Pokémon Sword and Shield

Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield are fun role-playing video games from 2019. They were made 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 came out on November 15, 2019.

Players play as a young Pokémon Trainer who starts an adventure in the Galar Region. 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. Even so, the games were praised for their gameplay and new ideas, and they have sold many 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 you play as a young Pokémon trainer. Your goal is to catch and train Pokémon and win battles against other trainers. When you win battles, your Pokémon gain experience, get stronger, and can learn new moves. You can catch wild Pokémon by battling them and using Poké Balls. You can also battle and trade with other players online.

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

See also: List of generation VIII Pokémon

The games have new features like Dynamax and Gigantamax, which let Pokémon grow giant during battles and use special powerful moves. You 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 you can find items and battle others there. You can also set up camps with your Pokémon, cook curry to help your Pokémon, and complete special tasks to help them gain experience.

Internet connectivity lets you 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. You can bring Pokémon from older games into Sword and Shield using this service. If you have saved data from Let's Go, Pikachu! or Let's Go, Eevee!, you will receive a special Pikachu or Eevee that can Gigantamax as a gift.

Plot

Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield happen in the Galar Region, a land inspired by the United Kingdom. This region has towns with old 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 choose from three special Pokémon given by Leon. As you travel, 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 began after Pokémon Sun and Moon came out in November 2016. The team, led by Shigeru Ohmori, wanted to use the Nintendo Switch’s better graphics and bigger screen. They imagined huge Pokémon and thought of having a sword and shield Pokémon to fight them, which is how the games got their names.

Development officially began in September 2017, with about 1,000 people working on it. The games focus on the idea of strength and becoming powerful, fitting the Switch as a strong console. The games have a special feature called Dynamax and are inspired by British folklore with giants and mythical creatures. The team changed how players find Pokémon, making them appear freely in the world instead of random encounters. They also made a large open area called the Wild Area, where things change every day. 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 in 2017 during Nintendo's E3 2017 presentation by The Pokémon Company president Tsunekazu Ishihara. He said that Game Freak was making new Pokémon games for the Nintendo Switch, but they would not be released for more than a year. In May 2018, Game Freak said the games would come out 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 were released on November 15, 2019. To keep excitement high, Game Freak did not show many new Pokémon before the games came out. 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 asked Discord and 4chan for information to find out who shared these pictures. The case was settled in 2021.

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

People liked the games a lot. The website Metacritic said that Sword and Shield got "generally favourable" reviews. Many people liked the exciting battles, exploring, and how the games worked.

Some people thought the games were not very hard and the story was not very strong. But many players liked the new Pokémon and changes made to the game.

The games sold millions of copies fast after they came out. They became some of the best-selling games for the Nintendo Switch.