Game Review: ‘Pokémon Sword and Shield’ (Switch)

There’s been plenty of criticism and controversy surrounding Pokemon Sword and Shield, the first original story Pokémon game to be released for Nintendo Switch. From its limited Pokédex (dubbed as Dexit on social media) to its supposedly disappointing graphics, the hashtag #Gamefreaklied was trending on twitter before the game’s release (after data miners discovered that the creators’ claim that the Pokédex was cut to make room for better graphics in-game wasn’t entirely true), and people even went as far as sending the developers of the game death threats. But is the game really THAT bad?

Now I’ll come clean early. I might be a little biased in this review because POKEMON IS LIFE. It’s probably the only game franchise I’ve ever really cared about: growing up watching the anime, reading the manga and other books, collecting/trading/battling with the cards, collecting all kinds of merchandise, and playing every single one of the Pokémon games since I got Pokémon Red and a purple Game Boy Color for Christmas when I was 8. I think you get the picture. 

Was I heartbroken about the limited ‘dex? Absolutely. Did it put me off buying the game? Not at all. A pretty big clue as to how I feel about this game is that this was originally going to be a ‘first impressions’ article, but I couldn’t put my Switch Lite down for long enough to write it, so I’ve now almost completed Pokémon Shield. 

The biggest reason why this game is so addictive is that it strays away from the repetitive nature of the previous games, without feeling too different. The traditional ‘working your way through different areas and routes, battling pokemon to catch them, battling people to beat them, and battling more people to get badges’ is spliced with each gym’s own mini-game and the Wild Area’s Max Raid Battles, where you’re introduced to the new Dynamax ability that brings a whole new level to battling.

The Wild Area also makes it way more fun to catch a HUGE variety of pocket monsters, with each small area having its own residents, but these also change depending on the weather, which is unpredictable and can only be manipulated with the sneakiest of cheat methods. It’s also worth noting that quite a few of the creatures in this area can only be caught when you’ve got a few badges under your belt. So it’s worth revisiting this area – where there are endless items to be found too – between Gym battles, to fill up your Pokédex, find goodies and earn lots of XP for your team.

New to this game are also Poké Jobs, which allow you to send off your boxed Pokémon to work and earn a decent amount of XP. It’s a nice little feature that means you can level up Pokémon without them being on your main team. I’m currently trying to level up and evolve my Magikarp this way. 

Story-wise, it’s very much like the previous games known and loved by fans. You’re a new trainer in the Galar Region, showing lots of promise, and you just so happen to be best friends with Hop, the little brother of the region’s current Champion, Leon. You and Hop are given your starter Pokémon – a choice between fire-type Scorbunny, water-type Sobble, and grass-type Grookey (I went for Grookey, and I’m still very happy with my choice, even at its final evolution). 

As usual, after receiving your starters, you battle your new rival, before starting off your adventure with a visit to the professor (another nice touch to this game: the professor is female!). You then go on your way, hitting the Wild Area and getting a nice early number in your Pokédex, before heading to the Galar Region’s massively varying areas to earn your gym badges, which for the first time will vary depending on the version of the game you’re playing.

Pokémon Sword players will earn Grass, Water, Fire, Fighting, Fairy, Rock, Dark, and Dragon badges, in that order. While Shield players will battle for Grass, Water, Fire, Ghost, Fairy, Ice, Dark, and Dragon badges, in that particular order. While this only makes a small difference, it means that big fans have a reason to play both games. 

There’s also Pokémon exclusive to each version, which can be obtained through trading. Though when the introduction of Pokémon Home early next year allows Pokémon Bank access in the game, some players might want to play both versions in order to complete their Pokedex.

A very short interlude review of the Nintendo Switch Lite: It’s definitely lighter than the handheld Switch console, and as it’s smaller too, makes game-play for smaller hands more enjoyable. The slightly smaller screen makes the graphics lovely and sharp. Early impressions from me are that it’s a great little hand-held console, perfect for someone who prefers hand-held gaming like myself. Though obviously if you’re wanting the Switch to actually, ya know, switch, the original console is probably a better shout. 

Little side-note: Nintendo Switch Online, while being cheaper than other console’s pay-to-play-online options, is severely lacking. I’d rather pay a little bit more and maybe get a free game every month or something similar, than literally just pay to play online. I’m really hoping more will be added to this feature in the future, beyond the tiny margin of games that support Switch Online features.

Now, back to the game. As far as graphics go, there’s nothing offensively inadequate about this games’ appearance. It’s cartoon-like, as all Pokémon games have been, which for me is keeping the nostalgia for the anime alive. The menus are easy to navigate and nice to look at, and little things like the X shortcut for accessing and throwing your Pokeballs without having to go rummaging through your bag are touches that make game-play that little bit smoother and more enjoyable. 

The Galar Region itself is pretty epic. Based on my home country of England, it features some weird and wonderful areas, like the psychedelic, mushroom-filled area of Ballonlea and the icey – definitely true to the UK’s winter months – Circhester.

While SO MANY of the older gen Pokémon were scrapped for this game, the ‘dex does feel massive, and fairly hard – but not too hard – to fill. Hard enough to keep you playing, but not so hard you’ll get bored in the process.

All in all its another solid entry in the world of Pokémon mastery. It might’ve had some fans moaning, but hardcore Pokémon enthusiasts – like yours truly if you hadn’t guessed it – will enjoy this game that has the right balance of old, nostalgic game-play, and new features to keep you entertained for many, many hours. 

ALTOGETHER NOW: “I wanna be the very best, like no one ever was, to catch them is my real test, to train them is my cause”!

Photo Credit: Frankie Torok

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