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A brand new Pokemon Sword and Shield trailer has arrived and has showcased a lot of the new features coming to the duo of upcoming Pokemon Sword and Shield (opens in new tab) titles. From an open world area that basically functions as an enhanced, weather-dependant version of Pokemon Safari, to new Pokemon and characters, it was a jam-packed 15 minutes of information.
The open-world Wild Area
In a huge boon for Pokemon fans, there’s going to be a brand new, open-world area between the main cities, known as the Wild Area. It’s very Zelda: Breath of the Wild-esque, with sweeping plains and wide open landscape, like the moorlands of the British Isles. According to the trailer, it’s filled with abundant nature and the Pokemon will appear visibly on the landscape like they did in Pokemon Let’s Go (opens in new tab). The Pokemon that appear will be dependent on the time of day, and the weather conditions too, so hopefully we’ll see the full spectrum of rain, sunshine and more that we have to endure here in the UK.
It seems like this will be the only area where the wild Pokemon are visible, so those looking for shiny hunts will find this the best place to come.
Dynamax and the new Max Raid battles
Two brand new features for Pokemon Sword and Shield also include the new Dynamax mode, and the Max Raid battles. Dynamax is similar to MetaEvolutions in that it’s a new form to unlock once during a battle. Using another wrist-worn device, the Dynamax mode causes your Pokemon to become absolutely huge, and increases their power.
Max Raid battles on the other hand are where, for the first time in the series, up to four trainers will be able to team up to take on a Max Raid Pokemon – a la Pokemon Go (opens in new tab) – using the Wi-Fi Direct connectivity of the Switch. Only one player is allowed to Dynamax in these battles though, so it’ll be all about coordinating with your team to take the ‘mon down. Plus, like Pokemon Go you’ll have a chance to catch the wild Pokemon at the end of a Max Raid battle, and some Pokemon can only be caught after you’ve defeated them in a such a battle.
Brand new characters
Meet Leon, he’s your brand new Champion and according to Game Freak, “his popularity is only enhanced by his shining personality”. He’s also got a brother called Hop, who’s your main rival in the game. His journey begins on the same day as yours, which means that we’re going to see quite a traditional story line structure for Pokemon Sword and Shield.
You and your rival will be getting help from a brand new Poke Prof, known as Professor Magnolia, along with her assistant Sonya. It’s lovely to see an older woman playing the role of the Poke Professor too. Exciting times ahead for the series.
Five new Gen 8 Pokemon
The new Pokemon Sword and Shield trailer featured five brand new never seen before Gen 8 Pokemon (opens in new tab), which are as follows:
- Wooloo – a sheep Pokemon
- Gossifleur and its evolution Eldegoss – a duo of flower Pokemon
- Drednaw – a bite Pokemon
- Corviknight – a crow-like Pokemon who also works as a taxi
And new Legendaries
And finally, Game Freak ended the special Pokemon Direct by announced the two Gen 8 Legendaries – the sword carrying Zacian and shield-faced Zamazenta. Both are dog-like Legendaries and look rather epic from what we’ve seen here.
