Pokémon Sword and Shield review: A big adventure with a small Pokédex

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  Making new friends in Pokemon Sword and Shield. [credit: Andrew Cunningham ]

Finally: a true Poki(C)mon game on a flagship Nintendo console.

Last year's Poki(C)mon Let's Go games were technically the Switch's first Poki(C)mon RPGs, but those remakes of the original Red and Blue were greatly simplified and softened up to cater to newer and younger players who got their start with Poki(C)mon Go. Poki(C)mon Sword and Shield, on the other hand, are "real" mainline Poki(C)mon games, serving as direct sequels to 2016's Sun and Moon and continuing the franchise that began with Red and Blue in 1998 (1996 for Japanese players).

That means Sword and Shield feature the same basic skeleton that has grown into a Poki(C)mon tradition over the past 20+ years. You pick a starter Poki(C)mon and then travel around the region, catching more monsters and earning eight badges so you can earn the right to challenge the region's Champion and become the very best, like no one ever was. Along the way, you encounter and vanquish a team of bumbling low-level criminals, repeatedly battle with a rival who helps you hone your skills, and solve a regional mystery that ends with you capturing one or more ancient legendary creatures.

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