Pokemon Shield and Sword E3 2019 Hands-On Preview | The Classic Formula With a Twist

With each new installment in the Pokemon game franchise Game Freak introduces a new mechanic to keep the game fresh. With Pokemon X and Y, it was Mega Evolutions and Pokemon Let's Go Eevee and Pikachu brought back the option to let your Pokemon follow you. With Pokemon Shield and Sword players not only gain access to a new region but a wild new ability called Dynamax that grows your Pokemon to a colossal scale.

The demo we were provided had us battle through Nessa's gym. The battles still maintain that rock, paper, scissors system and we were granted access to all 3 starter Pokemon Scorbunny, Sobble, and Grookey.

The puzzles involved turning switches to change the flow of water and battling through several trainers for practice. I did notice that Grookey has a much lower accuracy than Scorbunny and Sobble, missing 50% of its hits regardless of which attack I used. But mostly the battles were straight forward and will be familiar to anyone who has played a Pokemon game.

Graphically the game was beautiful. With lots of bright colors, striking animations, and cartoonish poses. It's not a massive leap from Pokemon Let's Go Eevee and Pikachu but the animations were noticeably smoother this time around.

The demo's final battle had me facing against Nessa. The battle started straight forward, use the optimal attack against the opposing Pokemon based on its type; then Nessa used Dynamax.

This transformation grew her Drednaw into a colossus, towering over everyone. This was more than cosmetic as Drednaw now had improved statistics and made short work against most of my Pokemon and adds a new layer to battle strategies. Unlike Mega Evolutions, these transformations are temporary. The demo ended with Nessa's defeat.

Much of Pokemon Shield and Sword players like a traditional Pokemon game. The turn-based battle system relies heavily on the system established by Pokemon Red and Blue and while I didn't get to experience the open-world it's clear the primary objective will be completing the Pokedex. Regardless, Pokemon Shield and Sword is shaping up to becoming another great installment in the popular franchise. With Dynamax adding new element players will need to master if they wish to take on the best trainers both online and offline.

Adam Siddiqui, NoobFeed
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