Pokemon Sword and Shield launch in November, will turn cute creatures into Kaiju

As promised a couple of weeks ago, today the Nintendo channel went live with a Direct stream focused entirely on Pokemon Sword and Shield. Not only did we get a better look at the world of the new game and some of the key Pokemon but we were also introduced to new mechanics and given a release date.

Pokemon Sword and Shield will be launching on the 15th of November worldwide. For years now, each major Pokemon game has come with its own unique gameplay mechanic and that tradition won't be changing this year. This time around, the developers are introducing something called ‘Dynamax', which essentially turns your cute little creature into a giant version of itself for three turns per battle. During this time, you will have special versions of all your moves and buffs.

This will also tie in to multiplayer, as online or local groups of three trainers can team up for a ‘Raid battle', which will be your team versus a Dynamax Pokemon. The enemy Pokemon will remain in its giant form for the entire battle and only one player on your team can activate their Dynamax form for three turns. With that in mind, teams will need to think about strategy in order to beat some of the tougher Pokemon.

Pokemon Sword and Shield takes place in the Galar region. As we can see in some of the in-game footage shown, the world is a lot more open this time around and the towns/cities appear to be larger. In between each major town, you will encounter the ‘Wild Area', which is a large open area of the map where you get full control over the camera and can explore, find items, battle trainers and catch Pokemon. Different Pokemon will appear in these wild areas depending on whether and daytime conditions.

Game Freak has also made more of en effort to bring life to the towns and cities of Pokemon Sword and Shield. Gym battles will take place in huge arenas with plenty of spectators present. While exploring towns, you will see more NPCs and will come across more instances of humans and Pokemon working together in shops and other buildings.

Finally, the two main legendary Pokemon for Sword and Shield were revealed today. Zacain and Zamazenta are both legendary wolf Pokemon and appear on the covers for Sword and Shield. Zacain is described as a graceful Pokemon that's sword can cut through anything. Meanwhile, Zamazenta is focused on pure defence, with a giant shield attached to its body.

KitGuru Says: It looks like the open world rumours surrounding sword and shield are at least partially true. Now all that is left to do is sit and wait for November. Will any of you be picking this up on Nintendo Switch later this year?

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