4.5/5 ★ – TylerTurner7's review of Pokémon Sword.

Back in 1998, after the U.S. release of the anime, I fell in love with Pokemon. Of all the episodes there was one episode that wrecked my little eight year old heart more than any other, “Charmander: The Stray Pokemon.” I was up in my feels for the first time since watching Lion King in theaters. As I watched Charmander get verbally abused and intentionally neglected I was brought to tears and it wouldn’t be the last time Pokemon did this to me. (see episode “Bye Bye: Butterfree”) I wanted a Charmander to take care of more than anything and I finally got one when I was given Pokemon Red for my birthday in 1998. Fast forward to 2019, over twenty years later, and I was gifted Pokemon Shield, by a brother in Christ who was formerly part of my youth group (You my boy Jeff). I booted up the game in a room full of former students whom I love and are now my friends and what do I see in the opening cutscene. Charizard! Not just a regular old Charizard but one that “digivolves” into a kaiju that fills an entire stadium and I was sold! I was all in! I knew that Shield, and Sword, was going to be something special. Eight generations have passed since I got my first Charmander and we have 890 Pokemon in total and I still love the series. The series has largely maintained the same winning formula with a few tweaks each generation: get a starter, catch ‘em all, detour to defeat some bad guys, and defeat the champion. With each generation’s tweaks there have been hits and misses. However, the changes made this generation have made me more excited for a Pokemon game than I felt in a while. Sword and Shield have made gigantic steps in the franchise and left a huge impression on me. I have always enjoyed completing games, especially getting platinum trophies on Playstation consoles. Completing the Pokedex, to me personally, has felt inaccessible or impractical for a long time. For the first time in generations, I captured or traded all 400 Pokemon in the Galar Pokedex, with help from a couple of students. The controversial “Dexit” meant that more than half of all Pokemon would not make it into these new games after the Thanos-like snap made by Producer Junichi Masuda. I breathed a sigh of relief seeing Charizard return; however, my elation was stifled when I later discover that Venasaur and Blastoise did not survive “The Snap.” I knew that fans would be upset--especially within my own trio of friends I play with who each have a different favorite generation one starter. Despite the drama, Sword and Shield sold six million units its opening weekend making it the fastest selling Switch game to date. Undeterred by my own initial frustration, I eventually understood this as a turning point in the series and a personal challenge for me to try new Pokemon, not just from gen eight but also from other gens because some of my usuals, like Dragonite, did not make the cut. I appreciated the subtle message of “mix it up” and “expand your horizons.” So I did, I played with a brand new team that I had never used and I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and adventure. The two biggest improvements to the game are without a doubt the introduction of the Wild Area and the Dynamax Raid battles. The Wild Area is massive and gives you the ability to experience different Pokemon based on weather effects, dates, time of day, and the region of the Wild Area that you are in. Some Pokemon which have never been catchable in the wild, such as trade evolved Pokemon like Gengar and Dusknoir, now have a rare chance to spawn in the Wild Area. The Wild Area is almost its own game because of how much you can do, and it is easy to spend hours in it. There are rare items like evolution stones that respawn after time and you will also find Pokemon way too powerful to battle or catch during your first couple of visits which can really get the heart pumping. Having the addition of Pokemon in the over world walking around was exciting in Pokemon Let’s Go but even more so since you can now battle these over world Pokemon in Sword and Shield. Walking up on a wild Tyranitar, which is exclusive to Shield, is very intimidating as it can be level sixty-five in the post game and have moves such as Giga Impact that can one shot some of your Pokemon if you are not appropriately leveled. In the Wild Area you are also able to have control of the camera with the right stick which sounds silly but long time Pokefans will be excited about. Then there are Pokemon Dens. Dens that when glowing red contain powerful, though, Dynamax Pokemon which function as raid bosses. Dens with purple beams can have raid bosses with hidden abilities, improved stats, and may contain rare variant Dynamax Pokemon known as Gigantamax Pokemon. These Pokemon not only get bigger but also change forms, similar to mega evolutions in past generations. Since the dawn of Pokemon there has always been trading and battling, but to have a third way to interact with friends in a substantial way is a literal game changer. These raids motivate players to continue collecting, battling, and training well after the post game to collect these variants and register them in the Pokedex. Up to four players can team up to defeat the bosses together and the higher tier battles can be difficult. These raid boss battles end when the team has a total of four KO’s, the match goes beyond ten total turns, or the boss is defeated. The team cooperation can add intensity when you realize a boss may have a move that is super effective to your Pokemon which may cost your team the win and the opportunity to catch the bosses. Even if you are able to beat the boss, you have put only one throw to catch it. If it breaks free you lose the catch but are still rewarded excellent items like Exp. Candy and one time use TMs called TRs that teach powerful moves. Narratively, Sword and Shield are some of the weaker entries in the franchise with a very minimal “bad guy” presence. The Galar Region is based off of the United Kingdom and it is clear that Game Freak was leaning into a more sports-like feel to the game rather than the typical “ten year old kid saves the world from the Pokemon mafia” trope that has been done in most games to date. You battle Gym Leaders in massive stadiums, buy and collect jerseys from defeated leaders, customize them with your own number (I used my high school football number, 70), and you are able to even create and customize a League Card that is similar to baseball card. Game Freak wants us to feel like “PokeAthletes” and though there are bad guys that need to be put in their place in the main story it is not the focal point of the game. In fact, the villains in the main game are not associated with a traditional “Team Bad Guy” and feel almost an afterthought introduced for some drama and challenge right before facing the championship battle. There is a post game story that is closely linked to the legendary Pokemon and two new antagonists. However, the majority of the game is as it always has been: your journey, defeating rivals, gym leaders, and ultimately becoming champion. In the post game, NPCs will even shout “Hey, it's the champion” and similar statements as you walk by really making you feel like you have arrived as a Pokemaster. The game even rewards you with the a new title screen displaying your most recent party used to defeat the champion tournament. Sword and Shield have taken the best parts of their past titles and streamlined the game to make Pokemon more accessible and more immersive than ever before. In Sword and Shield, you are able to choose whether or not you need a tutorial which is refreshing and the game lets you get in the action rather quickly by being able to get to the Wild Area within the first hour of the game. No more HMs or Ride Pokemon, just a fast travel “Corviknight Taxi” and your bike that can be upgraded to access new areas. At no point did I feel overpowered and I never felt the need to grind which is a rare balance to find. Additionally, there are several more quality-of-life changes: the Move Reminder is in every Pokemon Center, the Box is accessible at anytime from the pause menu, and Exp Share as a default helps bring new additions to your party up to level quickly. The gyms are fun and challenging with all but one leader having access to a Gigantamax Pokemon. For the first time ever, there are even exclusive gyms to each game. Pokemon that were more difficult to obtain or evolve have been retconned. For example, Eevee finally evolves into Leafeon or Glaceon with a Leaf Stone and Ice Stone respectively. The soundtrack and sound mixing are nothing particularly special though I enjoyed hearing some familiar tunes remixed a bit. The post game has been made easier for players who want to get into competitive play such as IV and EV train Pokemon, breed for that perfect Pokemon with just the right nature or ability, and of course breeding for those rare Shiny mons (Pokemon of a special alternative color). There are even new “square shinies” that are even more rare than traditional shinies. These shinies have a slight variation in the “sparkling effects” when they come out of their Pokeballs. Overall, there are so many features that I have barely scratched the surface of, which is incredible considering the time I have put into the game. I have only dabbled in features like camping and cooking but they do not feel like fluff added to increase playtime. I enjoyed my brief camping experience getting to play and talk to my Zamazenta and Charizard. Sword and Shield have already implemented online updates and events such as including new Gigantamax Pokemon like Snorlax for events, so we can expect the game to remain fresh and relevant for some time. I have put 70+ hours into the game which I have not done in generations and I will certainly be playing more as my friends catch up and are ready to raid with me. I believe this is the best time to jump into the series if you have never played Pokemon while simultaneously being the best time to be a longtime fan of the franchise. The game is just excellent. Sword and Shield will stand amongst mainline entries in the Pokemon Hall of Fame like Pokemon Red and Pokemon Silver. In July of 2021, I was able to revisit Galar when receiving a copy of Pokemon Sword from a friend and also by playing the accompanying DLC Crown Tundra and Isle of Armor on Pokemon Shield. These DLCs were like new wild areas with meager stories offered but tons of new Pokemon variants and some of the older Pokemon that didn't make the original "Snap." I adore these games and look forward to what Game Freak does next.