Pokémon Sword and Shield

Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield are two exciting role-playing video games from 2019. They were developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch console. These games are the first in the 8th generation of the Pokémon video game series and were released on November 15, 2019.

Players take on the role of a young Pokémon Trainer who starts an adventure in the Galar Region. Along with a friend named Hop, they work toward becoming the Galar League Champion by facing challenges at different Gyms. The games introduced a new feature called Dynamax, which lets Pokémon grow very large and use super strong attacks in battles.

When the games were announced, some fans were upset because many older Pokémon could not be used in these new games. This was called “Dexit” by fans. Despite this, the games were praised for their gameplay and new ideas, and they have sold over 27 million copies worldwide. They even won awards at the SXSW Gaming Awards and Famitsu Dengeki Game Awards in 2019.

Gameplay

See also: Gameplay of Pokémon

Pokémon Sword and Shield are adventure games where players control a young Pokémon trainer. The goal is to catch and train Pokémon, and win battles against other trainers. By winning battles, the player’s Pokémon gain experience, level up, and can learn new moves. Players can catch wild Pokémon by weakening them in battle and using Poké Balls. They can also battle and trade with other players online.

The games are set in the Galar Region, inspired by the United Kingdom. Players travel through cities and towns, facing Gym Leaders who specialize in different types of Pokémon. Beating each Gym Leader earns a badge. After collecting all eight badges, players can challenge the Champion Cup tournament and face the Galar League Champion, Leon.

See also: List of generation VIII Pokémon

The games introduce new features like Dynamax and Gigantamax, which let Pokémon grow giant during battles and use special powerful moves. Players can team up in raids to battle huge wild Pokémon and try to catch them. The Wild Area is an open space where Pokémon appear based on the weather, and players can find items and battle others there. Players can also set up camps with their Pokémon, cook curry to boost their Pokémon’s stats, and complete special tasks to help their Pokémon gain experience.

Internet connectivity lets players trade, battle, and meet others in the Wild Area, but this needs a paid subscription to Nintendo Switch Online. The games work with Pokémon Home, a service to store Pokémon online. Players can bring Pokémon from older games into Sword and Shield using this service. If a player has saved data from Let's Go, Pikachu! or Let's Go, Eevee!, they will receive a special Pikachu or Eevee that can Gigantamax as a gift.

Plot

Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield take place in the Galar Region, a land inspired by the United Kingdom. This region has towns with old-style houses and buildings, and some areas look like football stadiums. There are also snowy mountains in the north.

In the story, you play as a trainer traveling through Galar to become the best Pokémon Trainer. You fight eight strong trainers called Gym Leaders and finally face the Galar League Champion, Leon. Leon is the older brother of your friend Hop. At the start, you and Hop get a choice of three special Pokémon from Leon. As you journey, you meet other trainers like Bede and Marnie, and a group called Team Yell who try to stop you.

You help a researcher named Sonia learn about two special Legendary Pokémon that once saved Galar. After winning against the Gym Leaders, you reach the final challenge to face Leon. But before this battle, a man named Rose tries to use the power of another Legendary Pokémon, Eternatus, to change the whole region. With the help of two other Legendary Pokémon, Zacian and Zamazenta, you stop Rose and Eternatus. Soon after, you defeat Leon and become the new Galar League Champion. Later, you and Hop also help stop two brothers who want to cause trouble with Zacian and Zamazenta.

Development

The idea for Pokémon Sword and Shield started right after the release of Pokémon Sun and Moon in November 2016. The team, led by Shigeru Ohmori, wanted to make use of the Nintendo Switch’s better graphics and screen size. They thought of making huge Pokémon and having a sword and shield Pokémon to fight them, which gave the games their names.

Development officially started in September 2017, with about 1,000 people working on it. The games focus on the theme of strength and becoming powerful, matching the Switch’s status as a strong console. The games include a special feature called Dynamax and draw inspiration from British folklore with giants and mythical creatures. The team redesigned how players find Pokémon, making them appear freely in the world instead of random encounters. They also created a large open area called the Wild Area, where things change daily. The music includes UK rock styles, and these are the first Pokémon games with a title theme that has lyrics.

Release and marketing

Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield were first shown during Nintendo's E3 2017 presentation by The Pokémon Company president Tsunekazu Ishihara. He mentioned that Game Freak was working on new Pokémon games for the Nintendo Switch, but they would not come out for more than a year. Later, in May 2018, Game Freak said the games would be released in late 2019. They were fully shown in a Nintendo Direct on February 27, 2019, where people learned about the game's region and starter Pokémon. This happened on Pokémon Day, celebrating the release of Pokémon Red and Green in Japan.

More details about the games were shared in another Nintendo Direct on June 5, 2019, including new features, characters, and Pokémon. The games finally came out on November 15, 2019. To keep the excitement high, Game Freak did not show many new Pokémon before the games were released. Instead, they used fun events to reveal them, like a special website graphic that showed the Pokémon Sirfetch'd and a live stream that introduced a special form of the Pokémon Ponyta.

Leaks

Before the games were released, some pictures of new Pokémon appeared online through a Discord chat and spread quickly. The Pokémon Company took action and sued the people responsible. They asked Discord and 4chan for information to find out who shared these pictures. The case was settled in 2021, and the people involved had to pay money to The Pokémon Company.

Expansion pass

In January 2020, an expansion pass was announced, with two parts called The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra. These parts added new stories, places, characters, and Pokémon to the games. They came out on June 17, 2020, and October 22, 2020. A special bundle with both expansions and the original game was released on November 6, 2020.

Reception

Reception of the games was largely positive. According to the review aggregator website Metacritic, Sword and Shield received "generally favourable" reviews from critics. Many reviewers praised the games for their exciting battles, exploration, and gameplay.

Some critics felt the games lacked challenge and depth. They thought the story wasn’t very strong and that some parts of the game didn’t feel complete. Despite these issues, many players enjoyed the new Pokémon and improvements made to the game.

The games sold millions of copies quickly after they were released, becoming some of the best-selling games on the Nintendo Switch.