Pokémon Sword & Shield: Where It Should Go From Here
Pokémon Sword & Shield has had a huge impact on the series, but what's next for Pokémon?
The mainline Pokémon games, as even their most dedicated fans will admit, have certainly become set in their ways. For over two decades and eight generations of titles, the basic formula set forth by Pokémon Red and Blue has barely been touched.
Between the gym challenge and the Evil Team™ to thwart, the fundamentals remain largely the same. Crucial additions like breeding, the physical/special damage split and so on have been introduced, and Pokémon Sun and Moon mixed things up somewhat with the trials of the Island Challenge, but overall, players know exactly what they’re getting into with a Pokémon game.
The question is, what has this meant for Nintendo Switch’s Pokémon Sword and Shield, and what will it mean for the franchise moving forward to Generation 9?