A 2018 beta version of Pokemon Sword has been leaked. The beta build includes Pokemon that weren't present in the finished game and also shows content that was eventually cut during the development process.
What's in the 2018 Pokemon Sword beta?
According to a ResetEra thread, the beta features Pokemon that wouldn't make it into the finished game, including fan-favorite Water-type Greninja. As you might expect, many of the graphical assets are unfinished in the beta version, so a lot of the textures look much, much worse. Only 21 Pokemon in total are modeled into the beta, which makes sense; it's unlikely the team will have wanted to code everything in while the engine and assets were still being tested. Here's Pikachu facing off against Greninja in the beta, courtesy of ResetEra user Atheerios:
Here's a shot of a somewhat messy-looking menu:
And here's a very rough around the edges Route 1:
In addition to the above shots, there's also a beta version of Pokemon Sword's title screen. The splash art for the screen shows a number of Pokemon, one of which appears to be Mega Rayquaza. As well as this splash art, there's also a different version of the game's logo, which would change significantly for the final release.
seeing mega rayquaza and weeping for what could have been pic.twitter.com/Thfg9bBzQs
— who are you running from? (@sebmal) October 21, 2020
The Twitter account @CentroLeaks, which posts Pokemon-related leaks and information, also pointed out that the beta featured full 3D camera control. This is in contrast to the finished version of the game, which only allowed a fully rotating camera in the Wild Area. As well as this, a leaked canyon area in the beta appears to show two Gigantamax Pokemon, which could have been a showdown happening at a pivotal moment in the story. However, this never made it to the final game.
Beta ➡️ final version pic.twitter.com/iFV2o2FLJt
— Centro Pokémon LEAKS (@CentroLeaks) October 22, 2020
It's worth checking out the full ResetEra thread if you want to see everything that was leaked as part of the 2018 Pokemon Sword beta. Looks like there was plenty in the beta version that was cut or excluded from the final game. There can be a number of reasons for this when it happens; time constraints, features not quite panning out as the developers intended, or features only being intended as experimental in the first place. What's clear is that although a lot of things are the same between the two versions, the final version of Pokemon Sword and Shield certainly looks different.
What do you think of this leaked Pokemon Sword beta? Let us know in the comments below!
