Pokémon Sword And Shield Expansion Packs: 10 Features Fans Demand

In one sense removing HMs is a natural progression of the series. But it also makes Galar feel hollow without any replacement. There's a touch of it in the gym challenges, but the most players will interact with Pokémon in the world will be listening to their cries.

There is the ability to play and camp with Pokémon, but that feature is cumbersome and tires quickly. The interactions are minimum, and it's just not very fun.

When thinking of Pokémon playing a role in the environment, the red Gyarados in the Lake of Rageand the sleeping Snorlax blocking the way come to mind. Even if incorporating Pokémon into exploration is off the table, it shouldn't be too much to ask of having them fill the world more. Pokémon Detective Pikachu accomplished this very well.

This writer is a fan of Dragon Quest XI, and he took every chance he could to pet the animals like the horses and weather-predicting cows. Even Fire Emblem added more animal interactions through their dlc!

To be fair to the expansion packs, they do alleviate some of this by allowing the lead Pokemon to follow the trainer shortly after entering the Isle of Armor. But Game Freak needs to do a better job of knowing that half the appeal of these games is the interactions and integrations of Pokémon into the world.