Why Galar Is the Best Pokémon Region

Why Galar Is the Best Pokémon Region

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While not as iconic as the series’ older regions, Pokémon Sword and Shield’s Galar proves that Game Freak’s settings are getting more interesting.

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Why Galar Is the Best Pokémon Region

Galar tends to be on the lower end of most Pokémon fans’ list when it comes to their favorite regions, with most choosing the earlier Kanto or Johto as their most beloved. The early regions are undeniably iconic, and fans could argue endlessly over which is the best, but much of that love likely comes more from nostalgia than their actual designs. In addition to benefiting from current-gen graphics and technology, Galar allowed Game Freak to showcase its creativity, taking its real-world inspirations and design ideas to a new level of greatness.

With a fantastic array of Pokémon, a vibrant landscape and a fun story, the Galar region featured in Pokémon Sword and Shield hits the nail on the head with its theming. Inspired by the United Kingdom, Galar is packed with fresh ideas and interesting locations for players to explore, providing both a fun gameplay experience and a promising sign for future regions.

How Galar’s Design and Inspirations Exceed Past Pokémon Games

Why Galar Is the Best Pokémon Region

Galar has an incredibly diverse landscape with untouched rural areas, snow-covered mountains and lush forests. These design elements create truly beautiful lands, making the player feel as if they are exploring somewhere that genuinely exists. Previous Pokémon games, although graphically pleasing, tend to be quite generic in design and miss the mark on replicating their real-world counterparts.

For example, the starting town Postwick is a quaint English-style village that is arguably the most picturesque introduction the series has ever had. Motostoke’s steampunk aesthetic is an homage to Manchester’s early adoption of the steam engine, while Turffield’s design incorporates elements of prehistoric Britain. The ancient stones resemble Stonehenge, and the chalk hill figures solidify the town’s historical look. The of Galar’s towns and cities have astounding attention to detail, their designs blend the region’s British inspirations with Pokémon series staples to make the game’s world and our own feel closer than ever before.

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Gyms Are No Longer a Side Event in Sword and Shield

Why Galar Is the Best Pokémon Region

Galar’s gyms are among Sword and Shield’s greatest improvements upon previous games. While previous Gym battles tended to be small, nonchalant events inside themed buildings, Galar’s are framed as massive sporting events. Gyms are huge stadium packed to the brim with crowds of fans, who will cheer, sing and chant from the stands. This creates an awe-inspiring atmosphere, amplified by the powerful music.

Not only is this a great reflection of British sporting culture, but it also makes each Gym battle — and the player’s ultimate victory — more fulfilling. The Gym Leaders themselves are made more interesting as a result, appearing as celebrities and local heroes with fans and not just more NPCs to defeat and never think about again.

Galar Has Excellent Legendary Pokémon and Lore

Why Galar Is the Best Pokémon Region

Galarian lore is simple, but a strong point for Sword and Shield. Instead of complex stories about time travel and alternate dimensions, Galar goes back to basics, taking inspiration from the legend of King Arthur. Galar’s legendary Pokémon, Zacian and Zamazenta, are at the forefront of this. These two guardians, inspired by King Arthur’s sword and shield, battled with Eternatus for the fate of Galar, banishing the Gigantic Pokémon for 3,000 years.

Eternatus is also the cause of Dynamaxing, a phenomenon introduced in Generation VIII that causes Pokémon to massively increase in size and power. The game does a good job of tying the mechanic to the region and its lore, making it really feel like something that could only happen in Galar because of it’s specific history.

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Galar’s Pokémon Are Diverse and Fascinating

Why Galar Is the Best Pokémon Region

While Sword and Shield were widely criticized for excluding a lot of older Pokémon, the 89 new creatures introduced in Generation VIII are great additions to the Pokédex. Many of these Pokémon take inspiration from U.K. wildlife, history and culture. The starters provide clear examples of how much care went into Pokémon designs, with each evolutionary line being based on a distinct element of British culture: Scorbunny’s line represents sports, Grookey and its evolutions represent British contributions to music (particularly rock music) and the Sobble family celebrates British films and storytelling (particularly novels and films about espionage like James Bond).

Like Alola, Galar has regional variants that breathe new life into classic Pokémon. These also give these creatures stronger ties to the British-inspired region. For example, Galarian Ponyta resembles a Shetland pony or unicorn (the national animal of Scotland), and Galarian Weezing has a chimney on both heads, which represents the Industrial Revolution that began in Britain.

Galar Has Unique and Compelling Characters

Galar is full of memorable characters, with the player’s rival Hop being a great example. While those who prefer characters like Blue and Silver may write him off as another friendly rival, Hop actually receives meaningful character development over the course of Sword and Shield. Though kind, he isn’t annoyingly optimistic, which makes his lows feel genuine and his accomplishments worth celebrating as he learns to be more than just Champion Leon’s little brother.

Then, there are the other rivals Marnie and Bede, who are distinct in terms of style and personality, as well as the Gym Leaders, some of whom become recurring characters who exist in Galar as more than just boss fights. Even the generic NPCs have designs that tie them to Galar and its inspirations, such as British police officers and a postal worker. All of them bring a sense of realism to the world, solidifying Galar as the best region in the Pokémon series.

Link Source : https://www.cbr.com/best-pokemon-region-galar/

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