Worldbuilding is one of my favorite concepts in tv shows. I love how shows can create these expansive worlds in which they situate their characters. As such, I was very excited to explore that in this week’s critical play. I decided to turn to one of my favorite video game franchises, Pokemon, and more specifically, Pokemon Sword, a game that has been sitting untouched on my shelf for a long time.
Pokemon Sword is a game developed by the studio Game Freak. It is available on the Nintendo Switch. For this critical play, I played with my Switch docked and connected to my monitor. I played for about two hours which was just enough time for me to feel pulled into the game. The Galar region, inspired by the UK, unfolds in a way that allows the user to truly experience childlike wonder. Rather than being thrown into an endless onslaught of battles or lore drops, the player is guided through a series of towns and routes by NPCs who add life to the game. While there definitely are a lot of battles and lore to discover, it felt less of a traditional “epic” RPG and more so just existing in another world.
Beyond the typical town exploring aspect that you get from a traditional Pokemon game, one of my favorite world building aspects of Pokemon Sword is the Wild Area. This is an area like none other for any other Pokemon game. This shift is marked immediately by the shift from a fixed, linear camera to a 360 camera. Additionally, the world itself is different. Pokemon are no longer confined to tall grass. They roam and simply exist and live within the Wild Area.
This design moment is a perfect example of environmental storytelling. There’s no dialogue or cutscene explaining the Wild Area’s importance or what it does. Instead, the game has the space speak for itself and players figure it out for themselves. Weather changes, rare Pokémon appear, and certain areas are blocked off until you’re stronger. It communicates, “This world will grow with you.” That’s a powerful way of making players care, not by telling you a story, but by letting you feel that you’re part of it. I think barriers like this are important in games whether it be a world barrier or something closed off. I really enjoy when games creatively weave these in rather than simply not letting you go into a place.
Mechanically, it’s still Pokemon. But it’s these core mechanics layered with subtle changes that create new dynamics. When I saw a giant Onix stomping around while I was still at level 6. It added a sense of danger and excitement unlike any Pokemon game before. These moments evoke curiosity and even fear.
The mechanics are familiar, but the dynamics created by open exploration and weather-based variation lead to aesthetics of discovery and fantasy. There’s also a social component hinted at through the Max Raid battles (which I didn’t reach in two hours but saw referenced) and trainer camps. These small moments suggest a wider world of players beyond the screen. Even within the short session, I was reminded that this is a shared world, even if we each explore it solo.
Compared to other games that rely on distinct characters or lore to build immersion, Pokemon Sword uses space and interaction. There are fewer memorable lines or moral choices, but more ambient richness. You care because the world is pleasing to walk through, not because you’ve bonded deeply with its characters, at least not yet.
Ethics:
Something that has always been part of Pokemon, but struck me more this time, was how much the game centers biology as destiny. Every Pokémon’s potential is tied to stats they’re born with, like IVs, base stats, and evolutions. Even the concept of “Nature” (like Jolly or Modest) adds invisible modifiers that shape performance. These are things you cannot change once a Pokemon is caught. It quietly embeds an idea that potential is innate.
This becomes especially stark when you get into breeding and discarding “bad” Pokemon. The idea that some are inherently better than others, even if they look the same, raises questions. What does it say that the best way to get a strong team is to repeatedly produce and release until the “right one” appears?
If I were to mod the game, I’d want a system that rewards nurture more than nature. Maybe a Pokemon that’s trusted deeply gains defensive abilities, while one that overcomes a tough battle gets stronger attacks. This would shift the game toward valuing care and connection, not just numbers.
