Pokémon Sun and Moon – QR Codes

Although most people seem ready to leave QR codes in the past, Nintendo is bringing them into almost all their new titles with vigor; I want to say that Nintendo is single handily keeping QR codes relevant, and I’m pretty ok with that! Although I’m not a huge fan of what QR will give you in the game, I’m a big fan of what happens after collecting 10!

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Let’s Fill out the Pokédex!

The QR codes – such as the one for Pikachu above – can be found all over the internet, and numerous sites are creating photo galleries for all the available QR codes in the game. When scanned, these codes will provide you the Pokedex information for that Pokémon, which aside from providing the basic information for that Pokémon, will also show you were in Alola you might be able to find one.

I’m not a huge fan of this as it takes away the element of surprise, and to an extent, the joy of finally running across that Pokémon you always wanted. It almost feels like a cheat, but a cheat that will reward you handsomely.

Scan That Island!

Once you have inputted 10 QR codes into Pokémon Sun or Moon – after scanning 10 codes in a given day, you can only scan once every two hours after that – you will be given the option to do an Island Scan. Depending on the day, a specific Pokémon will spawn on the island that you scan. Therefore, once you have unlocked every island, you should have the option to catch 1 of 4 rare and otherwise unobtainable Pokémon for each day of the week.

Before doing an Island Scan, it is wise to save your game, that way you can go around and scan on every island to see what Pokémon you can get on that day. For the most part, doing the Island scan is something you will want to do later in the game, or once you have completely unlocked all the areas of a particular island.

After doing the Island Scan and seeing which Pokémon you might be able to catch, you are given one hour to find it in the tall grass or in a cave. The Pokémon will only be available in a certain area of the game, hence why it is important to make sure an entire Island is unlocked. Yesterday (Monday), I did a scan on the first Island after completing the Island Trial and unlocking the ride-on Tauros. When doing an Isalnd Scan, I found Totodile, the lovely water starter Pokémon from Generation 2.

After only a few minutes wandering around Seaward Cave, I was able to find the Totodile and catch it. Getting this Pokémon, and a Chikorita as well, can be done early in the game.

QR Codes – The Pros and the Cons

There is a lot to like about the ability to do an Island Scan. Getting some of these rare and otherwise impossible to get Pokémon – outside of transferring via the Pokebank – is pretty awesome, but I don’t like the idea of having my Pokedex filled in because I scanned a few codes. I suppose I could just not look, but the temptation will always be there.

While it feels a bit like a cheat, I’m glad it is in the game. Having a Totodile early on has been fantastic!