The Long Journey
Without a doubt, Pokémon Sword and Shield have been polarizing games. Since launch, these games have been at the mercy of criticism for certain changes to the typical Pokémon formula to gear the fans towards competitive play. The main storyline experience suffered because of this as early-game rewards trivialized main game content. The climb to Master Ball Rank in Ranked proved to be a fun and dynamic experience, but ultimately required you to adapt to its demands or be crushed. Despite this, the games have proven to be some of the best-selling titles on the Switch and are still widely played today. With a physical bundle that includes the Season Pass content coming on the 9th, the time to look back at the newly-realized Pokémon Sword and Shield is now.
New Horizons, New Friends
While there is nothing new or innovative about the original experience, the DLC from the Season Pass has created new opportunities for trainers of all kinds. When taken as a whole the main campaign can be seen as a fun theme-park experience. The story of your trainer, Sonia and Hop’s Pokémon journey is not the best the franchise has offered but works well within the framework of the game. The added context given in The Crown Tundra expansion gives a better sense of closure than the original ending and the characters that appear in both chapters of the DLC serve to better flesh out the region as well.
The environments are fantastic outside of the Wild Area on the main Galar Region. The locales offered in the DLC prove to be just as vibrant as those showcased during storyline gameplay segments and are full of Pokémon. This adds a ton of excitement to exploring the world and finding the secrets that are packed within it, especially for the new player experiencing it all for the first time. The abundance of visible Pokémon allows the hunt to be a meaningful one as you can see your targets and zero in on them, bobbing and weaving between undesirables to confront your desired monster. With a huge abundance of content to explore it’s hard to experience it all in a short amount of time, making the experience feel as robust as previous entries in the franchise.
The Path of the Champion
With the original release of Pokémon Sword and Shield once you became the champion there was little to do. With these games focusing on competitive play, the online battle system is where trainers were pointed after crushing the main game and Battle Tower challenges. Normally this is a very time-consuming endeavor. With these titles, however, obtaining monsters ready for high-level competition is a no-effort endeavor due to the abundance of items and tutors to make your perfect Pokémon. This made the game one that was easy to put down.
The Season Pass adds content such as Dynamax Adventures and the Dojo from the Island of Armor. These flesh out the postgame experience to give it a classic feel of adventures and endeavors offered in the previous titles. When combined with the online features of the game it creates an environment never before felt in a Pokémon game that makes the world pop with life. Dynamax Adventures in particular add a new dimension of online play that must be experienced by any fan and their group of friends. With a noticeable visual tune-up, these features and locales added in the Season Pass are not to be missed for any fan.
The Road Ahead
While the success of these titles cannot be denied, the fan backlash and hyper-focus on competitive battling severely hampered these titles at launch. The added content in the Season Pass creates a robust region that mirrors the experience of the classic games, adding a ton of content to explore and complete with your Pokémon pals. Whether you are a new player or returning fan, there is something for you here. With the shortcuts given by the game it’s also easier than ever to get to the meat of the content by using your favorites. While not every Pokémon exists and online ranked battles being as cutthroat as ever, there is a ton of fun to be had with the Pokémon Sword or Shield DLC combo pack.
