3 reasons Pokemon Sword and Shield ranks No. 119 on FanSided 250

Personality

The Pokemon games have been around for years and years and, for a long time, they were all very similar. Start off in the world’s smallest town and venture forth, encounter eight gym leaders, casually save the world, and become the very best. Arguably like no one ever was. But unfortunately, a lot of the early games didn’t do a lot to distinguish themselves from other games beyond some changes to the meta.

Sword and Shield ain’t that, son. The game takes place in a gorgeously crafted world with a rich history. Everyone has a different dialect and slang. You encounter all the characters multiple times in different spots, even the gym leaders, giving them a lot of depth. And these characters are overflowing with personality.

Even if you couldn’t tell from Alister that the Ghost Type gym leader has massive amounts of anxiety, unlocking his cards give you a terrifying back story. These characters are way more fleshed out and enjoyable than past personalities. Even my least favorite characters in the game, Sordward and Shielbert, are only my least favorite because the game does such a good job at letting us know that these two are the wooooooorst.

Its character portrayal helps keep the world alive and makes it something worth revisiting over and over.