The much speculated-on 8th generation of Pokemon got a new name this week during a short-but-sweet Nintendo Direct. Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield were unveiled for the first time and were confirmed to still be on course for release in ‘late 2019’. At just 7 minutes long the Direct was light in details, but gave us an introduction to what we can expect from the first main series Pokemon game on the Switch. If you were hoping for a big leap forward for the Switch game it might be time to start moderating your expectations. While there’s everyone reason to get excited so far this does look like more of the same classic Pokemon. Of course after the stripped-back Let’s Go games last year even keeping the same level of depth might be considered a triumph for the series’ older fans.
As might be expected the stars of the show were the three new starter Pokemon. Grookey is the grass starter, sporting a cute monkey-like inspiration. The fire starter is Scorbunny, who seems to have stolen the show for many. As the name suggests Scorbunny is rabbit-like, seemingly agile and energetic. Last but not least is Sobble, the dejected looking water Pokemon. Sobble is based on a chameleon, with a shy persona. Opinion seems divided over which one of these new starters is the best, but it seems safe to assume at this point that whether you pick of Pokemon Sword or Pokemon Shield you’ll soon be making fast friends with one of them! Now we just need to wait and see what their evolved forms look like…
The most discussed part of the Pokemon Sword and Shield reveal is the new region: Galar. There’s more than a few things in the video to suggest the “inspiration” for the Galar region is the United Kingdom. From Big Ben, to hill art and even the shape of the region itself. There’s a compelling amount of evidence to suggest that this is the case. There’s also ton of Brexit jokes doing the rounds on social media which are as hilarious as they are depressing. One hope is that the game may expand to a previous region, as Gold and Silver did, with the European-themed Kalos presumably being close by. Lengthy post-game content is a perennial hope for Pokemon games, though, so while its way too early to rule anything out its probably a good idea not to let your hopes get out of control.
