Review | Pokémon Sword and Shield: Isle of Armor

Normally, a year out from the release of a mainline game, Pokémon fans would be awaiting details on the second iteration of the most recent entry in the franchise. What new areas, features and Pokémon will be present? Will a new threat tarnish the game’s continent? However, this year is different, because this year there is no second iteration. Instead, for the first time in Pokémon history, there is DLC—The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra for Pokémon Sword and Shield. The former came out last week and within moments of playing, you can tell this is what the Wild Area of Pokémon Sword and Shield should have been.

Both DLCs together cost less than a new game, and you no longer need to redo the entire game to play the new elements, which seems to be the direction Game Freak and the Pokémon Company want to take in future, as senior director Peter Murphey explained in a recent interview. This allows the players to get stuck in quickly, no matter how far they have progressed through the game. The new areas are level scaled so you can go there at any point. though it doesn’t seem to account for players who have long since completed the game and got their teams to level 100, with most Pokémon being between the 61-70 range in battles, and 60 in the different areas of the Isle of Armor. It seems likely that the scaling is based on badges, rather than analysing your team and scaling accordingly. This is a bit of a let down, but there may have been technical limitations as to why a proper level scaling couldn’t have taken place.

The story of the Isle of Armor focuses around the player joining a Dojo, befriending the new Pokémon, Kubfu, and doing a series of trials and battles to evolve Kubfu into Urshifu, which will either be a Dark/Fighting type or a Water/Fighting type depending on whether you choose to take on the Tower of Darkness or Tower of Water during the campaign. While the story itself is nice (and Kubfu is super cute), the length - especially for players who have finished the main game - is less than two hours. And while I’m somewhat disappointed by this,  the fact is this DLC costs far less than a Sword and Shield remake, with another in the works, AND the most new content you get in those remakes equate to two to four hours? It’s actually not too bad.

Me and my Zoroark about to take on a Tauros… Or two.

As stated before, the Isle of Armor is exactly what the Wild Area should have been. The island is massive, split into multiple different biomes including caves, forests, fields, marshlands and deserts. My playtime was actually within the five hour mark, purely because three of those I was either bewildered while exploring or simply lost in the world. Each area has a multitude of Pokémon roaming around, from previous Galar Pokémon to some familiar franchise faces. And to top it all off, Game Freak have listened to players pleas and allowed you to have your first in slot Pokémon follow you! This has made me happier than I probably should be, because not only did I get my beloved Zoroark back, it is now walking behind me all of the time.

There are gripes to be had. While the main Galar region is heavily based on the UK, the Isle of Armor feels far from it. There are still some references sprinkled in,but it feels a lot less British than the main game. This is very much a personal gripe though, due to both being a Game Writer and a British player. The second issue is something that I didn’t realise until I read other reviews. It’s nice to have the Island as a Wild Area, but it’s just that. There aren’t any trainers outside of the story, and there are no buildings except the Train Station and Dojo. Hopefully, in the Crown Tundra, there will be more life and activities  in the area.

Other things worth knowing about the Isle of Armor include smaller additions. There are over a hundred returning Pokémon, with only three being version exclusives for each game. This means that if you wanted to get a living dex, it is rather easy to do so. I was able to get one in around four days of playing, thanks to raids and other side-activities. Speaking of raids, there are new raids, a few new Gigantamax forms and a Zeraora event currently taking place. Unfortunately you won’t be able to capture the electric feline, but if the world defeats a million of them within ten days, every participant will receive a free shiny Zeraora. This event lasts until June 28th, so if you want a free shiny, better get raiding!

The Isle of Armor is exactly what the Wild Area should have been

There are also 151 pesky Alolan Diglett hiding around the island post story, of which you can find to receive hidden ability Alolan forms. Finally, you can upgrade the Dojo using Watts, use the Cram-o-matic to create new items and there are over $6,000,000 worth of new clothes to buy!

The Isle of Armor DLC is a solid addition to Pokémon Sword and Shield for core fans. However, if you’re only a casual Pokémon player, it may not be worth the money. You get between three and twenty hours of new gameplay depending on how much of a completionist you are, and you get to experience a vast, beautiful landscape. While the Isle of Armor isn’t perfect, it is a great stepping stone for the Crown Tundra and future DLC’. Game Freak’s grand experiment has worked as Isle of Armor left me hoping that remakes/third in the series games will be no more and that this is the format for continued Pokémon experiences going forward.

Review Round Up:

Pros:

• A vast and beautiful new wild area

• Over 100 returning Pokémon, and they follow you around the world

• A decent amount of content for a lower price tag than an entire new game

Cons:

• Storyline is too short and too easy

• Level scaling is subpar

• Depending on how much of a completionist you are, you could be done with this in two hours