Some good news at last, for Pokémon Sword and Shield fans.
The Switch exclusives have been getting an endless amount of bad press over the last week or so, due in large part to a particularly contentious decision made by Game Freak. Considered a betrayal of the franchise’s ‘Gotta Catch ‘Em All’ slogan by many, Sword and Shield will be the first entries to make such a feat literally impossible. Whereas before, players would be able to transfer their existing collections from previous titles to the current incumbent, Galar’s Pokédex will only stretch to a total of 400 available Pokémon.
Or so we thought, at least.
As per the latest data-mining efforts of Twitter user Kurt, it appears that a number (35, to be exact) of Pokémon not mentioned in the original leaks have been discovered hiding in the pair’s game files. A small addition, no doubt, but assuming today’s developments are accurate, many iconic Pokémon presumed to have been cut are back in play. If the loss of Bulbasaur and Squirtle was a pain too raw for you to bear, today’s your lucky day.
Beyond the known count in the Galar Dex, there are 35 other species that have stats and models (which explains Melmetal sprite). Kanto & Alola starters, and some legendaries. 435 species available in total! https://t.co/JYOQhbktCE
— Kurt (@Kaphotics) November 11, 2019
The full list of datamined Pokémon is as follows.
- [001] – Bulbasaur
- [002] – Ivysaur
- [003] – Venusaur
- [007] – Squirtle
- [008] – Wartortle
- [009] – Blastoise
- [150] – Mewtwo
- [151] – Mew
- [251] – Celebi
- [385] – Jirachi
- [638] – Cobalion
- [639] – Terrakion
- [640] – Virizion
- [643] – Reshiram
- [644] – Zekrom
- [646] – Kyurem
- [647] – Keldeo
- [722] – Rowlet
- [723] – Dartrix
- [724] – Decidueye
- [725] – Litten
- [726] – Torracat
- [727] – Incineroar
- [728] – Popplio
- [729] – Brionne
- [730] – Primarina
- [789] – Cosmog
- [790] – Cosmoem
- [791] – Solgaleo
- [792] – Lunala
- [800] – Necrozma
- [802] – Marshadow
- [807] – Zeraora
- [808] – Meltan
- [809] – Melmetal
Some interesting revelations here, for sure, not least the prevalence of Legendary Pokémon. Does this mean all of those extremely rare creatures will be obtainable in-game? Unlikely, but Trainers will at least now be able to migrate any they may already own through Pokémon Home when the service begins next year. Also of note are a select few starter Pokémon from previous games. Red & Blue‘s aforementioned water and grass-types are present and accounted for, as too, are those that debuted in Sun & Moon.
A pleasant surprise, then, but still a far cry from the full 900-plus ‘Mons that are now known to exist. Will any of the above be enough to make you reconsider picking up Pokémon Sword and Shield on November 15th? Let us know in the usual place below!