Pokémon Sword & Shield's Wild Area web app has been activated and players don't need to wait until the games are released to use it.
Pokémon Sword & Shield will be released this Friday and to put it kindly, the hype surrounding the games during the build-up to their release has been mixed. There was a time when gamers would feel nothing but joy and anticipation during the build to the release of new Pokémon games. The run-up to Sword and Shield has not felt that way.
The negativity started when Game Freak revealed Sword & Shield would not feature a full Pokédex. Trainers did not react well to that news and as the Pokémon which have not made the cut have been revealed, people have only gotten angrier. It's time to move past that now and start judging the games for what they actually are, and we can only do that by playing them.
There's one aspect of the game that players can actually give a whirl now — The Wild Area web app. The Wild Area is a new addition to the Pokémon series and sounds like it'll be the hub of Sword and Shield. Pay it a visit now by visiting its web app and if you can excuse it all being in Japanese, you can take a look around and interact with some of the creatures that await.
The app works similarly to Google Maps. Users need to use the arrows to explore or can drag the screen. Click on a Pokémon when you find it and an info screen will pop-up. Again, that info will be in Japanese, but some of them come with short clips that can be shared on social media, so it's not all bad for non-speaking Japanese trainers eager for an early taste of Sword & Shield.
The Wild Area app is available now and will be until December 31, 2019. It will allow trainers to familiarize themselves with the region even when they don't have their Switch and copy of Sword or Shield to hand. It'll also allow them to discover which Pokémon call the Wild Area home. A cool accompaniment to the games, and finally some good news for players still reeling over the limited Pokédex.