My First Impressions of POKÉMON SWORD and SHIELD ISLE OF ARMOR DLC

Last week, the Isle of Armor DLC dropped for Pokémon Sword and Shield. While life has kept me busy, I have found time to play some of it, and thought I’d share my first impressions of the expansion. In short, I really like it, and I recommend it to anyone who liked Sword and Shield.

Now for the long. Isle of Armor gives you a new place to explore which is nice, and there’s some new story as well. Both of these are big pluses, even if your new rival is a little annoying. You’ll have to do some fetch quests to move the story along, but it’s really not that bad. Plus, the new island offers an additional 100 Pokémon for you to add to your Pokédex. While it may not be the full National Dex, I think I prefer the gradual addition. It feels a lot more manageable, especially for someone who’s a bit more of a casual player.

While this all is pretty par for the course and really just more of the same, there’s one feature that I absolutely love and would say is worth the price of the DLC. After playing for roughly an hour (maybe even less if you’re speedy), you can unlock the ability to have your Pokémon walk around with you! This feature is so much fun. When the Pokémon is out of their Poke Ball, you can even talk to them and see how they feel. This helps you garner trust with your Pokémon, and is just fun to walk around with your favorites.

If you hated Sword and Shield, the Isle of Armor probably isn’t going to change your opinion too much (unless there’s something that happens later and I just haven’t gotten there yet). However, if you enjoyed the base game, this is going to be a lot of fun for you. More explanation, more Pokémon, and more fun.