Most of us are likely familiar with the Pokémon series' standard of eight Gyms to find and defeat - until Pokémon Sun and Moon did away the idea altogether, of course - but Pokémon Sword and Shield look set to revolutionise the system all over again.
In the new games, a whopping 18 Gyms will be featured. They'll be split across 'Major' and 'Minor' leagues; different Gyms will appear in each and some will differ depending on which version of the game you pick up. For example, Bea's Fighting-type Gym will appear in Pokémon Sword's Major league, while Allister's Ghost-type Gym will appear in Pokémon Shield's Major league. The news comes from Game Informer which has shared exclusive info on the games in its most recent issue.
Interestingly, it would appear that the Gyms can be in different leagues each year in the Galar region, perhaps working in a similar system to sports where teams are promoted and relegated each season. It isn't clear whether or not you'll be able to challenge all 18, but we couldn't help notice that there just so happens to be 18 different Pokémon types in the game. Could there be one Gym for each type?
Plenty more fresh details have also been shared recently, including the fact that HMs won't be featured, around 1,000 people have worked on the new games, and that Sword and Shield will benefit from an optional autosave function. Oh, and series director Junichi Masuda has also confirmed that any "cut" Pokémon will return in future games.
Liking the sound of 18 Gyms? It certainly sounds like it could be pretty exciting to us. Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
[source gameinformer.com, via siliconera.com]
Comments 26
This would have been a nice surprise on playthrough of the game rather than this press release
@Lute-Waffle True, but at the same time it's so vague, we can only guess how it will work in the games.
We can see that there are less than 18 stadium buildings on the map, so how is that going to work? What's the difference between major and minor league for example. Can you challenge them all during a single playthrough? Is it related to the in-game year, or is it based on real life years?
@Lute-Waffle Well, with all the controversy over many Pokemon not being available at launch, Game Freak are probably trying to entice upset fans with exciting details.
I won't lie, these Major/Minor League concepts sound interesting.
I want the gyms to have a unique look for each one. Not a generic stadium for all of them.
@Zuljaras according to the demo that has been at events since E3 gyms will be generic stadiums but every gym has a uniquely looking challange before being allowed to enter the stadium. And according to the leak that has been 100% correct so far the challenges are puzzles and a mix between classic gyms and island trials.
@Zuljaras
It sounds as though the stadiums need to look somewhat generic because they could be representing different types of Pokémon when a new league starts, so there'd be an in-universe explanation for it.
Minor and major leagues might have different appearances though. Still, having a single stadium means it's one less battle scene they have to design.
@RupeeClock "Still, having a single stadium means it's one less battle scene they have to design." That sounds depressing More cutting.
Still I hope for different atmosphere in each gym. Not generic looking challenges that are only different from each other by the Pokemon types in them.
@Lute-Waffle Its Pokemon, I cant remember the last time they didnt spoil nigh every new thing in a game before release.
@Zuljaras
It might not be as bad as it sounds, as it constitutes one particular scene that might be encountered a fixed number of times during the game.
Battle scenes would have to include places in towns, places in buildings, places in the open fields, the lakes, the seas, the caves, the mountains, the forests, and many more.
This is something I can get behind. It would make the 'grand adventure' feel that little bit grander; despite the missing pokemon.
So does this mean that there are 18 gyms total between the two games, or does it mean that there are 18 gyms in each individual game?
@Harmonie Total. One for each type sounds reasonable. However some gyms are exclusive to Sword, and others are exclusive to Shield.
@NotoriousWhiz
It might be that there are more than one representative per type of gym, or that some gyms are "post-game" or something.
Maybe you still only need to win eight gym badges to challenge the Elite Four, or whatever this game's equivalent will be.
@Lute-Waffle i'm trying so hard to not know too much info about this game. I went into Gen 7 knowing everything about it, all additions, all new Pokemon, all regional variants and it meant there was nothing to discover and I got bored immediately.
I'm already not very invested in this Gen so I need to ensure as much mystery as possible.
how many gyms per game though? if some are not in both how many will be in shield for example?
1000 people worked on the game and it still looks worse than Xenoblade Chronicles on the Wii 9 years ago?
Huh...
I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to challenge all the gyms, that really doesn't make sense. I suspect gyms will probably be divided between Sword and Shield somewhat, maybe 12 in each game with four exclusives per version. 8 required for the elite 4 and 4 more special gyms in the post game.
Or it could be that this game ends up more free roam than we thought and you have the option to choose which gyms you fight. Or some gyms might be optional but unlock special rewards.
I am pretty stoked either way for this particular change!
No complaints here! I welcome more opportunities to officially display my Pokemon team's
sportsbattling skills.I hope that the “major leagues” won’t be dlc that we will have to buy. Could you imagine? Dlc in Pokémon?
@Octane Yeah true tbf
@Tao Yeah tbf I'm too hung up on when I was a kid and ruby/sapphire came out I knew nothing other than a few TV adverts.... The age of the internet
I feel like everyone who worked on this game was drunk.
@gloom unfortunately I can, it usually comes a year or two after the base games and is sold as a standalone game instead.
Oh dear, more stuff for the haters to complain about, they complain when stuff is taken out, then moan when more things are added, call me picky but it just seems like some people on here are just never going to be happy no matter what.
@Lute-Waffle Yea, being with Pokemon since Red/Blue, I remember the time where your only real glimpse into the next game were a few episodes of the anime (since the next game came out after a few episodes had aired, IIRC) and a few dodgy screenshots and beta designs which only lead to speculation of stuff like 'Bruno', 'Pikablu' and the Pokegods.
Those were good days...Days where Pokemon was full of mystery and discovery. Now we just buy the latest game to see the things we've already been shown.
@Lizuka
Would be the biggest troll in the history of Pokémon.
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