Among the plethora of announcements made in today's Nintendo Direct were quite a few updates regarding Pokémon Sword and Shield - including character customisations, camps, and... curry rice?
Yes, Game Freak have finally answered the prayers of their hungry fanbase and included that long-sought-after gameplay element - cooking! - to the series (we're actually quite intrigued, to be honest). According to Nintendo, trainers will be able to:
Aside from this spicy announcement, we were also provided some details on the depth of character customisation available to players - including interchangeable tops, bottoms, outerwear, gloves, hairstyles and makeup.
This is the most expansive list of character customization options yet in the Pokémon series, and it looks to be heavily influenced by styles found in the region of Galar's inspiration: the United Kingdom. A visit to one of various shops or salons around Galar will provide players choices from the new design options, of which there will likely be infinite combinations.
We know what you're thinking: "But where in the game will you be able to both cook this delicious curry rice, and show off your new styles?!" At your own fancy little Pokémon Camp, of course:
Now the real question is: will we be able to decorate the insides of our camp tents?
While some of these announcements seemed a bit off the wall, the Pokémon Camp and Curry Rice features specifically harken back to some fan favorite gameplay elements of yore: namely, Secret Bases and Berry Blending Pokéblocks - both introduced in Ruby and Sapphire.
For those who missed out on those quirky Hoenn side hustles - growing and collecting berries to blend into homemade candies for their Pokémon; finding the most secret of secret locations for your own private hideout; buying furniture and decorations to turn it into an informal gym for battles against friends; trying to untangle your Game Link Cable long enough to do anything - we're hoping the new (wireless) versions of these quests will delight players as much as they did in previous titles.
Are you excited about these new developments? Did you take advantage of side quests like Secret Bases in previous games? Do you enjoy curry rice?! Let us know in the comments below.
Austin started gaming at 2 years old and has been addicted ever since. Her Zelda, Mario, Pokémon & Animal Crossing obsessions freak people out. She habitually carries a mini projector around to play her Switch in console mode in weird places. Her favorite gaming snack is pizza rolls, because greasy controllers are her bugaboo.
It's actually looking a bit better now. Starting to feel the hype again, despite all the negative stuff floating around the game from Pokémon being left out.
.... I may not be getting this game. But the animations are looking a bit better. I'll just wait next year when Sharp Sword and Solid shield (or whatever it'll be called) come out.
It does look promising, with a ton of customization and recepies. My Breath of the Wild activities are activating ! dobious food here we go! Haha
Pokemon Camp seems like an intriguing replacement for Pokemon Amie/Refresh/whatever it's called elsewhere. I'm not sure how much time I'd spend making curry, but I'd definitely experiment with it lol.
@SBOY You can't compare Pokemon and the national dex to cooking. Two completely different things. The food is literally just an illustration. Pokemon are moving creatures.
Yawn. Most anemic announcements ever. Just tell us which Pokemon didn't make the cut and then release the game. The marketing is pretty pointless at this stage.
@Aquamine-Amarine but still they can put animation on more than one Pokemon... And all the customisation? I mean I didn't say a single things about national dex but this...
The people still complaining haven’t realised those Camp animations and interactions between trainer-Pokémon and Pokémon-Pokémon are rather complex? We had a peek of them in Let’s Go’s Go Park, but it’s a much bigger roster now. Those are the new and complex animations right here, it’s the answer to the whole Dexit debacle. And I’m more than fine with that, I’d rather have vivid creatures camping with me and enjoying my curry, thank you very much.
On the topic of these features, I'm genuinely excited about the cooking feature. I'm a sucker for these types of cooking games/mini games. It was one of my favorite features of Breath of the Wild. Probably because I enjoy cooking myself and I love watching others cook (my loved ones and cooking shows).
The interactions at the camp are pretty cool. The new Pokémon also look good, but I still hope the battle animations are better than they have looked. The overworked Pokémon look so alive, there is no reason they shouldn't in battle.
Not bad, though I don't entirely trust Gamefreak to make the ingredients for crafting the actually useful curries (EV reset effect, IV boost or maximize etc - IF they actually do serve this role in the game) reasonable for the player to obtain, which will encourage cheating.
You know there's gonna be a "gold curry" that has a crafting ingredient that you can only get once per playthrough
I suspect they are going to be used for pokemon recovery or stat enhancement, or to raise the levels for this game's equivalent of pokemon amie, replacing the cakes from the previous games.
Though this is conjecture.
EDIT: Looking at the screenshot again, I see spicy, dry, sweet, sour. These were flavors that were used for pokemon contest stats in older games, maybe that feature will be returning.
These games keep looking better with each new trailer and reveal. I’m most interested in what camping will do for your Pokémon and what kind of mini-games or activities are available when four players are camping together.
I’m liking the game already! I personally dont need a thousand pokemon to collect in one game. Just gimme the best of the old ones and some new species. And then some other stuff to do. Catching, evolving and repeatinh gets kinda old soon if theres nothing more. And no, I’m not into stats, IV:s or competitive play.
It is totally worth it. We made Poffins, pokeblocks and i believe we did the smoothies or whatever in soul silver/heart gold for the pokethelon. Cooking and interactions are not new but being further touched upon as the series progresses.
Just like with the recent Fire Emblem, it’s nice to have a break from just battling and playing the story. Some fluff is good for games and doesn’t necessarily detract from the overall experience.
And given the circulating leaks have been spot on so far, then we’re looking at at least 700 pokemon in the game. That is a very substantial amount to have as far as I’m concerned.
Well, my kids and I are beyond happy with what we’ve seen so far and nothing in the recent footage looked anything like a 3DS game at all, so... We all have our stances and I’m happy to continue having Pokemon in my household for my kids and myself to enjoy. Games evolve, things get taken away or re-added, new features given a chance. I have a full living dex that I’ve been maintaining since childhood but don’t really care that they opted to stop having all creatures in the game. It’s beyond unreasonable in my honest opinion as the count keeps going up.
@Yorumi Ok, absolutely fair. And I’m by no means saying they’re perfect and without some degree of criticisms and whatnot. We know they could, or rather should, be doing a little better as a developer and pushing themselves to offer a great experience. But on the other hand, I do still see the love and effort that has been put in and I’m willing to accept what changes have been made if the overall experience appears worth some degree of sacrifices. So far, I’m pretty happy with what has been shown. And I still give them the benefit of the soubt that this is their first major going on the Switch. X and Y weren’t the best when they did the first 3DS games but they brought new things to the table for the series. I’m sure with proper feedback and critiques (not just ramblings, threats and harassment from the more angry fanboys), that perhaps they’ll grow and utilize the system better down the line. I just wish people would step back and look at the games as a whole and not focus on smaller parts of it before even really having reviews or giving it a try themselves (even if that means just borrowing a copy from someone or something if they don’t purchase it)
There's something really disturbing about seeing what basically looks like gourmet hot dog weenies on top of that curry. Put some shrimp, tofu, or chicken on it and we're in business.
Comments 37
It's actually looking a bit better now. Starting to feel the hype again, despite all the negative stuff floating around the game from Pokémon being left out.
Well see how this goes.
Can't put all Pokemon in the game but full caracter customisation and over 100 curry recipe can... 😵
Way too kiddy!
I couldn't give even a single piss, no national dex, no deal.
.... I may not be getting this game. But the animations are looking a bit better. I'll just wait next year when Sharp Sword and Solid shield (or whatever it'll be called) come out.
It does look promising, with a ton of customization and recepies. My Breath of the Wild activities are activating ! dobious food here we go! Haha
Pokemon Camp seems like an intriguing replacement for Pokemon Amie/Refresh/whatever it's called elsewhere. I'm not sure how much time I'd spend making curry, but I'd definitely experiment with it lol.
@SBOY You can't compare Pokemon and the national dex to cooking. Two completely different things. The food is literally just an illustration. Pokemon are moving creatures.
Also got two new Pokémon reveals, lol.
Edit; Possibly three!
Btw for those who saw that “Shiny” alcremie, well, is not shiny... is just another of her 15 variations
Gimmicks, gimmicks everywhere. I was so bored by crafting in Fantasy Life. The new Pokemon game now looks even least appealing to me.
Ah yes, that classic Britain dish, curry.
... Wait, what?
Yawn. Most anemic announcements ever. Just tell us which Pokemon didn't make the cut and then release the game. The marketing is pretty pointless at this stage.
Pokemon Breath of the Wild. 😆
Hunting for Curry recipes and let's make some Dubious Curry (if possible). 🤣
@oji
Doing other activities can be fun rather than just grinding our Pokemon's level and parameter.
@Aquamine-Amarine but still they can put animation on more than one Pokemon... And all the customisation? I mean I didn't say a single things about national dex but this...
@UmbreonsPapa In another article that should be posted soon
Now I want curry rice.
I don't really have anything to add to this article. But for some reason i felt compelled to post? Kinda like it was calling my name.
The people still complaining haven’t realised those Camp animations and interactions between trainer-Pokémon and Pokémon-Pokémon are rather complex? We had a peek of them in Let’s Go’s Go Park, but it’s a much bigger roster now. Those are the new and complex animations right here, it’s the answer to the whole Dexit debacle. And I’m more than fine with that, I’d rather have vivid creatures camping with me and enjoying my curry, thank you very much.
@austin_voigt Cool.
On the topic of these features, I'm genuinely excited about the cooking feature. I'm a sucker for these types of cooking games/mini games. It was one of my favorite features of Breath of the Wild. Probably because I enjoy cooking myself and I love watching others cook (my loved ones and cooking shows).
The interactions at the camp are pretty cool. The new Pokémon also look good, but I still hope the battle animations are better than they have looked. The overworked Pokémon look so alive, there is no reason they shouldn't in battle.
Curry is the most British thing ever. They got it after they colonized India, clearly.
Joking aside, I'm really eager to play this game. It looks awesome!
Not bad, though I don't entirely trust Gamefreak to make the ingredients for crafting the actually useful curries (EV reset effect, IV boost or maximize etc - IF they actually do serve this role in the game) reasonable for the player to obtain, which will encourage cheating.
You know there's gonna be a "gold curry" that has a crafting ingredient that you can only get once per playthrough
But what does the curry actually do?
If curry actually boosts stats for battle then things will actually be pretty interesting.
@Alpha008
I suspect they are going to be used for pokemon recovery or stat enhancement, or to raise the levels for this game's equivalent of pokemon amie, replacing the cakes from the previous games.
Though this is conjecture.
EDIT: Looking at the screenshot again, I see spicy, dry, sweet, sour. These were flavors that were used for pokemon contest stats in older games, maybe that feature will be returning.
These games keep looking better with each new trailer and reveal. I’m most interested in what camping will do for your Pokémon and what kind of mini-games or activities are available when four players are camping together.
I practically lived on curry and rice through high school 😋🍽
Was he saying 'curry on rice'? I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that before.
Waiiiit ! Meat food in Pokemon ??
Guess we found out where are the excluded Pokemons....
@shoeses I’m from the West Midlands, if it’s not fish n chips it’s curries here 😂
I’m liking the game already!
I personally dont need a thousand pokemon to collect in one game. Just gimme the best of the old ones and some new species. And then some other stuff to do. Catching, evolving and repeatinh gets kinda old soon if theres nothing more. And no, I’m not into stats, IV:s or competitive play.
@Yorumi
It is totally worth it. We made Poffins, pokeblocks and i believe we did the smoothies or whatever in soul silver/heart gold for the pokethelon. Cooking and interactions are not new but being further touched upon as the series progresses.
Just like with the recent Fire Emblem, it’s nice to have a break from just battling and playing the story. Some fluff is good for games and doesn’t necessarily detract from the overall experience.
And given the circulating leaks have been spot on so far, then we’re looking at at least 700 pokemon in the game. That is a very substantial amount to have as far as I’m concerned.
@Yorumi
Well, my kids and I are beyond happy with what we’ve seen so far and nothing in the recent footage looked anything like a 3DS game at all, so... We all have our stances and I’m happy to continue having Pokemon in my household for my kids and myself to enjoy. Games evolve, things get taken away or re-added, new features given a chance. I have a full living dex that I’ve been maintaining since childhood but don’t really care that they opted to stop having all creatures in the game. It’s beyond unreasonable in my honest opinion as the count keeps going up.
Pretty sweet... Or should I say spicy? I really enjoyed the poffin feature in Diamond, glad they're doing something like it again.
@Yorumi Ok, absolutely fair. And I’m by no means saying they’re perfect and without some degree of criticisms and whatnot. We know they could, or rather should, be doing a little better as a developer and pushing themselves to offer a great experience. But on the other hand, I do still see the love and effort that has been put in and I’m willing to accept what changes have been made if the overall experience appears worth some degree of sacrifices. So far, I’m pretty happy with what has been shown. And I still give them the benefit of the soubt that this is their first major going on the Switch. X and Y weren’t the best when they did the first 3DS games but they brought new things to the table for the series. I’m sure with proper feedback and critiques (not just ramblings, threats and harassment from the more angry fanboys), that perhaps they’ll grow and utilize the system better down the line. I just wish people would step back and look at the games as a whole and not focus on smaller parts of it before even really having reviews or giving it a try themselves (even if that means just borrowing a copy from someone or something if they don’t purchase it)
There's something really disturbing about seeing what basically looks like gourmet hot dog weenies on top of that curry. Put some shrimp, tofu, or chicken on it and we're in business.
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