Gameplay Mechanics We Want (And Don't Want) In Pokémon Shield & Sword

After much speculation, the next Pokemon titles have been revealed to be Pokemon Sword and Shield. Along with these new core RPGs comes a new region in the form of Galar and an entirely new generation of Pokemon. While there are plenty of people excited for these new adventures, there are some concerns and desires going into the game on top of rumored features.

The Pokemon series has gone through a lot of changes over the years, and there are plenty of features we want to see in Pokemon Sword and Shield. However, there are a handful of features we'd rather see Game Freak leave out of the games.

10. WANT- PARTNER POKEMON

The standout feature in Pokemon Heartgold and Soulsilver was partner Pokemon, where whichever Pokemon was first in your party would follow you in real time. In Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee, this feature was expanded to have greater animations and even letting players ride their Pokemon. This is a feature that we want to return in Pokemon Sword and Shield. It makes each Pokemon feel more real rather than just something that sits in a ball. There were also animations found for all Pokemon Sun and Moon but never used, so it stands to reason that it could be easily applied in the new games.

9. DON'T WANT- PC STORAGE SYSTEM

The PC storage system was a staple feature of the Pokemon series for years. Whichever Pokemon couldn't fit in your party was immediately transported to the PC. To switch your Pokemon around, you had to travel to a Pokemon Center to access a PC. However, this feature was changed in Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee. Players could have instant access to whatever Pokemon they wanted through the Pokemon Box. It made sifting through Pokemon a breeze, not forcing players to backtrack, thus wasting more time. In Sword and Shield, we would like the Pokemon Box to come back and the PC storage system to stay in the past.

8. WANT- LEGENDARY ENCOUNTERS

While we're guaranteed that Pokemon Sword and Shield will have Legendary Pokemon, how they'll be obtained is still anyone's guess. Legendary Pokemon are at their best when they exist in separate mini-quests that have players exploring new areas. The biggest problem in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire was that there were so many Legendary Pokemon sitting inside wormholes. There was no exploration involved in getting them. With the new Legendary Pokemon in Sword and Shield, more real encounters will go a long way to expanding the post-game content. It will make the Legendary Pokemon feel more special in the end.

7. DON'T WANT- HMS

HMs were a big nuisance in the older Pokemon games. There were a certain number of moves that players were forced to teach their Pokemon to properly explore the world. The worst part was that those moves couldn't normally be removed from Pokemon. Players had to travel to a specific NPC to do that.

With Sword and Shield jumping back to more traditional mechanics, including gym battles, there's a slight chance they could bring back HMs as well. However, Game Freak has already proven that HMs don't need to be in the game. Please, don't bring them back in Sword and Shield.

6. WANT- FLIGHT ENCOUNTERS

In Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee, there was a function where you could ride on Pokemon and fly through the Kanto Region. As players would fly, they would encounter specific flying Pokemon that they could then battle. If flight in the same way that Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire had comes back in Sword and Shield, some flight encounters would be a good way to making it feel more like natural movement that is ingrained in the world. While it will likely be sectioned off to random encounters, it's still something that we would like to see in the games.

5. DON'T WANT- MYSTERY GIFT LEGENDARY POKEMON

There has been a recent trend in the latest Pokemon games as it relates to legendary Pokemon. Game Freak has been handing out codes for players to receive extremely rare Pokemon through a mystery gift. You just input a code and receive a new Pokemon. Compare that to Diamond and Pearl, which had new areas and sidequests with new legendary Pokemon. Players had to get special items through the mystery gift, then they still battled the special Pokemon. If Sword and Shield introduce more legendary Pokemon, at least have mystery gift quests rather than just handing them out to players.

4. WANT- ROTATING CAMERA

One of the visual limitations in the Pokemon series is that the camera is fixed. This means that any moment that tries to visually impress players is specifically forced by how the game is designed. Players are forced to look at whatever the game wants them to. Now that Game Freak isn't held back by handheld hardware, they can create a more visually impressive world.

Along with this would be a camera that players can rotate themselves. This way, the Galar Region would feel more like a real place. There would be greater immersion and more organic moments where people could be floored by the visuals.

3. DON'T WANT- SOS BATTLES

SOS Battles were a new mechanic introduced in Pokemon Sun and Moon. When fighting certain wild Pokemon, they had a chance to call upon another wild Pokemon to help them in battle. The issue with this is that it sometimes made fighting wild Pokemon a much bigger chore than it needed to be. To be fair, it did spawn Pokemon that had better stats and helped when hunting shiny Pokemon, but we think there are simpler ways to do those. SOS battles made it difficult for those that just wanted to capture Pokemon to complete their Pokedexes. It was also frustrating that certain Pokemon were exclusive to SOS Battles.

2. WANT- PLAYER SEARCH SYSTEM

Pokemon X and Y introduced a Player Search System, where the bottom screen would show all sorts of trainers that were online around the world. It was an instant way of interacting with other people, allowing you to trade, battle, and communicate with others while you could still play the game. It was a simple and effective way of encouraging trading and battling. However, this feature was removed in Sun and Moon in favor of something a bit less concise. With Sword and Shield, the return of the Player Search System would be welcome. It makes completing the Pokedex much more feasible.

1. DON'T WANT- WONDER TRADE

When Pokemon made the jump to the 3DS, Game Freak introduced a few new mechanics to take advantage of the Internet capabilities of the system. Among them was Wonder Trading. This was essentially a gamble where you would trade a Pokemon and never know what you were going to get. While the appeal is evident, the problem becomes apparent. Most people would just throw common Pokemon, so there was rarely a payoff for Wonder Trades. If this feature was to come back in Pokemon Sword and Shield, we would want it to have some changes to make it more worthwhile for players.