Pokemon Sword and Shield: Only Galar Pokedex Pokemon importable

Trainers and fans are frothing at the mouth for the next installment of the popular franchise set in the Galar region- Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield.

The eighth generation of the Nintendo franchise will feature new mechanics like multiplayer raid battle, aesthetics and of course, new Pokemon from Galar.

One thing that has longtime trainers a little on edge is the fact that they will not be able to import every Pokemon from the previous games. During the Nintendo Treehouse Live presentation at E3, producer Junichi Masuda said that while Pokemon House will store a trainer’s Pokemon previous games, replacing Pokemon Bank, it will only import Pokemon stored in the Galar region’s Pokedex to Sword and Shield.

For example, if I wanted to import all of the Pokemon I have caught from the previous two generations, I could only bring in the ones that are found in Galar.

If starters Froakie and Mudkip are not in the Galar region, then I could not import those evolution lines. This means my level 100 Greninja and Level 87 Swampert, both of which carry a lot of battle mileage and ribbons from previous Pokemon games, will enjoy a nice retirement.

Let’s get the “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” jokes out of the way.

The decision to limit the species of imported Pokemon did not come easy. According to Masuda, via a translator, developer Game Freak debated on how to best implement the new battle system, game mechanics and development process and chose to limit the Pokemon that can be imported to the bank.

I get where Game Freak is coming from when it comes to development and saving time and there will plenty of Pokemon for trainers to catch and import.

The only question is what species Pokemon are the Galar Pokedex, and that is something that trainers will not find out until they play the game. Many Pokemon will be revealed in the lead up to the release of Sword and Shield, and some websites have listed Pokemon from previous generations that were spotted in the game, but folks do not get an accurate account of the game’s Pokemon  until they play it – or until data miners release the information on the Internet.

Although I will be a little bummed that I won’t get to bring all of my previous Pokemon to the Galar region, it doesn’t mean I won’t buy the game. If anything, this new development makes me more excited to jump into Galar.

One of the aspects of the Pokemon games I’ve always enjoyed is getting a chance to build a new team of Pokemon and train them throughout the entire journey.

I’ll miss playing Pokemon that I had leave behind, but I am looking forward to conquering the Galar region with a new team.

Trainers should also keep in mind that the game is six months away and there may be changes in the development process.