Since its announcement, Pokemon Sword and Shield has been riddled with controversy. From its lack of a national dex to its graphics, Game Freak’s latest entry has been a divisive entry. Despite this though, this remains the best 3D mainline entry that the series has seen. This is thanks to its expansive open areas, a fun and lengthy story, and a slew of new regionals and features. When comparing this to the past few generations, there just simply isn’t much competition.
Expansive Open Areas
What really helps this title stand out compared to previous entries is the introduction of wild areas. These areas allow for players to hunt for various mons that can be hiding in tall grass or walking in the middle of the path. Being able to spend hours riding around on your bike while looking at loads of different Pokemon is highly addicting. Expanding your dex and adding stronger members to your party has always been essential and this helps make it easier to do so. No longer do you have to travel to various routes and just farm a specific patch of tall grass. Instead, you can go through a huge area that makes it easier to grind XP, hunt shinies, and just have fun with the game. You can still explore core routes in the game where you can go place to place but this adds a whole new factor to the series.
A Fun and Lengthy Story
Pokemon games have always followed a similar story structure. These always see the player being an unstoppable force that has a mysterious organization blocking their path. While this structure is again present, the developers add just enough of a new story to make it memorable. Plenty of story points are introduced including ones with your rival, legendaries, secret organizations, and, of course, the gym challenge. With that being said, the best part about the narrative is how well it presents the gym challenge.
Once a year, the gym challenge can be completed for a shot at becoming a new champion. Although it isn’t new, it’s refreshing to see these battles take place in large arenas that make this feel like a sport. It was always weird thinking that major Pokemon battles happened in a small gym setting with the Elite Four battling on a secluded mountain top. This makes everything feel so involved and adds to the epicness of the franchise. Plus, all the battles feel intense with each leader’s personality shining through and even adding to the story.
What truly adds to this entry, though, is its introduction of DLC expansions. These are lengthy pieces of story that add new mons, new wild areas, and tell a detailed story. Both expansions see the player travel to new destinations that each present their own challenges. Don’t expect to rush through these as they can take a while to complete the main story. It’s also fun to run around and fill out your dex and explore the islands after each expansion is completed. These add to the overall length and make this an entry that you could easily sink dozens of hours into.
New Additions
How this title separates itself from previous entries are its additions of dynamaxing and regionals. Dynamaxing is the newest gameplay mechanic where Pokemon grow to incredible heights and become stronger than ever before. It allows for new changes in strategy and even the introduction of raiding. Previous entries have seen the addition of Mega Evolutions and Z-moves, but they don’t add as much depth as dynamaxing does in that you could raid battle with friends. Those other features are fun and do add their own unique spin on the franchise but being able to have a whole new element of gameplay with raids is hard to pass on.
The regional forms feel much more unique in this entry compared to that of the Alolan region. Take for instance Perrserker, Ponyta, Mr. Mime, and the legendary birds. Each one has a fresh new feel to them and doesn’t feel like a simple reskin where they are just darker or lighter. Besides this, there are also new Pokemon found in the region never before seen such as Corviknight, Applin, Toxel, and many more. Older mons even find themselves having new evolves as seen with Obstagoon and Sirfetch’d. It’s a region with plenty to offer and plenty to explore.
Although, yes, the game does have its fair share of mishaps like not having a national dex, graphics not being great, or having franchise defining features, this is still a great game. Pokemon Sword and Shield is incredibly fun and should not be skipped on just because of these faults. Anyone who is a fan of the franchise could enjoy this title for what it is. There definitely should be talks about how to redefine the series but for what it’s worth, there’s plenty of content and new features that make this stand out. All these facts contribute to the reason it is the best 3D entry in the franchise.