You Can Park Your Ass On a Bench Again In Pokemon Sword and Shield

Fancy taking a tour of an authentic Galarian town in Pokemon Sword and Shield? The game's director, Shigeru Ohmori, is happy to comply. A video released earlier today shows off an in-game town that's nestled in rolling green hills. Wooloo abound.

Ohmori opens the video with an apology for not attending Gamescom. As you might imagine, development for Pokemon Sword and Shield is coming down to the wire for its November 15 release. The video tour is brief, but it reveals a couple of interesting things about life in the Galar region. First, as you might expect from a region based on the United Kingdom, there are trains and stations. We don't see the player character board a choo-choo, but it's cool news regardless if you're kind of interested in trains. (Not confirming or denying for myself.)

Second—and this is the news that has people chattering the most, because Pokemon fans are bizarre—you can sit down in chairs. The feature was gone in Pokemon Sun and Moon, but, uh, it's back! That's nice, I guess. From the mighty Mewtwo to the lowly Rattata, who doesn't enjoy a good sit?

Though the National Dex controversy that's dogged Pokemon Sword and Shield since E3 hasn't dissipated, reactions to new footage and trailers is generally getting warmer. The Galar town we're shown in the new footage certainly looks the part of a quaint English village, complete with red-bricked buildings, pretty shop signs, and ivy everywhere. I just hope romping through Galar won't turn my blood into tea, because that'll be quite fatal.

Don't forget to check out our extensive Pokemon Sword and Shield guides.