Pokémon Sword and Shield turns Zapdos into a legendary dork

Pokémon Sword and Shield’s Crown Tundra introduces the Galarian version of the old-school legendary birds, Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno. In a triumph, Game Freak has captured the magic of tracking down these creatures from the original games. But once you have Zapdos, you come to find out that the thunder-based bird is a little different from his more majestic brethren.

You don’t know this at first, because capturing Zapdos is a whole thing. Plenty of fans are sharing their attempts to nab the pointy pocket monster, who is about as slippery as the Road Runner. The jokes about trying to get Zapdos in the first place are great; I haven’t been this invested in trying to capture a legendary in years.

Once you manage to add Zapdos to your party, though, you come to realize that his Galarian form greatly changes the vibe of the legendary Pokémon. Before, Zapdos was a fearsome, powerful monster whose mere gaze was intimidating; now, Game Freak’s decision to rob Galarian Zapdos of his flight turns him into something that’s more like a chicken, or perhaps a Chocobo. What’s worse, the walking animations for Galarian Zapdos have him tweaking out in a way that is as unbecoming as it is completely endearing.

Perhaps this shift was inevitable — being able to place any monster in your camp, where you can pet, play, and feed them, definitely strips any Pokémon of its intrigue. On the other hand ... now I want a Galarian Zapdos.