Galar

Galar

Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield are 2019 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch console. They are the first instalments in the eighth generation of the Pokémon video game series and the second in the series, following Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, released on a home game console. Originally teased at E3 2017 and announced in February 2019, Pokémon Sword and Shield were released in November 2019. The games received two downloadable content expansion packs through an expansion pass with The Isle of Armor, released in June 2020 and The Crown Tundra, released in October 2020. A physical bundle including both expansion packs with the base games was released in November 2020. Sword and Shield's concept planning began immediately following the completion of Pokémon Sun and Moon in 2016, while full production began a year later in September 2017. Like previous instalments, they chronicle the journey of a young Pokémon trainer aiming to become the Pokémon Champion, this time in the new Galar region, which is based on Great Britain. The main objective of the games is to dethrone the Pokémon League Champion, Leon, in a tournament that various other Gym Leaders and rivals also take part in, whilst dealing with Team Yell and a nefarious conspiracy within the League. Sword and Shield introduce 81 new Pokémon- 89 in total including later DLCs- alongside 13 regional forms of pre-existing Pokémon; Dynamaxing, which increases the size of Pokémon under certain conditions; Gigantamaxing, which additionally changes the form of certain Pokémon; and the Wild Area, which is a large, open-world area with free camera movement that contains co-op raid battles. The two games also reintroduce features previously seen in Sun and Moon and Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, such as regional forms and roaming Pokémon depicted in the overworld. When the decision to not include all pre-existing Pokémon from Sword and Shield and onward was announced, it was met with backlash from a segment of the fan community, resulting in a controversy known as "Dexit" (referencing the Pokédex and Brexit) and calls for a boycott months ahead of their release. Despite this, Sword and Shield received generally positive reviews from critics. Particular praise was aimed at the creatures design, new features, and the emphasis on simplicity, player freedom, and streamlined encounters, although some criticised the game's smaller Pokédex and a perceived lack of polish or depth. By June 2023, Sword and Shield had sold more than 25.92 million copies worldwide, being among the fastest-selling games on the Nintendo Switch, and currently the sixth-best-selling games on the Switch and second-best-selling titles in the Pokémon series.

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