Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield games announced for 2019

Pikachu prepares for a skirmish in an image from Pokémon Sword And Shield. — AFP Relaxnews

The next pair of Pokémon games have been announced, with the British-themed Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield inspired by images of Britain and set to release on Nintendo Switch late in 2019.

Rolling hills, thatched-roof cottages, misty woods and red-brick cities are some of the defining features of Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, late 2019's pair of Pokémon games destined for the Nintendo Switch.

The Pokémon Company, a joint venture backed by Nintendo, Game Freak and Creatures, devoted the entirety of its Feb 27 Pokémon Day Nintendo Direct video to revealing the next Pokémon games' settings and hinting at their features.

Giant chalk figures etched into hillsides, quaint snowy villages, post-and-beam houses, iron bridges, underground mining tunnels, and craggy northern mountains are among other motifs that cast the fictional Galar region as an homage the British Isles.

Previous Pokémon world regions have been inspired by Japan, New York, France, and Hawaii.

The trailer also introduces three of the starter Pokémon that players can pick from as they begin their adventures of encountering, catching, and training numerous Pokémon: fiery rabbit Scorbunny, four-legged tadpole Sobble, and leafy-haired chimp Grookey.

This marks the beginning of an eighth generation of Pokémon games and, as such, the roster of collectible creatures the games contain is expected to expand accordingly.

Though Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield are to mark a return to the conventions of mainline franchise entries, they are also being designed with players of 2018's Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! in mind, as well as newcomers in general, according to game director Shigeru Ohmori.

It's the second time that a pair of main, generation-defining Pokémon games have been named after something other than colours or gemstones, with Pokémon X and Y starting the trend in 2013 and Pokémon Sun and Moon following suit in 2016. – AFP Relaxnews