Game Freak is trying something new with Pokémon
Sword & Shield.
Rather than a third version where players
replay the main game with new additions and
tweaks, they’re taking the ideas they have
and creating a DLC expansion in the form of
the Isle of Armor and the upcoming Frozen
Tundra.
It’s a solid idea on paper as it cuts out
the need to replay everything again, but now
that the Isle of Armor is out does the experiment
work?
You begin the Isle of Armor by receiving the
Armor Pass, allowing you to travel from Wedgehurst
Station all the way to a near-deserted island
off the coast of Galar, the titular Isle of
Armor.
As soon as you arrive, you’re mistaken for
a new student of the island’s dojo and get
pulled into their traditions.
After all, the leader of the dojo trained
the Champion Leon himself.
There’s also a new rival that, depending
on the version, takes the form of either Klara
or Avery, who present themselves as helpful
but are rather cutthroat.
From there, it becomes a competition among
the students as you work through trials, train
the new Pokémon Kubfu, and eventually learn
how to make it Gigantamax.
It’s a cute story with likeable characters
that works well as an additional adventure.
There aren’t any real stakes as it's mostly
about self-improvement.
And yet it’s impressive how many of the
story sequences have a bit more life to them
now with Kubfu’s introduction being a particular
standout.
Really, the story is all about obtaining Kubfu
and helping it reach its full potential.
It doesn’t make for essential storytelling,
but there is a bit of pride seeing this Pokémon
take shape under my teaching and decisions.
There is quite a bit to do on the Isle of
Armor, and I enjoyed exploring it.
It’s treated like the Wild Area of the main
game, meaning I had full camera control the
entire time.
But rather than the wide open and empty space
form before, there are now caves, forests,
marshes, and even small islands dotted in
the ocean to visit.
It felt like I was actually discovering these
places rather than just seeing them in the
distance and meandering over.
It’s a great step forward and makes me hopeful
that the Frozen Tundra, as well as subsequent
Pokémon generations, will take the concept
even further
It certainly made finding and catching all
the new returning Pokémon more exciting.
Yes, they may all be from previous generations
but this marks the first time they’re available
in Sword & Shield.
Galar Slowpoke line and Kubfu are the only
truly new Pokémon here.
Despite that, I still got the thrill of seeing
and catching many of these old returning Pokémon.
I mean, the formula just works.
Beyond Pokémon, items and TRs are spread
everywhere too, with some of the typically
more rare items being easier to find.
Speaking of items, there’s a new machine
called the Cram-O-Matic that allows players
to combine 4 items to make a brand new one.
This includes the returning Apricorns from
Gen 2 that can be made into unique Poké Balls.
It’s not something I used a lot as I didn’t
find it necessary, but once combinations are
more widely known it should be a great tool
for the more serious players.
However, my favorite new addition is the Max
Soup.
This can be fed to Pokémon with the potential
to Gigantamax, unlocking the form, making
it much easier to obtain them than in the
core game.
It is necessary to find Max Mushrooms to make
the Max Soup, but these become more plentiful
as you fight in Max Raid Battles.
There are other activities as well such as
hunting down 150 Alolan Diglett across the
Isle to receive Alolan forms, finding Armorite
to teach brand new moves to your Pokémon,
and using Watts to spruce up the dojo.
Once the main story is finished, you’ll
unlock Restricted Sparring in which you’ll
bring a team of 3 Pokémon of the same type
and fight across five opponents with limited
healing.
It certainly provides a challenge, but I didn’t
find it to be much of a draw.
These types of battles have never been my
thing as I have to spend time crafting specific
teams.
It should also be mentioned that the isle
does scale to match your level...somewhat.
My team was around level 80 while wild Pokémon
were all in their 60s.
The same applied to the few trainers you fight
making most of them an afterthought, but thankfully
by the final battle my rival’s Pokémon
were around 75 providing some challenge.
There are only a handful of trainer battles
here though so them being under my level didn’t
feel like a big deal as it wasn’t the focus
of the story.
Presentation-wise, the graphics are about
on par with the main game which isn’t really
a surprise.
That said, the new animations for certain
characters are nice to look at with some surprisingly
smooth movements and the Isle of Armor is
much bigger than I imagined, allowing for
plenty of exploration.
But if you weren’t a fan of the original
game’s presentation, this probably won’t
change your mind.
I do like that Pokémon can eventually follow
you again while on the island, even if Falinks
here wasn’t exactly built for slopes.
That being said, the new music in the game
is great across the board and really embraces
the feeling of training in a dojo.
Mustard’s battle theme in particular made
me perk up as soon as I heard it.
The Isle of Armor DLC is...pleasant.
I enjoyed running around catching the new
Pokémon.
I like how the Isle itself is designed.
I like that there are a few new haircuts and
clothes items and even the return of following
Pokémon.
I like the Isle of Armor.
It doesn’t feel essential, but if you want
to dive back into the world of Pokémon without
having to redo the main game, this is a great
option.
It honestly makes me more excited for the
Frozen Tundra and what it might bring to the
table.
Thanks for watching and be sure to subscribe
to GameXplain for more on Pokémon and other
things gaming.
