Anyone keeping up withPokemon SwordandShieldis probably well aware with the many controversies that have cropped up prior to its release. One of the biggest controversies surrounding the games was undoubtedly thelack of a National Dex. However, it seems that some savvy fans are already taking initiative on their own to put cut creatures back into the games.
Even thoughPokemon SwordandPokemon Shieldreleased just days ago, hackers and modders are hard at work unpacking the game’s files and code. Already, several interesting developments have been discovered regarding Pokemon not currently in the game’s National Dex. This could suggest future implementation of these Pokemon, either as event Pokemon or something else entirely.
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Two impressive displays of hacking have already cropped up online, showcasing Pokemon that are not currently available inSwordandShield. One hacker who goes by @mattyoukhana_ on Twitter has showcased full working and present models of the box legendary Pokemon, Solgaleo and Lunala, of the previous generation. These models appear to still be fully present in the game’s data, even complete with their signature moves intact. Notably, these signature moves’ appearances look similar but nonetheless updated from their Gen 7 appearances.
However, some hackers are going a step further. Instead of looking at Pokemon that are gone but tucked away behind the scenes, they’ve started work to implement completely cut Pokemon back into the game via hacking.
Modder, hacker, and member of the website PokemonProject.org, Michael (who goes by @SciresM on Twitter), recently posted a thread on Twitter showcasing his progress with adding cut Pokemon back into the game. In his thread, he showcases a newly implemented Omastar, complete with working idle animations. Though the implemented Omastar lacks proper stats, personalized moves, and is missing some key animations, it is an impressive feat to say the least.
SciresM said he achieved this by importing the unchangedPokemon Let’s Gomodel for Omastar intoSwordandShieldby inserting a new entry into the game’s model table with Omastar’s normal ID. He then edited a Yamper in his party to have Omastar’s model using a game editor called PKHeX.
SciresM goes on to clarify that the process only took about an hour to get the Omastar seen in his tweets intoSwordandShield. However, he also clarifies that this was mainly to showcase that it is possible to implement new models in this way. “Bringing back old Pokemon seems hard but doable to me,” SciresM wrote in a clarification thread. “Lots more work needed for anything people would want to use.”
Hacking is not a new phenomena for thePokemoncommunity by any stretch of the imagination. New generations of the games are usually hacked very quickly, as we are already seeing withSwordandShield. In fact, a few days prior toSwordandShield’s releases,the hashtag “GameFreakLied” began trendingon Twitter, and centered around supposedly hacked wire frame models ripped from the game, among other things.
Additionally, The Pokemon Company is also no stranger to taking actions against players who have hacked its games,banning thousands of players' accountsduring thePokemonSunandMoongeneration. So, it’s likely some of these larger scale hacking efforts that may arise in the future might be hampered in some way by The Pokemon Company themselves.
While that Omastar is still shy of a fully functioning implementation intoSwordandShield’sdata, it is an impressive first step nonetheless. ThoughSwordandShieldreceivedsome impressive review scores, it seems that those unsatisfied fans will continue to try and shapeSwordandShieldinto the games they want, albeit through unofficial means.
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