There are a few things I feel I am going to need to address before I can really start the review proper, and that is a lot of issues that have been surrounding the release of Pokemon Sword and Shield.There were talks of bugs that would wipe an SD card, though that appeared to only happen if you were to download the game, not play from a physical cartridge like I did. Then there was speculation that it may only have effected your system if you were operating some kind of Home-brew on your system, which I never saw any confirmation for one way or another. This most recent update on the Subreddit seems tobe the best explanation, essentially make sure your SD cards are formatted in Fat32 and not Exfat, as it's more a problem with theSwitch Architecture then the actual game.
https://www.reddit.com/r/pokemon/comments/dwl78k/warning_to_those_who_are_playing_the_eshop/
I do not use any kind of external memory on my switch as of now,nor did I download the game, I own a physical copy. So my playthrough of Shield I had no issues at all relating to this, so all I have is second-hand knowledge of it. Worth looking into before buying the game, regardless of my review. I do think that so long as you follow the advice in the linked thread though, you should be okay.
That out of the way, the newest Pokemon Game is hardly worth discussing the overall story, because I think this game puts in less effort to the plot than even other games. There is kind of a plot involving a plan by Chairman Rose, but anytime something kind of comes up about it you are told not to worry and just do the gym challenge, and then you do. Then suddenly at the end, and the post-game, there is a very brief bit where you kind of get a short story that takes up almost no time at all.
That said, you do get some interesting characters throughout the game, and a couple more personal stories surrounding Hop, Marnie, and Bede which are all pretty good (Except for Hop), and for how little time many of the gym leaders get they are largely charming and enjoyable characters. The Gym League cards give you a bit more story on everyone, and it's pretty neat.
The game also makes use of it's new Dynamax mechanic, which I'llget into later, pretty well in relation to the game's world. This new region treats Gym Leaders and challengers like celebrities, and you get to see them transform their Pokemon into these larger than life creatures in a massive crowd filled stadiums, and it's a pretty creative mix of mechanics and theme. I also love how the Punk Rocker gym leader doesn't Dynamax his Pokemon at all.
All that out of the way, we are now on to the game's mechanics.And... it's another Pokemon game. Nothing has really changed. Catch Pokemon, train and evolve them, make use of type advantage to fight opponents with a six-man team, there is almost nothing to distinguish this game from any other Pokemon game in terms of mechanics, outside of Dynamax.
Dynamax, however, may be the dumbest gimmick of a Pokemon game.While at a power spot, you can force one of your Pokemon to grow gigantic, get a big power boost, and all your attacks turn into generic Dynamax attacks based on their type. Basically you get one Dynamax in a gym battle, but so does the opposing leader. Meaning every gym battle is the same, Dynamax your Pokemon for the last Pokemon the other gym leader has turned it into a Dynamax Vs Dynamax, which ends up being no different than a normal battle. If Dynamax just wasn't a thing, you really wouldn't notice a difference for the majority of the game, outside of fighting Dynamax wild Pokemon, which has you team up with other trainers (either AI or online) to take on a Dynamax with four normal Pokemon, though they are able to Dynamax as well. That really is the only time it matters,but those fights aren't really all that interesting either.
A thing I like is that there are a lot more Pokemon to catch early on then other games, meaning early game you have better options for building a variety of different teams of Pokemon, which is great.However it also seems to be the easiest Pokemon as a result,especially when you don't even face trainers, including Gym leaders,with more than three Pokemon until you are already halfway through the game. And with the wild area, you get so much money from sell-able items you find it starts to feel like the entire game is stacked in your favor, beginning to end.
For certain people, they will be bothered by not being able to transfer any Pokemon from older games to this one, they have a four hundred Pokemon Pokedex, and only ones listed in that can be transferred. If you like to keep a full, national Pokedex this may well be a game-breaker for you. For me, however, it's not a big deal as I always play with only Pokemon catch-able in the game, a fresh start every game. And considering I also don't play competitively,something else that will likely be a huge consideration for picking this game up or not, that aspect also doesn't really matter to me.
In the end, the game is fine. It's another Pokemon game, though with how easy it was if you are experienced with RPG's or even just Pokemon there isn't likely going to be much here for you if you aren't a hardcore fan or competitive player. And with the games price up to sixty dollars, compared to the forty of the original handhelds, you just don't feel like you have as much content and it feels like a big step back. I liked the game fine and all, but it's not so much as going to be a contender for my top ten, and until it gets a price drop I really can't recommend it.
Also, this is the stupidest Pokemon I have ever seen and I will hear no argument against it.
