NEWS | SWORD & SHIELD
The camera is finally off! Here's what The Pokémon Company's day-long promotional livestream, plus an a new interview in Game Informer, have revealed about Pokémon Sword and Shield:
24-Hour Livestream Concludes
The 24-hour livestream meant to mimic a live nature camera has ended. Set in the area known as Glimwood Tangle, most of the livestream was just a static shot of the glowing mushroom-filled forest with the rare sighting of some local Pokémon -- including Phantump and Morelull.
Also spotted on the camera was the new Pokémon Impidimp, which was first seen alongside Yamper in a special demo version of Pokémon Sword and Shield at the gaming convention E3. Impidimp has been unacknowledged in official announcements since then.
The headline, though, is the reveal of one brand-new, never-before-seen Pokémon. The Pokémon Company has yet to officially name and detail it, though it is widely assumed to be a Galarian form of Ponyta.
The presumed Galarian Ponyta -- which appears to be a Fairy-type Pokémon -- was spotted very briefly or partially throughout the stream. The full design was not shown until the end, drawing some criticism online due to the 24-hour length of the broadcast.
Also spotted on the camera was the new Pokémon Impidimp, which was first seen alongside Yamper in a special demo version of Pokémon Sword and Shield at the gaming convention E3. Impidimp has been unacknowledged in official announcements since then.
The headline, though, is the reveal of one brand-new, never-before-seen Pokémon. The Pokémon Company has yet to officially name and detail it, though it is widely assumed to be a Galarian form of Ponyta.
The presumed Galarian Ponyta -- which appears to be a Fairy-type Pokémon -- was spotted very briefly or partially throughout the stream. The full design was not shown until the end, drawing some criticism online due to the 24-hour length of the broadcast.
New Details From Game Informer Interview
Officials from GAME FREAK have revealed new information about Sword and Shield in a new interview with Game Informer. Here's what we learned:
- Autosave: Sword and Shield will have a feature that allows the game to automatically save. It can be turned off should you wish to do so.
- Exp. Share: The Exp. Share is no longer an item and Pokémon will have XP shared automatically. It's unclear whether or not it can be disabled.
- HMs: Following their removal in Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon, HMs will not be returning in these titles.
- Competitive Tuning: The interview says that "personality parameter[s]" -- which many have interpreted to mean a Pokémon's nature -- and other factors will be able to be changed in these games. Such factors have historically had to be improved via breeding, which still remains an option in these titles.
- "Eighteen Gyms": The Galar region is home to 18 different Pokémon Gyms, with some being in a major league and others in a minor league. That being said, as The Pokémon Company was later forced to clarify, this is merely a lore detail. Only the usual total of nine Gyms will be able to be challenged in the actual game, with some Gyms differing between the versions.
Thanks for reading, Trainers!
SOURCE: The Pokémon Company, Game Informer