New game features, Pokémon native to the Galar region, and the launch date for Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, the newest additions to the main series of the Pokémon video game franchise, were announced today during a Pokémon Direct online presentation. Developers at GAME FREAK inc. also provided a closer look at newly discovered Pokémon from the Galar region, the setting of the highly anticipated games. The Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield games will be launching November 15, 2019, exclusively on the Nintendo Switch™ system.
The Dynamax Phenomenon
Dynamax is a phenomenon unique to specific locations in the Galar region, where Pokémon can take on gigantic appearances during battle, and it’s an integral part of Pokémon battles in the region. Pokémon from the Galar region are able to Dynamax, and when they do, they become tremendously strong and receive a boost to their power. Trainers can only Dynamax their Pokémon once during battle and the Dynamaxed Pokémon will return to its regular form after three turns. Only Trainers who possess a Dynamax Band can Dynamax their Pokémon.
All the moves of a Dynamax Pokémon will turn into special Max Moves. Max Moves are powerful, and some can even trigger additional effects. For example, the Normal-type Max Move, Max Strike, has the additional effect of lowering the Speed stat of an opponent it hits. The Max Moves the player’s Pokémon can use are determined by the kind and types of moves they knew before Dynamaxing.
Pokémon Gyms
Pokémon Gyms are found in stadiums throughout the Galar region and attract Trainers that are experts in specific types of Pokémon. To become Champion, players will need to defeat the top Trainer in each Pokémon Gym, also known as the Gym Leader. Spectators flock to the Gym Stadium to view these battles with Gym Leaders, which often involve intense clashes between Dynamax Pokémon. The matches are also broadcast on television throughout the Galar region. Milo is the Grass Gym Leader and is well liked by the Trainers of his Gym. His credo is to always enjoy battles and he specializes in endurance matches using Grass-type Pokémon.
The Wild Area is a vast expanse of land in the Galar region with untamed wilderness. It is full of nature and connects several different towns and cities. Trainers will find a greater variety of Pokémon living in the Wild Area than anywhere else in the Galar region. The Pokémon encountered in the Wild Area will change depending on factors like weather or location, so Trainers might see something new each time they visit. While in the Wild Area, players can control the camera to explore the vast areas around them and search for Pokémon and items.
Max Raid Battles are a new battle format that takes place in the Wild Area, in which the player will team up with three other Trainers to take on a wild Dynamax Pokémon. Trainers will then get a chance to catch the wild Dynamax Pokémon if they manage to defeat it—but it won’t go down easily. The wild Dynamax Pokémon remain in their giant form the entire battle and have other unique powers. Close teamwork is the key to success, because only one Trainer involved in the battle can Dynamax their Pokémon. Some Pokémon can only be caught in Max Raid Battles. Max Raid Battles can become even more fun when the player connects with friends to battle together via Nintendo Switch Online. If three other Trainers aren’t available to participate in Max Raid Battles, support Trainers will automatically be added to the player’s team to help battle the wild Dynamax Pokémon.
People and Culture of the Galar Region
In Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, players will be traveling through the Galar region, where they will find many unique locations, such as cities where Pokémon and people work and live together. Pokémon play an important role in the Galar region where many companies are eager to include Pokémon as part of their workforce. In Galarian culture, Pokémon battles are regarded as the most popular form of entertainment. Pokémon battles are held in stadiums, where challengers and Gym Leaders face off to the passionate cheers of fans and spectators. The Pokémon League is where Trainers gather to compete in Pokémon battles and hone their skills. Players will have to battle the Pokémon Gyms found around the region as they try to reach the pinnacle of the Pokémon League and earn the title of Champion.
As a resident of the Galar region, players will embark on an adventure to become the Champion and meet many people and Pokémon along the way.
- Leon is the current Champion of the Galar region and has never been defeated in an official Pokémon battle. Extremely popular for his skill and personality, Leon holds the title of “the greatest Trainer in all of Galar.”
- Hop is Leon’s younger brother and will become one of the player’s rivals. The player and Hop are neighbors and begin their journey to become Champion on the same day.
- Professor Magnolia is the preeminent Pokémon Professor of the Galar region. The main focus of her research has been the Dynamax phenomenon.
- Sonia is the granddaughter of Professor Magnolia as well as being Leon’s childhood friend. Besides being very knowledgeable and willing to offer helpful advice to the player, Sonia is also a young researcher and Professor Magnolia’s assistant.
Legendary Pokémon
The Legendary Pokémon Zacian and Zamazenta are shrouded in mystery and are unknown even to those who live in the Galar region. Zacian’s attacks are so graceful that its movements captivate opponents. Holding what appears to be a sword in its mouth, Zacian’s shining blade can cut through anything. With majestic movements and what appears to be a shield covering its body, Zamazenta can turn back any attack and overwhelm any opponents that dare face it.
First Partner Pokémon
Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble are three Pokémon that players can choose to be their first partner. Newly discovered details for these Pokémon include the following.
Grookey
Category: Chimp Pokémon
Type: Grass
Height: 1′
Weight: 11 lbs.
Ability: Overgrow
The stick that Grookey holds, originally from the forest where groups of Grookey live, is imbued with special powers after being exposed to the energy within Grookey’s body. Its green fur creates energy from sunlight. When Grookey drums with its stick near wilted flowers and leaves, they regain their color.
Scorbunny
Category: Rabbit Pokémon
Type: Fire
Height: 1′
Weight: 9.9 lbs.
Ability: Blaze
Scorbunny uses its powerful legs to confuse and disorient its opponents by running and jumping around them. Because the soles of its feet can become very hot, Scorbunny’s kick can burn and damage opponents, too. With a sac in its chest containing viscous fire energy, Scorbunny can increase its heart rate and body temperature by running around. This awakens the true power of its fire energy and greatly increases its physical abilities.
Sobble
Category: Water Lizard Pokémon
Type: Water
Height: 1′
Weight: 8.8 lbs.
Ability: Torrent
When Sobble touches water, its body changes its pattern and color, allowing it to blend into its surroundings. A rather timid Pokémon, Sobble will secrete the water within its body like sweat and disappear into its surroundings when nervous or embarrassed. With tears that are as potent as a hundred onions, Sobble will start to bawl if it feels threatened, spreading its tears around the area and causing everyone around it to start crying uncontrollably. Sobble will then use this distraction as a chance to escape.
Pokémon of the Galar Region
Many different species of Pokémon call the Galar region home. Much is unknown about the biology of these Pokémon, so researchers are working diligently to discover more information.
Gossifleur
Category: Flowering Pokémon
Type: Grass
Height: 1′4″
Weight: 4.9 lbs.
Ability: Cotton Down / Regenerator
Gossifleur prefers land with clear water and air. Its pollen has a healing effect and is commonly used as a folk medicine remedy and made into a tea given to children in the Galar region when they are ill. Gossifleur travels over long distances by getting blown along by the wind. It controls the direction of its travels by twisting its body and petals.
Eldegoss
Category: Cotton Bloom Pokémon
Type: Grass
Height: 1′8″
Weight: 5.5 lbs.
Ability: Cotton Down / Regenerator
When Gossifleur evolves into Eldegoss, its head becomes covered in thick cotton fluff. This cotton fluff serves as a cushion that helps to protect Eldegoss’s head from damage. The tiny seeds attached to the cotton fluff are said to be highly nutritious and beneficial to both people and Pokémon. Eldegoss spreads these seeds throughout the region, making the soil of the Galar region rich in nutrients.
Wooloo
Category: Sheep Pokémon
Type: Normal
Height: 2′
Weight: 13.2 lbs.
Ability: Fluffy / Run Away
The white fur that covers Wooloo’s body grows throughout its life and will fully grow back in three months even if it has been completely shorn. The fur is used for clothing, carpets, and other goods and is very popular as a specialty product of the Galar region. Wooloo live as a herd and mimic the actions of their Trainer or herd leader. They dislike conflict, and if they need to escape from enemies, they will simply roll away.
Corviknight
Category: Raven Pokémon
Type: Flying/Steel
Height: 7′3″
Weight: 165.3 lbs.
Ability: Pressure / Unnerve
It is said that Corviknight is the strongest Pokémon living in the skies of the Galar region. It can often be seen fearlessly soaring through the air. Many say that any Pokémon foolish enough to challenge Corviknight are sent running with just a sharp glare and cry from this fearsome Pokémon. Because Corviknight possess superb flying skills and high intelligence, many of them work for the company called Galar Taxi and help transport people from town to town.
Drednaw
Category: Bite Pokémon
Type: Water/Rock
Height: 3′3″
Weight: 254.6 lbs.
Ability: Strong Jaw / Shell Armor
The jagged fangs of the Bite Pokémon Drednaw are strong and sharp enough to bite through rock and iron. Though it has a heavy shell, its well-developed muscles allow it to move quickly. Drednaw is known to be extremely aggressive, so it takes a skilled Trainer to tame and handle this Pokémon. It seems that some Trainers will release Drednaw back into the wild once they discover they can’t handle it.
Encounters with Pokémon
Battles with wild Pokémon in tall grass or caves will occur when players run into Pokémon that they can see wandering around. Some Pokémon will pursue the player once they see them while others will run away. The “!” mark that will appear above tall grass also seems to be an indicator of wild Pokémon hiding there!
Each Pokémon has an Ability, which can have certain effects during battle, while out exploring, or both. In Pokémon Swordand Pokémon Shield, Gossifleur and Eldegoss can possess the new Cotton Down Ability. When a Pokémon with this Ability is hit by an attack, it will send out cotton fluff that will lower the Speed stat of other Pokémon.
Any Pokémon that Trainers find or catch during their adventures in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield will have its information registered in the Pokédex. The Pokédex in these titles will actually be part of the player’s Rotom Phone. The Rotom Phone is also home to Rotom, a Pokémon that can enter various electrical appliances. A player’s Rotom Phone can do a lot more than serve as a Pokédex. For example, it can be attached to a bike to make it move faster on land or even travel over water once the bike is modified.
Source: The Pokemon Company
Dynamax Phenomenon lmao.
wow.
also Porygon > Rotom alday erday.
Dynamax Wailord use Heavy Slam!!
(Crushes the trainer and half the earth in the process lol)
:D Nice!
lol this was a joke my friends and I came up with
Meh, same old same old. My dream of seeing a mainline game with an actual compelling story lives on.
And my dream of a Mega Raichu lives on. At least Raichu was the first pokemon to be seen using dynamax so I guess Gamefreak doesn’t completely hate Raichu.
Unfortunately they have to keep stories simple enough for kids of all ages to understand so they can keep marketing to those ages. Completely agree though. And I did think Sun and Moon got surprisingly dark.
Well it almost did.
Were you expecting something along the lines of Path of Radiance, Awakening, Fates, Shadows of Valentia, FF7, FF10, FF15, Breath of the Wild, Xenoblade Chronicles, Xenoblade Chronicles X, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Kingdom Hearts, God of War, God Eater, Resonance of Fate, Phantasy Star Universe, or other games who take their plot way to seriously?
Lol umm no.i was hoping for something along the lines of detective Pikachu on 3ds. But if you think all those games take their plots too seriously then you must not be a fan of stories in games. I don’t even know how a story based game can take itself too seriously. Idk how to interpret your statement honestly but I will acknowledge your list of great games minus ff15 lol
I am a fan of plot. Which is why I prefer the Sonic Adventure games over dreck like Colors and Lost World. But I especially hate Pokemon anime fillers, which is taken up to eleven in the Sun & Moon anime.
Also, Sonic 2006 is a fine example of how to take plot too far, which is why all modern Sonic since have reeked of Pontaff-quality (dense) writing.
Thankfully the areas aren’t as linear as in the Alola region. Also, finally we got a second Steel and Flying bird! I just hope that this Rotom Phone doesn’t talk or if it talks, that at least isn’t as intrusive as was the Rotomdex.
+Metroid Bane
What about Celesteela? That’s Steel-Flying.
Since I never completed Pokemon BW and didn’t catch all the pokemon in Ultra Moon (I didn’t played Sun & Moon), I don’t know all the pokemons 😅
That new birb looks dope! Love it.
I too am sick of the chatty pokedexes lol
I think it would be cool to have a pure flying bird mon one day.
Agreed. I also want that to happen.
That steel pokemon will be great in my team.
Dang it I was asleep and didn’t get to watch it live -_- But it looks pretty good anyway! I’ll definitely give it a try!
Yeah same here. i wish they didn’t do the direct live at 6AM. They could at least do it at 11AM or 1PM. i had to stay awake for the entire time and i fell a sleep when the 6AM pass.
Well that wasn’t a complete disappointment. They brought guns back, and dynamic is okay I guess.
Gyms, not guns. And dynamax, not dynamic.
I’m really unintrigued by Dynamax battles and Dynamax raid battles. If it’s actually better than the Pokemon GO raids–if it has nuance and doesn’t have brain-dead combat–then I’ll be happy. But as it stands now, my expectations are low.
I don’t think it will be anymore interesting than Pokemon GO raids, if I can be honest. Pokemon’s battle system is too limited and has remained the same since 1998. Gimmicks like this won’t make the game more fun if the battle system and how we play remains the exact same. The Pokemon Company and GameFreak staff need to stop being so close-minded to change.
Gotta say though, I am loving the new Pokemon designs. I’m never disappointed with the Pokemon designs, but I don’t think I’ve been this excited by the Pokemon designs in a long time. I can’t wait to see more.
Yea they should come up with a new system and formula but then the community will be angry and blah blah blah. Combat and story could be so much better. It’s a shame that the biggest lore building components of Pokemon are the side games and shows.
Dynamax is really just another half-baked reductive of Mega Evolution, which they only scrapped in favor of Z moves because it was too much hassle to actually design new pokemon (Hence the recent pokedexes have been extremely short and forgettable), and now they apparently don’t even want to have to animate the unique special moves so they just make the pokemon giant and have them use the exact same attack animations they do in normal battles.
Watch all this “Dynamax” crap be gone by the 9th generation in favor of some other and probably even lazier mechanic.
That’s GameFreak for ya. Always having a new mechanic in the new entries only to abandon it in the next entries. Letting the first Pokemon in our team to follow behind us (or whatever Pokemon comes next in your team if the first one was KO’d) in Heartgold/Soulsilver, Soar in OmegaRuby/AlphaSapphire, Mega Evolutions in X/Y and OR/AS, & now Z-Moves is the latest casualty. Dynamax is definitely gonna be next on the chopping block. (Least Mega Evolutions were still available in Sun/Moon & US/UM, but we sadly didn’t get any new ones.)
I want shield with the water starter.
Those legendarys pokemon……………………………………………………..MIND BLOWN 0-0
You guys are disappointed? Hmm. Wonder what else is new.
I see no “disappointed” person here though? Are you delusional or do you just like twisting words around?
The only thing people say is that the whole dynamix gimmick is complete trash.
Apparently, having an opinion other than 100% praise is just too much hate for “Ray Lopez” here, one cannot say “I like that but dislike that”, it’s either blind praise for everything or you just hate it.
Didn’t you get the memo? If we criticize a product like a movie or video game or anime or TV show that a corporation gives us, we are either haters, racists, misogynists, trolls, manbabies, alt-right scum, or idiots that don’t understand the writer/director/etc’s point (more like agenda) in regards to their product. Good thing this isn’t Twitter or Facebook or we’d be getting swarmed right now for daring to go against these people’s lord & masters, because how dare we not be part of the Hive Mind like them!
Hopefully it’s still just a very small minority being this way or else we’ll be living in a dystopian future in the next 30-50 years where the corporations tell us what to think, what to say, where to eat, etc.
Happy to have been proven wrong!
@ Nep. prolly should look a lil harder.
If that wild area lets us go to a few gyms out of order this gen will shoot up to “best in series” for me.
Completely agree. That would be great.
Sorry to tell you this but, this is nothing like breath of the wild it won’t let you go to the far gyms. you have to do the first one first.
Yes, hence the words “a few gyms”.
I don’t need Pokemon to be Breath of the Wild, I don’t even think that’s the best of its own series. But if Pokemon Sword/Shield lets me explore a wide open space and has me discovering a few towns on my own then it will easily top every other Pokemon game.
I was really on the fence about the game but after this, it actually Seems pretty good to me and that is saying something. I’m glad the game got that BOTW innovation/treatment — quite literally too, lol, the outskerts of the land is Hyrule Field while the main land is Hyrule Castle. It even has a Lake Hylia with large Hylia Bridges soaring over a different parts of the lands. I’m sure It won’t come with as much exploration-freedom as Zelda, but adventuring around does seem like it will be fun.
Not too sure about this dynomaxing stuff. Compared to Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves, DM seems like one of the more overly simple gimmicks, while Mega Evolutions still being the better of the bunch [though, that is just my impressions on Dynomax so far and will need more info on it.]
Glad Online play was talked about and will feature those raids as one of the modes, I still think there should be a bit more in terms of mode-variety, especially online.
The legendaries look… okay? The shield PKMN had the better design while the other was a bit weird… it just seemed awkward that it was simply holding the sword in it’s jaw while the other had the shield integrated into its design.
What made me worry most was A comment by one of the developers stating the game will be just like the games on handheld. I did not want them to waste the potential of the Switch by not doing things different and embracing the console’s power. Alas, it seems to do opposite of that, at least in the more wild areas. Another worry was the devs using the same old boring formula… I’ve been hoping for something different, I liked how the more recent PKMN games had that bit of “difference” but it was just not executed to it’s full potential.
But hey, My purchase is likely locked in now… though I would still like to see more content and info. :)
I’d like to revise my take on PKMN S&S, after all the negative info and flaws, I am no longer sure about buying this game…
First Sonic, then, Mario, then Super Smash Bros and now finally Pokemon gets lyrics for the first time. FINALLY!!!
The Direct was great but my god was that song awful.
… Didn’t Sonic get lyrical songs ages ago? Like, in Sonic Adventure?
And FE Three Houses had a lyrical song too. Fates had Lost in Thoughts All Alone but it wasn’t really treated the same way.
Yeah the direct was really great since i saw those two legendarys.
Also, the song might be awful but i’m not sure if i like it.
Sonic has his first lyrics in his series since Sonic 3D Blast.
Fire Emblem three houses lyrics i heard that before.
Pokemon would have vocals to some songs, but it was in obscure Japanese soundtracks.
oh i know but i was talking about the game series.
Just a weird thing I wanted to point out
In the direct they said Wooloo has fur. But its a sheep pokemon, and sheep have wool.
Shh, don’t tell or the Nintendo ninjas will be on you >:)
I wonder if the Rotom system is replacing all HM’s, since it seems to be this generation’s answer to Surf. I hope that’s not the case, since using Pokémon in the overworld to accomplish several tasks has always been a big boost to the flavour of the games. A Rotom possessing a bike to do all the typical HM things seems boring. I’m hype about the free-moving camera and large wilderness areas, though.
I hated the HM system and I’m glad they might be moving away from it. Although, I wish they kept Sun/Moon’s mechanic of the riding Pokemon for the new system.
Don’t get me wrong, I hated the old HM system. Poké Ride was a huge improvement, but there’s still a lot of potential to improve it even further. Seems lazy and going in the wrong direction to do these weird replacements, like an air taxi service and possessed bike.
I’d be okay with a return to the HM system IF the weaker HMs are made more useful or stronger for battle. If not that, allow us to have a 5th and/or 6th move slot that is not accessible during battles. When not in battle, if you want to have, for example, Cut as one of your 4 battle moves, you can just switch one of the 4 battle moves out with whichever one of the extra slots Cut is in.
I’m just tired of having to waste one of my 6 Pokemon as an HM slave. (Two HM slaves if the world is swollen with different spots needing a different HM every couple of screens down.)
Wasn’t disappointed except that I kept wanting more info. If would I was disappointed in anything it would be that I thought Sword and Shield was going to be some sort of mechanic not just a sword and shield Pokémon lol
Yeah me too i was thinking the same here. some people in GameXplain comments said that the wild area is like breath of the wild but its not.
Reblogged this on Nitwit's World.
https://youtu.be/HYR3uwDc-k0
All of the new Pokemon are completely foreign to me. The only Pokémon game I’ve played is Diamond. So as everyone can see, I’m totally lost at what I just watched. Didn’t even look like a Pokémon game to me. Also didn’t interest me in the least. I’m always wishing that I can get into Pokémon again, but it doesn’t look like that’s ever going to happen.
What are you even doing here then?
Expressing my dislike, and having fun offending Poke-nuts like you I guess.
You haven’t SEEN a Poke-nut.
Corviknight looks like the love chid of Honchkrow and Zekrom.
Please tell me the Wild Area is a good majority of the world map & not just a small portion of it.
The new Legendaries look cool but they look TOO much like each other with only slight differences to their designs.
My biggest criticism: So instead of new Mega Evolutions or Z-Moves, they take a cheaper route & just make this new gimmick of making the Pokemon into kaiju for 3 rounds & not giving them special moves to use in that form? *sigh*
Now people can make jokes about Bidoof being a God now. lol