WATCH: ‘Pokémon Sword and Shield’ previews new creatures, cooking, Pokémon Camp

Nintendo revealed new features for the new pair of Pokémon games, “Pokémon Sword” and “Pokémon Shield” at the Nintendo Direct video event last Wednesday, Sept. 4, ranging from an in-game Pokémon Camp to new creatures Polteageist and Cramorant.

Due to release for Nintendo Switch on Nov. 15, the two games will let players hang out and play with their Pokémon at a Pokémon Camp, where they can also visit other players’ camps and cook meals together.

According to the brief video montage, cooking a tasty meal involves selecting the right ingredients, making sure there is enough heat under a campfire pot, stirring the stew and adding a good dose of kindheartedness.

Up to four players can participate in a community cook-out together.

An in-game recipe book looked to have at least 100 meal types and was shown open on the page for curry dishes, where around 50 curries appeared to be available for preparation.

The Pokémon Company also previewed some of the character customizations that will be available to players of “Pokémon Sword” and “Pokémon Shield”, the franchise’s first core entries on the Nintendo Switch after the two “Pokémon: Let’s Go!” spin-offs arrived in 2018.

As well as purchasing various mix-and-match outfits with in-game credits, players can look forward to visiting an in-game hairdresser to pick from a selection of styles; there, they can also choose eyebrow type and eye and lip coloration.

In addition to collecting the new Pokémon, players can collect League Cards — large-portrait business cards carried by other contenders in the game’s Pokémon League.

Of course, players will also be able to design their own Pokémon League Card using a range of backgrounds, effects, frames and character poses. Those cards will then be shown ahead of each Pokémon match.

Included among the game’s new wave of Pokémon creatures will be Polteageist, a tea kettle inhabited by a cheeky purple ghost and Cramorant, a bird that can launch fish at opponents. RGA/JB

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