In Living Galar

I've been putting it off, but now I'm ready. As I mentioned on Pokémon Day two days ago, there was something else really, really important about Pokémon. It was so important that it had to be announced in a Pokémon Direct on that day, and my hints in that post are the points in the Direct. And when there's a Pokémon Direct, it almost assuredly means a new game... and it was about that. This one is rather spectacular.

The new game, or rather games, are Pokémon Sword and Shield. They are new entries in the main series of Pokémon games, representing the eighth generation. And these games are for the Nintendo Switch, which only affirm the "successor" status of the console, if the Let's Go games hadn't already done so. The latter games could in fact be considered the warm-up (or even, "proof of concept") for the main series games. This becomes an impetus for fans who don't already have the Switch - like me at the present - to purchase it so they can get rolling once the games are released. It's something I have to plan, certainly.

Where there is a new generation of games, there is a new region as well. That new region is named Galar (which I've used to title this post), and it is indeed based on the UK - or at least England - confirming the indications from a little over a month ago. Some parts of it, though, may have other European inspirations, which together with the identifiers for the game lend a certain "medieval" quality. So once again European touches are present after they had been present two generations ago with the Kalos region. It seems good enough for everyone, but probably even greater for those who live in or around the region of inspiration.

Last, there are the new eighth-generation starters. They are Grookey (Grass), Scorbunny (Fire), and Sobble (Water). They all look cutesy enough and have resulted in much fan art over the previous two days, and reportedly even a custom figure is being planned. There has also been speculation over the next evolutionary stages of these, particularly involving Scorbunny due to how previous Fire-type starters have manifested. I find the inspirations rather unique and pleasing, though I prefer to keep myself out of the speculations until more things are known.

This is a major step for all fans of Pokémon, and it's all happening later this year. That should be enough time for all interested Pokémon fans to prepare to experience what will be the new colors of the eighth generation. For now, the revealed details from the Direct are tantalizing enough to satisfy the sentiments of fans. It may also be enough to make them excited for and anticipating how things will turn out "in living Galar".

One year ago: Can't Get Enough of Pokémon (and Pikachu) Stickers
Two years ago: Posters