Those (everyone) who saw it coming when Game Freak announced that they would be working on a set of mainline Pokemon titles for Nintendo Switch have finally got the revelation that they’ve been waiting for. We all clamored over each other for the fairly recent Pokemon Let’s Go titles, and now it seems that we’ve got something even bigger to look forward to: a proper eighth generation set of Pokemon games – titled Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield – taking place in an entire new region and featuring what appears to be a brand new Pokedex.
No longer a handheld exclusive, Sword and Shield will mark Pokemon’s very first step into the world of console gaming, which will obviously require a more fleshed out graphic engine and detailed 3D art that looks to change the visual substantially, but keep it in-line with what we’ve all come to know and love.
The new set of games – two, as per usual – were announced during Nintendo Direct’s livestream just a couple of hours ago, on the very day that marks 23 years of Pokemon, and will be released late this year. The adventure will take place in the “Galar” region, which appears to resemble the United Kingdom, moving from the Hawaiian inspired locale of Gen 7’s Pokemon Sun and Moon.
As per Nintendo Direct’s announcement, Galar is being described as an “expansive region” that takes in an “idyllic countryside, contemporary cities, thick forest, and craggy, snow covered mountains”. There is no official word on just how big the game will be, but our only piece of narrative nugget is that people and pokemon work closely to develop certain industries in Galar.
There is also no official information as of yet to just how many new Pokemon will be added for this generation, but we have got our first look at the new Pokedex through a trio of starters named Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble (pictured above).
Of course, more details will be coming over the next few months rolling up to release so stay tuned to, hopefully, find out more about what to expect from the Galar region.
