Pokemon Sword and Shield being under heavy scrutiny is nothing new, and whether or not it’s deserving of the criticism is something that’s been hotly debated since the initial chief controversy of the removal of the National Dex.
And since then, problem after problem has arisen, from shoddy animation work (when GameFreak claimed to have removed key features in favor of improving the animation, when now it looks to be the worst in the series), to music not playing during the post-game (particularly during the legendary Pokemon battles, where the soundtrack is supposed to shine some of its brightest), to “pop” effects (models appearing out of nowhere with zero warning), reused animations (which GameFreak claimed they didn’t use, and dataminers found that they in fact, had, leading to #GameFreakLied trending on Twitter in a matter of hours), the list goes on.
And as more and more problems appear after the games’ launch on November 15th, 2019, one in particular seems to be making the rounds that, for now, is only visible in the game’s credits scene.
As the thumbnail showcases, a mouse cursor makes its appearance during the Sword and Shield end credits scene. Initially hard to spot, the maker of the video above points it out several times, eventually lowering the playback speed and showing it in a way that can’t be missed. And indeed, once you see it, it can’t be unseen, even when it zips across the screen.
I personally don’t know the specifics of coding in gaming, so I have no clue what this could mean, aside from the obvious; this is a pretty serious error in polish. An entire cursor and its movement path left within the game, shows a fairly clear lapse in editing and construction.
And from what’s been cropping up so far, this isn’t an isolated incident. More players are starting to see the mouse cursor, and given the short length of Sword and Shield’s main game, that number could increase even further. As of now, there’s been no comment from GameFreak about the mouse cursor, or what it could definitively mean in regards to the rest of the game.
Pokemon Sword and Shield is currently out exclusively on Nintendo Switch.
