Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield are Coming to Switch

By: Max Cannon

Nintendo kicked the day off with a Pokémon Direct that focused on sharing details about the upcoming pair of Pokémon games which are planned to come to the Nintendo Switch toward the end of the year. We got our first look at the new region, starter Pokémon, and updated visual style, and just a day after a new poster and trailer for Pokémon Detective Pikachu, what a time to be a Pokémon fan!

The World of Sword and Shield

Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield are both taking place within the Galar Region, a completely new environment to explore that will also bring some new Pokémon into the series. There looks to be a good amount of variety across this world with snowy mountain tops, European-looking cities, and even some dark and eerie forests. While the visual style is definitely improved over what we'd see in Sun and Moon, Sword and Shield don't appear drastically different, at least in terms of the look of the game. However, the world itself seems a bit more diverse than previous entries, despite looking very empty -- I don't know if we saw a single character other than our own wandering the world.

Forge a Path to Greatness in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield! 

We also got a little look at our playable Pokémon trainer, both the male and female versions. Though we didn't see too much in terms of customization, which was a notable aspect of Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee, we did get an interesting moment showing the male character in what looked to be a sports-uniform. As that trainer is walking into a massive stadium, which looks similar to a soccer/football arena, he is wearing an outfit that looks like it'd fit well on a soccer player. Maybe it's trainer garb for a huge Pokémon battle? We'll have to wait and see.

The New Starter Pokémon

Each Pokémon game in the main series kicks things off with 3 starter Pokémon to choose from. You're only going to have one of those three with you on your journey so it's important to know your favorite of the three right from the start. In Sword and Shield we have Scorbunny, Sobble, and Grookey to pick from. Scorbunny is a fire type of Pokémon, Sobble is a water-based chameleon-esque creature, and Grookey is a grass type monkey. Having an option between a fire, water, and grass goes all the way back to the first games in the series with Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur.

We don't have an official date yet but at the moment Pokémon Sword and  Pokémon Shield are planned to launch late in 2019 exclusively on the Nintendo Switch.

Share Your Thoughts!

What do you think of these new games? Which starter Pokémon is your favorite? Share your thoughts below!