Pokemon SwordandShieldare coming to Nintendo Switch this November, and developers have taken some bold decisions regarding some old-school Pokemon gameplay features. For example,Pokemon SwordandShieldwon’t have Hidden Machines a.k.a HMswhich have been a staple part of the series for a long time (minus some other recent entries). But beyond HMs,Pokemon SwordandShieldare making some other big changes as well, some of which are a bit more controversial.
Change is not necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes drastic changes can alienate a specific part of the fanbase.Pokemon SwordandShieldare going to make some changes to the gameplay, and these changes have not been received well by some fans. One of the biggest and most controversial changes is theremoval of the Exp Share item fromPokemon SwordandShield, making Exp Share automatic instead of letting players turn it on and off.
RELATED:Pokemon Sword and Shield: Missing Pokemon Will Appear in Future Games
The removal of the Exp Share item doesn’t sound too bad on paper, as it will certainly make the game easier for new players. Still, hardcorePokemonplayers have always liked the challenge of training the perfect Pokemon, and being allowed to turn Exp Share off allowed them to focus their training on individual Pokemon they wanted to train. Players no longer will have control over which Pokemon gets experience and which one doesn’t because the entire party will gain the same exp points. Some fans have been vocal about their disappointment with the change.
Luckily, not every fan feels the same way; there are numerous fans who believe that the new changes are part of improved game design. Some players think that providing Exp to the entire party makes it easier for trainers to train all their Pokemon at once while cutting down the grind. Some fans are completely fine with the change, but all they want is an option to turn automatic Exp Share off/on. However, almost the entire fanbase is unhappy about the fact thatSwordandShieldwill only have a limited number of Pokemonavailable to catch.
This controversial change has undoubtedly caused a rift between the community, and players are going up against each other in heated arguments. It remains to be seen if Game Freak listens to the feedback and makes some changes to appeal to both the grinders and casual players.
MORE:Pokemon Sword And Shield Autosave Confirmed, But Don’t Worry
