Pokemon Dev’s Switch RPG, Little Town Hero, Gets Battle System Explainer

Pokemon Sword and Shield arrive on Nintendo Switch next month, but before then, developer Game Freak is releasing another RPG for the hybrid system. Little Town Hero hits the Switch Eshop next week, and ahead of its release, the studio has put out a video that further details the game’s unique battle system.

Unlike a traditional RPG, you don’t equip weapons and armor to do battle against monsters in Little Town Hero; rather, you fight them using “ideas.” These fall into three categories: those that attack, those that defend, and those that “do something special.” The video likens this system to a card game. You have a limited number of ideas at your disposal, so you’ll need to use them strategically in order to come out victorious.

Your ideas are initially formed as “Izzits,” and you’ll need to expend power to turn them into “Dazzits” in order use them against a foe. Depending on where you are in town, you’ll also be able to enlist the help of bystanders during battle. These villagers can either attack the monsters or give you a buff. You’ll find “gimmicks” scattered around town as well that you can take advantage of; in the video, protagonist Axe comes across a cannon that he fires at a monstrous sheep.

In another departure from other RPGs, Little Town Hero also doesn’t have experience points in a traditional sense; rather, you’ll earn Eureka Points when you successfully defeat a monster. These can then be spent to power up your ideas across a skill tree. You can take a closer look at the combat system in the video above.

Little Town Hero launches on the Switch Eshop on October 16. Pokemon Sword and Shield, meanwhile, arrive on November 15. The Pokemon Company recently revealed another new Pokemon debuting in the games: Galarian Ponyta, which will be exclusive to Pokemon Shield. You can see all the other new Gen 8 Pokemon revealed so far in our gallery.