Pokemon Sword & Shield Shows First Look at Dynamax Pikachu, Other Popular Pokemon

A new trailer for Pokemon Sword & Shield has shown off first looks at the Dynamax versions of popular Pokemon like Charizard, Pikachu, and Gengar. Earlier this week, The Pokemon Company released a new trailer for Pokemon Sword & Shield in Japan. While the trailer didn't reveal any new Pokemon or other new information about the game, it did show off several classic Pokemon Dynamaxing. The Dynamax mechanic is new to Pokemon Sword & Shield and causes a Pokemon to grow to massive sizes for three turns. Unlike Z-Moves or Mega Evolution, players can only Dynamax their Pokemon in specific locations, so they won't be able to simply blitz through every battle using their mammoth-sized Pokemon.

The trailer showed off Dynamax versions of Pikachu, Gengar, and Charizard, as well as a glimpse of the new Gigantamax mechanic, which is similar to Dynamax but changes a Pokemon's appearance as well as size and gives that Pokemon access to a special move. In addition, the trailer also revealed that Pokemon like Lapras, Mareanie, and Mawile will appear in the Galar region. Unlike past Pokemon games, not every Pokemon will be available to use in Pokemon Sword & Shield, so fans are scouring every trailer for confirmation that their favorite Pokemon will appear in the game.

Pokemon Sword & Shield is the first "main series" Pokemon game to be released for a household console. Unlike last year's Pokemon Let's Go games, Pokemon Sword & Shield will have more complex mechanics such as Hidden Abilities and held items. Along with the new Dynamax feature, the game will also have an "open world" area known as the Wild Area, where players can wonder freely without the constraints of paths like in past games.

Pokemon Sword and Shield will be released on November 15th.