Those games, released in November, feature just 302 Pokémon (the final two, Magearna and Marshadow, only being available through special distribution events). However, long-time fans know a full Pokédex – the in-game catalogue of Pokémon – adds up to 802 elementally-powered beasts.
That meant a whopping 500 Pokémon from earlier games were largely unavailable in the latest editions. Yes, some of the earlier creatures could be caught in Sun and Moon using the Island Scan feature, but that was randomised. Besides, anyone who spent years building their digital zoo would want their Pokémon in their collection.
If your squad is on an even older game – Pokémon Black, White, Black 2 or White 2, or the Virtual Console versions of the original Pokémon Red, Blue, or Yellow – you’re not locked out of moving your collection over. The Poké Transporter feature has been updated, allowing you to move Pokémon from classic titles over to Pokémon Bank. This is a one-way trip, though.
The update brings an expanded National Pokédex, which pools information about Pokémon registered in each game connected to Pokémon Bank. It also adds a new feature; Adventure Records. This “allow[s] players to look back on their adventures in the Pokémon series”, presenting a data-driven breakdown of their gaming time, including the number of Pokémon encountered, battled, and caught. The records are generated by scanning the saved data from each game linked to Bank.
There are other incentives, too. Anyone who uses the newly updated Pokémon Bank between now and October 2 will get a Mewnium Z crystal. When held by the legendary Pokémon Mew, it upgrades its ‘Psychic’ move to ‘Genesis Supernova’. Unlike the Z crystals found in Sun and Moon, Mew’s gem can only be acquired through Bank.
Depositing Pokémon into Pokémon Bank also earns you Poké Miles, which in turn become Battle Points in Sun and Moon and can be exchanged for items. The number of Poké Miles is determined by the number of Pokémon deposited and how long they are deposited for. The Pokémon Company says “this means players who have already got many Pokémon deposited in their Pokémon Bank accounts from previous games may find themselves getting a great number of Poké Miles!”
Although Pokémon Bank is a paid subscription service, it’s a pretty cheap one – £4.49 per year at time of writing. It also stores up to 3,000 Pokémon, so for the more hardcore players who look into battling and breeding the perfect Pokémon, having some overflow space will be welcome.
