Lately I have been watching a lot of videos talking about Pokemon Sword and Shield, I agree with some opinions and disagree with others so here is an essay about how and why Game Freak got into this mess.

Pokemon Sword and Shield started development in 2018/early 2019 with a leaked beta build originating from 2019. Sw/Sh had trouble in development due to a lack of technical knowledge of the Nintendo Switch due to the difference in power and architecture between the Switch and the DS/3DS and secondly due to a lack of a cohesive direction of where Pokemon should go next and thus many many ideas where thrown against the wall to see what stuck, all Game Freak knew however was to go Big and to go Bold like how Mario and Zelda had on their respective major Switch titles.

The rushed nature most likely came from the Pokemon Company, the company that owns and manages the Pokemon IP, this would make them the ones to set deadlines on where and when games should be released. Nintendo didn't help Game Freak with providing technical assistance to Game Freak like they had done in the late 90's by sending the now late Satoru Iwata to help Game Freak.

The reason why the game reused 3D models and poor textures was because more time was spent elsewhere in order to get the game finished within the provided time frame. Animations where poor because other places needed attention. Game Freak's insistence on a small team also didn't help matters. This is more apparent when comparing the leaked beta build to the finished product.

Because of a rushed development, unclear and unfocused direction, and lack of technical understanding, Pokemon Sword and Shield were released in the way they did. With a quality fitting more so for the products and services of Penn Central and British Leyland, the game was a critical failure with the almost wholesale arson of the Pokemon fan community. Those who managed to enjoy it still found the game fun but disappointing. Luckily for Game Freak, the game went on to be a commercial success.

Game Freak's decision to release a season pass as opposed to a third version or a sequel was done partly to boost sales, regain fan trust but was mostly done to add missing content and to better get an understanding of the system they were programing for and as a testbed for how things should be done going forward. The $30 price is egregious but makes sense since the profit is split between Game Freak (developer), The Pokemon Company (The IP Holder), and Nintendo (Publisher), such a dynamic also led to problems and issues had during the development of "Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated" but that is a story for a later time.

The Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra put in place ideas that were scrapped during development due to time constraints as well as expanding and reiterating certain concepts such as the Wild Area.

From the eyes of the consumer and the Pokemon fan, the game is a gimped experience full of lackluster linear labors and lackeys with bad graphics and poorly thought out mechanics but through the eye of a developer and through the knowledge of the development process, a different picture is painted. One of mismanagement, one without direction or cohesion, one of crunch and bad decision making. One that if in any other circumstances would have borne significant consequences but due to luck somehow made a bad product into a commercial success.

In my opinion, the game is like a Heroin high, at first its fun, pleasant, and exciting but soon becomes fleeting and boring. The game has is highest high and its lowest low with each subsequent high getting shorter and shorter and each low getting deeper and deeper just like a Heroin addiction. The DLC follows into this trend adding excitement to a lackluster experience that soon caves under. I personally think Sword and Shield are good games, but they could have been great games. If the technical assistance was given, if there had been a delay, if more staff were brought on and a clear cohesive, singular, unified direction was given towards features and design. Pokemon Sword and Shield could've been the big bang the series needed after the malaise brought on by Sun and Moon and the 3DS era in general. But alas Game Freak trudges on like an Amercian car company in the 1970's and with the hubris of such. Perhaps the rumored Diamond and Pearl remakes contain lessons learned and perhaps be more focuses as they are remakes and not new games. Or maybe they will become technical failures and fail to impress even the most juvenile fan. Only time will tell.

Jesus Christ, I think I've just described RCA's Capacitance Electronic Disk!