Pokémon Sword & Shield: 5 Confirmed Details (And 5 Predictions)
Generation 8 is building the perfect storm to be the most successful game yet.
Hot on the heels of Let’s GO! Eevee and Let’s GO! Pikachu’s success (not to mention building one of gaming’s most beloved franchises these past 20 years), Game Freak and Nintendo have announced the new main series Pokémon games: Generation VIII’s Sword and Shield.
A hell of a lot has changed since the old Red, Blue and Yellow says, but even in recent years there’s been a lot of development in the Pokémon world. Though they’d always sold well with core fans, Pokémon GO ensnared new players and got old Genwunners back on board.
The earth shattering popularity of the early days might have down, a barrel load of new features means those who stuck with it now have a hugely entertaining game. Gen VII’s Sun and Moon changed things up too, introducing Trials and Alolan forms of old favourites like Vulpix, Grimer and Meowth.
Let’s GO! then offered a link between PoGo newbies and the main series with a remake of Yellow, adding in new mechanics to appeal to players of every experience. With all that in mind, Generation VIII could have the biggest sales figures of any Pokémon game to date.
10. Know: It’s Called Pokémon: Sword And Pokémon: Shield
There isn’t necessarily too much to say here; those are it’s names. That’s that. It’s already spawned Protec and Atacc memes, and led to speculation about what the inevitable third game will be called, but for now let’s just focus on what the names suggest.
Major predictions based on the wording has been set aside to explore on the next page, but there are a few things that Shield and Sword practically guarantee. This is the second Pokémon game on the Switch after Let’s GO! Pikachu and Eevee, and being based on Pokémon GO, they were much more casual and accessible.
Obviously, any Pokémon game could be someone’s first, but the level of hand holding has varied down the years. The very battle focussed language of the titles suggests that classic Pokémon gameplay will be at the heart of this one; to be the best, you have to beat the best. Training a strong, stat heavy, type diverse team should be the focus for top trainers.
Whether Aegislash, the literal sword and shield Pokémon, will feature is still a mystery. Given Solrock and Lunatone were ignored by Sun and Moon, don’t hold your breath.