Pokemon Direct 2019: Sword and Shield Details
It’s good to have a day off. I get to get out of bed and have a delicious coffee. But more importantly, I get to watch Pokemon Direct 2019, and share some of the details with you. It’s going to be exciting to hear some news about the newest Pokémon game soon to be on the Switch. I’ll be covering as much of the details from the livestream as I watch it.
If I had to guess, we’re probably going to be seeing some gameplay footage and some more info on the new gameplay features. There was talk about “Armored evolutions”, but I’ll wait until after the video is done. It’s unfortunate that there will only be 15 minutes of footage, but I’m going to take in as much of those juicy details as I can.
Here’s an embed of the video below. Hope you enjoy!
Pokémon Direct began with an introduction from Tsunekazu Ishihara, President and CEO of The Pokémon Company. Afterwards, we were introduced to a brief video with pretty much all we need to know about this new game. It is awesome, simply put.
Everything you thought you knew about the world of Pokémon is about to change…in a big way.
~ The Official Pokémon YouTube channel
Ok, I just finished watching it all, and am all set to list the details we saw today.
Scorbunny fistbump. Awesome
After the introductory video, we are introduced to Game Freak’s Producer and Director of Pokémon Sword and Shield, Junichi Masuda and Shigeru Ohmori, who then started to cover some of the new things we can expect to find in the Galar region.
“After choosing Grookey, Scorbunny, or Sobble, as your first partner Pokémon, you’ll embark on an adventure to become the champion. Your journey will take you through vast and lush towns in which you will find humans and Pokémon working together and many other locations filled with rich personality.”
~ Junichi Masuda, Producer
“Pokémon battles are the most popular form of entertainment in the Galar region. Stadiums across the Galar region are frequently filled with cheering crowds that have gathered to witness battles between gym leaders and challengers. The excitement of these battles is often broadcast on television in the Galar region as well.”
~ Shigeru Ohmori, Director
New Pokémon
It just wouldn’t be a new Pokémon game without having to catch new ‘mons, right? We were then greeted by Game Freak’s James Turner, Art Director of Pokémon Sword and Shield, who then shown us a few of the new Pokémon we can expect to find in the Galar region.
Wooloo, the Sheep Pokémon
“This Pokémon’s defining characteristic is its fluffy fur, which is used to craft specialty goods.”
Gossifleur, the Flowering Pokémon
“Gossifleur prefers places with clean air and water, and its pollen is said to have healing properties.”
Drednaw, the Bite Pokémon
“The sharp and jagged edges of its jaw allow it to bite off chunks of rock and iron. Its vicious nature makes it a difficult Pokémon to tame for all but the most experienced trainers.”
Corviknight, the Raven Pokémon
“It puts its skills to use when working as a flying taxi which will take the player back to any town he or she has previously visited.”
This was all of the new Pokémon they could show us for now, but one thing is certain, I’ll definitely be looking forward to catching them all! James ended with stating that we will still get to see Pokémon from past generations.
The Wild Area
Spanning between cities and towns, this appears to be the open-world experience I was wishing for all these years! On first glance, it looks a bit like Pokémon: Let’s GO, except that we now have full range of motion and camera control.
Dynamax
This is one of the newest gameplay mechanics to come out of the series. In essence, it causes Pokémon to grow in size and power, allowing for a new strategy in battles. Dynamax can only be used once per battle, but it looks like an awesome way to turn the tide in a battle.
Max Raid Battles
For the very first time in the flagship Pokémon games, up to 4 players can all get together and battle a wild Dynamax Pokémon. Only one of the four players will be able to Dynamax their Pokémon, so it will be very crucial to consider one’s lineup and properly coordinate before the battle. It goes without saying that one will need a subscription to Nintendo Switch Online, but it’s good to see that we can still rely on local multiplayer to get together with our friends.
Release Date: November 15, 2019
The good news is we only have about 6 months until the game is released. As much as I’d like to hold off on preordering games, it’s going to be hard to resist the temptation. I hope you are all as excited as I am for this new Pokémon game!
Happy gaming!