A Brave, New World.
Pokemon. The very name incites imagination and childlike wonder. People around the world love Pokemon and many have their favorites. In fact, a recent study published in the journal “Nature Human Behavior” concluded that Pokemon fans have a section of their brain that reacts to seeing these monsters. With one of the strongest pedigrees in the gaming industry, the latest game has quite a bit to live up to. With the added pressure of some announcements that have left some fans on the fence about this title, the impression this game leaves is more important than ever.
Onward, to glory!
Pokemon Shield has all the bells and whistles of the original handheld titles. The new Galar region houses many brand new Pokemon for you to capture and train, along with a few familiar faces that roam the landscape alongside them. Your trainer is fully customizable in appearance. After choosing a template, finding clothing shops and styling salons offers a nice form of visual progression during your adventure. The game takes a great element from the previous throwback installment “Let’s Go! Pikachu” or “Eevee” versions in that wild Pokemon can be seen roaming within the untamed grass that they inhabit. This has been expanded upon in that some areas of tall grass may shake around, allowing you to encounter monsters outside of those seen roaming about regularly. These encounters are no longer simple ball tosses using the Joycons.
They are old school style Pokemon battles to soften up the target before capture. This is shown off in the Wild Area, a large and expansive region with togglable multiplayer features. The narrative of the game pushes being the very best trainer front and center. Unlike previous games, Pokemon Shield puts an emphasis on conquering the various Gym Leaders and fellow contenders in the Pokemon League. The Galar Region is similar to Ferrum Region of Pokken Tournament, where battles are a spectacle to behold and trainers are presented in as professional athletes. Pokemon Shield indulges the denizens of Galar and their thirst for carnage by introducing the Dynamax function. In certain battle arenas any Pokemon can Dynamax, making them grow giant and powering up their strength and abilities. Select Pokemon even change forms when this occurs, making some stand out amongst the rest. Players can also team up online to take down wild Dynamax Pokemon in a Max Raid. These are some of the most fun experiences in the game and offer a ton variety and intense moments.
These are all supported with some of the best sound and music design the series has seen in some time, making these effects much more explosive. New items and mechanics allow you to customize the combat effectiveness of your Pokemon more than ever before to see it all. From cooking different curries to earning XP candies from Raid Bosses, nearly every activity you are able to engage in can net you some XP or even new moves in the form of one-time use TRs. Breeding has also been expanded, with new items and mechanics that allow you to create your perfect monster. Parents can also teach each other moves which makes this small experience a bit more endearing. These are helpful for the casual fan wanting to take their game to the next level to take on online Ranked Battles.
“I’ll find the next Gym leader elsewhere.”
With the jump to a stronger console in the Switch, the problems present in this game are more apparent than ever. While the designs of the characters and monsters are endearing, the game does little to prop them up in a visually meaningful way. The visuals seen while traveling within the cities and routes look good, as do the Pokemon inhabiting them but can be quite jarring to see against other, less impressive efforts. Going from the lush and intricate details within cities such as Hammerlock to a mundane battle background or the poorly rendered assets of the Wild Area is an immersion-breaking experience. The Wild Area in particular is incredibly deflating upon discovering that one can explore this entire area in about an hour. The exploration feels superficial as the area is devoid of any caves or dungeons to reward your exploration. While the Pokemon look good, the way they are shown off is a mixed bag. Some of the animations are fantastic and detailed, while others are so lackluster that it makes the game still feel like a handheld title at heart. Even the new Dynamax mechanic loses its luster in the long run, making Pokemon who don’t Gigantamax and evolve further feel less important.
The feeling of un-importance amplifies as the game unfolds. The narrative makes a great first impression but as it goes on you and your rivals seem less and less important. The game goes to great lengths to keep you feeling like a child as you and your rivals are dismissed when inquiring about important events that are unfolding around you. Being told to concentrate on the Gym challenge makes you feel disconnected from any story-line events taking place, making the villains and their reveal lack any punch at all. The overall difficulty of the game is also very low, making defeating the Gym Leaders feel less impressive than the game lets on. The first gym offers a fun and engaging challenge before facing the leader but not all Gyms are as kind. Some are just regular Pokemon battles with stipulations, making the entire Gym Challenge a mixed bag at best. Nailing these negatives home is the archaic online experience. The removal of features such as the Wonder Trade and Global Trade System are replaced by a “Y-Comm” system. Toggling the network mode in the Wild Area allows you to see the camps and avatars of your fellow trainers. This impressive feature comes at the cost of overall game performance. The game slows to a crawl, making the experience more of a nuisance than anything remarkable. The exclusion of over half of the total Pokemon that exist, along with a shocking amount moves such as Return and Pursuit are especially confounding to long-time fans.
“For the sake of Galar’s future, of course!”
Pokemon Shield is a game that makes an amazing first impression. The Pokemon still look good and the ones added in this new game fit in the ever-growing collection. The Galar region has a unique feel that fits into the Pokemon world nicely, which is illustrated well in the beautiful cut scenes. Max Raid Battles offer a great online co-op experience and does a great job of bringing this intense experience over from Pokemon Go. It’s also one of the coolest ways to appreciate the fashion of another player online.
After all is said and done, however, Pokemon Shield proves it has little to offer past its first few hours. The Wild Area is incredibly unimpressive and easily the worst looking part of the game. The online experience is bare-bones and feels very dated, which is only amplified by the hit the performance takes upon toggling it on. The endgame is one-dimensional, offering online battles and only single and double battle Battle Tower experiences for those not seeking to compete in Ranked online battling. The story-line feels exclusionary towards your character and the difficulty of the main story suffers in light of the many mechanics to obtain powerful monsters or power up your own in a profound way. Even though Pokemon may not be known for a strong narrative, Shield may be a testament to just how disposable it can truly be.
Final Thoughts.
At the end of the day, Pokemon Shield is the safest possible way to introduce main line Pokemon games to a fully featured console. While delivering on the core features of the franchise, the game drops the ball when compared to the robust features of past entries. For the hardcore fan, this game is definitely a buy. For everyone else, wait for a sale.
Game assets from https://swordshield.pokemon.com/
