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Pokémon Sword and Shield represents the first time a fresh generation of those collectible critters has made its way onto Nintendo Switch, offering players new gyms, a new region and an all-new approach to catching them all. It’s the same battle, catch and grow formula longstanding Pokémon fans will be familiar with, but with a fresh coat of paint and a few surprising tweaks to make this classic turn-based RPG series a blast.
The primary way Pokémon Sword and Shield achieves this is through its new region. Much like how Pokémon Sun and Moon took heavy inspiration from Hawaii for its general look and feel, this next region of Galar draws inspiration from the United Kingdom – even going so far as to affect certain Pokémon evolutions with Galarian forms. The city architecture is classical, the layout similar to Britain, and the story is inspiring as ever.
While the game is available to buy in two separate versions in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield as is typical, the double pack makes it easy for one player to catch all 400 creatures. That’s because a handful of new additions remain exclusive to each version, which is usually done to encourage trading between players that are in pursuit of a full Pokedex. The Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield double pack removes this stress for players that can afford it.
Another new Pokemon game means there’s an all-new starting roster of starters to pick from. Sobble serves as the water type, Grookey the grass type and Scorbunny is the fire type. All three boast a charming aesthetic that will make it hard for you to choose, but needless to say that each will eventually evolve into an impressive third generation when the time comes to tackle the elite 4.
Mega Evolutions were limited-time Pokémon states that could only be used once per round in trainer battles. Introduced in Sun and Moon, they allowed your selected Pokémon to advance to a new form and unleash a decimating attack. Gigantamax works similarly, but it sees your Pokémon grow larger and stronger for just three turns. You’ll need to strategize to know when to use it correctly.
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