IT Blog | Mr. HiTech Tech Blog

For the longest time, I’ve wanted to dive into a Pokémon game. I thought the recent release of Sword and Shield would be a good place to start. I’ve played about five hours of Shield, collected a bunch of Pokémon, and beat three gyms. I’m having a lot of fun, but I’m also baffled by the rules of this world. Does everyone compete in the Pokémon tournaments? Are there non-Pokémon schools for the kids, or are they allowed to roam freely? Why does everyone, aside from the obvious villains, look and act so cheerful? I know these are silly questions to ask regarding a video game about collecting pocket monsters, but its inhabitants are so exuberant about Pokémon and so universally driven to become better trainers that it’s made me wonder: Why is everyone’s goal either to become the new champion, or aid those who are seeking that path? I wasn’t expecting a whole lot of story, but so little is provided in Shield. I didn’t know if this was the norm, or I just had to wait until the game got going to understand the world better. Is there any reason the protagonist wants to become the champion? Your neighbor, Hop, seems driven by the fact that his brother is the champion. I didn’t know if there was a similar motive for the protagonist.When I decided to leave home to begin my Pokémon world tour, I didn’t even need to consult with my parents. The protagonist’s mother came out to the train station to give me some camping gear and advice about using it in the Wild Area. She didn’t seem too concerned that the latter is full of really dangerous monsters that could wipe out my Pokémon. Is it part of the world’s rules that Pokémon never attack humans? When it came time to choosing my starting Pokémon, I selected Scorbunny, mainly because I used to have a pet bunny. I also decided the fire element would be a good starting point. The combat revolves around what Tim Rogers described as the “Gran Turismo of rock-paper-scissors.” Certain Pokémon have weaknesses to other elements, and finding out how to combine diverse teams of Pokémon together to combat any adversity is the key to victory. I’ve had a lot of fun assembling teams, tracking down Pokémon and helping them grow. For example, I realized that before I faced off against Nessa, the Gym Leader of Hulbury and master of all things water Pokémon, I needed a leaf Pokémon. Fortunately, there happened to a nicely-leveled Eldegoss on the bridge to Hulbury that I was able to capture. After going through the gym’s trial of rerouting water pipes, I faced off against Nessa. There’s a massive crowd on standby at all times and they didn’t seem to have a home team preference, as they cheered my presence. It felt good. The fights tooke on titanic proportions with the Dynamax option, which turned the Pokémon battles into a kaiju-vs.-kaiju romp. I was able
Read More