Pokémon Sword and Shield Retrospective

[@KingKlonoa]

Thanks for watching everyone, especially if you've been on these since Red and Blue! These games were (partly) what got me to start making Pokémon videos. A lot of the stuff in this script has been brewing for years. I apologize if I went too far in a few places. I want to make the next set of Pokémon videos I do even more special, so I hope I can keep delivering. Thanks again, have a good day! (Also I know I fucked up with the Gene Simmons thing. Sometimes, I write something down that registers in my brain as 'inconsequential factoid' and I never check it again. In this case, I just straight up don't know what happened because I got both his role and nationality wrong. I think I was thinking of a completely different band when I wrote that. Can you tell I don't listen to KISS? But please, continue to comment about it because it drives engagement lmao!)

[@Ironwill3004]

It’s easy to get caught up in the discourse about “lazy Gamefreak” or “greedy” decisions that “ruined” pokemon. I have a lot of issues with this game, but this video did challenge me to get over myself. These games get undeserved hate, but like I said, I do still think a lot of criticisms are very valid. Yes, the games are given small budgets and low devtime for the sake of profit. But depending on your philosophy of game analysis, that doesn’t really matter. In my view, the constant fades to black, jank animations, and other baffling design choices (what’s up with the random dude in Motostoke being how you get sound settings?) still bring the game down, regardless of the circumstances of why they exist. Anyway, I guess I’m not really saying anything new. I definitely expected a lot more negativity in this video. I get the sense that maybe the scripts for this series have shifted somewhat from analyzing the games on their own merits to discussing drama surrounding them. But maybe that’s just because the drama gets more relevant as the generations progress? Idk. Just figured this could be a nice chance to voice some of my own thoughts. This series has been very entertaining and thought-provoking, and I’ve enjoyed it so far.

[@stlwill]

Dude, you SOLD it though. I had myself doubting for a minute and had to look it up. Nicely done.

[@graysonbogert5288]

It feels very much like you didn't like what people like DistantKingdom were saying back then because you enjoyed the game, bottled it up until the release of this video and then hypocritically did the same shallow strawman arguments that they did.

[@KingKlonoa]

@@graysonbogert5288 I actually thought the games were really mid when they came out. Genuinely, had equal amounts of enjoyment and frustration with them. I had problems with the words they used and assumptions they made, not the opinions they held.

[@graysonbogert5288]

​@@KingKlonoa Right, that just goes back to what I was saying. I definitely think there were people who were genuinely awful towards the actual creatives trying to cobble something together in the time given. That being said, taking a few videos as prove that all people who didn't like the games and acting like they're just angry people that can't have a reasonable discussion about why the franchise is in a state that's in feels analogous to said people saying that all of gamefreak is just lazy. Gamefreak is lazy, anyone who disliked the games is just angry shouting into the void. To me it seems hypocritical.

[@nelson-haha89]

Ah yes, the famous KISS, renowned rock band from Detroit, England.

[@RenxyQuad]

I can't believe KingK is this close to being caught up in the Pokemon series. There's like 2 more mainline games before ZA. Looking forward to the new format of Pokemon vids!

[@mobileempire5446]

He still has the remakes tho

[@ghrinkle]

​@@mobileempire5446 iirc he said he's gonna do them all in one video at the end

[@lasercraft32]

The money won't run dry for 1000 years, there is no urgency... But the chairman can't wait a day. They must release the next game _straight away!_ XD

[@lasercraft32]

Wait a minute... Why did it take me this long to realize that the reason "watts" are a currency in the Wild Area is because of Chairman Rose. Trainers trade in _energy_ to get items, in a sense they're collecting energy for the Chairman, to combat the supposed "energy crisis."

[@ajustice90]

Mind. Blown.

[@Nosretep]

Chairman Rose: I'll use Eternatus to powr Galar's power. Regieleki: In case you're wondering, I'm still here.

[@FTChomp9980]

At This Moment He knew he F Uped

[@WulfrumLP]

People are welcome to enjoy what they enjoy but I'll be over here waiting for something I enjoy to come along

[@NotGeno]

That Chairman Rose section opened my mind, and also reminded me of people complaining when heroes refute the villain, saying that they shouldn't explain to the audience why the villain is bad because they obviously know. I think people would be much more receptive to Rose if we just had Hop or Leon take down his claim that he's doing this for some noble purpose. He was doing it for his ego, wanting to be etched into history.

[@blairesydog]

Thank you so much for giving Chairman Rose the justice he deserves as a villain through the only way that's truly right for someone like him. with HATRED and RIDICULE. Honestly, i used to be shocked that an antagonist so painfully real would come out of one of the most profitable franchises in the world... but really thinking about it, that just makes the MOST sense. the big bads of our real lives are rich and successful losers who react to being humiliated by making themselves even harder to ignore, and cause unspeakable tragedy because when the real hard-working heroes need just a liiiittle more time, they're told "this is going to make me look so good. i want this NOW." If Hop and your character never stood up to the task of preventing tragedy, do you think Leon would be blamed by all of Galar for failing to stop it? i think so. i can see how common it is for people who are just doing what they can, when rushed to meet expectations, to end up taking the fall to protect everything that went into setting that strict time limit in the first place. i just watched a really great 1 hour video on it, after all

[@-neurasthenie-]

Rock and Roll all nite and party everyday innit?

[@Falconpeep85]

I lost my lemon-melon cookie, sweet baby tuxedo kitty today. This helped a bit. 🙏🏻

[@KingKlonoa]

I'm so sorry

[@mintystingmoon4787]

I sometimes wonder what exactly goes through the head of Game Freak employees (this isn’t meant to be a jab at them or anything). Is the development time for games really that exhausting? Do they have visions for things they’d love to implement? I really wish that they would get more time to work on these games, especially as someone who enjoyed Scarlet and Violet but felt like that game needed more time in the oven, and I’m really hoping that Legends Z-A fills me with a similar joy I experienced playing Legends Arceus for the first time.

[@canadianfox1713]

Gonna be honest, I was kinda disappointed by this video. The best parts was when you were talking about the game itself, I found any discussion about the community to be grating and repetitive. Especially since, from my perspective, natdex fans are seen similar to how genwunners were seen around 2015. They have bad, irrelevant arguments that only exists to take down new pokemon games because they don't like the changes that have been made. If this video was made a few years ago i would find the discussion on the community controversies relevant, but itd has been settled. I don't really disagree with the arguments made for the most part, but it made the video feel a lot more negative than it could have been if the focus was on the games. Talking about online gaming communities in 2025 is uninspiring, you can easily find the worst arguments with over 10000 likes that makes you feel so disconnected from gamers, just how it is now a days.

[@KingKlonoa]

I completely respect your stance, and I am sorry the video did not work for you! I personally think that a game's reception can be quite meaningful to discuss, especially in a game where one of its more explicit themes is the erasure and obfuscation of history. But also, that does not mean you have to like how I approached this topic. As I've said in another comment, I mulled over whether to take this path with the video for a great long while, but ultimately decided to just do it because it's a sentiment that can be applied to so many different situations, and I felt like I wanted to speak out against it, even if it's just another voice lost to the abyss of time itself. I do not plan to make a habit of this kind of 'discourse' in future videos. Simply felt appropriate for this one. Thanks for sticking through it!

[@canadianfox1713]

@@KingKlonoa That is totally fair, it was the only thing that was talking about leading up to and a good while after the release of the games. I think I am just exhausted with online gaming discourse, and i am able to disconnect with that whereas you are forced to deal with it as a part of your job. I will say this video did give me more appreciation for sword and shield so I am glad this video was made. Thanks for making it!

[@lasercraft32]

The Dynamax Adventures mode really wasn't designed for singleplayer... Its really frustrating for people who don't have friends _and/or_ refuse to pay for Nintendo Online (like me). The AI is so bad, and combined with the randomized Pokemon you have to work with, it makes it a coin flip whether or not the run is actually possible.

[@Daraxu27]

Pokemon company and creatures inc are doing their job at being "greedy", seeking profit above all But being apathetic while recognizing the devs getting crushed under this endless pursuit for money is rather sad? One way or another we are accepting and paying to participate in this hideous system reinforcing and justifying the Dev's artist vision exploitation I got this game second hand, it was fine, it kinda bored me but i have say, maybe it was better than i remember

[@lasercraft32]

A lot of the Galar designs are actually some of my favorites. I love Falinks, Cursola, and Runigerus especially.

[@Glory2Snowstar]

The jump from Sun and Moon's inescapable hype cycle, rife with celebration for Pokemon's 20 strong years as Pokemon GO's global conquest reigned and new Pokemon were constantly being teased, to Sword and Shield's live decimation of Pokemon's goodwill was an absolute trip. It almost felt like they were ashamed of Galar in a way. I remember for Sun and Moon, I knew about tons of 'Mons from the trailers alone that I wanted to find and befriend- but for Sword and Shield, none of the new 'Mons in the trailers really clicked with me (aside from Rolycoly, but their Evos weren't my thing). The leaks did most of the marketing at the end of the day. It absolutely SHOCKS me that 'Mons like Toxtricity, Dragapult, and Galarian Corsola weren't at least alluded to prior to release- those dudes are sick! Plus, we finally got our sea urchin, so I was happy. Kinda says a lot that all the final Evos for the Starters were in a post-release trailer with "footage not final" slapped on the bottom. I can't imagine they had the easiest time transitioning from the 3DS over to a home console- although I'd imagine that X and Y were an even beastlier undertaking (all new 3D models, new Type, Mega Evolutions, learning how to develop). But for the portable games, power was a consistent cap in their expectations. The looming contradictions in quality and an annual release schedule are far harder to avoid once that technicality is rendered null and void. They did what they could in the little time they had, and with what withered morale remained after public backlash- the games being playable is impressive considering. All in all, it's mindblowing how much controversy orbits around a game that ended up being done in by its own blandness.

[@lasercraft32]

It makes me sad when people default to "[insert game company here] is lazy," because if there's one thing that seems to be a constant no matter what, its greedy executives who rush out games and give strict deadlines. As someone with a fascination for game development, it pains me that people default to blaming the developers themselves. It doesn't matter how much money the franchise makes, throwing money at something won't do squat if there's no _time_ to finish it. More people doesn't equal more progress, it just makes communication harder. Time is the thing that developers are never given enough of.

[@chavaspada]

The asymetric philosophy has effectively jaded pretty much everyone except the most die hard fanboys. Stuff like Piers or the rapping ghost gym leader in SV are inexcusable when Roxie at least pretended to sing with the background song.

[@mhmm4840]

Not trying to excuse any companies that do crunch, but deadlines are important. Look at Star Citizen... they don't have any deadlines and they just keep trying to perfect things without moving on when its pretty good.

[@Blueisland-e9m]

Deadlines are important, but they still need to be reasonable deadlines. Based on everything that was shown about the pokemon company, that’s clearly not what’s happening with mainline pokemon games.

[@lasercraft32]

@@Blueisland-e9m I did say _strict_ deadlines.

[@flameguy21]

Holy shit, that Chairman Rose rant almost made him an interesting character

[@somari8591]

Your commentary on how expectations can crush the will of those who let it get out of hand means a lot to me, I remember being so excited for Xenoblade 3, but once the first trailer dropped, I immediately started conditioning myself to understand that we probably wouldn't get such a strong focus on legacy characters in this game considering how much focus is on the new characters in that reveal. This allowed me to enjoy Xenoblade 3 on a level that a lot of people weren't able to. There is a lot of people who think that Xenoblade 3 should have basically been a glorified Xeno Endgame, The ultimate crossover of everything Tetsuya Takahashi has ever written for this meta franchise, with Reyn himself stepping through a portal to help these nobodies, alongside every other Xeno party member. Hilariously the actual final battle did something similar to this but it didn't using characters that were actually built up within the narrative and not just slamming cameos in your face for cheap claps. All of this didn't happen which led to similar responses to what you've discussed in this video, I don't know if you'll touch on it in that eventual Xenoblade 3 video, but your words definitely resonate with me, on how our relationship with expectations needs to change.

[@Infernape102]

That Chairman Rose rant was really well done. It completely recontextualizes his actions in the story. I'm gonna have to process that for a while.

[@Miguel-the-Moth]

Not really what I expected from the title. It’s like 30% commentary on Sw/Sh 70% defending Gamefreak. I agree anger towards the franchise is a waste of energy (it’s a game) but criticism of it is just as valid as its praise. Obviously people enjoy the games. The frustration stems from being delivered a bare-bones or defective product from the most profitable franchise in history. The expectations can and should be high, made worse when they’ve made great games in the past, so we know they’re capable of it. It’s not for lack of resources or talent so it’s reasonable for doubt to fall on the leadership. By the 30 minute mark it felt like you just kept repeating ‘leave GF aloneeee’ over and over and over which I don’t disagree with but also… GF is a multibillion dollar company. They don’t need anyone to defend them. They’ll keep doing the bare minimum because people will buy it anyways. That’s all that matters. I just wish the video included more info/commentary on the games themselves. I don’t know what the takeaway here is. Don’t criticize Pokémon games? Players care too much? GF isn’t responsible for their mistakes? Needed way more sword dog and less repetition.

[@MD-se8ft]

The last pokemon games i bought, they were not worth 40 dollars let alone 60.

[@kokorikopi]

My favorite part about Rose's baffling motivations is that Pokemon Special, a series that creates gold from nothing, just hastily pasted on in the last chapter of the SwSh arc that Rose was lying to not cause panic, and the energy crisis was due within 30 years. Just making it up. It's so funny.

[@estoystrandom5998]

Kusaka knew in his heart that nobody could take 1000 years seriously.

[@NinjaKooopa]

Commenting before watching. Sword and Shield does many things right. The pokemon designs are great, and it's the first game in the series where I felt the wild Pokemon perfectly matched your character progression, by level and evolution stage. The biggest sins of S&S is that they feel "flat" both literally and figuratively. Literally, because the "dungeons" are all basically 1 level. No vast caves or buildings to explore. Figuratively, because the story doesn't let you feel like your the protagonist. I remember near the end when the other character takes care of a threat for you. Then the final challenge is you in an elevator battling bad guys It also felt like I was sold half a game for full price. I refused to buy the DLC for an additional $30 after dropping $60 on half a game. It's unfortunate because this was a much better region than Sun and Moon.

[@partimentieveryday]

I think the problem is that Pokémon feels like a parody of itself. I mean it literally is. Play one and you’ve played them all. The first games were about something, they were about Japan. They should have rebooted the franchise after gold and silver or after platinum. They should have embraced world building and made a fantastical world. Pokémon won’t be good until it fulfills on the promises made by the anime. A well written adventure with your Pokémon in a fantastical world with interesting characters.

[@tripled2096]

I think that this video is the first completely honest look at and critique of sword and shield I've ever seen in a video essay. Good on you.

[@06blackmetal]

This was a diet Pokémon game, it had so little story and what little it did have was all stuck at the end

[@ItsDan15]

I remember when this game came out, I really wanted to hate it and I was not gonna buy it. My mom ended up giving it to me as a christmas gift so I decided to give it a try but as I played it and saw how adicting capturing all the pokemon in the game was, I decided to capture every single pokemon in the pokedex. Since the pokedex was smaller I was able to finish my pokedex for the first time ever! Even if this game has its faults, I still enjoyed the capturing aspect that has kept the series going through the years. KingK if you're reading this thanks for the video retrospectives over the years! Always glad to see them in my sub box. I can't wait for your future content! Keep up the good work!

[@landonlc4]

Always a great day when one of these retrospective videos comes out

[@WRJDart]

How long did it take for someone to comment that KISS is an American band and that Gene Simmons is the bass player and one of the two singers in the band?

[@bisd836]

if people didn’t complain about this game than we wouldn’t have gotten arceus

[@LagrimaArdiente]

I think James Turner designed Obstagoon. I certainly remember him making some cute art showing that Obstagoon is the obstacle/blockade/X to Zigzagoon's zig-zags and Linoone's lines.

[@elemangell2981]

Yep! He also design the Centiskorch line, Polteageist line, and G-Max Pikachu and Gengar for the generation!

[@zacharybecker8228]

Man i just rewatched every one of the pokemon retrospectives in a row while i was working on completing the home dexes and right after i finish we get the sword and shield one

[@EscheroOfficial]

I’m certainly not the first to say this but yeah… these are my least favorite Pokémon games and it’s not even close. Everything the dev team went for here is just completely at odds with what I look for in RPGs and specifically within Pokémon as a franchise. I don’t care for multiplayer features other than being able to ask for a specific Pokemon and getting it traded to me. I care about the narrative and what the characters are going through, how they evolve, how they change. I care about challenge, I care about a game putting obstacles in my way that take legitimate thought and effort to overcome. I care about the mystery of exploring a brand new world, getting lost along the way, interacting with every NPC I find and seeing what they have to say. Unfortunately, it is clear that Game Freak as an overall team care much less about these aspects than they used to, and the individuals on the team that do are either shut down or (more likely) simply just are not given the time and the resources necessary to make that vision a reality. I don’t think Game Freak is lazy. I think a lot of the team do care. I think the executives at Game Freak and The Pokémon Company at large care more about profit and keeping the multi-media money train rolling than they do delivering a good gaming experience for their customers. And that is… just a shame. I don’t care about the National Dex being cut-I care that their actions taken to lessen the workload didn’t result in things I value or enjoy. Battling is my favorite thing to do in Pokémon games, and in this game, it’s A: piss-easy, B: constantly encouraging me to play with friends that I don’t have, and C: presenting me with story-beats that are not nearly as climactic enough to make me care when I’m thrust into an important battle against a dangerous foe or a friendly rival. I cannot for the life of me understand why things like the EXP Share aren’t toggle-able. Yes, basically all RPGs have full-party XP distribution. That’s fine, because those RPGs are balanced around it. This one is not. If you fully engage in the game’s content, battling every trainer you see and catching as many different kinds of Pokémon as you can, you WILL be overleveled. Massively. The story quickly veers into a bigger snoozefest than it already was because you just have to spam A on Supereffective moves to win. No status effect moves are needed, no careful strategy and consideration for held-items, abilities, etc… it’s mindless. I get these games are primarily aimed towards younger audiences, but if I could play Pokémon Silver at the age of 4, as difficult as that game was, then kids today can handle a little bit of thought and effort to achieve victory. These games fundamentally exist at odds with what I look for in Pokémon as a franchise and every action they have taken since this disaster have further strayed from what made me love this franchise in the first place. Yeah, a lot of the arguments people have made both for and against these games are disingenuous (not to mention the most vocal critic, DistantKingdom, is a loud and proud transphobe… ugh) but I think there is still plenty to criticize here that absolutely needs addressing going forward for this franchise. They clearly did not learn or were not given time to apply any of the lessons that arose from this game for Scarlet and Violet, and I am genuinely terrified to see what is going to come out of Generation 10 AND Legends Z-A. But more importantly, I have to ask the question: is the direction the devs want to take the franchise even compatible with what I want? Will they ever return to the formula that worked for them for so many years that I love and cherish? Or is it better to just throw shit at the wall until it sticks because it’s going to make millions upon millions of dollars regardless?

[@VladDascaliuc]

I respect playing devil's advocate, but I believe you went a bit overboard with the snark in the first half of the video. Makes it a bit hard to listen through that part because I'm just waiting for you to make your points rather than keeping the ironic tone representing the general critic. I think the video would have gained from you keeping it more neutral in that aspect since it would streamline the arguments, but if you meant for it to be like this as a sort of response then I suppose that's fair. Nice video nonetheless.

[@KingKlonoa]

I do think I could have done to be a bit less snarky. You raise a good point.

[@VladDascaliuc]

@KingKlonoa Thanks. On another note, I believe that your section on Rose makes me hate the character more due to the notion of missed potential. I checked out of the game after release, so I didn't know about his brother, but if what you highlighted was their intention it makes me wonder why they wouldn't double down and make it more prominent in the base game. With only an obscure note on the league card as indication it kind of pushes the line between subtext and headcanon, which I don't much apreciate. It wouldn't even require much to fix, either. It could have been so much better doing so little. Whatever, I guess.

[@menhirmike]

5:45 Am I missing a joke here, or did you really just call Kiss a British rock band? (Great video by the way)

[@KingKlonoa]

Yeah, that is definitely my bad, idk how that slipped through. I think I just had Britain on the brain.

[@menhirmike]

@@KingKlonoa I do love Obstagoon's design though. The fact that the neck paint also looks like a face is a nice touch. I wonder if the Red/Blue color scheme in Shield is based on David Bowie

[@sauceinmyface9302]

Eh I think Pokemon shares a lot of DNA of other "bad" live services. Destiny 2, World of Warcraft, Call of Duty. People may not like the direction of whats going on, but they're still gonna pay 60$ every year.

[@coreywong6229]

Rose really messed this up for me a lot. The game I did enjoy, but what was the point of him?

[@andrewpalmer1873]

Man this is crazy, we’re actually at sword and shield already. I remember when we were at red and blue.

[@partimentieveryday]

Pokémon won’t be good until it fulfills on the promises made by the anime. A well written adventure with your Pokémon in a fantastical world with interesting characters.

[@brantchristy3490]

As someone who dislikes these games, I would never go as far as to say GameFreak was lazy. It certainly feels very rushed, but I don't blame the people who actually made the game. I can see what they were trying to accomplish, and I appreciate a lot of what was included. Before the game's release, I had already moved past dexit and the ugly graphics. They still suck, but I could live with them being there. What I wasn't fine with was how flat and short most routes were, the handholding, the unengaging story, the garbage post-game, the mixed bag of new Pokémon, and max raids sometimes feeling impossible when playing in single player. I wasn't able to enjoy myself most of the time, but I still get that most of my problems are subjective. Besides, I do still have positive memories from my experience, such as my first full-odds shiny in a playthrough (my boy Snom) and hunting down the Galarian birds in the Crown Tundra. For as much as I criticize Gen 8, it's not worthless to me.

[@SchmergDergen]

People should voice their opinions if a game displeases them, even if it does nothing. "Enjoy the slop and shut up" isn't a great message for a video.

[@swainblaine1609]

Their is a difference between an opinion vs “You have a learning disability if you like modern Pokémon”

[@ches2]

Just binged ur retrospective yesterday this is crazy

[@AceTheMadAngel]

Zigzagoon was actually my very first shiny pokemon way back in Ruby. Had no idea it was a shiny or what a shiny was when I caught it.

[@Red-hw5ue]

NO WAY! I dropped everything for this. Welcome back king.

[@parcival3016]

I have NEVER clicked a noti so fast. I cant wait to listen to this countless times just like every other episode of this series.

[@StopChangingUsernamesYouTube]

I really feel like SwSH was the point the series just lost the most of what it started with, at least story-wise. Like everyone likes to point out, it wasn't like it was ever _that_ complex a plot in any game, and gen 5 getting such high marks for a plot that could fit in under two paragraphs speaks volumes to that, but the main element for me was always that the protags were (railroaded into via game mechanics) setting their own course and taking on Team Whatever of their own volition and eventually just deciding to go fight and catch legendary beasts and just plain deities because they're in the area. So then we get SwSh and any time anything potentially leading to that big bad comes up, you're reminded that you're playing as a child on practically a guided field trip. Kinda jarring to have that happen like any time I got out of the most open area in the series up to that point.

[@devinrichert]

Where did you learn Kiss is British and Gene Simmons is from there?? Where did Pokemon get this idea?? Uhhh Kiss is American as heck. Gene Simmons is born in Isreal and grew up in Brooklyn. My citation is a quick Google search and basic American rock history knowledge

[@chavaspada]

KingK is just shilling at this point

[@JesseMario]

I appreciate explaining one of the other things that felt off to me for Chairman Rose as a villian that I could not wrap my finger on. I did not like how the game set him up as some big bad villian with a backstory that justified the chorus and orchestral theme we ended up getting when he felt like some guy trying to get everyone on his side and not doing a good job of doing. I don't know how I missed that the event he was trying to prevent was 1,000 years in the future and thought he just wanted it to not happen in general and there were some signs in the current day of the game that it was going to happen again in probably like 50 years if things kept progressing in a bad direction. Besides that character despite all of the online negativity I was hearing I felt like the gym battles are actually the peak of the series in terms of concept and execution. I have not had every gym battle pump me up in every situation in a long time and I did feel like a kid again during those moments. I looked forward to every gym battle and it was such a refreshing experience.

[@QuobaltTown]

12:52 By the way, that guy argued pedophilia shouldn’t be a crime. From what I’ve seen, he also defended police brutality as well.

[@chavaspada]

That has nothing to do with the criticisms of the lacking quality in the animations tho

[@footywap1314]

Babe wakeup new king k video just dropped

[@flookaraz]

On dexit/ transferring up: I literally keep most of my mons on the old cartridges. I like popping into my old games and seeing my old team still there. The last time i brought pokemon forward was, admittedly sword/shield, but I brought up pokemon from Emerald I'd cloned at the battle tower. so I didn't miss much.

[@JPG.01]

Friends of mine got themselves Pokemon Sword on their trip to japan. I watched their daughter play a bit. And the most important question I had was: Does the Gym Finale battle music have to go SO hard? It's an absolute banger of a track that alone endeared the game to me a lot. I didn't care about the Drama involving the dex. I've had enough fun with pokemon for a lifetime back in Gen 2. But I appreciate the game for what it is.

[@shinymk6562]

I have been waiting for this video because I am so curious as to what you have to say on these infamous set of games. Lets begin!

[@LevinsConvoy]

KingK video dropped AND a reference to Peak Fiction out the gate? Yeah this is gonna be a banger video🔥

[@beurtalvarez]

I mean, that bridge is like the whole anime : it's going nowhere and takes forever to do so (jkd, I don't like OP because it's pirate stuff, the manga seems great)

[@jdvred9210]

Toby Fox’s Battle Tower theme is actually repurposed from a Homestuck fan song he made before

[@SchmergDergen]

Lead singer of the British rock band KISS

[@chavaspada]

That's the level of knowledge from your average GaLARPer shill

[@FireTrainer92]

For all the hubbub around this game, I do think that while folks were way too zealous in the way they talked about their frustrations, the excuses they gave for the cut down pokedex could have just been, "We just don't want that many pokémon in the game." because the balance reasons and the animation reasons were always going to be super scrutinized and if people feel like they weren't getting an even exchange, it was going to blow up into something a lot worse.

[@Ironwill3004]

I really wish I liked Inteleon. Falinks though? That guy rocks

[@MajorFenix]

The Zigzagoon line isn't comprised of rodents... Ferrets are their own class... Much like rabbits, bats and raccoons...

[@KingKlonoa]

I'm talking about the trend of Pokémon games introducing "types" of Pokémon every generation, like Rattatta, Sentret, Zigzagoon, etc.

[@DaCaptainDerpy]

I am battling the flu so this is just what I needed. (I was binging all your Pokémon videos)

[@ubergoober25]

Don’t catch that flu! Knock it out!

[@reallyawesometitle7653]

The big issue for me with the game was the story. So Rose was concerned about a great energy crisis 1000 years ago and is worried about another energy crisis a thousand years from now, so he enlists the help of the Pokémon who caused the original energy crisis. Makes sense to me, what's your problem? Not to mention the characters themselves were about as interesting as dishwater

[@chavaspada]

@@reallyawesometitle7653 I think there were rewrites that ended up making the plot nonsensical. We know from SV that the special forms are all connected and that they rely on a pokémon-human connection + magic stone energy to work. To fix the plot they just needed to make Dynamax come from Eternatus and Gigantamax come from the audience's cheers, that way it would make sense why the fake champion Leon who Rose hyped needed to fight Eternatus on the day of the final match (most audience). And he needed tl do it that day because the MC was about to beat Leon since he wasn't a chairman's sponsored competitor.

[@sentientpeanut8650]

To add to the Dexit argument, the modern games with any limited national dex is the only games where I, a hardcore fan since Black and White, can even attempt to catch them all. I completed SWSH, Arceus, SV, any modern switch game, it's just easier to do the national dex when I don't have to find a pokemon that hasn't been in a game since the game it's from was released or pay money to transfer my pixels from a system that's not even alive anymore. I like all the little and big guys but there's more than a thousand of them now. Edit: I listen to the gens 1-5 to sleep on rough nights sometimes, after listening to the end of the video I just wanted to give my thanks for your hard work! Much love!

[@steggieweggie]

My feelings about these games is about my feelings on sonic frontiers... not great.

[@Zyvelteas]

I've been waiting for this specific iteration for years, and I can't wait to hear your take. Sword and Shield, despite it's flaws, has been an interesting experience and i look back on it fondly, so I can't wait for your unbiased thoughts

[@adrianleonce455]

Interesting review of Sw/Sh. I love that you are bringing attention to the fanbase' flawed perception of GF and their Switch games. Never have I seen fan hate that is soo understandable......but also soo simple-minded. Honestly, it feels like the critiques around GF and Modern Pokemon have quickly morphed from a helpful medicine to an addictive drug. A drug that makes you see things differently from what's actually there, causing you to spread misinformation and find superiority over crunched devs and non-spiteful fans, thus creating a false sense of pleasure.

[@LunarWingCloud]

I had to go back and check, forgot you already did Sun and Moon Man are we here already? Guess the remake vid is coming soon!

[@MasonOfLife]

Sword and Shield are the pokemon games I have the most problem with of all the mainline games I still enjoy them, they do a lot very well But I don’t like most of the pokemon designs introduced, the routes (besides the wild area) all feel way too simple and small, to the point they feel even more restrictive than the 2D routes The wild area itself is cool, but for an “open world” it is very small with only Pokemon and items in it. (I never used online) Still a cool concept, but didn’t go as far as it it should of And the story is really uninteresting to me, I do like Hop and Leon and the Pokémon league challenge with the big stadiums But overall it feels somehow less expansive and adventurous than Sun and Moon, which took place on small islands The premise for the story is interesting, but in execution it just falls very flat Overall I feel like the games are underbaked and didn’t really come close to capitalizing on the region’s potential Crazy to think these games are already 5 years old Hopefully in the future we get a Legends game in Galar Edit: after watching the video fully I feel the need to clarify, I am criticizing the game, not the developers I think putting out Sword and Shield in the time span they did is close to miraculously I never cared about their “excuse” for dexit nor for dexit itself really I just hoped for a game with a bit more soul, a bit more depth, a bit more greatness I do feel like I got that in Scatlet and Violet to a much more satisfying degree, but of course those games have their issues too But again, I don’t blame nor feel negatively about the developers

[@Wasattsi]

Oh man. Peak. Looking forward to the Legends Arceus and Pokemon remakes videos.

[@siIver10]

Man I've really been wanting to replay these games. Never even bought the dlc.

[@ZdsZodyrus]

Lemme ask you something than K. If capitlaism and chasing profits is the reason Pokemon's quality suffers, because the company doesn't give the artists, programmers, and designers enough time to make a better game, than how do you propose a solution? The only solution I've been able to muster through my time playing these games, is that Pokemon's cooerperate heads simply need to change their philosophy, and just stop chasing the profits (cause Pokemon is gonna sell either way, probably more if more effort is put in), and actually give their fucking staff the time to properly make their games. Thats my take, I'd love to know yours

[@KingKlonoa]

Let me ask you: what is their incentive to do what you are proposing?

[@ZdsZodyrus]

@@KingKlonoa unfortunately the only "incentive" is to please more of the older fans. I myself own every single main seires Pokemon game, and have placed literally thousands of hours into Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. So im clearly not as bothered by the exclusion of certain pokemon and features as many others. But the only way to force their hand would be to boycott Pokemon games, which we all know no one will do. Money talks, and Gamefreak and Pokemon as a whole are always chasing it. So if Pokemon saw their profits drop substantially BECAUSE of the decisions they made while making the games, only then would they have an incentive to change. Coorperate greed is a powerful force my friend

[@vitXras]

Babe new king k video just dropped

[@zenone9698]

KingK you should analyze Valkyria chronicles series, it is a great RPG series. It is good example of collecting Squadmates, weapons and assessories.The fourth game has great post game and extras.

[@partimentieveryday]

Yes!

[@patroka]

Wow, what an adult take on gen 8! Very much appreciated, I’m surprised how refreshing it was to hear. Yeah, I was also old enough by the time gen 8 came out that I thought along the same lines- and I didn’t even like the games that much. I simply didn’t like them because they were linear and easy. Looking back at it, the reminds me of the nonsense from when scarlet and violet came out, and people made very tech-illiterate statements about its performance with absolute confidence. It’s totally fair to criticize the games, but people were literally saying “this fan made mod fixed the performance issues with the game completely! The devs are incompetent!” And then linked you to a video of someone emulating the game on a supercomputer :P

[@efnfen]

It's crazy how there are always people who will glaze glitchy, laggy games with pop in and out.

[@hmgambino]

MY GLORIOUS KING HAS RETURNED!!!!!!

[@TopherTanuki91]

I hated this game, its too linear, but still like things about it, it's definitely looks better than than SV. Great review.

[@TheJaredPunch]

I’m going to be completely honest with you, as much as I think this game way overhated, Rose has got to be the single worst antagonist of any Pokemon game I have played. And yes, this is coming from someone who defends this game.

[@KingKlonoa]

I don't expect to change your mind, but I hope you enjoy parts of the video.

[@TheJaredPunch]

@ I won’t change whatever opinions you have, and I’ll watch the video again when I get the chance.

[@erc3338]

Masters EX made him actually have personality, I couldn't believe it

[@TheJaredPunch]

@@erc3338 oooh

[@theotakuguy8957]

@@erc3338 I like the pokespe take of his character

[@wakemeupinside8627]

dude we have the exact same opinion on sword and shield, when you started the project I was so worried you'd go off on it full negative

[@Brockbuiltmore]

uh, Kiss is not british. im not entirely sure where Kingk got that Kiss was british.

[@Brockbuiltmore]

ok, maybe it was a brainfart but if you take 5 seconds to use this wonderful thing called google, it will tell you they are from new york...

[@vincetheprince5327]

Will be watching this later. Thank you goat

[@SoloWingPixxy]

15:20 there was plenty of deception. The frame rates were too good and was obviously not running on a switch.

[@justinalexander9493]

🎉 been waiting for this one 🎉

[@redheadmedia7901]

My thoughts on these games aren't great. Honestly, these games are the first time I felt bored playing Pokemon and that breaks my heart. I bought both versions day one because I truly didn't care about Dexit, the models, etc. I just wanted to play Pokemon but something about Sword and Shield...it was like I could see the cut corners. I don't blame the developers one bit, but I could see where they wanted to do something but... couldn't. I remember one of the characters talking about a Dynamax Pokemon appearing where it shouldn't and I was excited to see that...only to be told I couldn't. I would do a boring task as another character took care of the rogue dynamax Pokemon. Stuff like this breaks my heart because I only play single player. If I don't enjoy the adventure, I don't enjoy the game as a whole. And, to me, Sword and Shield didn't have a great adventure. Some amazing character designs, some cool ideas for towns, some concepts I love...but all of it felt half baked. Scarlet and Violet are the superior games for me, because although it's absolutely broken to an unacceptable degree, I love Nemona, Arven, Penny, Clavell, so many characters in this game make me smile. Is it perfect? No! But still, it felt like an adventure I was having with my friends. Sword and Shield will always be my least favorite Pokemon games but I would never think it was made by lazy devs. Just by a company who cherishes greed over quality. The creatives are great...but it's the ones with the deep pockets that keep this franchise from hitting its peak.

[@rsarin18]

I needed this

[@corporalquigg7873]

Gene Simmons ain't British He was born in Israel and KISS initially found fame in New York I also love Obstagoon

[@Destrell]

Just yesterday I booted up Pokémon Sword to finally go through the DLCs that I bought so long ago. I just wanted a comfy, low stakes gaming experience to play before bed. As a 34 year old dad that played up to Gen 3 as a kid, Pokémon Sword hits the right balance between novelty and nostalgia.

[@Hclegend]

28:28 okay if your Darmanatam-Galar is named after what I think she's named after, that is extremely funny and I understood that reference.

[@KingKlonoa]

do you play Final Fantasy 14 lmao

[@FennekinFox326]

Didn't you just make the last 2?

[@JGr2000]

Yeah he did. I’m very surprised but also happy about the quick turnaround compared to the wait between previous pokemon retrospectives

[@SchmergDergen]

This is such a depressing video. The commentary on the game is great but you sound so damn bitter and really defend what is a subpar game on Switch. Every Nintendo franchise has had exceptional outings on the Switch, Pokemon has floundered to the point that they've even slowed down the release schedule because it got embarrassing. You defended subpar games and attacked fan response rather than the fact that this game is a missed opportunity.

[@ubergoober25]

His opinion isn’t always going to mirror yours.

[@nathenortiz5674]

The thing is that the games are finished. But they are wildly unpolished.

[@goldengamer-b2z]

Big question will you do a digimon retrospective at one point

[@ranshi6417]

I dont even give a shit about this game but the intro made me wanna watch the rest ggs

[@ajustice90]

Thank you! The lead-up to Sword and Shield was a rough time as the fandom decided to be really ugly. I called that stuff and swore that even if my favorite Pokemon at the time Blaziken wouldn't be it I'd still play it. I played and I had a great time. For me these are some of my most replayable games for all they did, including making things so much earlier to get into competitive battling. One of my favorite memories from last year during a playthrough was defeating Leon's Charizard using Focus Sash Mirror Coat Glaceon.

[@Katie-hb8iq]

I played these games multiple times over the years, and I really enjoy playing them. I think they are too overly hated. I really think the environments on the routes look great. The DLC is quite fun. The quality of life was a big step above sun and moon, although it wouldn't improve to my liking until Scarlet and Violet. But honestly, I really enjoy playing through these games. They are not perfect, and are quite easy games with some annoying story beats and even plot holes, but I still find myself enjoying them. Stuff like dexit just never really bothered me honestly.

[@LifeOutward]

27:00 I'm in love. With Reshiraaaaam.

[@internetperson4963]

yesss one piece to start- this will be good

[@neo_b]

i like the new outlook on chairman rose, cant wait to see the video about Scarlet and Violet this one should be interesting btw Masuda has on gone record to state that Gamefreak are the ones in charge of when their games are made, they are not controlled by TPC in fact they co-own it, and the rest of TPC works around them, they set their own deadlines, tpc & nintendo doesn’t force GF into making the games "'There is no situation where Nintendo and The Pokémon Company will put pressure on Game Freak or something like that,' Masuda says." from an interview with Gameinformer back in 2017 while i do think your statement about Gamefreak is still correct, it is just a bit misguided… because ultimately Gamefreak is the problem & solution

[@GiffanyCD]

Don't worry, you're not the only one who hates Chairman Rose

[@dirtcollector]

just binged all your retrospectives this week. i will happily consume another thanks!!

[@user-mo6ic7ls2p]

It’s almost like… The writing is lazy