Hello Enthusiasts,
Pokemon is one of the most recognizable brands in gaming. While the games aren't for everyone, we all know what Pokemon is on some level. Until recently though, all of the main line games in this franchise have been limited to the GameBoy systems rather than Nintendo's primary consoles (again, main line. We all loved Pokemon Stadium, but that were outside of the main games). Now, however, we can finally say that is no longer the case, because we now have Pokemon Shield/Sword. The question I intend to explore is, do these console versions hold up to the rest of these games? Keep in mind that, while these games don't have stories that are too deep, there may still be some Spoilers Below.
So, as most of these games go, you are a young new trainer that has just gotten their first Pokemon, though this time you are in the new Galar region (which is essentially this universe's version of the UK). In this region, Pokemon in certain areas can grow incredibly large and powerful, an ability called Dynamaxing. This feature is used heavily in Pokemon gyms and tournaments. As your character goes through the region's gym challenge, you begin to uncover information about some heroes of legend that saved the region - and potentially the world - from an event called "The Darkest Day". These heroes are, of course, a set of trainers and their legendary Pokemon. You end up calling upon one of these Pokemon later in the game to help fight the monster that caused that event all of those years ago and stop it.
Again, these stories aren't too deep, as this feels 75-80% like the overarching stories from the last several Pokemon games.
The gameplay itself is fun, with several improvements on the older style of Pokemon games. As has been done in the last few games, experience is shared with every Pokemon in your party, meaning that you can level up those weak Pokemon quickly by just keeping them in the 6th spot of your party and battling in stronger areas. Story-wise, I do like what was done with the gyms. Rather than your character just happening to go through the gyms in an order of increasing difficulty, this game set up the gyms as an annual challenge, where each gym is taken on in a different order. It still doesn't make sense that the first gym leader is battling with only 3 Pokemon that are on in their teens level, but at least there's some additional level of believability. As always, the gym puzzles are cleverly designed, though they are fairly easy to beat. I also liked the addition of the camping mechanic, which allows you to set up a tent and chill with your Pokemon. You can play with them, cook for them, and have a chat with them in. They'll also get a chance to play with each other, and the whole thing gives them all experience based on what you did during the campout. There's also been an update to running into Pokemon in the wild, where random encounters are less frequent. Instead, players can see the Pokemon in the grass or environment and either select which ones to fight, or avoid them completely if you're in a rush.
Honestly though, the biggest and flashiest addition to the game is also one of the best, the Dynamax feature. In gym battles, you can only use this ability once, and it will only last for three turns, plus the gym leaders follow that same rule. So while it may be tempting to use it straight away and have your Pokemon obliterate the first few opponents, there is a level of strategy is waiting until near the end to use this ability (or use on one of the leader's Pokemon that you're finding particularly difficult).
However, I can speak all day about the added strategy needed and having the ability to train Pokemon in different ways, but at the end of the day this game's biggest weakness is how mind-numbingly easy it is to beat. With minimal grinding to level up your Pokemon, you can beat this game in just a few days if you want to. I played through the whole game without losing a single battle, and I'm pretty sure I had to use a grand total of 4 revives throughout the entire game. There's no elite four gauntlet like pervious games had (you do have to fight through a few of the gym leader's again, but you get a free rest and heal between each one), and even the team rocket (Team Yell) of this game is a joke of an enemy.
Now don't get me wrong, I did enjoy playing this game and I do not think it would be a bad buy for any fans of the series, but it was also a bit of a disappointment. This is the first time we've gotten a main-stream game in this franchise with the power of an actual console, and I guess I just expected that there would be more to it. Imagine how amazing it would have been if they had started to combine a new region with the old regions like they did a bit with Pokemon Gold/Silver, and those games came out on the GameBoy Color. There are cool new features in this game and I do see the effort that must have gone into it, so maybe I was just getting my hopes up too high. But with a game franchise that has been as enjoyable as Pokemon, I just imagined that the team would have pushed this game to be more than anything we've seen before.
I give Pokemon Sword/Shield a 7.5 out of 10.
Sincerely,
The Bored Enthusiast
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