Released on November 15, Pokemon Sword and Shield are projected to be the highest grossing games in the series, selling 6 million copies worldwide in their first week after release. For comparison, Pokemon Lets Go Pikachu and Lets Go Eevee, the only other Pokemon games to be featured on the Nintendo Switch, have sold 11 million copies to date. 

I have literally played every game in the main Pokemon series from start to finish. Additionally I have even played the spin off games, such as the Pokemon: Mystery Dungeon series, Pokemon Stadium, and Pokemon Coliseum. As far as Pokemon Sword and Shield, more than 100 hours have already been put into my adventure. When it comes to Pokemon, I take pride in calling myself an expert. As someone who has been a fan of the series since I could hold a gameboy, I can say these new games have a lot to offer!

Pokemon Sword and Shield offer a new gameplay experience for children and adults alike, being the first main series game to be introduced on a home console. These games show that Nintendo and Game Freak can take the classic “Pokemon formula” that fans know and put a new spin on it. With a whole new region to explore as well as the introduction of 81 new creatures, and a new location home to brand new mechanics known as the Wild Area, it is a Pokemon experience unlike any released in the past. 

The Wild Area is a new location that serves as the central area of the game, revisiting this place as you grow your collection of gym badges will allow you to catch new and stronger Pokemon, with a weather system constantly changing what you will see when you search through the grass. 

One of the new additions to these games is the dynamax feature, in which the Pokemon you know take on a new form, growing in power and size massively. These kinds of large Pokemon can also be challenged in raid battles in the wild area, where you and up to three other players can take them on in pursuit of rewards and a chance to capture the beasts. 

These games capture the essence of an RPG, and even more so, a true Pokemon game. You start out in your hometown, meet your soon-to-be rival, and after a few introductions you receive your starter pokemon. From that point, the world is basically yours to explore. Whether you’d rather spend your time in the wild area training and finding new friends, or continuing the story by traveling and challenging the eight gym leaders across the region, the games offer a play-style that caters to every one of their fans. 

As much as these new games have kept me busy and been an exciting new experience, the progression through the story seems lackluster. Compared to previous titles in the series, it was quite easy to blast through the gym leaders and with only a few trainers and events between each gym challenge, the story could be complete in just a few hours. 

One aspect of Pokemon games that has been a staple to the series has been the ability to take your Pokemon partners with you through every adventure. Every time a new game has been released there was an opportunity to trade Pokemon from older titles to the new ones. This feature is not present in Sword and Shield. With these new titles, there has been an exclusion of over half of the existing creatures, supposedly due to the switch’s weak processing power. Over 500 Pokemon have been cut, removing the ability to bring in any Pokemon that aren’t already included in the game. 

Pokemon Sword and Shield offer the core Pokemon experience fans know and love, as well as introduce new mechanics and aspects that set it apart from past titles. The game continues to provide content well after the completion of the main story, which leads to seemingly endless hours of fun.