Get your Pokéballs in hand, your trial gear ready and your Max Raid Battle Pokémon out. It’s time to continue to fill your Pokédex and continue your legacy as the Champion of Galar!
Pokémon Sword/Shield: The Isle of Armor
Developer: Game Freak
Price: $40 for the Expansion Pass
Platforms: Nintendo Switch (reviewed)
Were you disappointed when Pokémon Sword/Shield didn’t have a national dex and you could no longer Catch Em’ All? Have you been wandering around the Wild Area over and over to catch what you can to fill your Pokédex? HAVE YOU BEEN HARVESTING ALL YOUR THOUGHTLESS EMOTIONS AND SLOWLY DESPAIRING, HOPING TO ONE DAY TRULY CATCH EM’ ALL? Well say no more, The Isle of Armor expansion brings an addition to Pokémon that hasn’t been seen before. With a mixture of new and old Pokémon coming together, this expansion brings a change to the overall meta of Pokémon as a whole, setting a new milestone for the series.
As in previous games, the amount of Pokémon that you were able to catch was set in stone, unless it was a Mystery Event or Gift Pokémon. To further add to that, anytime new Pokémon were introduced it was in the form of a third game to add to the previous two (Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, etc.).
The Isle of Armor expansion brings a plethora of Pokémon from older generations into the game, alongside a new Legendary Pokémon that is able to evolve, something that very rarely happens! I am ecstatic about the release of a healthy dose of Gen 1 Pokémon. Some of my favourites such as Scyther, Starmie, and Marowak have joined many new favourites to bring together a new team of my liking.
A neat addition to the expansion is Diglett Finding. Being tasked with finding 150 Digletts across the Isle gives a fun search aspect to the DLC and you will be rewarded for your efforts. I find that 150 Diglett may be a tad overwhelming given the length of the DLC. Perhaps 100 would have suited it better. Thankfully there is a counter for each area on the Isle, so once you have collected all the Diglett in one area the game will let you know so you don’t aimlessly wander around, hoping to eventually find one you think you missed.
The Isle of Armor expansions gives a little slice of something for everyone who picks it up. I found it to be a bit on the short side, with not many trials having to be completed, but there is a feeling of joy knowing that this is the first Pokémon game to add content through DLC. Rather than a third game for the current generation. As is tradition with adding a third game, this cycle has been broken and I personally hope to see more DLC within the next year or two be announced with even more Pokémon. There has to be a bigger reason why Pokémon Home was released, isn’t there?
The added bonus for anyone who purchased the Season Pass is the next expansion, The Crown Tundra, which will add upon this expansion with more Pokémon to obtain and new obstacles to defeat. Perhaps this will be a new way of how the Pokémon games will function. Instead of a sword set in stone of Pokémon to be obtained, new and old ones will be released over time, giving trainers that real feel of having to catch them all.
The Final Word
I would have enjoyed this DLC much more if it was longer than it was. Give or take, the adding of older generation Pokémon was one of the bigger bonuses of the DLC rather than the content. Putting out DLC and within a year of the release of the game is quite enjoyable overall and hopefully the upcoming DLC will be a tad longer. Alas, with this DLC the entire competitive meta will see a drastic change. Get your roster changes ready and your dittos out for breeding, times are changing!
MonsterVine Rating: 3.5 out of 5 – Fair
