Pokémon Sword & Shield was a title that received a positive response from fans both after its initial announcement and after the Pokémon Direct held in early June.
After E3, however, the situation changed dramatically. Pokémon is a franchise with a history of having a divided fanbase, but this time, a large portion of fans seems to have united to express dissatisfaction with the game, creating negative repercussions never before seen in the series' history.
But what exactly happened? To understand, we need to look at some details revealed during Nintendo Treehouse, Nintendo's livestream that shows more gameplay from certain announced games, including Pokémon Sword and Shield, while talking with developers.
One look at the video's dislikes already says a lot...
Absence of the National Dex
For the first time in the franchise's history, a game in the main Pokémon series will have no way to include every existing Pokémon. Not only that, but Game Freak also intends to continue doing this in future games.
This is not a situation in which they can be obtained through trades, nor is it similar to Pokémon X, Y, Sun, and Moon, where Pokémon from earlier games could be transferred through the Pokémon Bank application, which was not made available for those games until a few months after their releases. Pokémon that are not in the Galar Dex are literally not programmed into the game.
Start a pool with your friends; whoever guesses the most Pokémon that will be in the game wins a soda
It is fair to say that this was the news that caused the greatest reaction and generated all the other complaints, stripping players of their earlier optimism and drawing attention to other negative aspects of the game.
Fans' main argument against the decision is that the Nintendo Switch is a considerably more powerful console than the Nintendo 3DS, which already handled more than 800 different models in previous games. Although not every Pokémon could be caught in the regions of the games in question, all of them were always programmed into the game and could be obtained through transfers.
Game Freak stated that the cut Pokémon would appear in future titles and that, because it now has fewer Pokémon to program, it can focus on the animations of those included in the game. That, however, takes us to the next point.
Simple Animations
Since the sixth generation with Pokémon X & Y, the franchise has reused the same models and animations. Not every animation was perfect, but this did not cause many complaints, since animating hundreds of different models is an arduous task for any developer.
The models appear to have been made for reuse, since their quality is high enough that they do not look dated even on the latest-generation consoles, as demonstrated by the Pokémon Let's Go! games.
But when a new game appears, the developers animate only the new Pokémon without needing to alter the old ones. That is the problem. If they need to animate only the new Pokémon from Galar, why cut other Pokémon whose animations have been ready since 2013?
How those animations are used is also important, as shown by these Wingull simply floating one meter above the ground
Of course, it would be understandable if the existing animations were going to be polished and new ones added. However, not only do the old Pokémon's animations remain identical, but the new Pokémon's animations are equally simple.
Nice kick(?), Scorbunny
This would not be such a major problem if the National Dex had not been cut, which caused this entire snowball effect. But the Pokémon were not the only things cut.
Absence of Mega Evolutions
Pokémon Sword and Shield will not have Z-Moves or Mega Evolutions, favoring the new gameplay element: Dynamax.
The first cut is even acceptable, since Z-Moves received a mixed response and, especially, because they do not alter any Pokémon. But cutting Mega Evolutions completely removes part of their purpose: supporting Pokémon that were not normally as strong, such as Mawile and Ampharos.
Moreover, fans saw Mega Evolutions not as a merely temporary gameplay element but as a necessary, permanent upgrade for various Pokémon. Even Game Freak appeared to see them that way, since although they were not present in the main story of Pokémon Sun and Moon, Mega Evolutions were still accessible in the postgame.
Game Freak justified the cuts by saying that Dynamax allows every Pokémon to become stronger. But if everyone can become stronger in the same way, is it not still more advantageous to use those that were already stronger before?
The complaints are not restricted to the game's mechanics.
Outdated Graphics
Upon closer inspection, the graphics in Pokémon Sword and Shield leave much to be desired in fans' eyes. Of course, the game's setting was well received and there are many good things, but certain details should not slip through in a game of this scale.
It is worth remembering that Breath of the Wild is technically a Wii U game and looks better than Pokémon
To begin with, the game's graphics fall short in some areas, especially compared with other Nintendo Switch open-world games such as Xenoblade Chronicles 2, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Dragon Quest XI. Pokémon still has the advantage that all the "action" takes place in separate environments that load with each new battle.
It is worth remembering that Ocarina of Time is a NINTENDO 64 game.
The detail that may have attracted the most attention is the game's trees: not only do they look as though they came from the Nintendo 64, but there are also berry trees that clash completely with the game's environment, going beyond merely "standing out."
This tree and the background trees go together about as well as beans and ketchup
But another visual aspect also caused annoyance.
Lack of Polish
Not only did the graphics fail to please fans, but some bugs and an overall sense of neglect also bothered those who watched the game's gameplay.
Believe it or not, there was supposed to be a Steelix on the right side of the screen
There are many cases of objects simply appearing in the environment. Examples include a wall whose lower section is clearly visible above the ground and the tires of the bicycle the protagonist can use, which "sink" into the ground when going up ramps.
Galar's technology already allows floating walls
Game Freak's "Neglect"
Although complaints peaked now, this was the result of several years in which fans gradually became more dissatisfied with Game Freak's decisions concerning the franchise's games, many of them made by Masuda, who had directed many of the games up to that point. The most common complaints emerged in 2013 with Pokémon X and Y and include:
- Making the games more casual, justified with the claim that children no longer spend much time playing in a single sitting
- An excess of unskippable tutorials, especially evident in the games set in Alola
- A lack of postgame content, especially in Pokémon X and Y
- Other discarded elements from Pokémon X and Y, such as a useless city and the absence of focus on the legendary Zygarde, which was "pushed" into the next generation
- The removal of the Battle Frontier from Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
- A lack of difficulty in the games, justified by saying that the challenge lies in online battles (which does not account for those who prefer single-player mode)
- Excessive focus on first-generation Pokémon, especially evident in the Let's Go games
- Selling products that add very little compared with the originals, such as Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon
Returning to the problems specifically related to Pokémon Sword & Shield, some cannot be shown through images alone, so the video below illustrates some of the errors more effectively (...just turn down the volume, please):
https://twitter.com/JayroachSSB/status/1139246840719691776
Most interestingly, a large portion of the complaints do not come from people declaring hatred for the franchise, but from fans who want a better product and believe the franchise is being treated unfairly and failing to realize its full potential, especially considering that Pokémon is an enormous brand that certainly has the resources to make a higher-quality product.
The solution? Fans propose delaying the game, because there is no way to meet all these demands before its November release. Their greatest hope is that the complaints will be acknowledged and addressed, since Super Mario Maker 2, which also received complaints about one element of the game, will fix the issue in question and featured transparency from its developers, something Pokémon has rarely had.
