Written By TheChoujinVIrus
The Pokemon franchise is one of the largest and well known by everyone all over the world since its release on the Gameboy on February 27, 1996. The franchise has been going strong for over twenty years of games, merchandise, and anime episodes released. The latest generation, Generation 8, of the Pokemon franchise just came out a week ago. Pokemon Sword and Shield is the first mainline game to appear on the Nintendo Switch. Despite the controversy and outright anger from some vocal fans, the game has sold over 6 million in one weekend after its release. Do the unstoppable force and unmovable objects that are this Gen’s Pokemon franchise stand up to the past? Here’s my review of Pokemon Sword and Shield.
Story (Warning Spoilers)
Like all Pokemon games (except Generation 7’s Sun and Moon series), you play as a protagonist who must defeat eight gyms to take on the Pokemon League and become the champion. Though the story is vastly different compared to the last seven generations of Pokemon. For example, The game takes place in the Galar region, a region heavily inspired by the United Kingdom. Also, the whole Galar region thrives on the concept of Pokemon battles and the concept of the new power called “Dynamaxing,” which turns Pokemon into literal titans on the battlefield. The story starts with you and Hop (your rival) watching a match starring the current undefeated champion (and Hop’s brother) Leon. Both are excited that Leon is stopping by their home to visit and to give you your starter Pokemon. You have three choices of starter Pokemon: The Grass-type Grookey, The Fire-type Scorbunny, and the Water-type Sobble (For my playthrough, I chose Sobble).
After choosing your starter and fighting your rival, your character has to rescue a sheep pokemon named Wooloo that wandered into the Slumbering Weald. It is there where you run into the box legendary Zacian/Zamazenta, wolf pokemon who managed to beat your starter with ease. Luckily, Leon rescues you and later told to meet Sonia and her grandmother Professor Magnolia to learn a bit about the mysterious Pokemon you met. Sonia explains who they are and how the two have a connection to the legends of Galar. Leon, with some coaxing from his brother Hop, then decides to endorse both of you to the Gym Leader Challenge (in Galar, to participate in the league, you need an endorsement). After the second battle, both of you are sent off to Motostoke for the opening of the Gym Leader Challenge and introduced to the gym leaders.
. It’s here where we see several major players. First is Chairman Rose, the head of Macro Cosmos and the chairman of the Galar Pokemon League. Next is Marnie, one of your rivals who has her entourage of fans known as Team Yell, who will make noise and attack those who aren’t their idol. Lastly, is the rival many people wanted for a long time, Bede, the arrogant and snobbish rival who was endorsed by Chairman Rose himself. Your first stops have you traveling to the first three gyms of Turffiled, Hulbury, and then back to Motostoke (Grass, Water, and Fire, respectively). All while learning a bit more about the origin of Dynamax and an event in Galar’s history known as The Darkest Day, even learning that Bede is searching for “wishing stars” for the chairman.
Once defeating Kabu of the Motostoke Gym, you’re sent off to the next city of Hammerlocke, the city that houses the Dragon-type Gym leader Raihan to continue you’re training. Once you arrive at Stow-on-Side, you get to see one of the unique features of Sword and Shield: version exclusive gym leaders. In Sword, you fight against the Fighting Gym Leader Bea while Shield gets a chance at the Ghost-type gym leader Alister. After your victory in Stow-on-Side, you run into Bede using the chairman’s Copperaja as he is destroying one of Galar’s historical artifacts in the search for Wishing Stars. Bede’s actions end up getting him disqualified from the Gym Challenge (thus removed from the competition.) However, just as the artifact is damaged, it reveals old statues of two pokemon, one of them being the wolf pokemon saw at the beginning of your game.
Though Sonia tells you to go onto the next region to fight the remaining gym challenges while she solves the mystery of the Pokemon. After winning against the gym leaders in Ballonlea and Circhester do you eventually reach the town of Spikemuth, the gym leader of the aloof Dark Type gym leader Pieres. Pieres states he’s the “leader” of Team Yell and the brother to Marnie. He reveals that he wanted his sister to take over the gym and wanted her to succeed in putting the town on the map because Spikemuth is built on no Dynamax Hotspot.
Though after defeating the gym, suddenly, there are reports of Dynamax pokemon running wild and causing havoc. Leon and Sonia tell you to go with your challenge while they deal with the situation, all while learning more about the mysterious heroes of Galar and the royalty that saved Galar from the Darkest Day. Though for now, your character defeats Raihan and can now move onto the Semifinals being hosted in Wyndom, a town built by Chairman Rose himself to host the last battle against the champion. Once there, you head to Wyndom Stadium to continue your Semifinals match. During your first battle, you’re suddenly greeted by Bede, who is revealed to have gotten a new endorsement from Opal, the Fairy Gym Leader of Ballonlea. He decides to challenge you to a match to which you beat him. Though he states he’d retire from being a trainer should he lose to you, he later embraces his role as the new Gym Leader for Ballonlea. Once that’s done, you have your rematches with Nessa, Bea/Alister, and Raihan as you ascend to the destined final battle with Leon. However, your match is later interrupted by Chairman Rose, who declares that he must unleash the Darkest Day onto Galar to save it. (This is hinted before your final match as you brave Macro Cosmos and Rose’s secretary Odessa to reach the Rose Tower).
This causes the Pokemon to Dynamax as Rose awakens Eternatus, a skeletal dragon that was responsible for the Dynamax Phenomenon. Sonia then hints that the only ones who can stop this Pokemon are the legendary wolves. You and Hop are sent back to the Slumbering Weald to find the wolves. However, you only find a rusted sword and shield. You take those with you as you return to Hammerlocke, where it’s revealed that Eternatus was sealed there. You have one more rematch with Odessa before dealing with Chairman Rose himself. Once defeated, he surrenders as you race to the top of Hammerlocke, witnessing Leon struggling with Eternatus. You then deal with the legendary Pokemon and manage to defeat it, only for it to Dynamx into a giant snake hand that prevents your Pokemon from attacking or doing anything! Though just as all hope is lost, Zacian and Zamazenta arrive and with the rusted artifacts, are awakened and aid you subduing Eternatus. Once the hero captures the Dynamax Pokemon, the two wolves disappear, and thus the disaster is adverted.
Afterward, you have the final part where you fight and defeat Hop’s brother Leon, thus crowning you the new champion of Galar. The story would end here, but it’s not over yet. After being visited by Magnolia and given the Master Ball, you head back to the Slumbering Weald, where you and Hop have another fight since your Wyndom battle. Once you defeated him and returned the Sword and Shield to their resting place, are greeted by two brothers named Sordward and Shieldbert. They claim to be descendants of the fabled heroes of Galar and those who dismiss Sonia’s research on the two wolf pokemon. Though as you beat one of the brothers, the others managed to beat Hop and thus run off with the other artifact. Just as things couldn’t get any worse, suddenly Dynamax Pokemon are erupting all over Galar and causing trouble at each of the gyms. Once Routed, you learn that Sordwald and Shieldbert were doing these to prove the “Dark nature” of the heroic wolf pokemon. This causes one of them to go berserk and attack one of the brothers, thus forcing you to defeat one of them.
Once that one ran off, the other wolf remains behind in order to fight you (thus capturing your box legendary.) Once done, and the events ended, you return back to Weald and witness Hop capturing the other legendary. It’s here where Hop then realizes his goal of wanting to be a pokemon researcher as he challenges you to one last fight (using the opposite box legendary you have). Once defeated, everyone is happy all issues mended. With that, the main story of Pokemon Sword and Shield is done.
Dynamaxxed Greatness
For the first pokemon mainline game on the switch, the game has its excellent perks that make the game unique. The game’s graphics are stunning, and some pokemon do make sound effects (such as flapping wings or stomping noises), thus making them organic than just static. One of the biggest features I do like is the Wild Area, one of the first times in the series history where you have an open world to explore and capture Pokemon. Some of which include multiplayer battles called Max Raids. These contain strong Pokemon and exclusive Dynamax pokemon known as “Gigantomax,” where the Pokemon takes on a new form when Dynamaxed such as Charizard or Butterfree. These Pokemon’d Gigantomax forms make them popular due to their unique capabilities and powers they bring.
Pokemon camp is another unique feature, something that brings a new twist to Pokemon Amie/Refresh from the prior generations to something cute. You can play with your Pokemon with bouncy balls and a cat toy while cooking food for them that can not only heal them and make them friendly but also makes them gain experience. Cooking is a unique experience that brings me back to the berry-mixing and Poffin cooking of some of the older games. It also makes me feel like I’m cooking food for my companions. One last feature is a major quality of life change for some competitive people: Easy breeding and changing natures. Sword and shield introduce mints, items that can provide stat growths of personalities. For example, if you have a Gardevoir that has an Adamant nature (a nature favoring physical attack), one can use a Modest Mint that gives her the nature similar to Modest (though it doesn’t fully change her nature, but changes stat growths). Another great feature involves being able to transfer egg moves to similar Pokemon of the same species without needing to hatch a ton of eggs. This feature is extremely useful for passing on egg moves to Gigantomax pokemon (as they sadly cannot pass their Gigantomax status to their offspring.)
A great thing about the games are the exclusives (and not just pokemon version exclusive and story) are the version gym leaders. For example, in Sword you have the Fighting Type gym leader Bea and the Rock Type gym leader Cordie. In Shield, Bea is replaced by Alistar the Ghost Type gym leader and Cordie is replaced by the Ice Type user Melony.
Rusty criticisms
Though the game has such great perks and QoL changes, there are some glaring issues that can get in the way. One of the criticisms is the 600 lb. Elephant (or Copperaja) in the room is the National Dex. For those unaware, the National Dex was a core feature introduced in the Third Generation of Pokemon that recorded ALL pokemon one captured. Pokemon cut over 400 pokemon from the Galar dex, leaving some people with no way of bringing their favorite Pokemon they brought over to Galar. According to what can be found, it’s estimated to being over 400 pokemon in the Galar Dex (with some pokemon found but unavailable at the moment.) Your boy’s favorite Pokemon happens to be Empoleon and how I wish I could have it in my game, but since she’s not in Galar (or in the game in general), I can’t get a chance. However, that’s my opinion.
Though the story is nice, it can be a bit short and shallow at some parts, and most of the endgame involves the wild area, Max Raids, Curry Dex, and the battle tower. Some people would expect something like the Battle Frontier or any events that are a better endgame experience than just running on raids or doing online competitions. Sometimes I do wish I could have the return of Pokemon Contests like in the days of Ruby and Sapphire.
Conclusion
Despite the massive controversies heard on the internet and some of its shortcomings for a mainline game, Sword and Shield is an impressive game that has some fun and action. Though the content can be short, all Pokemon games are like this but come with some impressive feats and ways of keeping you entertained even for a short time. Would I recommend it? I would if you’re a Pokemon fan.
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