The Crown Tundra, Game Freak and The Pokémon Company’s second DLC for Pokémon Sword and Shield, has finally released. Instead of traversing a lush and tropical island (Isle of Armor), now you find yourself exploring a wintery wonderland. Once again, Game Freak ups the ante of Sword and Shield by drawing trainers to the Galar Region using the nostalgia of Pokémon-catching along with a decent story.
Once you arrive in the Crown Tundra, located at the southern tip of Galar, you witness an argument between Peony and Peonia. The argument gets heated with Peonia declaring that father that they doesn't wish to explore the Crown Tundra but rather really wants to take part in Dynamax Adventures, one of the many attractions the Crown Tundra is rumored to have. The thing about the Crown Tundra isn't that many humans inhabit this part of Galar, that allows for Pokémon to flourish and it is home to never-before-seen, magnificent Pokémon.
As we watch the argument continue, Peonia drags us into the family drama, and something thing results in another until we’re battling Peony. Once the dust settles following a short battle, Peonia is nowhere found. After a little bit of exploring, we discover out that Peonia has rushed into the Max Lair, against scientist’s warnings, and Peony rushes in headfirst without another thought. The scientist proceeds to inform us about the unpredictability from the Max Lair: you have to use accommodations Pokémon to enter the lair, and at the end of the cave is a legendary Dynamaxed Pokémon.
The story continues after the first Dynamax Adventure and instead of father and daughter touring the Crown Tundra, Peony asks you to explore in his stead. Soon you are well on a scavenger hunt to analyze certain rare and legendary Pokémon and stories. The scavenger hunt and puzzles in this DLC were quite refreshing and easy, requiring you to use your understanding of Pokémon as clues. Besides the scavenger hunt, I enjoyed the storyline of The Crown Tundra. With each legendary Pokémon revealed we obtain a little more lore from the Pokémon world and where they fit in. The fetch quests and the backwards and forwards were a little annoying but being in a position to fly to some discovered destination made things easier. Peony is an over-the-top character, similar to your rival Hop, but his actions and demeanor are relatable. He’s only a family man trying to make cherished memories with his family members but learns a valuable lesson of getting to let go whenever your children reach a particular age.
What really sticks out in The Crown Tundra DLC are the Dynamax Adventures. Game Freak definitely revitalized raiding and set an enjoyable spin into it, with the reward as being a rare legendary from past regions and games. In regular raid battles, you can use your own Pokémon to try and catch the Dynamax creature. However, now, you choose to book one Pokmon out of three. When you select a Pokémon, another Pokémon is replaced and the other player reaches select a Pokémon until four players have chosen their monster. After all of us have made their choice, in to the raid lair you go. Note, you are able to undertake Dynamax Adventures with friends or play them solo. If you are going solo, you're paired with three computer-generated trainers. Around I must use my own Pokémon, utilizing a rental system makes things balanced and adds a challenge to this new feature. You might are conscious of some of the Pokémon that you could select however, what if you’ve never battled with them? Sometimes the move set the Pokémon has isn’t to your liking. With the rental system, raid battles feel fresh.
Once one enters the cave, you view the collapse a top-down fashion and can see only the kind of Pokémon in the different tunnels. The actual Pokémon are obscured by black and purple Dynamax clouds. Depending on where you are in the cave, you will have a choice of 2 to 3 Pokémon to battle. You can only fight one Dynamax Pokémon at any given time and when you defeat and/or capture it, you progress to the next. There are a total of four rounds, the fourth as being a legendary Pokémon which is your prize if you're able to defeat it.
Before reaching the Legendary Dynamax Pokémon, any Pokémon you catch before that can be used in future battles. The Pokémon you battle with will forfeit both HP and PP. You’ll likely desire to be fresh taking on another Pokémon, especially the prized Pokémon. When you swap monsters, it is treated like a fresh monster and you continue the gauntlet. Dynamax Adventures differ from regular raid battles since the Dynamaxed creature you face doesn't have any shields.
Also, in a regular raid battle, if trainers are collectively knocked out four times, they’re kicked out of the raid den. That’s incorrect now. Should you as well as your team are bumped out four times collectively, you fail the adventure. With so many new rules, it really shakes some misconception and makes raiding exciting, especially for past game favorites.
The Crown Tundra is really a decent DLC, getting straight to the purpose of catching Pokémon, with Legendaries to be the primary focus. There are a lot of familiar faces but the new additions really are a sight for sore eyes. Dynamax Adventures is the real winner here also it can participate in on your own or with friends. This leaves room to speculate what else Game Freak and also the Pokémon Company have up their sleeves to keep Pokémon Sword and Shield alive beyond competitive battling.
The Crown Tundra DLC can be obtained now for Pokémon Sword and Shield.
