From T-shirt collaborations to a dedicated Pokémon Nintendo Direct, Nintendo has done tons to generate excitement for the upcoming Pokémon Sword and Shield games. What better way to continue doing so than to reveal even more new details at E3?
Nintendo reveals its new information in two different streams: in the E3 Nintendo Direct itself. and during Treehouse Live. The former was for brief updates, and the latter allowed for more elaboration on the parts of the developers, and shows off actual gameplay footage. We’ll start off with what was revealed during the Nintendo Direct.
Pokéball Plus Functionality
Unlike the usage of the Pokéball Plus as a game controller with Pokémon Let’s Go!, it’ll have a different purpose with Pokémon Sword and Shield.
Much like the Pokéwalker that came with Pokémon Heart Gold / Soul Silver for the DS, players will be able to transfer one of their Pokémon into the Pokéball Plus, to be taken around with them for a walk in the real world!
It’s been said that there will be rewards after you’ve walked with your Pokémon (presumably rare berries, items or evolutionary items), but details on this end have yet to be confirmed.
New Gym Leader Revealed
The Galar region’s Grass-type gym leader, Milo, had already been revealed in the last Pokémon Direct. This time, Nintendo shows off its latest Water-type gym leader – the gorgeous Nessa.
Attendees of E3 will be able to take her on in a Dynamax battle in demo versions of Pokémon Sword and Shield. Unfortunately, the rest of us will have to wait till November to see her in action, and be content with her official art in the meantime.
That’s pretty much all we got out of the Nintendo Direct. The Nintendo Treehouse: Live showcases a bit more gameplay footage, and reveals more details about the upcoming games.
Details on Wild Areas
A brand-new feature in the upcoming games, players will be able to find a wide variety of Pokémon in these wild areas scattered across the region. These wild areas will have ever-changing weather conditions, and Pokémon that can be encountered in these wild areas will change depending on the weather.
Plus, these wild areas will occasionally spawn a stronger Pokémon for players to encounter! While these encounters will be exciting, since these Pokémon are rare, they will also be much stronger than your team if you’re a trainer that’s just starting their journey.
Hidden items will also be strewn around these wild areas, which gives players incentive to explore them. Very reminiscent of Breath of the Wild’s open-world exploration gameplay.
Details on Co-Op Play
On that note, it’s in these wild areas that the newly-introduced Pokémon Raids can be initiated. Wild areas will have red pillars of light strewn around the area, indicating that a Dynamax Pokémon can be encountered.
These Dynamax battles are different from regular battles, as the wild Dynamax Pokémon will be able to make multiple moves in one turn. That, and a barrier will automatically come up to protect the wild Pokémon once its health is low enough. Players will have to strategise and take down this barrier before the Dynamax Pokémon will continue to take damage.
Up to four players will be able to take part in a Dynamax raid, but only one will be able to catch the Dynamax Pokémon in question. The rest of the players will receive other rewards for participating, though these rewards weren’t specified in the stream – we’re assuming rare items and berries.
Apart from that, as always, players will be able to trade and battle each other in-game.
Other Bonus Information
Treehouse Live gave its viewers an unexpected bonus: a first look at plushies of the Galar region’s starter Pokémon trio!
It’s also been revealed, though unintentionally, that there will be an “Ingredients” pocket available in-game. Perhaps players will be able to cook for their Pokémon!
That’s about all the new information from Nintendo’s stream. We’re super stoked for this game – we can’t wait for its release on November 15!
In the meantime, in case you’d like to see some of this new gameplay in action, we’ve embedded the Pokémon portion of Nintendo: Treehouse live here:
Sheryl Lim, Writer (Lifestyle)
A sleepless cryptid with a sweet tooth, who spends most of her free time on the internet. Sheryl loves binge-watching shows on Netflix, Persona 5's Joker, arcades, and all her emotional support K-Pop boys.
November can’t come soon enough. This game looks phenomenal. Ahh!!