10 Features Pokémon Sword & Shield Desperately Needs

Strangely for a franchise so popular, Pokémon has been throwing stuff at the wall recently to see what sticks. Even when it does, it’s frequently ignored for a new fad designed to capture players’ interest and win headlines.

This time though, the game does that itself. Following Pokémon Go, Let’s Go and Detective Pikachu, Pokémon has a cultural relevance it’s not enjoyed since the late-'90s. On top of that, it’s coming to the Switch for the first time, so excitement is sky high; hopefully that means the game can just speak for itself.

To name but a few, recent iterations have introduced Mega Pokémon, Z-Moves, Primal Forms, Regional Variants and Trials, not to mention Shadow Pokémon away from the main series and the rumour of Armoured Pokémon this time around.

There’s too much stuff, and it’s never been built on. New Megas haven’t materialised since they were first introduced, despite being wildly popular. Regional Variants have perhaps ousted them as the most requested evolutionary change for Sword & Shield, but the trends aren’t in players’ favour.

Building on those two great ideas while shearing off the rest would excite fans without playing into cheap gimmicks which add very little to gameplay.