Pokémon Direct 02/27/19: You Have My Sword and Shield

With the Pokémon Direct this morning, the moment fans have been anticipating for years finally arrived. Nintendo previously teased that a new-generation Pokémon installment was in development for Switch, something first announced during the E3 2017 presentation. The Pokémon: Let’s Go games scratched the itch a bit, though didn’t quite count as mainline games thanks to being reimagined versions of the original Red and Blue (or Red and Green) games. The controller gimmicks also divided the fanbase, and game looked graphically inferior to what players expected for the first HD installment. Fortunately for them, the new generation was figuratively right around the corner.

The new installments are Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, names that might have a larger meaning behind them in the main games. The presentation started with an address from The Pokémon Company president and CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara, kept brief thanks to the quick seven-minute presentation. They were undoubtedly aware of how they’re dealing with impatient fans eager to see the game.

It’s why they wasted no time showing the main male and female characters for Sword and Shield, some locations they’ll venture to, and the Pokémon themselves. The games will occur in the Galar region, one that’s promised to include a beautiful countryside, modernized cities, expansive forests, and mountains in various environmental conditions to search through. In short, they’re what you’d expect to see in a mainline or mainline-style Pokémon installment.

The graphics for the environments are visually more impressive than those in the Let’s Go games, though they still aren’t on par with the best the Switch has to offer. It’s not as if the Pokémon games have ever pushed the raw power of the platforms they’re on, and in fairness, they could receive polishing at the end of its development. It’s still the most impressive Pokémon has ever looked, and none of this justifies the cartoonish overreactions from some vocal fans.

It also wouldn’t be a Pokémon game without Gyms, where Gym Leaders can be fought and defeated in the player’s quest to become Champion. Only a couple of trainers were shown in the preview, and the Direct didn’t even provide a quick glimpse at any Gym Leaders, so they’ll have plenty to reveal throughout the year.

Pokémon regions have been inspired by real-life locations since the series’ inception, with the Alola region from the Sun and Moon titles being the most blatant yet with its definitely-not-Hawaii locales. Here, several fans noted that the environments look inspired by British locations. The Sword and Shield names and accompanying emblems implied the style of location, but the steampunk-suffused environments reminiscent of an early Industrial Revolution look also show this. The map contains landmarks inspired by the Big Ben clocktower, the London Eye ferris wheel, and London’s city hall, while others were shown in the backgrounds during the Direct. The inspiration here isn’t subtle.

The character models look similar to those from the Sun and Moon games on 3DS, albeit in HD. But don’t take that as criticism, since they still look nice. There’s a good reason why several fans were hoping the later 3DS titles would receive HD remasters around the Switch’s launch window, and were disappointed when rumors of “Pokémon Stars” were proven false. The big differences with the models are the clothing styles, which notably resemble British teenage school uniforms for the two female characters depicted in the screenshot above. The short tie is the biggest giveaway here. The styles for the other trainers and Gym Leaders should be similarly good when they’re shown.

Like any Pokémon game, the adventure will start when the player chooses a starting Pokémon. There’s Grookey, a grass-type Pokémon who resembles a cute chimp. The fire-type is Scorbunny, an energetic rabbit Pokémon with the most contagious smile you’ve ever seen on a Pocket Monster creature. Lastly, there’s Sobble, a timid water-type that shoots water attacks when it isn’t hiding in the water. Of the three, I can’t get Sobble’s permanent “are you serious” look out of my head from his artwork, so that’s my instant favorite.

Several legacy Pokémon will also be included, as seen through quick glimpses in the gameplay preview. Pikachu was the biggest one shown, but Minccino, Wishiwashi, Grubbin, Hoothoot, Zweilous, Flygon, Braviary, Wailmer, female Meowstic, Tyranitar, Munchlax, and Lucario were shown very briefly. Several more will be revealed between now and the game’s release, so cross your fingers and hope your favorite Pokémon is included. There are so many Pokémon that all of them may not make the cut, so someone’s comparatively obscure favorite might be left out.

The Pokémon Company claimed last year that the new generation Pokémon title will release in late 2019 on Switch, and they’re thankfully sticking to that. More previews will be provided throughout the year, including in future Pokémon Directs and shows like E3 2019.

If you want to watch the Pokémon Direct, feel free to do so here.