Fans have discovered a new type of shiny monster in Pokemon Sword and Shield that’s even rarer than the already astronomically difficult to find standard shinies. Sword and Shield have been enjoying some major sales success since launch, shattering existing Nintendo Switch sales records. All of this is in spite of the ongoing backlash amongst certain groups in the community that claim the games are not up to snuff. These claims originated from the removal of the National Dex, which more or less means that not all of the pocket monsters returned for the titles.
These Pokemon Sword and Shield controversies escalated as the games approach their release. In the wake of positive reviews and further sales success in Japan, it would appear that all of it was for nothing. The games are overnight successes that may very well end up being ranked amongst the best-selling software for Switch. While longtime fans are happily exploring the Galar region, some have come across an interesting new (and rare) mechanic.
Core Pokemon games have long featured shiny versions of monsters. For those unfamiliar, these are creatures that are a completely different color from their original froms – consider them albino-like variants. These creatures are exceptionally rare as it is, with the odds of finding one naturally in Pokemon Sword and Shield being approximately 1 in 4,096. Now, a new variant of the shiny has been spotted by players and identified as a ‘Square Shiny’, as shown in Torkirby’s tweet.
These creatures look identitcal to shiny Pokemon, which are already rare enough. The only indicator for players is that square shinies feature a unique (but subtle) animation when they enter battle that replaces the standard sparkles with squares. What makes this so rare? Well, according to Twitter user Kaphotics, the odds of finding a square-dazzled variant are 1 in every 16 shiny Pokemon. This makes the total odds of encountering one a mind-blowing 1 in 65,536.
This is a very cool addition to a game franchise that prides itself on encouraging people to keep collecting monsters. Sure, the National Dex may not have returned in Sword and Shield, but these sorts of touches are cool little changes that add a bit of extra joy to players that manage to find and capture the beasts. Game Freak has been listening to gamers concerned about encountering shinies too, as is evident by the way it has been handled in Sword and Shield. With ‘Square Shinies’ now roaming the Galar region, it’ll be fascinating to see how many players are actually able to find one.
Next: Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions: All The Differences Explained
Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield are now available for Nintendo Switch consoles.
Sources: Twitter - Kaphotics, Twitter - Torkirby
