DEVELOPER: GAME FREAK STUDIOS
PLATFORM: NINTENDO SWITCH
PRICE: $59.99
AVAILABLE: NOW
WEATHERED EXPECTATIONS
Story Time! The year was 1998. A lone boy, facing away from Parsons Boulevard awaits his parents to pick him up. The boy waits and waits and soon, a taxi cab arrives. The boy’s brother exits the cab and hands the boy a portable video game console.
The boy rips open the package furiously, disregarding safety and his surroundings. He turns the video game console on and he beholds a world of wonder. For the entire thirty minute cab ride home, the boy indulges in the sweet pixelation that is Pokemon Red. For three days straight, the boy misses school, baths and even dinner! He is hooked on this pixelated world. Story time over.
My history with Pokemon is deep. Throughout the years, Game Freak has soared and stumbled through an ever-changing RPG landscape; creating software for all ages and tastes. Every Pokemon is someone’s first Pokémon game or RPG, but how do retain the throne when developers like Atlus(Persona 5) and From Software(Dark Souls) keep pushing gaming innovations into the stratosphere effortlessly?
A BRAVE NEW WORLD
Pokémon Sword takes place in the Galar Region; a whimsical land based off of Great Britain. You have your typical Pokémon routes and grasslands, but the townships are something else.
When you’re not battling trainers and catching Pokémon, you’ll be galavanting through different areas picking up items and talking to Pokefanatics.
Pokémon Sword doesn’t stray far from it’s predecessors narratively; your goal is to become the Pokémon Champion. Along with your rival, Hop, you are given a choice between three Pokémon starters. Scorbunny, a fire type. Grookey, a grass type, and Sobble, a water type.
Hop will choose whatever starter your type is strong against; disrupting the tried and true rock-paper-scissors dynamic of the series. Some series veterans may grumble at this, but I didn’t mind it at all. I play games to have fun and relax, I don’t mind the lack of challenge every now and then.
For those new to Pokémon, the game flow is as such:
Get starter>Battle rival>meet Pokémon Professor>Go along route>New town>Enter Gym>Battle gym trainers>Battle Gym Leader>Get Badge
Repeat steps 4-10 interspersed with finding items, catching Pokémon and various activities. While Pokémon Sword doesn’t brake the mold so to speak, Game Freak adds a few wrinkles to keep players excited.
DYNAMIN-MAXING
Enter the Dynamax Feature: Pokenuts can now enlarge their Pokémon for three turns for massive damage and efficacy. Not to mention it looks cool as $&@$. Throughout your journey, you will Dynamax against other trainers; giving way to some intense battles. This translates to wild Pokemon battles as well. Within the first few hours of play, you’ll gain access to The Wild area; an overworld bustling with Pokémon. No longer are we forced to peddle left and right on our pokebikes, we can now see the Pokémon on screen before battles!
It’s clear that much work and effort was put into shaping the Wild Area. Not only are there many types of Pokémon, there are many different landscapes and weather patterns that determine which Pokémon appear and when. I’ll not spoil anything, but you’re in for a treat.
YOU CAN RANT AND RAVE, JUST DON’T FORGET TO SAVE
Team Yell are set up to be the villains in this particular tale; yet they’re just a band of punks. I actually thought this spin on an old yarn was cool. Team Yell is just a Motley Crue of Pokémon trainers who oppose you. No eco-terrorism, no theft, just playful revelry.
The main plot of Pokémon Sword is boilerplate RPG stuff. Kids coming together to save the world from a raging egomaniac. I’ll spare you the details.
I completed the game in about 25 hours. I was pleasantly surprised to find out there’s an actual postgame this time. Pokémon Gold this is not; but I applaud the effort all the same. After the credits roll, you will unlock the Delta Episode. It’s fairly short, but it’s enticing. You also gain access to the Battle Tower and PokeJobs feature; endgame content that allows your Pokémon(and Pokewallet) to skyrocket. Thanks Game Freak.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Pokémon Sword might be one of the best in the series. It has been a while since I felt this way. Mind you, I haven’t even tried online battling or trading , and there’s still an expansion pass to dive into. The game stumbles many times throughout, but it soars like a Pidgeot when you least expect it. What are your thoughts on this PWs? Where does Pokémon Sword rank against the others? Let me know in the comments. Peace!
Purveyors Of Pixels 