For roughly 30 minutes, after the completion of Nintendo’s E3 2019 Direct, we got tons of new information about Pokémon Sword and Shield! Here’s everything you need to know about what went on.
The interview was with multiple Game Freak directors and producers, along with multiple representatives from the Pokémon Company! They focused on 2 major gameplay factors, The Wild Area and Dynamax Raids! Both of which I had major questions about after the last Pokémon Direct from a couple weeks ago.
The Wild Area
They started out in the Wild Area where we saw a trainer among dozens of types of Pokémon which will vary based on the weather. There was also a mix of Pokémon visible on screen and there were also random encounters.
We saw: Bunnelby, Haunter, Galvantula, Wingull, Machoke, and many more!
I’m so glad that Pokémon decided to keep that feature from Let’s Go! The gameplay demo took place while it was raining, and the weather looked great!
The Wild Area looks to be divided into stronger and weaker areas just like how routes were divided up in the games before this one. We couldn’t see if certain areas are blocked off earlier on, or if it will be like Breath of the Wild and you can go in any direction you please (I have a feeling it’ll be the former).
They also confirmed that The Wild Area is part of the core game and is connected to a whole bunch of the towns in the Galar region which means we can revisit the area to get new Pokémon as we advance the story. The area appears to be more like the “Lake of the Nine” in God of War, rather than the "Dream World" in Pokémon Black/White.
The battle system looks like it’s exactly the same as previous Pokémon game iterations. Additionally, held items and abilities are back…both features were noticeably absent in Let’s Go.
They also brought back crouching which was first introduced in ORAS. This will allow you to sneak up on rarer Pokémon. They also introduced whistling which can be used as a tactic to catch certain Pokémon. Others will get scared off by whistling so you will have to choose your catching approaches strategically.
Like in other Pokémon games, there are also hidden items and places to fish. They didn’t show off berry picking, but from the most recent Direct we can deduce that berry picking is something you can do in the Wild Area as well.
Plus the bike is back! It can be used in the water and you can hold down the B button to speed up the bike and traverse the massive Wild Area.
Finally, there were also CPU trainers in the Wild Area as well. Whether they vary based on weather is something they didn’t reveal either.
They also displayed the HUD that will be featured in the actual game and there was a lot to take away from that.
For example, on the left side of the screen we saw multiple trainers popping in and out during the gameplay demo. They called this the Y-Con which shows you who is also in the Wild Area along with whether they are looking to trade, battle, or raid. You can then meet up with them and team up!
Dynamax Raids
We got a full Dynamax Raid battle after the Direct today and it looks to be just as strategic as Pokémon said they would be a couple weeks ago. Like before, you enter the battle via red pillars that you can see everywhere on the map. You can pick up to three other friends to play with you and each of you picks one Pokémon (from either your party or box) to battle with.
You can also see the Raid Boss ahead of time so you can plan accordingly.
Just like in typical MMORPG raids, you need a healer Pokémon, a tank, a ranger, and an attacker. The Dynamax Raid boss can use multiple moves in one turn, and it can also create a shield that prevents it from taking damage for five turns.
This move seems like an attempt to prevent Trainers from cheesing the battles by bringing overly powered Pokémon to beat the Raid Bosses. I respect that move even though I can see how that has the potential to be frustrating.
We also learned that each player has the chance to use the Dynamax ability to increase their Pokémon’s power, but only one trainer can use it per raid. This means communication is key and using the Dynamax boost at the wrong time can cost you a raid.
Also at the end of the battle, each trainer has a chance to try and catch the Raid Boss (like in Pokémon Go) but there’s no guarantee that you’ll actually get it. If you don’t though, you’re still get rewards for beating the raids, just like in Go.
Finally, it seemed like the red storm above Steelix’s head is related to some lore in the Galar region so I’m sure we’ll learn what causes Dynamax Raids during our actual adventure!
Pokémon answered a ton of my questions I had after the last Direct and their answered left me incredibly satisfied. I really think this next Generation of Pokémon has a ton of potential to be amazing and set a high standard for every Generation afterwards.
Other Things
They showed off the player’s Pokémon party box and two of the starters were female! I’m sure it’s nothing, but that was surprising because female starters are incredibly hard to get.
During the Direct before this interview we got the reveal of the Water-Type Gym Leader, Nessa! We’ll see more about her as E3 week unfolds.
We also got a little more information about Pokémon Home, the new version of Pokémon Bank. It follows the same rules are Sun/Moon where you could only import Pokémon in the Galar Region Pokédex to Sword/Shield. You can transfer Pokémon from Let’s Go to Pokémon Home though which is good…our shiny hunting is not in vain!
They also let slip that the Galar Region Pokémon is going to be massive. Not the National Dex, the Regional Dex! Will it be the largest ever? I can’t wait to find out.
For more E3 updates and analysis be sure to check back here daily!