Pokémon Shield and Sword are headed to the Switch in November, rejoice! While many fans cannot wait to get their hands on the titles, others are a bit more apprehensive. While the pair of titles will be bringing many great updates to the series, they also seem to almost be taking models from N64 games, so there certainly is some cause for concern. There are just a few things that should have been fixed with the leap to the Switch.
That’s why we have 10 improvements Shield and Sword need to make before release. Let’s be clear though, overworking developers is never ever the answer to a situation like this. Ever. Fans certainly do not mind waiting for a few extra months if it means getting the best game possible while making sure developers are treated properly.
10 Include All Pokémon
Yeah yeah, it’s the big boy problem that everyone has with these titles. While it seems like this isn’t going to be fixed since Masuda recently doubled-down on the decision, it is still a necessary fix that all Pokémon should be included in Sword and Shield.
The 3D models used since X and Y were supposedly made to be future-proofed, so why isn’t: Everyone Is Here? Smash did it, come on. Let’s just hope that more Pokémon are included through updates. Hopefully, we do get a nice variety at launch. Honestly, if it was just the entire Kanto dex and new Pokémon no one would be surprised.
9 That Turning Animation
It’s 2019 and in the Pokémon Universe, you aren’t allowed to turn and move at the same time. No, in their world, you stop everything, and turn, and then resume. Really? Look, obviously everything looks better on the Switch, but there’s no reason that turning has to look this bad, it’s distracting.
The Pokémon games have been in 3D since 2013, so there’s no excuse to why something like this is still an issue for the developers. Somehow, the player character seems to be the only humanoid creature living within the Universe that has broken this curse. Bow to them.
8 Battle Animations
So, you needed to get rid of some of the Pokémon in order to fix things such as the battle animations? Alright, do it then. Pokémon Battle Revolution on the Wii has better animations than some of this nonsense.
As seen from the Treehouse Pokémon segment, we’re still in store to get the same tired animations without any movement from the Pokémon whatsoever. It’s a shame, really. It seems like the problems continue to mount with the more we see of this game.
7 Following Pokémon
Let’s Go! actually did something better than the rest of the main series titles? Shock. In those games, following Pokémon - one of the most highly requested features by many fans - was back. Sure, while it looked like you were running for your life from Kadabra and a few others, the feature still rocked!
Unfortunately, it looks like the feature was removed in order to put more development time into LARGE BOIS. What a shame.
6 Pop-In
While it is great that overworld encounters are still present in Sword and Shield, the fact that those models just, appear from the ground is not so great.
Sure, sometimes we all materialize out of the ground when we have places that we need to be, but we don’t need that featured in our video games too. Makes it too real, ya know?
5 Model Textures
The Tree. The One Tree. This man looks like he is straight out of the N64, with many fans comparing it to Ocarina of Time. Seriously? Look, the fact that we fist bump our Pokémon at points is great, but that doesn’t mean that trees get to just slack off now.
Sure, it isn’t detrimental to the game’s quality, but still. It would be a quick and easy fix to just bump the texture resolution up a bit. Your 240p days are over.
4 Include Z-Moves
On the topic of 240p, can we have Z-Moves back, please? While Megas got a second wind in Alola, Z-Moves were gone just as soon as they showed up.
I guess there just isn’t room for them anymore on the cartridge with the introduction of the previously mentioned LARGE BOIS. They’re just far too big.
3 Include Mega Evolutions
On the topic of LARGE BOIS swallowing any and all other battle gimmicks ever introduced… Megas! These guys could easily come back too. Even if it is only as a postgame option, having Megas back would be a great feature for fans to have access to.
Although, with their removal from the games, that pipedream we had of visiting Kalos again seems to be all but gone now. I mean it was from the beginning, but still.
2 Model Animations
Wingull literally just floats in the overworld. Hm? No wings were flapped in the making of Sword and Shield. It’s actually kind of shocking that this little attention to detail was paid. Besides, no one is actually going to go all-out in an encounter against Wingull since it’s Wingull, so you’re just going to continue to see it floating there for longer than you normally would.
Like it was previously mentioned, it’s great that overworld encounters are coming back, that is a wonderful improvement to the series. However, if you’re going to bring them back, do it with care.
1 Hand-Holding Decrease
This one is a bit different from the rest of the list because it isn’t completely confirmed yet. However, with the state of the Pokémon Company being what it is, it’s highly likely that these games will be incredibly hand-holdy.
Considering the Let’s Go! games were created specifically to be more accessible, it would be nice if Sword and Shield at least had an option to turn tutorials down, or off completely. So, while we aren’t sure yet, let’s hope that this is an option that is built into Sword and Shield for more advanced players.