This is what Pokemon Sword and Shield SHOULD look like

Paul Cotton

Pokemon Sword and Shield might have been criticised for the quality of the graphics since it was first revealed at E3 2019, but one fan has now shared a number of images of what the game could look like and it’s incredible.

While few would argue that the new joint titles provide the best graphics of any Pokemon game to date, they have been met with a lot of disappointment. Many feel the graphical jump from the Nintendo 3DS hasn’t quite met expectations.

Fans point to game such as Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey as examples of what the Nintendo Switch is capable of. 

When these are compared to Pokemon Sword and Shield, some have argued that it makes the latter looked rush and not befitting of a mainline Pokemon game.

Gamers are now expecting a fully immersive, open world Pokemon game which to date has evaded the series. One Redditor shared several images showing this dream.

Who wouldn’t want to play a Pokemon game that looked like this?

The first image shows a high-resolution screen of an arid region with a huge cliff face in the background. The scale of this makes it look somewhat life-like, too. 

On top of this, the character Red looks realistic, while maintaining the Pokemon style graphics, and also has Pikachu on his back. Pokemon such as Geodude, Mankey, Primeape, Sandshrew and Sandslash can be seen roaming in the world.

A battle scene here remains turn-based but with a far more open world feel…

A second image shows a battle scene with Pikachu taking on a Pidgeotto. This doesn’t look as defined as the first, although it appears to be made by the same designer as the UI is mostly the same. The battle takes place in a field with rocks and a bridge on the horizon.

Realistic Pokemon appearing in the open world is what most fans want…

Another image shows Red riding an Arcanine on a lucious open field with several Ponyta travelling opposite them. A snowy mountain can be seen in the background although its unclear just how big the open field is. This looks a little more cartoon like, as there is an outline on Red and his Arcanine.

Whether these images are one off concept designs or part of a fan-made game is unknown.

Dragon Quest 11 on the 3DS (left) vs PS4 (right) shows a huge graphical difference…

Elsewhere, a comparison was shown between Dragon Quest 11 on the Nintendo 3DS and the same game on the PS4. The graphical difference between the two is massive. The 3DS version resembles something that looks like a SNES game whereas the PS4 unsurprisingly looks like a game befitting of 2019.

The comparison highlights what should be expected of Pokemon Sword and Shield, or at least that was its intention. If we won’t get a dream Pokemon game this time around, maybe Nintendo have something up their sleeve for 2020.

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