With the Pokemon Sword and Shield Direct showcase giving us an official release date, fans can now mark their calendars. As we’ve already learned, we’re set to receive both Sword and Shield on November 15, 2019 – but we also learned about several new features within the next mainline title.
Check out the new trailer for Sword and Shield from the recent Direct below:
The Dynamax Phenomenon sees Pokemon transform into a gigantic form with incredibly increased power and specific to certain locations within the game’s setting of Galar. Only Trainers with the Dynamax Band can perform these powerful transformations and once the Dynamax is triggered, Pokemon will only stay that way for three turns. However, during those three turns the Pokemon will have powerful Max moves to increase its abilities.
There’s also a slew of new Pokemon to encounter within Galar. The most notable are the three starters – Scorbunny, Sobble and Grookey – which are the three new starter Pokemon. However, we also got a look at the game’s two Legendary Pokemon – Zacian and Zamazenta. Both are canine like creatures, Zacian carries a sword-like weapon in its mouth while Zamazenta has what looks like a shield permanently covering its body.
There’s also an open world to explore within Galar called the Wild Area. The Wild Area is home to tons of Pokemon to search and discover. Players ca return to this massive open area which connects several of Galar’s towns and cities. Players will also have the option to fully explore the Wild Area by utilizing a fully functional camera control scheme in order to explore the area around them.
Max Raid Battles introduce the option to fight against wild Dynamax Pokemon with up to three other partners. Utilizing the online feature for Sword and Shield, players can take on these wild Dynamax Pokemon with three other friends, or AI Trainers if not connected to the internet. Only one Trainer in the Max Raid Battle will have the option of using their own Dynamax Pokemon, however, the wild Dynamax will stay in its gigantic form for the entirety of the battle.
Pokemon Sword and Shield is the next core Pokemon experience and is releasing exclusively for the Switch this coming November.
Follow Gaming Instincts via Twitter, YouTube and Facebook for the latest gaming news.
Includes several titles.
Which was showcased at E3 2003.