Before I get into this, I definitely think it’s worth mentioning that Pokémon Sword and Shield is not my favorite installment in the Pokémon franchise. For me, that is still the second generation games, Gold and Silver. However, I have invested almost 600 hours into my copy of Pokémon Shield.
I have always been a huge Pokémon fan. It is my favorite franchise, and it has been with me since my childhood. Most fans of the franchise can say the same. My very first Pokémon game was Pokémon Red, and I instantly fell in love. There’s just something about the monster collecting and RPG elements that keep me coming back for more.
I can proudly say I’ve played every generation of Pokémon games. This current generation with Pokémon Sword and Shield, has by far been the one I’ve invested the most time. I have played through the story 3 different times, two times to get version exclusive Pokémon and finish my Pokédex, and a third time with just a bug team.
Since completing my Pokédex and acquiring the Shiny Charm, I have been obsessed with shiny hunting. Now, there are a few ways to go about doing this, but for me I usually utilize breeding. Everyone’s different though, and each generation offers other unique ways to hunt these legendary variations.
With all of that being said, I have certainly been busy shiny hunting, which is why my hour count is so high. It’s been the biggest draw for me to this game. However, not every Pokémon fan, or newcomer to the franchise, will enjoy it as much as me. So, this game has plenty of other activities to offer.
Firstly, the main story is what most people will purchase these games for. Exploring a new region, building a team of new and returning Pokémon and ultimately becoming champion will be everyone’s goal. That process will run players anywhere from 20-40 hours, depending on how you play. If you want to catch everything on your way, it’ll be closer to 40.
With each new Pokémon game since generation 6, the main stories have been rather easy to complete. I remember the first 5 generations being much more challenging than the 3DS installments and forward. So, while completing the main story is on everyone’s radar, it’s become more of something to get out of the way rather than something to sit back and enjoy.
For a lot of fans, the post-game is where most Pokémon games shine these days. And while you may not be interested in shiny hunting, you can battle online with other players. This is where you’ll find the challenge that has been missing from the main story for a few generations now. This is also where the RPG side of these games will really start to show itself.
If online battling isn’t your cup of tea, you can battle in Max Raid battles. You team up with 3 other players or CPUs to take down a huge Dynamax Pokémon. I have personally enjoyed my fair share of these Max Raid battles, but the matchmaking can be just plain awful. For such a cool feature, I wish they had come up with a better way to connect with other players.
Another draw to these games is the monster collecting aspect. As I mentioned before, the Shiny Charm is the reward for completing the in-game Pokédex, but with the two expansions these games have received this year, they added plenty more Pokémon to go out there and find.
The main problem a lot of fans have had with these games though, is that even with these two expansions, there are still Pokémon missing from them. These missing Pokémon consist of ones from every past generation, that fans have been eagerly waiting to be added since the launch. The lack of the National Pokédex was a huge let down with these new titles.
Each generation of Pokémon games has had the National Pokédex in it. It is always acquired after beating the main story, and from there you can trade up from past titles to work to complete it. For the newest generation to not include this feature is a massive oversight on Game Freak’s part. I mean, it’s the name of the game for these titles. “Gotta catch ‘em all,” right? And while they have done a good job adding more with the expansions, in the past you never had to pay extra to acquire these Pokémon.
Now, in the past you couldn’t catch all Pokémon in one game. However, you absolutely could use any of them within that game, thanks to the National Pokédex. That is where Sword and Shield differ, because there are still Pokémon that cannot be added into the game, even if you own them from previous titles.
It is this reason that Sword and Shield is not even close to my favorite game in the franchise. Regardless of the time I have spent on my Shield copy, it still leaves much to be desired. I desperately hope Game Freak can add a National Pokédex soon and rectify this mistake. I think that would make a lot of fans happier with these entries, and start looking forward to what future Pokémon games could be like.
I know there are many fans who also want a more open world approach to these games. Personally, I don’t mind the traditional formula. I am open to the open world idea, but I would be scared of the franchise parting too much away from what makes it great. The Wild Area in Sword and Shield was a wonderful addition to the game, even if it didn’t live up to its hype. I would be excited to see future games feature areas like this, but I would miss the classic formula as well.
I think Pokémon Sword and Shield are just incomplete Pokémon games. Game Freak is trying to make up for that with the expansions that let you catch more Pokémon, but it comes with a price. There’s definitely plenty to do in these games, but it just doesn’t live up to what a main Pokméon title on the Switch could be.
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