REVIEW: Pokémon Sword and Shield (Switch), an incredible adventure through the Galar region

Pokémon Sword and Shield are the new entries in one of the most famous series in the gaming world. As with all other titles in the franchise, here we have a new set of monsters, new gameplay mechanics and a new region to discover. The vibrant Galar region is a delight to explore, and the new games have managed to strip away many of the tedious elements that marked the franchise in favor of the original experience that makes Pokémon so addictive and fun.

We had access to a personal physical copy of the game for the Nintendo Switch and, after a few days of intense gaming, we bring you a complete analysis of this game that brought the pocket monsters franchise into a new era and that promises to captivate many Pokémon trainers for a long time.

It's a whole new world of adventures!

Unlike past games in the series, Pokémon Sword and Shield waste no time in putting the starter Pokémon in the player's hands and putting it on the way to becoming the champion of the Pokémon League of Galar. The games even allow the player to skip the mandatory “how to catch a Pokémon” tutorial (something that hasn't been done since the beginning of the game). pokemon crystal of 2001). Even for beginning players, the lack of this tutorial isn't harmful: if you just catch a Pokémon right away, the character who taught you recognizes that you're good to go. 

Both in the wild and beyond, the Galar region is impressive. From the industrial centers of cities to the rolling hills in shades of green and gold, the world that surrounds the player is alive and beautiful, whether in visuals or in its details. The region's theme is heavily inspired by the UK, including crumbling medieval castles, British football-inspired stadiums, elegant snobs and even the Team Yell with his punk look.

In addition, the high degree of customization in the clothing that the game allows for your character is so great that you won't be surprised if you want to enter the boutiques in each city to check out the newest ones. formal and casual looks available. Unfortunately, even with the incredible size of each of the game's locations, the cities are very compact, with only a few small streets and places that you can visit. Even with the incredible visuals, don't expect anything like the level seen in Lumiose City Pokemon X and Y.

How to be a Pokemon Master

Em Pokémon Sword and Shield the player has much more freedom to explore than in previous generations. Games go even further than Sun and Moon in terms of making the world more accessible and simplified for players. HMs have been banned for good, you can fast travel to locations you've visited before from anywhere starting very early in the game, and you have a bike that can later be converted into a water vehicle to replace the "Surf" move. 

Battle mechanics against wild Pokémon or trainers remain true to the established formula, but for big battles, Pokémon Sword and Shield eliminate Mega Evolutions and Z-moves in favor of a new battle mechanic, Dynamaxing, which is sort of a combination of the two and can only be activated in certain locations. Also, certain Pokémon have special Dynamax forms like Charizard, Snorlax, and a few others that can be caught using Raids ou max raids. In these special battles that can be located inside the Wild Area, you and three other players (real or NPCs) team up to defeat a Dynamax Pokémon for a chance to capture it. Remember to gather your best team for these fights!

It's a new form of gameplay much more impactful than the previous ones, but functionally it's simpler. After years of needing special items to use Mega Evolutions and Z-moves in high-level battles, Dynamaxing is a welcome reset that also feels like a natural evolution of the series' battle mechanics. Best of all, Dynamax battles make clashes between Pokémon that much more epic, especially when in the midst of battles in the big stadiums of Gym Leaders!

We have to catch them all in Pokémon Sword and Shield!

The new titles have added more monsters to the already gigantic set of Pokémon that exist (there are currently more than 800 creatures), and their designs are interesting and fun. Just like in Sun and Moon, Galar is also a region that generated a series of specific versions of already known Pokémon. Even a little monster from the second generation of games, Corsola, got a different version that resembles a dying coral (a clear message to the impacts of global warming on the planet).

Many of the little monsters seem geared towards competitive play, with abilities and moves that inspire interesting strategies. O Galarian weezing, for example, has an ability that neutralizes opponents' abilities, and can become a serious threat. There are also Pokémon purely designed to please your eyes and warm your heart, such as the incredibly Gothic Corviknight or the adorable electric corgi yamper. 

Unfortunately, starter Pokémon are among the most "dull". Each fits the British theme in a clever way and has a unique move, but on a purely visual level, all three are far too simplistic.

The Pokédex also features a healthy mix of old Pokémon from each previous generation. There are certainly surprising omissions and this has left many fans and longtime players of the series disappointed, but considering the amount of Pokémon, so far I can't deny feeling a relief to imagine that the work to complete the Pokédex in Pokémon Sword and Shield will be simpler and more meaningful. 

Another big change that the games of this new generation brought was the existence of items that give Pokémon experience points - and since you can access your Pokémon boxes almost anywhere - you can easily change your team quickly, without having to stop. whatever you're doing to go to a Pokémon Center and get your team together.

This makes the gaming experience more flexible and allows the player to try out different Pokémon along their journey without worrying about leveling issues or hits. These elements also contribute heavily to making your Pokémon journey more accessible and enjoyable. The Wild Area is extensive, and because the Pokémon available change with the weather, they can look very different from one day to the next. There are enough Pokemon to keep things dynamic and surprising as you explore each day, but with some consistency in each biome so you at least know what types of Pokemon to expect. 

In any case, the constant attraction of the Wild Area ends up making the pace of the already weak history of the games a little unstable. Don't be surprised if you end up wandering around the area for many hours before you even challenge your first gym. The main plot of the game manages to be as (or more) generic as those seen in previous titles. In this way, the Wild Area ends up becoming a much more attractive option for the player.

The gyms in Pokémon Sword and Shield are a refinement of the long-standing formula where you would have to go through a maze or solve a small puzzle to reach the Gym Leader. Likewise, each one has its own challenge, which varies depending on the theme of each location. In addition, Dynamaxing is able to make gym battles much more exciting, as if we were in the middle of a crowded football match – only here, the players are our Pokémon.

For competitive battles, small but significant tweaks have made it simpler for both beginners and more experienced players. There are now items that allow you to change the nature of a Pokémon, which was the main missing piece to prepare a Pokémon for battle without hours and hours of tedious creation. It's also possible to leave two Pokémon of the same species in the daycare together, and one can pass Egg Moves to the other, which means you don't have to recreate a Pokémon just because you forgot to put an Egg Move on it or changed its strategy a little. 

By focusing primarily on the collect, fight, and explore mechanics, Pokémon Sword and Shield get the bloat that was saturating and making the franchise tiresome and focus on what makes these gaming pillars Pokémon so captivating in the first place.

Here, the player is free from the beginning of his adventure to explore the Galar region, riding alongside his new Pokémon and trying out his new battle strategies with very little difficulty. It's a very welcome freedom for the series that allows the player to truly appreciate what Pokémon is and what makes this franchise a worldwide success.

Pros

• Freedom to explore the Galar region from the beginning of the game;
• New Pokémon with interesting and fun designs;
•  Dynamaxing is a welcome new mechanic for the series;
•  Wild Area and Max Raids offer a high degree of replayability and challenge to games.

Cons

• Starter Pokémon evolutions are disheartening,
• Weak main story.

Grade: 8.5