Pokémon Sword and Shield Release Date And More Info Revealed

In a recent Direct presentation, more info for the upcoming Pokémon Sword and Shield games was revealed including new Pokémon that can be found in the Galar region, as well as new gameplay mechanics.

Only a handful of new Pokémon were revealed in this trailer, however numerous old Pokémon seen in other games will also be making their return in the new region. Gossifleur is a flower Grass-type Pokémon with an evolution called Eldergoss, which is known as the cotton bloom Pokémon. Wooloo is a Normal-type sheep Pokémon, and will likely be encountered in early routes of the game. One of the Flying-type Pokémon that inhabits the Galar region is Corviknight, an intimidating raven with a rare Flying/Steel-type combination. Lastly is Drednaw, a Water/Rock-type that’s classified as a biting Pokémon.

We were also given a first look at the two legendaries for this generation, Zacian and Zamazenta. Both of these wolf legendaries look very similar to each other, with Zacian wielding a sword and Zamazenta using a shield. Naturally Zacian will be the cover legendary for Pokémon Sword while Zamazenta will be taking that role for Pokémon Shield.

One of the biggest changes to Pokémon Sword and Shield when compared to previous generations is the increase in scope and scale. Gym battles now take place in giant football stadiums (that’s English football to be precise) with audiences filling the arena spectating the battles. The Pokémon franchise is also dipping its toes into open-world design with the new Wild Area, an area of the game that connects numerous cities that can be freely explored. Pokémon roam the Wild Area, with the Pokémon that can be encountered changing depending on the location and weather.

The scale of the world is the only thing that’s increasing with size, as Pokémon can also increase to the size of Kaiju with a new phenomenon known as Dynamax. Dynamax Pokémon can be caught in multiplayer through a system that’s similar to Raid Battles seen in Pokémon GO, and the ability to enlarge Pokémon can also be used in battle, making the Pokémon stronger. However, this ability can only be used in specific areas such as gyms.

Pokémon Sword and Shield are releasing exclusively for Nintendo Switch on 15th November 2019.