t actually know. As far as we know they are only trying to cause trouble. Nintendo has been keeping information about both groups pretty close to the vest and for good reason. If we learn too much, then encountering them in the game will be anticlimactic. Doing things this way allows us to be more excited for when we do face them and reach the game’s climax.

17. Ultra Beasts

Ultra Beasts are mysterious creatures that appear to be from another dimension and are wreaking havoc on Alola. The Aether Foundation is doing research on these beasts and why they are attacking the region. Right now there are three known Ultra Beasts each one with unique designs and abilities. There are all types of theories surrounding their origins and like Aether and Skull the mystery surrounding them makes it more exciting for when they appear.

18. Zygarde!

In the X&Y anime and video games, we are introduced to a mysterious Pokémon known as Zygarde. Zygarde is a mysterious Pokémon who has connections to the Legendary Pokémon Xerneas and Yveltal. In the anime, we learn that the Zydarde in reality is actually a small biological core. This core has the ability to merge with cells that are scattered across the world and in doing so can transform into three distinct forms; the dog-like 10% form; the serpent-like 50% form we meet in Pokemon X and Pokemon Y; and a colossal 100% form that looks like Obelisk from Yu-Gi-Oh. In Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon Dexio and Sina, the assistants of the professor from the Kalos games, are in the Alola region doing research on Zygarde. They give you a Zygarde Cube and ask you to travel around Alola collecting cores and cells. Once you collect enough, you will be able to unlock Zygarde’s various forms. I am really excited to try out these new forms, especially the dog form. This was a creative way to expand on the lore of a legendary that got little love compared to other legendaries.

19. Mega Evolutions

Mega Evolution was introduced in Pokemon X and Pokemon Y and was a unique ability in which certain Pokémon could temporarily Mega Evolve if they’re holding the respective Mega Stone and the trainer has a Key Stone. When a Pokémon Mega Evolves, its appearance changes, it gains a new ability, a noticeable stat boost, and in some cases new abilities. In Sun and Moon, Mega Evolution is possible because the Z-Ring functions in a way similar to the Key Stone. Mega Evolution was met with mixed responses when it was introduced. Those who were in favor of it thought it was a creative way to reintroduce old favorites into the story while at the same time keeping the formula for Pokémon fresh. Critics of Mega Evolution say that the transformation is pointless and causes an imbalance in the meta-game. They also say that certain Mega Evolutions are noticeably better and that this results in very little team diversity. I personally am indifferent to Mega Evolution. I like it and enjoy the fact that it will be in the new games, but I’m not particularly sad that I can’t use them in competitions. Well except Mega Venusaur. Gods I’m gonna miss him.

20. 20 years of fun

The way I see it, Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon isn’t just another chapter in the main series games, but rather it’s bringing together all the things that have made Pokémon the juggernaut that it’s been for the last 20 years. Sun and Moon is the result of Nintendo and Game Freak listening to its fans about what has and hasn’t worked in the last two decades and wanting to utilize this while at the same time not being afraid to take new risks. Sun and Moon represents everything great about Pokémon and all the things that we love about it.

So here it is. 20 reasons to be hyped for Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon. If after all this you still aren’t convinced, that’s fine. But know you’ll be missing out. I personally can’t wait to try out these new games. It’ll be a great distraction from all the serious stuff happening right now. After all, that’s one of the things that’s great about Pokémon. For just a little while, it provides us an escape from all the issues of the world.