Just how big is Game Freak intending for Pokémon Sword and Shield to be?
With more powerful hardware to play with, a raft of new confirmed features and a massive landmass to explore, early estimations are justified in the hope that Generation 8 will be the biggest to date. Reaching a final conclusion in that regard won’t be possible until the pair hit retail later this year, but as it stands, even staunch critics would have a hard time arguing otherwise. There is, of course, the constant elephant in the room that is Game Freak’s decision not to include a National Pokédex in Sword and Shield, but if claims of its removal being a necessary sacrifice for an already immense world-in-the-making are true, then the Galar region truly is shaping up to be a colossal landmass.
Or is it? The real-world country (UK) on which Galar is based is little more than an island and even screenshots of the region provided by the developer don’t depict an exceptionally large setting, so what’s the deal?
Well, many Pokéfans believe that Galar’s modest size is due to it being only one half of the explorable world in Sword and Shield, the other being X and Y‘s France-inspired Kalos region. Multiple theories suggesting as such have been put forward since Generation 8’s announcement, many of which are based mostly on the two region’s close proximity both in-universe and out. A solid lead on its own, but one that’s gained a great deal more supporting evidence due to recent developments.
As per the gallery below, some fans have made several key connections between the two areas, not least the presence of a sprawling train network.
The side-by-side clearly depicts similarities between the two rail systems and that’s not all. A strangely unused station – Couriway – in X and Y is believed to have been closed due to its destination being none other than Galar. The link certainly mimics that of the Channel Tunnel that connects Great Britain and France, does it not?
The evidence is quickly mounting, no doubt, but it’s worth reiterating that everything above remains little more than speculation. Either way, we’ll be keeping tabs on any further developments as and when they emerge. Stay tuned.
Pokémon Sword and Shield are out this November for Nintendo Switch.