New Pokemon, Gigantamaxing Feature Revealed for Pokemon Sword & Shield

A new trailer for Pokemon Sword & Shield has revealed multiple new Pokemon and a strange new mechanic that looks to be an extreme version of Dynamaxing. Earlier this morning, the Pokemon Company released a new trailer for Pokemon Sword & Shield that debuted several brand new Pokemon species, including an official reveal of the adorable Electric-type Pokemon Yamper. The trailer also showcased Alcremie, a Fairy-type Pokemon that resembles a pile of whipped cream, the Rock-type Pokemon Rolycoly, and Duraludon, an impressive Steel/Dragon-type Pokemon that looks to be the Galar region's psuedo-Legendary Pokemon.

The trailer also revealed a brand new mechanic - Gigantamaxing, which changes both the size and shape of Pokemon. Gigantamaxing appears to be an additional mechanic to the previously released Dynamax feature but radically changes a Pokemon's appearance. For instance, Alcremie transforms into a giant wedding cake, and Drednaw's tough hide becomes much larger and tougher. Not every Pokemon species can Gigantamax, but those who can gain access to a unique and powerful G-Max move. What's more - not every Pokemon of the same Pokemon species can Gigantamax, so this appears to be a rare phenomenom.

One additional surprise to Pokemon Sword & Shield is that the games will have variant gym leaders. Pokemon Sword will feature the Fighting-type specialist Bea, while Pokemon Shield has the Ghost-type Gym Leader Allister. As with previous games, the two Pokemon games will also have different Pokemon - as Larvitar is exclusive to Pokemon Shield and Jangmo-o is exclusive to Pokemon Sword. Players who purchase the Pokemon Sword & Shield Double Pack will receive special codes that unlock Dynamax Crystals for Larvitar and Jangmo-o. These Dynamax Crystals can be used to trigger Max Raid Battles that will allow players to battle Larvitar and Jangmo-o, no matter what game they're playing.

Pokemon Sword & Shield comes out on November 15th.