New Pokémon Sword and Shield Details Revealed!

By: Noah Friscopp

Generation 8

Last week after the Pokémon Press Conference it was revealed that we would hear more about the next set of mainline Pokémon games on June 5^th.  Generation 8 of the long-running RPG series is nearly underway with Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield coming to the Nintendo Switch later this year, and we have learned some interesting new details about the game during a Nintendo Direct all about it this morning. Time to break down all the latest info!

Pokémon Direct June 5^th

New Generation Means New Pokémon

Definitely one of the most exciting parts of a new generation of games is seeing what sort of fresh and unique Pokémon you'll be able to catch, and the new Galar Region is no exception. Only a few new ones were revealed, but so far the new designs seem relatively exciting and unique. Gossifleur was the first one shown, a grass-type healer that will no doubt be a useful member of your party when you need to heal and are out of potions. Like most Pokémon, it evolves, and in this case into Eldegoss which resembles a fluffy ball of cotton. Wooloo is basically a super fluffy sheep (lots of fluff balls in the Galar Region it seems), but not all of the new Pokémon look as friendly. Drednaw is a huge snapping turtle with a large hard shell that will no doubt be tough to take down, and Corviknight is a large, dark raven with the ability to fly you around to the various towns and cities within Galar's world. More were shown, but these are the only ones we know the names and details of so far.

A Familiar Story

Like in every main Pokémon adventure, the main objective of the game is to beat all the Gym Leaders and become the champion. Unlike past games however where Gyms are relatively small, and without much of an audience, Gym battles in the Galar Region are huge spectacles, where people from all over come to watch trainers face off against the Gym's leaders in large stadiums. This will hopefully make each Gym battle feel like a big event, whereas in past games they were reasonably modest. It is unclear how many of these battles are in the game, but if previous games are any indication, there should be around 8 of these to complete on your journey to becoming the grand champion. The current champion you must face is Leon, an undefeated trainer and the ultimate challenge in the Galar Region. Leon's younger brother, Hop, acts as your rival throughout the journey who also wants a shot at beating his older brother and becoming the champion himself.

Wide Open World

One of the most exciting additions with this game is the vast open area between the cities you can explore and catch Pokémon in. It looks massive, and Pokémon wander around in it making the Galar Region come to life similar to Let's Go Eevee and Pikachu. There are still random encounters that happen while sneaking through grass, but the addition of these wild roaming encounters is a welcome one. Depending on the weather and time of day, you'll find different Pokémon to catch so the world is continuously changing and evolving. You can traverse it on foot, or on a bike like previous games but with a full 3D camera like never before. This time, feeling immersed in the world of Pokémon will be easier than ever. Sun and Moon made steps towards this direction, but this new game takes that idea to the next level thanks to the Switch. 

Multiplayer Raids and Dynamax

Even though most of the game is played alone, you can take part in multiplayer boss battles with 3 other friends against huge Pokémon. A new feature where Pokémon can temporarily grow into huge versions of themselves is called Dynamax Evolutions and allow the newly grown Pokémon to use new powered-up versions of their moves and abilities, or "Max Moves."

"Max Moves are powerful, and some can even trigger additional effects, for example, the Normal-type Max Move, Max Strike, has the additional effect of lowering the Speed stat of an opponent it hits. The Max Moves the player's Pokemon can use are determined by the kind and types of moves they knew before Dynamaxing." -Nintendo

One player in your group of 4 gets the ability to Dynamax their Pokémon during the battle, as it would not exactly be fair for everyone to get it. These battles are going to be a real challenge for trainers to take part in with their friends and should give some more playtime after you finish the rest of the game. You can also use the Dynamax Evolutions in Gym Battles which should lead to some truly colossal battles.

New Legendary Pokémon

We mentioned the other new Pokémon coming to the Galar Region before, but one of the most exciting new additions with each new generation are the new Legendary Pokémon. As usual, you'll be able to catch one of these new Pokémon in Sword and Shield depending on which game you choose. In Sword, you get Zacian, a giant wolf holding a sword in his mouth and for Shield, Zamazenta who's face fur resembles a large shield. These will no doubt be a challenge to catch but absolutely worth it for the trainers that want to master the Galar Region.

The Release Date

In addition to all of these goodies, we finally know when the game is coming out. Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield are releasing on Nintendo Switch on November 15^th.

Share Your Thoughts

What do you think? Do the new features and Pokémon catch your eye? Let us know your thoughts on the latest games down below!