Pokemon is one of the largest titles for Nintendo. Pokemon has been on many different consoles, ranging from the Gameboy, to the DS, to the 3DS. But now, Game Freak has finally released their new iteration to the Pokemon series, Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield. These two games released for the Nintendo Switch on November 15th, 2019 and these are the first main Pokemon games to release for the Switch, so there is a lot of hype behind these games.

Sword and Shield have some major differences to the older Pokemon games, plus there are differences between the two games as well. I decided to treat myself to buying a Switch this Black Friday, and my friend convinced me to purchase Pokemon Sword with it. I have sunk many hours into the game, and it’s also my first Pokemon game ever. I want to give my opinion on it, while also explaining to the returning fans on how it’s different to the older games and why it is worth picking up.

The main difference between Sword and Shield are the exclusive Pokemons. Sword and Shield both boast many different exclusive Pokemon’s but the main one’s are the legendary ones. Zacian is the legendary Pokemon who you can obtain in Sword, and Zamazenta is the legendary Pokemon who you can obtain in Shield. There are also certain gyms and gym leaders in the games that differ. These are the only differences between the games.

The map remains the same, as does all the other content. Which version you decide to pick up completely depends on which exclusive set of Pokemon you prefer. The starter Pokemon remain the same between both games. There are three of them, Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble. Grookey is the grass-type, Scorbunny is the fire-type, and Sobble is the water-type.

The map for Sword and Shield is one of the best yet. It’s called Galar, and it’s based off the UK. It’s very colorful and vibrant, and it’s great to look at, especially on the Switch with it’s mediocre graphics. Each city has it’s own different look, which adds variety to the map.

A new addition to the game is the Wild Area. This is a very large area that sits in the center of the map. It’s the first time Pokemon has had a true open-world type of area. You can walk around, catching Pokemon and engaging in raids while also meeting new players. The Wild Area is home to Pokemon of all different levels, but your gym badges now determine the level of Pokemon you can catch.

Sword and Shield has incredible amounts of character customization. You can customize your character in such great depth, it’s surprising. You can truly make your character unique, and it adds a lot to the game since you’re always looking at your character.

The biggest feature of Sword and Shield are the introductions of Dynamax and Gigantamax. Any Pokemon is able to Dynamax, but only in specific areas. When a Pokemon is Dynamaxed, they are giant and have new moves called Max Moves, with increased stats. You can Dynamax any Pokemon up to three times in gym battles. Gigantamax Pokemon are also very large, but only certain Pokemon have the ability to Gigantamax. Only 23 Pokemon can Gigantamax, and it’s incredibly rare to find one that can, but it’s worth it.

I’ve enjoyed this game so far, I’ve sunk too many hours into it, but I have loved every minute of it. If you have a Switch, even if you’ve never played a Pokemon game, I highly recommend you purchase this game. Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield are very impressive titles for the Nintendo Switch. It’s good to see Pokemon come to the console finally, and it was definitely worth the wait. This is a very well crafted game, and it will stay relevant for a very long time.