The launch of the Pokémon franchise’s latest double-feature pleases fans by including many traditional aspects of the game while simultaneously delivering refreshing content.

“Pokémon Sword” and “Pokémon Shield” encompasses the eighth generation of the video game series, including 81 new Pokémon. The United Kingdom inspired region, Galar, is also introduced in this generation.

Though true to most installments of the series, improvements have been made. The polished graphics uphold the quality as expected from the Nintendo Switch. As the first mainline game for this console, it certainly reaches expectations in clarity and smoothness of graphics. Additionally, the game removed “random encounter” from this game; now Pokémon sneak up on the player. Gym battles, previously removed in the last installment, return in this game.

“Pokémon Sword and Shield” also introduces many new features. The wild area is the first open-world section in a mainline game. In this area, the player encounters a wide range of wild Pokémon. “Dynamax” and “Gigantamax” are new to the game as well. These abilities are able to make a Pokémon in battle huge.

The games have an 81 percent aggregate rating by Meracritic, a website that averages reviews from leading critics.

In their first week of sales, 6 million copies of “Pokémon Sword” and “Pokémon Shield” sold, making them the highest-grossing and fastest-selling Pokémon games.