Pokémon Direct January 9, 2020: Expansion Pass, DLC Packs, Pokémon Home, And Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX

Nintendo held a 20-minute Pokemon Direct today and shared a lot of information about upcoming games. Let’s go through everything Nintendo and Game Freak showcased!

Pokemon Sword and Shield Expansion Pass

Game Freak talked about the most recent Pokemon title release, Pokemon Sword and Shield. In their aim to extend the lifespan of the Galar Region and give players more reasons to play the game, they announced the Pokemon Sword and Shield Expansion Pass. This DLC will be available sometime this year. We assume it will feature brand new content for all players who have already played through Sword and Shield.

Nintendo showcased a trailer with some of the development that has been going into the expansion pass. From what we can see, we are going to get some brand new areas to discover and some brand new forms of existing Pokemon.n>

There are two confirmed DLC packs coming to Sword and Shield during 2020:

1. Pokemon Isle of Armor
2. Pokemon Crown Tundra

Isle of Armour

Isle of Armour is set in a massive land area off the coast of the Galar Region and is set to release in June 2020. Both Isle of Armour and Crown Tundra expansion packs are going to offer brand new Pokemon we've never seen.

Three old features from previous Pokemon titles are also making a return during this DLC pack:

1. Tutor Moves
2. Apricorns
3. EXP.

Charm are all going to be accessible features when the pack releases.

Game Freak also announced the legendary Pokemon that are going to be essential to the story mode of each DLC pack. The first legendary Pokemon that was announced is Kubfu, a fighting type Pokemon that a certain trainer will trust you with while you make your way through the story. It will eventually evolve into Urshifu as you gain more trust with Kubfu. This Pokemon has two different stances and its typing will depend on the stance: Single-Strike stance, which will make the Pokemon a Fighting/Dark type, and Rapid Strike, which will make it a fighting/water type.

Crown Tundra

Crown Tundra is set to release during Fall 2020. It takes place in an icy wasteland and has its own full story mode and dedicated legendary Pokemon. You will be a part of an exploration team in this region, digging through ruins to gather artifacts with some of the characters you will meet in the Crown Tundra. The legendary Pokemon that is going to be a part of the storyline in this DLC pack is Calyrex, which is a grass/psychic type. It will be interesting to see how this Pokemon becomes a part of the story mode.

Pokemon Home

Pokemon Home was rumored to be in development for quite some time now, and fans were expecting a release date along with Pokemon Sword and Shield. Now, we know for sure that the newest Pokemon app is coming next month. Pokemon Home is a cloud-based app that you can download on your mobile devices, which will allow for easier access and movement of your Pokemon. This app will make it easier to trade Pokemon with your friends, so we can’t wait to get this app on our phones.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX

A brand new Pokemon game is coming very soon to the Nintendo Switch. The Mystery Dungeon series is one of the direct spin-offs of the Pokemon franchise, and it’s been a while since we received a new one. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX is set to release on March 6, 2020, but there's a demo that's available for play RIGHT NOW. Playing this demo will allow you to get a head start for when the game releases because your progress will carry over to the full game when it’s released.

What’s the story behind Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX?

According to the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX website:

You can meet and recruit Pokémon in a dungeon-crawling adventure within their world! Build a rescue team to take on mysterious, changing dungeons and strategically plan your moves as you venture forth to make the Pokémon world a safer place…and uncover your true purpose along the way.

As you recruit Pokémon, these trusty teammates will need somewhere to stay, so build camps to house, manage, and strengthen your Pokémon friends. Think hard about who is right for the job and how to approach each mysterious dungeon as you prepare a rescue team. You’ll move a single square at a time or use Auto mode to speed up movement until you engage other Pokémon in turn-based battles—but don’t forget about Pokémon strengths and weaknesses! This version adds gorgeous watercolor-inspired graphics, and more! Get comfortable in being a Pokémon, there’s a lot of work to do.

Wake up in the world of Pokémon and uncover your true purpose

Dungeon layouts will change each time you enter them, so you’ll likely not have the same adventure twice

Build a rescue team to explore dungeons and engage in strategic turn-based combat

Pokémon are available to meet and recruit

This version adds gorgeous watercolor-inspired graphics, and more!

Other News

Here are other announcements made during the Pokemon Direct:

Galarian Slowpoke is now catchable in the Wild Area.
A new Wild Area event started today, which includes the Gigantamax forms of Coalossal, Lapras, Flapple, and Appletun.
Nintendo said they’re going to implement free updates over the course of the next year or so. These updates will bring over 200 Pokemon from other generations into the Galar Region.