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.
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