Pokemon Sword and Shield for Nintendo Switch

Earlier this June, Nintendo revealed a Pokemon Direct highlighting the upcoming Gen VIII titles for the Switch. Pokemon Sword and Shield, due for release later this year, feature new Pokemon in an all new region – Galar. The Nintendo Direct showcased a first look at the game. At E3, however, Nintendo Treehouse featured the first live gameplay for the title.

Pokemon Sword and Shield marks the mainline series’ debut in HD. While Pokemon Let’s Go was a remake of the Gen I titles, Red and Blue, this will be the first title to move the series forward after Sun and Moon. And as a result, Sword and Shield is also the first mainline home console Pokemon title in history.

New Pokemon, New Region

Several of the characters featured in Galar were showcased in the trailer and the Treehouse presentation. Among these include Sonia, the professor’s daughter, and Nessa, the Water-type Gym Leader. Both of them become the subject of much adoration in the Pokemon community.

In addition, many of the Pokemon have already captured the hearts of players. Nintendo began trending #ScorbunnySquad, #SobbleSquad, and #GrookeyGang. Sobble is particularly popular for being anxious and crying. Similarly, the Sheep Pokemon, Wooloo, has also become somewhat of a mascot to players already due to its anti-confrontational nature.

In Pokemon Sword and Shield, you can now encounter Pokemon in the field. As opposed to only having random encounters, engaging a visible Pokemon will allow you to battle them similarly to Pokemon Let’s Go. In addition, if an exclamation point appears in the grass, a random Pokemon will attack. This was to meld the two types of encounters together into one game.

The Bike returns in Pokemon Sword and Shield. In addition, the ride Pokemon may return. The Pokemon Corviknight is stated to function as a taxi in Galar.

Corviknight is said to be the strongest Pokémon living in the skies of the Galar region. Corviknight possess superb flying skills and high intelligence. Because of this, many work for the company called Galar Taxi, helping transport people from town to town.#PokemonSwordShield pic.twitter.com/p3Q3iARMLg — Pokémon (@Pokemon) June 5, 2019

Dynamax and Raid Battles

New to the series is the Dynamax feature. Using Dynamax, this allows one Pokemon on your team to grow to a gargantuan size. This will become an important element for the Gym Leader Battles in Galar.

In addition, you will be able to participate in Raid Battles. These fights take place against gargantuan Pokemon in the wild. Teaming up with up to four players, you can all battle against this colossal foe. Linking up with friends locally or online, the four of you can participate simultaneously in battle. Furthermore, one Pokemon on the team can also utilize Dynamax to combat this foe.

National Dex Remains to be Seen.

During the Nintendo Treehouse presentation, Pokemon Director Junichi Masuda revealed that there would be no National Dex. Despite being a tradition in the Pokemon series to carryover Pokemon from past titles, you will only be able to catch Pokemon featured in the game itself.

Around the 27:30 mark you can hear Masuda (and his translator) remark on the lack of a National Dex. This comment became the subject of extreme backlash by the Pokemon fanbase. The video above has now received over 2/3 dislikes as a result. Consequently, many fans have made negative comments on the video as well.

In addition, Pokemon fans took to Twitter. The fans addressed the National Dex with the trending tag #BringBackNationalDex. This began trending on June 12th, the day of the E3 Nintendo Treehouse Presentation.

Nintendo has yet to comment on the lack of National Dex. Despite the recent announcement of Pokemon HOME, we have yet to see how this will affect Pokemon Sword and Shield in the coming months.

Wrap-up.

Pokemon Sword and Shield is set to release on November 15, 2019 exclusively for Nintendo Switch. Fans can also catch the Pokemon Sword and Shield Double Pack, featuring both games.

Thank you for reading our coverage on Pokemon Sword and Shield. Do you have a favorite new Pokemon yet? Let us know in the comments below!