Pokémon Sword & Shield
Developer Game Freak Publisher The Pokémon Company, Nintendo Format Switch Release Out now
Switch
How fitting for a game set in a fictional version of Britain that the build-up to release has been dominated by endless debates about a controversial split; one which seems destined to rage on long past its due date. You could say it’s an admirable commitment to its setting by Game Freak, though here it’s more than 52 per cent of the national Pokédex that are leaving, and they didn’t have any choice in the matter. Indeed, of the original 151, only 48 remain in their original guises, rising to 54 if we include regional variants. Other popular monsters are also absent: the first mainline Pokémon games developed for a home console will not feature Garchomp, nor Empoleon, Luxray, Blaziken, Scizor and more. We may roll our eyes at the armchair devs insisting more could have been done; that balancing 890 Pokémon would be easy; that reused assets are conclusive proof of laziness. But the series was designed to encourage players to form emotional ties with those critters, and those whose favourites have missed the cut deserve our sympathy.
In this case, however, such a seemingly brutal culling feels like a necessary evil for a series that has been constantly expanding since the beginning, its menagerie having swelled to cumbersome dimensions. By reducing the total number of monsters, Game Freak has made the Galar region’s natives feel more valuable, while bringing them under closer scrutiny for those with no choice but to choose a new main. Happily, there are plenty of good ones to pick from, with British art director James Turner overseeing some of the best creature designs the series has had in generations. Take the fiery Centiskorch – part centipede, part slap bracelet – which coils up and whips forward to lash opponents. Or Grapploct, a muscular mollusc that wears one of its tentacles as a jiu-jitsu belt. Amusing and eccentric evolutions abound, too. The wonderfully weird Applin is a tiny dragon stuck inside the body of a red apple; though it’s mostly useless this way, its ‘hatched’ form is fantastic, not to mention a surprisingly handy physical attacker. Another third-stage evolution fires its larval form as missiles from a head shaped like a stealth bomber.
All of them can now – albeit temporarily – grow to kaiju proportions. If the new Dynamax mechanic seems built for spectacle rather than strategy, its limitations (it lasts just three turns and can only be used once per battle) add a welcome wrinkle, like choosing when to activate a power play. And the visual drama shouldn’t be dismissed. Gym battles now take place in spectatorpacked stadiums which give these giants space to fight. Some even adopt entirely new forms, including several older monsters: Duraludon becomes a skyscraper, while Garbodor’s junk pile is large enough to contain a cruise ship and a passenger plane. The new gym-leader battle theme, meanwhile, is an absolute banger, with the audience chanting along as fights enter their critical stages. These might seem like minor changes, but collectively they make each key battle feel much more of an event; from the surrounding pageantry to the shuddering explosions, they’re more exciting to watch.
It’s a pity they’re mostly a breeze, at least first time around, although it’s clear Game Freak has recognised that seasoned players are keen to power through the story to get to the meat of the competitive PvP game. Experience is now shared between your party Pokémon, which eliminates the need for newcomers to get to grips with grinding. Everyone else, meanwhile, can challenge themselves by taking on tougher battles in the Wild Area, a free-roaming expanse between towns where you’re finally afforded full camera control. This isn’t open-world Pokémon, but it is a step towards it. Monsters wander around in the field and you can decide which ones to approach; you can whistle to attract them, or nudge the analogue stick to sneak by unnoticed. Others are still hidden within the tall grass, adding a welcome element of mystery as you wait to discover whether you’ve found something new or yet another Vanillish. As in Xenoblade, some are best avoided, though you won’t know their level until they’ve engaged you; as a general rule, if they sprint your way it’s wise to turn tail, or else make sure you’ve got a quick Pokémon at the front of your party to boost your chances of getting away unscathed. And like Xenoblade, some will only pop into existence when you get close. This may be the best-looking Pokémon game to date, its crisp, clean aesthetic scaling well in handheld mode, but a few technical shortcomings still linger.
Those are symptomatic of a game – and a series, in truth – that takes baby steps rather than giant strides forward. Sure, you’ll find some welcome quality-of-life improvements. You’re given an opportunity to nab a Pokémon before the catch tutorial, allowing you to skip it. There are regular auto-saves, though traditionalists and soft-resetters will be pleased to learn these can be turned off. You can – at last! – access your Pokémon boxes at any time. You’ll gain access to a bike that can later be upgraded to scud across bodies of water. There are curry-making minigames and balloon-popping time trials besides. Yet on more than one occasion we reach a new area just a little too soon, and it’s clear it wasn’t just those Pokémon that didn’t make the cut.
But to focus on what’s missing would be to overlook the joys that remain. Game Freak’s view of our corner of the world may be rose-tinted, but Galar is a picturesque, friendly delight: from its rural idylls to its inauthentically pristine cities and use of British idioms (a change as small as ‘TV’ to ‘telly’ makes a surprising difference) we feel an unfamiliar surge of pride. If only the real thing were so green and pleasant; alas, here we have no control over the monsters.
By reducing the total number of monsters, Game Freak has made the Galar region’s natives feel more valuable