You Should Look Closely at the Switch in Pokemon Sword and Shield’s First Room

Pokemon games have a long tradition of paying tribute to Nintendo consoles and handhelds past and present. Pokemon Sword and Shield has its own little nod to the Nintendo Switch—and it comes with a fun Easter egg.

Your Pokemon journey starts in your bedroom, as per usual. You can investigate the items strewn around your abode, including your Switch and your "telly." Here's the fun part: When you switch out your Joy-Cons, the Switch in your room changes to match the new Joy-Cons' colors.

I gave it a try myself. Sure enough, my current pink and green Joy-Cons changed color when I replaced them with my original red and blue Joy-Cons, which are semi-retired thanks to drift. Sadly, they don't change on the fly; you have to exit your room and re-enter to see the shift. It's still a fun little addition.

As it so happens, "fun" is a good word to describe Pokemon Sword and Shield. We won't be doing a full review of the game until the servers are up, but we have in-depth impressions of the single-player adventure. Pokemon Sword and Shield doesn't break much in the way of new ground, but it's still a satisfying romp.

That's not to say nothing's changed. The Global Trade System is gone, and the Y-Comm system is in its place. You also have the opportunity to encounter very strong Pokemon in the Wild Area who won't let you catch them. While there's been some concern from fans that these "capture limits" might disallow them from catching a shiny Pokemon, there's probably no real danger of that happening.