Interest

Modders Use New, Old School Techniques in Pokémon Sword & Shield

The Pokémon Sword & Shield games sparked heated discussions prior to release with news that its PokéDex would not be compatible with all of the previous generations' monsters. The game's sales haven't wavered, quickly becoming the fastest-selling games for the Switch console with 6 million units sold worldwide. Among the buyers are dedicated Pokémon hackers trying their best to bridge the gap for those disgruntled over the National Dex.

After delving into the game's code, hackers have found partial code monsters that aren't otherwise available. Some may be intended for later events, like Pokémon Sun & Moon's Lunala. Roughly 30 Pokémon have been found in the code that could be unlocked later.

For players who want their favorite 'mons from over the years added, hackers like @SciresM are using tools to put Pokémon into the game. The tools allowed @SciresM to edit the dog Pokémon Yamper into a level 50 Omastar. The Pokémon has updated animations, but its moves are still the same as if it were a Yamper. The process took @SciresM about an hour to complete. @SciresM emphasized to Polygon that it would be much more work to account for animations unique to Sword/Shield (like camping activities).

@SciresM plans to continue with the project to add older 'mons to the new console game.

If players are looking for a less technical "hack," player "tomopoke has some advice about how to get your eggs to hatch with a little less effort: deploy the chopsticks.

The area around the Daycare Center is a safe spot to hop on your bike and start riding in circles if you wanna get those steps in.