The release of Pokemon Sword and Shield's Isle of Armor DLC heralds a new era for the long-running RPG; one in which new content has been added into an existing title rather than the developers releasing a third edition such as Pokemon Emerald, or sequels such as Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. While there is a lot to appreciate in The Isle of Armor, one of its biggest additions fans have discovered is the return of a beloved mechanic.
Pokemon Yellow, the first third-edition game released after the original Red, Blue, and Green, allowed players to travel Kanto alongside a partner Pikachu. That concept would not be revisited until Generation 4, where Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum allowed some monsters to walk with trainers in Hearthome City's Amity Square before Heartgold and Soulsilver fleshed the idea out to allow all Pokemon outside of their ball at any time. Now the same thing can be done in Sword and Shield.
The ability to have Pokemon follow their trainer is unlocked by advancing far enough into the Isle of Armor that players receive Kubfu, after which the island's dojo master Mustard will allow players to "go for a stroll" with the first Pokemon in his or her party. While it does not extend to the main part of the Galar Region, and some have noticed Pokemon like Wailord are not their full size behind trainers, already players are having a lot of fun with this surprise addition.
As exciting as Pokemon following and the other new features in Pokemon Sword and Shield's first DLC expansion are, there is a lot more planned for the series going forward. During a Pokemon Presents video released today, a sequel to the N64 spin-off Pokemon Snap was announced for the Switch.
On top of that, The Pokemon Company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara revealed a mobile app to help younger kids brush their teeth and a new Pokemon puzzle game. Niantic's AR mobile game Pokemon GO will also be updated to add Mega Evolutions.
Between all of these new announcements and the release of The Isle of Armor, it's a good day for fans of the Pokemon franchise. The ability to have Pokemon follow their trainers is a huge selling point for Sword and Shield's DLC, which makes it a nice surprise that Game Freak has kept up its sleeve until now.
Pokemon Sword and Shield are available now on Nintendo Switch.