I'm a fan of the Pokémon series and finally picked up a Switch. After playing through Pokémon Sword, I decided to give this one a try. I'm not a fan of Pokémon Go and didn't care for that style of catching wild Pokémon...at first. It grew on me a bit, especially as I got later in the game and was not lacking in the funds to buy more/better Pokéballs. I still prefer actually battling wild Pokémon and am glad that Sword/Shield brought that back, but I didn't hate the mechanic here as much as I thought I may. Seeing the game world that I played in a single color on a tiny Gameboy screen 20+ years ago rendered in 3D was a great feeling as well. The gameplay is overall smoother than any previous Kanto game and was an enjoyable way to spend some time playing.
Some improvements that could have been made - Since they already changed where you can acquire many species of Pokémon since Gen. I and III, why not expand it further? Have rate (<5%) encounters with things like Scyther/Pinsir in Viridian Forest, things like Psyduck/Poliwag near any body of water, etc. It would allow you to build your team very differently than any previous Kanto game. I also would have made the game a bit more challenging (or at least add a "Veteran" difficulty mode) that turns off the automatic experience share, increases the amount and levels of NPC Pokémon, and causes better NPC trainers (Gym Leaders, Aces, the Elite Four) to use more strategy.
Overall, a fun game that I will definitely replay down the line when I get a hankering for some old school Pokémon nostalgia.
VideoGame Fun Nostalgia Trip
I'm a fan of the Pokémon series and finally picked up a Switch. After playing through Pokémon Sword, I decided to give this one a try. I'm not a fan of Pokémon Go and didn't care for that style of catching wild Pokémon...at first. It grew on me a bit, especially as I got later in the game and was not lacking in the funds to buy more/better Pokéballs. I still prefer actually battling wild Pokémon and am glad that Sword/Shield brought that back, but I didn't hate the mechanic here as much as I thought I may. Seeing the game world that I played in a single color on a tiny Gameboy screen 20+ years ago rendered in 3D was a great feeling as well. The gameplay is overall smoother than any previous Kanto game and was an enjoyable way to spend some time playing.
Some improvements that could have been made - Since they already changed where you can acquire many species of Pokémon since Gen. I and III, why not expand it further? Have rate (<5%) encounters with things like Scyther/Pinsir in Viridian Forest, things like Psyduck/Poliwag near any body of water, etc. It would allow you to build your team very differently than any previous Kanto game. I also would have made the game a bit more challenging (or at least add a "Veteran" difficulty mode) that turns off the automatic experience share, increases the amount and levels of NPC Pokémon, and causes better NPC trainers (Gym Leaders, Aces, the Elite Four) to use more strategy.
Overall, a fun game that I will definitely replay down the line when I get a hankering for some old school Pokémon nostalgia.