Pokemon X And Y: Honedge Announced

At the Japan Expo in Paris, Game Freak director Junichi Masuda announced another Pokemon appearing in Pokemon X and Y. Honedge is a Steel/Ghost-type Pokemon that hasn't appeared in any prior games.

Honedge (via AGB) is a departed spirit that has possessed a sword. It uses the flowing, blue cloth tied to its hilt as an arm. While it still looks like an effective weapon, trainers shouldn't touch it. The blade can actually drain their energy if they do so.

Steel-type Pokemon are known for being resilient and having a large amount of resistances. Ghost-types, meanwhile, are usually loaded with special defenses and are hard to hit. As a hybrid of these two types, then, Honedge sounds like he'll be a very tough Pokemon to kill.

Being a sword, it's only natural that Honedge can learn Swords Dance. This ability, available since the first Pokemon games, raises the user's Attack by 2. The move can be used multiple times in a row in order to stack up the bonus. It's a good way to start off long matches.

Honedge is one of several new Pokemon that players will be able to catch in X and Y. Other new additions include a two legendaries and a new evolution of Mewtwo. Game Freak is also introducing a new Fairy type that is powerful against Dragon types. Players will begin their journey with three new starter Pokemon: grass-type Chespin, Fire-type Fennekin or Water-type Froakie.

Pokemon X and Y bring players to the Kalos region. During his talk at Japan Expo, Masuda said that the team based the region on France. They visited locations throughout the country to come up with the visual design of Kalos. Lumiose City, the central metropolis, was inspired by Paris. Players will be able to ride through this city on Gogoat's back.

X and Y will launch on October 12th. It's the first game in the main series to be released worldwide on the same date. It's also the first to be exclusive to the 3DS and feature 3D graphics.