So finally got to a point where they really started changing the story! Only took them until the moment before the Lusamine battle during the Aether Paradise raid.
Changes To Lusamine:
So Lusamine's goal has been changed... and this change has made her into an even worse character, both in personality and game role. In SM she had the excuse of mistreating Gladion and Lillie due to going UB crazy after Mohn's disappearance (and maybe somehow getting inflicted by Nihilego venom?). But here, she has none. Yes, she still is crazy, but it's not because she wants to be with the Ultra Beasts. Her goal is to capture Necrozma to prevent it from stealing the light of Alola (and the rest of the Pokemon World, seriously why is it just Alola's light the only concern here where the entire Pokemon World's light), even if Gladion says if its for selfish reasons he does also says she believes she's doing the right thing. So, if that's the case, why did she dress Lillie as Nihilego? Why does she not care she's sacrificing Cosmog's life? Why does she say Lillie and Gladion are no more deserving of her love? In SM this is because she cared only for being with the Ultra Beasts. She focused the obsession on her kids which is why she had them dress a certain way, when they ran away her already frail sanity saw it as an objection to her love via doting on them, and since she only cares about being with the Nihilego she doesn't care if Cosmog dies. Heck, her cryo-freezing Pokemon also doesn't make sense. At least, from how they changed the game.
The problem with USUM Lusamine is that they changed the payoff but didn't change the character. This Lusamine is still very much the Lusamine from SM, but where in SM we got the pay off of her going "s**** you all! I'm going to Ultra Space to be with my Nihilego!" in USUM he goals we made more noble yet she's still crazy, meaning it feels like she's bipolar (and that's not the intention). This also results in other payoffs from SM to not happen, mainly Gladion and Type: Null battling Nihilego. Gladion doing nothing after Lusamine tells him that she'll be perfectly fine going after Necrozma felt like a disappointing conclusion to his story arc, indeed all his and Type: Nulls struggles meant nothing in the end.
If this was where they wanted to go with Lusamine they had to change the story around a bit. For one, maybe have Lillie wearing clothing that's similar to Lusamine instead of looking like a Nihilego. You can keep the parts of her doting on Lillie and Gladion after their father's disappearance, but it's now from a fear of losing them instead of an obsession with Ultra Beasts (also I'd change her thinking of "everything would be better if kids listened to their parents" to "everything would be better if everyone listened to me", and they can have the reason for this belief being Lusamine warned Mohn about the dangers with the Ultra Wormholes but Mohn didn't listen... resulting him getting sucked into one). As for Cosmog, upon finding out about Alola's light being in danger and Cosmog is the key but it'll die if she uses it, she'll use the justification it's for the greater good/needs of the many outweigh needs of a few but she'll still feel terrible she had to kill an innocent Pokemon (which could be why she's dedicated to just catching Necrozma, she had to kill one Pokemon (as far as she knew) already and she wasn't going to kill another even if it's a danger to the world). Finally she wouldn't hate her kids, rather she'd have conflicting feelings of frustration (Lusamine is only doing what she believes she has to do) but also a sense of pride in them (despite her reasoning, both Gladion and Lillie ran away to save a Pokemon's life, the very reason the Aether Foundation was formed to do). I'd also get rid of the cyro room (instead replacing it with a stargate looking room) and after battling the player and opening the portal have a Nihilego fly out and attack her, Gladion then sending Type: Null out to save her, it evolving to Silvally to do so (aka similar to what they did in the anime). After her rescue and going into the portal she finally breaks down and telling Lillie and Gladion she's proud of them saying she will come back with their father but if she doesn't then the Aether Foundation is in their hands. Portal closes.
Slight Dialogue Changes:
There was also some other dialogue changes before and during the Aether Paradise raid I just want to mention.
First is what Plumeria says to Lillie, it's extended to Plumeria respecting Lillie for what she did even if they're now going to bring her and Cosmog back to her mother. I like this, it shows Plumeria is more than just a lackey and I'm curious how it'll change the scene at Poni Valley where in SM she gave her respect to Lillie. I'm also hoping this means they do plan on doing more with Plumeria.
Second is the reason Gladion battles the player upon finding out Lillie and Nebby have been taken. In SM it was because he was angry at the player and Hau for not doing what he asked them to do by protecting Cosmog. In USUM, it's because he needs to blow off some steam. Um, time and place. SM made sense, he was in a middle of a rage and wasn't thinking clearly, even saying so after the battle. In USUM, he doesn't blame the player and Hau so why are you wasting time with an unnecessary battle when Lillie and Nebby are in danger? The original scene also could be seen as Gladion misusing the power of Type: Null, using it as a tool to force his beliefs so that later when he uses it to battle the Nihilego it's the right thing as that's Type: Null's purpose (and next time we see them it has evolved into a Silvally, showing their friendship peaked probably due to that moment). In USUM there's no purpose, it's a battle for sake of a battle.
Finally one of my favorite scenes was, for lack of a better word, ruined. In SM, just before going to the Aether Mansion you get ambushed by Faba. Hau then asks if Faba has the keys to open the door, Faba says he does, and Hau then points out had Faba hid they would have had no way of proceeding, effectively making Faba look like a fool. In USUM, Faba ambushes them, but this time Hau's "burn" moment is pointing out that Faba confirmed that they were going the right way to the Aether Mansion. What? Not just a few seconds ago we had a cutscene where Wicke told the player, Gladion, and Hau to go to the mansion and Gladion knew where to go, Aether Paradise and the Mansion is his home (in Alola). SM made sense, it was something they needed Faba there for thus why he was an idiot for not hiding. But in USUM, if Faba wasn't there (and the door was open which looked like it was) nothing would change, they'd just proceed to battling Team Skull without battling Faba and a few Aether Employees.
Poseless Z-Crystals:
Speaking of Faba, sadly looks like so far only the Flying Z-Crystal had someone appear to teach the pose (and Pikachu Z-Crystal, sorta though that's the joke, you supposedly were shown the pose by a Pikachu). After beating Guzma I was kind of expecting Guzma to give you the Bug Z-Crystal out of a feeling of obligation, but instead you just get it the same way as you did before, out of the chest, and no one showing you the pose (they also changed the bonus scene of you sitting in Guzma's chair, it was still funny what happened but not as funny as in SM). Then when I got the Psychic Z-Crystal from the desert nothing either, I was kind of expecting Faba to show up. "Well it wouldn't make sense as you could get it during the Aether Raid". In that case block the Psychic Z-Crystal for at least until after the Aether Raid. Like have it behind a Machamp Push block, and when you get it Faba comes up, reveals that with Gladion taking over Aether Foundation he needs to start building a good appearance (though under his breath reveal he actually wanted to the Psychic Z-Crystal) so shows you the pose and tells you to tell Gladion how he helped you.
But my thoughts aside, yeah, it's beginning to look like the only reason Kahili showed you her pose was just so they could have a scene of her in the commercial to make you think she was playing a more active role in the game; trailers always lie (okay, being less pessimistic, adding her there I guess makes her appearance as an Elite Four member less random?).
Still Can't Go There:
Speaking of Kahili, that reminds me I still don't think you can go onto the golf course. Not only that, the Aether Mansion is still under lockdown (so you gave the smaller hotel an additional floor or miscellaneous stuff but left the Aether Mansion, a location we'd like to explore, still just 3 rooms?). AND I think they made the Lake of Moone/Sunne alter place bigger, like in the background there's additional paths yet you can't go there (also the ruins leading up to the alter has big doors lining the halls, don't remember if they were there in the original but still).
I remember a small complaint about the map reveal is that they didn't really add any new locations aside a few beaches. Now I pointed that there was still plenty of opportunities to add new locations via inside buildings or caves or previous locked off areas. Now we did get revealed a lot of this probably went into expanding Ultra Space, but still the above locations we have "access" to before then stand out. Like, isn't this suppose to be the ULTRA version of Sun & Moon? Then why aren't these previous unexplorable locations still unexplorable?
Something Funny:
To lighten the mood, how about something I found funny: all the Totem Stickers in Po Town. Especially the one which was actually 3 stacked on top of each other. And makes total sense why they were there and Ilima is an idiot: since the stickers were in public locations, Team Skull just took the ones they found and, not knowing what to do with them, plastered them all over Po Town to decorate the place.
Also Seafolk Village has many lying around... especially on boats... for a group of people who are known to not settle in one location and could leave at any time with their boat.
Ilima did you put any thought into these Totem Stickers locations?
