Pokemon Sword – The Isle of Armor Review

Pokemon Sword – The Isle of Armor

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When it comes to their Pokemon title on Nintendo Switch, GameFreak is doing things differently. Open worlds might be the biggest change to the latest entry in the franchise, but there is another that has been a few generations in the making: gone are the days of a third Pokemon game release. Instead, Nintendo has opted to provide fans a season pass of content, priced at 39.99 in Canada and 29.99 in the United States, which includes two more areas to explore. Just this week, the first of the two DLC pack was released, The Isle of Armor.

The Isle of Armor creates it’s own story line separate from the main game, which is good as you can hope over the Isle of Armor fairly early in your main story adventure (although not right away, as was explained to me by a media colleague) . Upon arriving at the Isle, you will be mistaken as the new student who has come to sign up and train at the area dojo. You are met by, and must instantly fight, one of the dojos members. Depending on which version you play, that person will be different – Klara in Pokemon Sword and Avery in Pokemon Shield.

Klara’s Pokemon, and the Pokemon scattered across the Isle of Armor – 210 in total! – all began at level 60. Since I had completed the main story line with Pokemon around Level 80, the new Pokemon here did not provide much of a challenge – I’ve heard, however, that the levels will increase as you play through this roughly 3-4 hour story adventure.

Graphically, if you’ve played Pokemon Sword or Pokemon Shield, you know what you are getting in the DLC. That being said, if noticed – and confirmed via other media members – that a slew of new animations have been created for this DLC, and not just for the Pokemon. Some of the new characters, including my now favourite Dojo Master Mustard, also have new animations. It’s nothing groundbreaking, and isn’t likely going to sway you to purchase, but it’s still a slight tweak that is appreciated.

Although I have not finished the side story yet – I’ve been exploring too much – I do believe I can answer the question of whether or not this DLC package is worth it. Effectively, in Canada, each of the new explorable regions will set you back roughly 20.00. So we should be asking, “Is Isle of Armor worth 20 dollars?

If you are coming for more story, there is nothing groundbreaking here that would warrant spending your money. However, I doubt many will arrive at Isle of Armor just for that. Some of the quests can be a bit of a slog to get through as well, but ultimately I would argue that isn’t why most trainers are heading to the Isle of Armor. It’s all about new Pokemon (of which there are plenty), new items, new clothing, and even a collectible system where you must find 150 Alolan Diglits hiding around the island. You’ll easily spot them by the three little hairs that stick up out of the ground! So if you are looking for more Pokemon, the Isle of Armor definitely delivers more Pokemon, in every single way.

After completing the main story-line on the Isle of Armor over the weekend, I can safely recommend this to anyone. But go into the experience looking for more Pokemon first and foremost, and completing the additional side story secondary. If you are purchasing because of what you think this will offer story-wise, you might be incredibly disappointed!