As soon as I’m crowned league champion in a Pokémon game, that’s usually it for me. Once the main campaign is over, the games quickly lose their appeal; I’ve never been one to go back just to fill out my pokédex or hunt down rare, legendary creatures. But that’s changed with Pokémon Sword and Shield, the latest titles for the Nintendo Switch. And it’s all because of the brand-new wild area: a vast, open plain that’s the perfect place to revisit.
What’s most interesting about the wild area is how it’s different from traditional spaces in a Pokémon game. These games are all structured in a very specific way: a series of linear routes, with a few branching paths that connect the various towns, mines, and other important locations. It’s all…