Pokémon Sword and Shield trailer introduces Gigantamaxing
Game Freak says new feature “inspired by the move to Switch”
Nintendo has released a Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield trailer introducing a new feature called Gigantamaxing, as well as several fresh monsters.
The new feature takes Dynamaxing – which makes Pokémon giant in size and boosts their power – to the next level.
Unlike Dynamaxing, which is a common phenomenon among Pokémon of the Galar region, Gigantamaxing is a much rarer.
A post on the game’s official site says players can catch Gigantamax Pokémon by participating in Max Raid Battles, which let four players team up locally or online to take on Dynamaxing Pokémon in the Wild Area, which stretches between the cities of Galar.
In a recent Metro interview, Pokémon Sword and Shield director Shigeru Ohmori said releasing the title on Nintendo’s home console enabled Game Freak to introduce Dynamaxing.
“It was really inspired by the move to Switch, higher resolutions and the ability to play on a big screen TV,” he said of the new feature.
“With the 3DS we really didn’t have the resolution to portray very small characters versus very big characters at the same time.
“So being able to visualise that kind of size difference, of the Pokémon, was something that the Switch enabled us to do. So we wanted to create these kind of cool-looking battles.”
Game Freak recently acknowledged fan frustration over its “very difficult” decision not to include all Pokémon in the upcoming game.
Nintendo has confirmed a Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield release date of November 15, 2019.
Game Freak is increasingly prioritising original game creation as part of its Gear Project initiative, programmer and director Masayuki Onoue told VGC in a newly published interview.
