Pokémon Sword and Shield: 3 questions we still have after the reveal

The initial period of hype for Pokémon Sword and Shield has passed. Now, it’s time to ask some questions about what we can expect from Galar.

We can’t just quit you, Pokémon. We might think we’ve grown beyond journeying as a tween of questionable age and maturity around a country, capturing Pokémon and proving ourselves as Trainers, but every time a new game gets an announcement, we’re right back where we started: excited as all get out.

Earlier today, Pokémon Sword and Shield were confirmed as coming for the Nintendo Switch sometime later this year, which sounds like a holiday-period release to us. Although the Direct that announced it lasted seven minutes, providing a long look at the new region of Galar, that doesn’t mean we know everything just yet.

Indeed, it’s time to start the speculation. Watch the Direct below:

What are the starters’ secondary types?

It’s become standard for the starter Pokémon to gain a secondary typing as they evolve, and Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble don’t seem like they’d be any different. It’s not like there were many clues, either, but there were some.

Sobble’s ability to go invisible suggests either Psychic or Ghost-typing, since Light Screen is a Psychic move and Ghost-types are, well, ghosts. As for Grookey, there’s only one Grass-Fighting type across the entire spectrum, and that’s Breloom. However, that might be a bit unbalanced, considering that Grookey would then be able to check Sobble twice over. Could Grass-Ground be an option? That’s another unique combination right now with Torterra.

Finally, Scorbunny is the real mystery. Fire-Fighting would not be unique among starters, thanks to Combusken and Blaziken, but it is still a rare type all the same. We know that Scorbunny is a particularly agile Pokémon, but that still doesn’t say much.

Can the girl avatar wear some pants?

Galar explicitly has some seriously cold regions, and yet the girl avatar we see in the trailer is wearing a skirt. Granted, she has a sensible and seriously cozy-looking sweater up top, but character customization has come a long way. The boy avatar gets to wear pants. Why can’t the girl?

We’re not talking about just shorts, either. We are advocating for full pants. Frostbite is not cool, and neither is chafing, frankly. Clothing equality would be a small, but important step forward.

What about those legendary Pokémon?

The wolf-like animal heads in the logo for each game suggests that the legendary Pokémon might have canine qualities, specifically. While that wouldn’t be a repeat, depending on how you view Raikou, Entei, and Suicune, the thematic idea of swordsmen for a group of significant Pokémon has already been used, with the Swords of Justice (Cobalion, Terrakion, Virizion, and Keldeo). Knights, specifically, would be different, but it does raise some significant questions about how similar is too similar, even though the Swords are not a legendary trio.

All in all, there’s plenty to be excited about when it comes to these two games, but here’s hoping E3 or another Direct might have a little more for us.

Pokémon Sword and Shield arrive later in 2019.