Today marks the fifth anniversary of Pokémon Sword/Shield. The eighth generation of Pokémon games, the first pair of mainline games brought to the Nintendo Switch, shows new things to come. It doesn’t feel like we’ve had a real generational shift in the land of Pokémon since Pokémon X and Y swapped Pokémon wiggling for 3D models. Finally, we could finally get out of the long grass and into an open area where we could see creatures that we could catch without counting on luck when a small towel catches us in the desert Throw the dice. Like any generation of Pokémon, there was a lot of hope, a lot of hype, but did the game live up to any of it? Let’s find out.
Pokémon Sword/Shield Benefits
While each new generation of Pokémon tries to put a unique spin on an established formula, generation 8 really feels like Game Freak’s chance to push the boat out. Even as a half-handheld, half-home console, the Switch has a lot more power than the 3DS, so in theory we could get a game that is an amazing evolution from the 7th generation. Throughout the rest of this article, we’ll discuss why that might not be the case, but for the most part, it’s clear that Pokémon Sword/Shield turned itself into a guinea pig for future games, showcasing what would be great, in the end. Beautiful Victreebels.
WildArea is obviously the development that has attracted the most attention from fans. A whole area where Pokémon of different levels can run up to you or fight them without going through long grass to find them. This is what people want when they check out Pokémon on Switch. A huge world where you can meet your favorite Pokémon as if you were playing the anime. We didn’t quite get that in Pokémon Sword and Shield, but the foundation was laid and the wild areas were still a lot of fun. Mixing and matching traditional rough-and-tumble gameplay with more open spaces offers the best of both worlds, and while the series has continued to sandbox attack, Generation 8 remains unique in its ability to combine past and future Pokémon.
Here’s a hint:
One thing I think a lot of people have been focusing on with the 8th generation is the overall design. As a Brit I may be biased, but Galar Region is very committed to the British aesthetic and feels far removed from sunny Alola in the best possible way. Yes, there may be too many factories or mines, but the experience of running around Pokémon Britain is refreshing and different. There are sweeping fields, lush forests, industrial centers, you name it, and the creatures you find among them are a wonderful reflection of this. Corviknight, Toxtricity, Clobbopus, Grimmsnarl, Eiskue, Dragapult. Of course, they’re not all knockoffs, and I could easily put a Blipbug in a water press, but overall, it’s easy to fill an entire team with Gen 8 Pokémon that I like. ‘play. Then throw in a zone format and random Pokémon evolved from another such as Sirfetch, and you’ll once again see Gen 8 come into its own, while strengthening the gold of the t – previous series.
The story of the game is also good. A bit basic, but every game except Gen 5 is guilty of this. Again, these games try something new and make the “evil” teams actually just weird football hooligans that aren’t as evil as they sound. This means we have room for worse evil later on, and while you might want a more evil team, keeping a 10-year-old back on company is a little tiring. whole Thanks to the expansion, we also get to see more stories in the same game for the first time. These seem to replace the mid-gen releases we got in the past, like Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, but they add a ton of content and creatures for a lower price. . Of course, old-school fans like me prefer mid-gen games because they feel more polished, but the DLC is an interesting step forward.
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Drawbacks of Pokémon Sword/Shield
There’s certainly a lot of good in these games, but there’s also a lot that fans don’t like. Personally, I find these to be my favorite Pokémon games since I’ve played them, and that’s largely due to the difficulty. Open world games are too easy to beat, and despite the fact that the target market here is children, there wasn’t a single event in Pokémon Sword / Shield that made me feel threatened. It doesn’t help that the gameplay isn’t linear or completely open-ended, so you’re pushed down corridors to beat everyone, then sent back to a wasteland where you can You can easily be ten steps ahead because there is a real step. Powerful Pokémon in your way. Since the main competitive story is also focused on combat, the whole game is made too easy to win, and despite some of the best combat soundtracks out there, it takes away from the fun existence, especially when you get into Dynamax battles.
Speaking of Dynamax battles, unfortunately, they were another test. Unlike Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves, which can happen anywhere, you can only Dynamax at specific locations in Pokémon Sword/Shield, usually in gym battles. This means you won’t see this mechanic very often, and when it does appear, it’s mostly a visual effect. Z moves, but is actually a bigger Pokémon. I’ve been begging Game Freak to return to Mega Evolutions for a long time, because even though they unfairly allow all creatures to have the same powers, they allow the coolest design changes, and they are one that could theoretically be changed. any regional equipment. Of course, this only creates more questions after dropping them as to why they only appear in certain places. Anyway, that’s not the point, because the point is that Dynamax is a big sight, but it’s just an interesting sight.
Controversial point is probably one of the biggest disappointments for me, but I really don’t mind beginners. The basic changes are pretty cute, as they should be, but in the end Cinderace, Inteleon, and Rillaboom all look like people wearing fur. This has been a growing trend for some time, and I wouldn’t say it didn’t continue for much of gen 9, but at least those starters had flair and style, and with gen 8, they look more like creatures you would find on fan design sites or knockoff games. Gen 8 was the only time I considered getting rid of my launcher because they didn’t even have a special Gigantamax form when the game launched, which made them feel even more necessary to use. Even Leon, the greatest trainer in Galar, uses Charizard instead of any of these monsters.
All in all, Pokémon Sword/Shield may not have been the big leap Game Freak had hoped for, but they were a stepping stone that led to Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Scarlet/Violet, games that ‘may not be perfect either, but certainly serves the purpose of this open world Time shows a brighter future for Pokémon.
