Pokémon Sun and Moon demo hides more secrets if you keep playing

We’ve seen much of what Pokémon Sun and Moon have to offer ahead of their November launch, thanks to the day-one datamining of its demo. That’s a definite disappointment for some Pokémon fans who have tried hard to stay in the dark about the full Pokédex, fate of some much maligned moves and other features. But as others are sharing on YouTube and Reddit, returning to the demo day after day turns up its own set of secrets.

Talking to the folks around the demo’s main area results in some curious dialogue, which has pointed players toward a seeming calendar of events. YouTuber FeintAttacks has a list of them, providing dates on which Pokémon fans should dip back into the demo to reap the rewards.

That is, assuming there are rewards to reap. Players can grab 10 pretty wing items if they stop by the Pokémon Center one day after starting up the demo. Talking to the Pikachu owner in the city hall area 12 days after starting the demo (Oct. 30, if you started the day it hit Nintendo 3DS eShop) nets players the balm mushroom item. Visiting the somber woman inside the ferry terminal 24 days later gets them a comet shard.

Other townsfolk just change up their small talk from day-to-day. The self-proclaimed “mysterious old man,” found at the fringes of the city, says something new and bizarre every time a player sees him, which makes for an intriguing replay incentive. Reaching out to the store manager returns a not-so-ambiguous message promising goodies “in a month” — a.k.a. Nov. 18, a.k.a. Pokémon Sun and Moon’s release date.

Checking in with the demo every Friday and Sunday results in a cool cameo from two of the games’ major stars: Lillie and Hau, respectively. Lillie, Professor Kukui’s shy assistant, is especially perplexing — the player has the most brief of conversations with her when running into her on Fridays, but it’s a revealing character moment all the same.

Players can grab something to eat on Sunday nights with Hau, the more talkative of the two potential rivals. If you’re eager to build up a relationship with these characters now, before the games arrive, these opportunities are a good way of doing it — just keep in mind that nothing beyond the item rewards carries over to the full games.

There’s plenty of giveaways in the first playthrough, so some may be content to stop after receiving their Ash-colored Greninja. (Slightly less obvious are the items players can obtain around Ten Carat Hill, the demo’s main area, including a star piece for defeating all of its trainers and a nugget for completing the Pokémon catching challenge.) But it’s nice to become acquainted with the wider cast of characters the Alola region has to offer — and pick up a couple extra items, too.