Pokemon Sword and Shield: The Isle of Armor Reviews
The unquestionable fact here is that the first DLC in Pokémon history could have been something much more grand, or at least memorable. It is possible to have fun, enjoy a few quick moments and you can certainly kill some time. Pokémon fans will feel compelled to buy the expansion, and if they want to extend the Sword / Shield experience, there really is no other option. It is a pity, however, that we fans always have to be content with so little on the part of Game Freak.
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The first part of the Pokemon Shield and Sword's set of DLC takes you to paradise, but is it all that it's cracked up to be?
Being able to now Gigantamax Pokemon that previously couldn’t, teach your Pokemon new moves and the ability to find rarer items in the wild area are just a few new quality of life improvements Game Freak deem are worthy enough for audiences to pay for.
Pokémon Sword and Shield: Isle of Armor isn’t the largest expansion available, but it is packed with enough to hold you off until the next DLC. There’s plenty of new Pokemon to catch and raid battles to join as you make your way across this new adventure. The entire expansion features enough to want to reinvest your time into this game that you might have put down a few months ago.
It’s streets ahead of the existing post-game, and thanks to the better realization of the Wild Area concept, I feel comfortable calling it an improvement on Sword and Shield’s biggest feature. It may not be a game changer, but the Isle of Armor still manages to be both an enjoyable slice of Pokémon and a satisfying taste of more to come.
Every time I enter my profile on my Nintendo Switch, I get greeted by that message when my Pokémon Sword cartridge is inside. With that amount, Pokémon Sword is the third most played title in my library after Animal Crossing and Octopath Traveler.
I would have enjoyed this DLC much more if it was longer than it was.
While the story is leagues over the original, its short length and lack of content feels sparse. I think the value of the DLC lies with having both expansion packs together, since Crown Tundra will feature the long awaited Legendary Raids. Isle of Armor is a nice addition for Pokémon Sword and Shield, but only the biggest Pokémaniacs will get the most out of the experience.
In the end, Isle of Armor builds on the foundation of Pokemon Shield’s Wild Area, but there simply isn’t enough to it.
The Isle of Armor pales in comparison to previous post-game campaigns included in older Pokémon titles released throughout the years, and you didn’t have to pay extra in order to access them.