All Those New ‘Mon
This practically goes without saying, but the main appeal of any new Pokemon game is all those new adorable creatures you can track down and catch.
While Sword and Shield may have cut out a large swathe of the overall Pokedex, there’s actually a substantial amount of new ‘Mon to discover.
The Galar region comes packed with 81 new Pokemon, as well as 13 Galarian forms of older forms, like the colorful Galarian Ponyta.
Many of the new Pokemon designs are inspired by the United Kingdom-like setting of Galar, like the sheep Pokemon Wooloo or the Corgi-like Yamper.
Regardless of anything else, it’s worth jumping into Sword and Shield simply to see the new creatures.
Exploring the Wild Area
Sword and the Shield is the first mainline Pokemon game on a home console, and it takes advantage of that in aspects like the Wild Area.
While you have the typical routes and caves to explore like in any Pokemon game, Wild Areas are massive new regions that you can run around and explore.
The Wild Area connects multiple towns and regions together, and has dozens of Pokemon roaming around. Based on the time of day and the weather, the Pokemon you find can be completely different, meaning you’ll want to visit the Wild Area multiple times.
On top of this, you can find shining holes in the ground that let you take on Max Raid Battles with other players, pitting four of you against one ultra-powerful Pokemon.
While Sword and Shield aren’t open-world games, the Wild Area presents the game’s world on a larger scale than we’ve ever seen in the Pokemon series before.
More Character Customization Than Ever Before
The last few Pokemon games have started introducing elements of character customization, but Sword and Shield really take it to the next level.
At any time you can visit a Salon to totally change the look of your character including their hairstyle, eyebrows, clothes, eyes, and more. The only thing that’s permanent, is when you choose your gender and skin color at the beginning of the game.
There’s a staggering amount of clothing options to choose from, making Sword and Shield the first Pokemon game where it really feels like you’re designing your own trainer.
Gigantamax and Dynamax
While things like Z-Moves and Mega-Evolution have been removed, the big new gimmick of Sword and shield is Gigantamax and Dynamax.
Dynamax is a special move that lets your Pokemon grow to a massive Kaiju-like size, also giving them new and different moves. Certain Pokemon even take on completely different appearance by Gigantamaxing, like the ridiculous length Meowth grows to.
Dynamax can be used in Gym battles which take place in a stadium, making for a grand spectacle.
Dynamax may not drastically change the game’s combat, but it’s a fun system that adds some hilarious visuals and a little extra layer of strategy.
Pokemon Camp
Another new feature in Sword and Shield lets you unroll your sleeping bag and set up camp with your favorite Pokemon. You’ll automatically get camping gear as you progress through the game.
In camp, you can watch your Pokemon run around, interact with them, and even use toys to play a little bit.
Perhaps the best feature, though, is the fact that you can cook curry with berries and ingredients you’ve gathered. This provides a nice little treat for both you and your Pokemon, if you can cook it right that is.
If you happen to need any help while playing through the newest Pokemon games, make sure to check out our Sword and Shield guide wiki.
About the author
