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Pokémon Sword and Shield review
Written by: Maud
During the first day of Gamescom 2019 in Cologne, I got the opportunity to try out Pokémon Sword and Shield on the Nintendo Switch! This game will be released on 15 November 2019 and is not even playable in the entertainment hall at Gamescom, so you will be getting an exclusive preview of this new Pokémon game in this blog post!
A sneak peek of Pokémon Sword and Shield
The demo I played at Gamescom was pretty short but still gave me a good first impression of the game. I started out as a Pokémon trainer in an area with waterfalls that blocked my path towards the arena. It didn’t take me long to understand that I had to find my way through the maze and turn off the waterfalls in a specific order. There were several pillars with yellow, red or blue buttons that were linked to the waterfalls. On my way to the first button, I came across a character who immediately challenged me to a fight. And that is how my first Pokémon battle started in Sword and Shield!
My starter Pokémon was Sobble, but I will tell you more about that later. I battled my opponent by strategically attacking and switching Pokémon if necessary. If you are a true Pokémon fan and have played the games before, this might sound familiar. The combat in Sword and Shield is basically the same as in other Pokémon games. But that does not mean that this new addition to the Pokémon series has nothing new to offer. I was actually pleasantly surprised by a new feature that is completely new in Sword and Shield…
As soon as I made my way through the waterfalls and opponents, I finally entered the large arena. Here I came face to face with a Pokémon trainer who wanted to show who the better trainer was. Well, challenge accepted! I exchanged Sobble for Grookey, a grass-type Pokémon, to battle against the Water Pokémon of my opponent. When I was choosing my first attack, I noticed a new attack called Dynamax was available. This is a brand new phenomenon with which a Pokémon can take on a gigantic appearance during battle. My attack also caused a noticeably larger amount of damage. My opponent had the same clever idea and also choose to ‘Dynamax’ her Pokémon. Luckily, I choose the right attacks and won the battle. And that is how my very first experience with Pokémon Sword and Shield came to an end.
The new starter Pokémon
Like I said, during the demo my Pokémon trainer started off with a Sobble. This is one of the three new starter Pokémon in Sword and Shield, and aren’t they the cutest? Just like every other Pokémon game, you will be presented with the choice between grass, fire and water type as your starter Pokémon, which are the following:
- Sobble - water
a timid water lizard Pokémon that attacks as it hides in water
- Grookey - grass
a mischievous and curious chimp Pokémon
- Scorbunny - fire
a rabbit Pokémon bursting with energy that never sits still
My verdict
I am not sure if the scene I played at Gamescom will also be in the full game, but it did make a good impression about what is to be expected of the Pokémon battles in November. Unfortunately, I also was not able to explore the new area Galar, so I will have to wait a few months to find out.Are you excited for Pokémon Sword and Shield? Then don’t forget to add credits to your Nintendo eShop account with Nintendo eShop Cards as the release date approaches!
