Pokémon Sword and Shield are the next entries in the Pokémon franchise. With such a big series getting such a big release, there is a lot of buzz surrounding these games. Players will get to explore a new region with new Pokémon, and with the enhanced power of the Nintendo Switch to boot.
Like every Pokémon game, Sword and Shield have a lot of features and details that have us ready to play the games. However, there has been some other information that has us disappointed. Here are 5 reasons we're excited for Pokémon Sword and Shield and 5 why we're not.
10 EXCITED- NEW Pokémon
The total number of new Pokémon revealed is quite small, but we already like what we've seen. Whether it be the adorable Wooloo or the impressively dark Corviknight, Game Freak has shown that it's far from out of ideas when it comes to new Pokémon designs.
Even the starters have their own sort of charm, and here's to hoping that their final evolutions look just as cool as their base forms. With so few Pokémon revealed, Game Freak has already set the bar fairly high for the rest of the Galar Pokedex. Either way, we're excited to see what the new creatures are.
9 NOT EXCITED- NOT ALL Pokémon
If you've been on social media, then you probably know that Pokémon Sword and Shield aren't going to have all the Pokemon. This goes beyond making them available; some Pokémon won't even be coded into the game, making it impossible to transfer certain ones from previous games.
If it can't be caught in Sword and Shield, then it can't be transferred to them either. With many of us having boxes full of rare Pokémon as well as those we've battled with since Ruby and Sapphire, it's disappointing to know that only a fraction of them will be able to travel to Galar with us.
8 EXCITED- WILD AREA
An open-world Pokémon game seems like an ambitious project that will never come to fruition. However, Game Freak managed to incorporate something like that while ensuring that the core experience is still intact. Sword and Shield feature the Wild Area, which is a massive place in which players can catch all kinds of Pokémon.
Not only is the camera controllable in this area, but there are so many things to discover. It has a weather system that affects which Pokemon show up and is littered with other objectives for players to explore. It looks like a place where we'll sink in a lot of hours.
7 NOT EXCITED- POOR TEXTURES
The graphics in Pokémon Sword and Shield have been contentious for the past few weeks. While the landscapes and environments look fantastic, some of the smaller details have left a lot to be desired.
The bottom line is that the texture work in the games isn't as good as other titles on the Nintendo Switch. You've probably seen the photo of the tree in the Wild Area that looks like something akin to what you'd find on the N64. Poor textures don't ruin a game by any means, but it's bound to bother those who are attuned to it.
6 EXCITED- DYNAMAX
Each new generation of Pokémon introduces some new feature that goes to define it. For Sword and Shield, that feature is Dynamax. Any Pokémon can be grown to gargantuan proportions where they'll fight in a Godzilla-style brawl. Dynamax also extends to wild Pokémon. Trainers can team up to fight Dynamax Pokémon in what are called Max Raids.
With this mechanic being available for all Pokémon, it also adds an extra layer of strategy that trainers will constantly need to consider when building their teams for competitive play. Time will tell how effective Dynamax is for the games, but we're on board from what we've seen.
5 NOT EXCITED- NO MEGA EVOLUTION OR Z MOVES
While Dynamax does look quite nice, it seems to come at the expense of other special battle mechanics. Mega Evolution, introduced in Gen VI, which gave certain Pokémon new forms, is now out. Likewise, Z Moves, introduced in Gen VII, are gone before they got a chance to truly shine.
This was likely done to make battles simpler. After all, managing Dynamax, Mega Evolution, and Z Moves all in a single battle could be too much for some players to handle. It could also totally wreck the balance. That said, we're sad to see these features go, as they were great parts of the franchise.
4 EXCITED- HD VISUALS
Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee were technically the first HD Pokemon games. However, those titles didn't take advantage of the Switch hardware anywhere near the level that Pokémon Sword and Shield do. There's no denying that Game Freak has translated its world quite well onto HD hardware.
The visuals look great, the Pokémon are nice and smooth. These graphics help to sell the United Kingdom influence that the games seem to be striving to replicate. The small towns feel quaint where the big locations feel massive. There's a sense of scale with these games thanks to the leap to HD.
3 NOT EXCITED- FRIENDLY RIVAL
Since the days of Pokémon Red and Blue and Pokémon Gold and Silver, the franchise hasn't brought back a jerk rival. It feels so satisfying to battle a mean trainer and quickly put their arrogant minds in place. It's not nearly as fulfilling to be paired up with a friendly trainer only to routinely fight them throughout the game.
Many of the rivals past Gen II have felt weak and forgettable compared to Blue and Silver. While Hop does have a tie to the lore being the younger brother of the Galar Champion, but that doesn't seem to change his personality in any meaningful way.
2 EXCITED- OPTIONAL RANDOM ENCOUNTERS
When Pokémon Sword and Shield were first revealed, it seemed that the overworld encounters of Pokémon Let's Go were gone. However, Game Freak later revealed that wasn't the case at all. Encounters in Sword and Shield are a blend of both approaches. Pokemon do roam in the wild, letting players choose which ones they battle. However, there are also certain grass patches that will give players the option of a random encounter.
Having no random encounters as a system alleviates prior complaints with the series, such as getting stuck in a cave with only Zubat and Geodude for the entire trip.
1 NOT EXCITED- PARTNER POKEMON NO MORE
One of the most requested features in the Pokémon series is partner Pokémon. It was established in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver and brought back in Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee where Pokémon could follow you in the overworld. Unfortunately, that feature doesn't seem to be returning in Sword and Shield. It's possible that it could still return, but we're not holding our breath.
The worst part is that the game is more than capable of loading Pokémon in the overworld. They're also all programmed with walking animations, meaning there'd be no technical reason why partner Pokémon couldn't be implemented in the game.