The restricted number of Pokémon in Pokémon Sword & Shield means that players might not be able to trade Pokémon that they have been using since the days of Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire, at least for the time being. The fact that it will now be impossible to catch every Pokémon goes against the core concept of the series. There has been a significant backlash against the absence of the National Pokédex on social media. So future Pokémon titles will include a fixed number of Pokémon in each game, starting with Pokémon Sword & Shield. Masuda didn't mention how many Pokémon would be appearing in Pokémon Sword & Shield, however. The reason for this is that the ever-increasing number of Pokémon in the franchise has made it difficult for Game Freak to include them all. Junichi Masuda of Game Freak revealed in an interview at E3 2019 that not all Pokémon would be available in Pokémon Sword & Shield. There will be a limited number of Pokémon in Pokémon Sword & Shield and it will only be possible to encounter Pokémon from the Galar region. Pokemon Sword & Shield Backlash Explained Even though that seems to be the main cause for concern, we've noticed some other issues with the games, which have also drawn ire from fans in recent weeks. Pokémon Sword & Shield are going against the original "Gotta Catch 'Em All" slogan, as it will be impossible to collect every Pokémon for the first time in the history of the series.
Related: Pokémon Masters is Bringing Better Mobile Battles This Summer Pokémon Sword & Shield are lacking in content compared to the previous games in the Pokémon franchise, which has prompted a backlash from the fans. The enthusiasm for Pokémon Sword & Shield began to diminish during E3 2019, as several revelations were made about the content of the games. The Pokémon: Let's Go games served as an appetizer for the true Pokémon RPG experience that fans have wanted on home consoles since the '90s, and while it's finally happening, there are some problems. Don't lose hope just yet, however, as the Galar-region Pokedex is certain to grow as Pokemon Sword and Shield's release date nears.The Pokémon Sword & Shield backlash has primarily been about the National Pokédex, but the thing is, there are bigger issues that plague the new Pokémon games. Hopefully, everyone's favorite Pokemon has made the list. Tyrogue / Hitmonlee / Hitmonchan / Hitmontop Here's the lengthy list of all currently confirmed Pokemon, either through Game Freak's reveals or the playable E3 demo's Pokedex:Įevee / Vaporeon / Jolteon / Flareon / Espeon / Umbreon / Leafeon / Glaceon / Sylveon Given that Pokemon Sword and Shield players may very well be limited to the Galar-region Pokedex, it's best to understand just what Pokemon will be included. Clarification on how the limitations might work could be coming, but aren't certain. It's unlikely that such a decision will come quickly, so further news shouldn't be expected at E3. Post-launch DLC is always a possibility, but only if Game Freak is willing and able to follow through on adding more Pokemon to the game. Game Freak and Nintendo are both likely hearing player complaints loud and clear already, so who knows whether changes will be made in the future. It was raised on the mantra "Gotta Catch 'Em All," after all. Game Freak's conclusion was to create this new limitation, which has not been received well by the Pokemon community.
Gameplay balance was also cited, though oddly that's never been a particular concern in previous games. Meaning that all Pokemon that Game Freak decides to leave out of the Galar-region Pokedex will be inaccessible, including via Pokemon Home transfer.Īccording to Masuda, Game Freak had to evaluate the workload involved with adapting more than 800 past Pokemon for the Nintendo Switch on top of creating new Pokemon. During an E3 Nintendo Treehouse livestream, producer Junichi Masuda confirmed that Pokemon Sword and Shield would be limited to Pokemon within the Galar-region PokeDex. Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield are two of the most highly anticipated releases of 2019, but the game's appearance at E3 2019 has led to a surprising and growing controversy. Update, July 2019: 45 more Pokemon have confirmed since this article was initially posted, bringing the total size of the Galar Region Pokedex up to 195 Pokemon.