Pokemon Shield

 Switch
User Score
4.7

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 3465 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,154 out of 3465
  2. Mixed: 587 out of 3465
  3. Negative: 1,724 out of 3465
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  1. TreasureOrTrash
    Sep 8, 2023
    0
    Trash!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  2. Traumvita
    Sep 6, 2023
    4
    Baby hand holding simulator. Looks like an up res 3DS game. Limiting options. Can’t explore without someone telling me where to go. Worse Pokémon game to date. A shame because the setting was interesting
  3. EasyGamerBoi
    Jun 10, 2021
    4
    I’ve never experienced a game that brought out such vivid anger & disappointment from me until this one. Pokémon has been on a steady decline for years in terms of quality but this was undeniably the breaking point. I know it’s all been said before but Dexit should have NEVER happened. Cutting major content while increasing the price of your product is always an L & I don’t care how manyI’ve never experienced a game that brought out such vivid anger & disappointment from me until this one. Pokémon has been on a steady decline for years in terms of quality but this was undeniably the breaking point. I know it’s all been said before but Dexit should have NEVER happened. Cutting major content while increasing the price of your product is always an L & I don’t care how many Nintendo apologists throw themselves into the fire over this pile of crap. This game should have been delayed for another year at most to get it right & it’s incredibly frustrating because there’s glimmers of hope in this trainwreck. The gym battles are actually an event this time & got me hype everytime, the visuals don’t always look terrible in spots, the new Pokémon roster took some getting used to but there are many gems among them like Appletun & Toxtricity, & I did enjoy the max raid system a lot more than I thought I was going to. At this point in the game’s lifespan I’m completely burned out on just about everything though. Despite my criticism, I played this game for 400 HOURS. That’s mostly from shiny hunting in max raids & being the only new Pokémon game out in a while. The DLC is overpriced tbh but the Crown Tundra alone was infinitely better than anything else this game had going for it. My biggest problem with this game’s existence is the pitiful excuses the developers gave for its shortcomings. Focusing on “higher quality animations” as a reason for cutting over half the Pokémon in the dex is a load of bull, especially since we got very few of those animations in the final product. Then adding some of them back later saying “it was always planned this way” is damage control 101 & y’all know it. Pokémon is a stagnant bubble waiting to burst & the sooner they get GameFreak’s crap together, give them a workable budget & timeframe, then they can maybe avoid a potential Pokècrash. Because this is unacceptable. I can’t believe this is the same studio that gave us classics like Platinum, HGSS & Black n White. While the game can be fun at times & has things going for it, it pales in comparison to the rest of the series (I’d still rather play this than any Gen 1 game though). Pokémon, GET YOUR SH*T TOGETHER.… Expand
  4. Tovar_pk
    Aug 23, 2023
    0
    Sinceramente la mayor decepción de juego jamás creada, sabiendo que ha sido la generación introducida por primera vez en una consola de sobre mesa. El potencial esta muy por debajo de lo que se puede conseguir con la switch, además de que la propia región carece de personalidad. Tanto ciudades como rutas son perfectamente olvidables. Lo unico que se puede salvar de estos juegos, es elSinceramente la mayor decepción de juego jamás creada, sabiendo que ha sido la generación introducida por primera vez en una consola de sobre mesa. El potencial esta muy por debajo de lo que se puede conseguir con la switch, además de que la propia región carece de personalidad. Tanto ciudades como rutas son perfectamente olvidables. Lo unico que se puede salvar de estos juegos, es el diseño de la pokedex.… Expand
  5. Ihtayt
    Aug 16, 2023
    4
    Summing up some bulletpoints on my thoughts of the game below, for reference this is after beating both ScVi 3 times and going back to SwSh after. I did not get / play the DLC as the base game offered so little there was no incentive to prolong this.

    Game is always on local wireless, this massively hinders connecting to wifi as it will frequently bug out and fail to connect to network    Summing up some bulletpoints on my thoughts of the game below, for reference this is after beating both ScVi 3 times and going back to SwSh after. I did not get / play the DLC as the base game offered so little there was no incentive to prolong this.

    Game is always on local wireless, this massively hinders connecting to wifi as it will frequently bug out and fail to connect to network after the game is open. This feels like a massive oversight for something that the developers forced on the game.

    Gameplay is very linear, moreso than Gen 2 and possibly even more linear than Gen 1 which is a very sad downgrade. The main story only took me roughly 20-24 hours to beat and the postgame did not offer much more; at what I feel was a moderate play pace.

    Postgame- After beating the game, gameplay massively falls off and feels very unmotivating. Farming the battle tower may appeal to some, but its gatekept behind needing to clear the BT for the currency (BP) to get the items that you need to clear the BT; which feels very outdated and counter-intuitive. You can clear all / most of the tower with provided rental teams which further detracts from the experience as by time you can make your own team with your own mons, you already beat everything. You can aim to complete the pokedex, breed, and shiny hunt; but this is nothing new or exciting from previous games really; and aside from team building for the BT it feels pretty pointless to build up mons. The game introduced raid dens, but they didn't feel at all appealing personally.

    Performance - I've encountered more performance issues with SwSh (~40hrs) than I ever did with ScVi (>1000hrs).    … Expand
  6. SammyDelicious
    Jul 20, 2023
    1
    Pokemon blue, red, yellow, gold, silver and crystal are easily some of my favorite games of all time. I have replayed them countless times. I have waited for 25 years for a 3D pokemon game and this game was an insult to any lifelong, diehard pokemon fans. I don't have enough space to list everything that is wrong with this game so I'll keep it short.

    This Game Is Not Fun. Plain And Simple.
  7. Garde_Mystik
    May 25, 2023
    0
    I don't think I'll make a full review but tl;dr, personally, these games tampered with literally everything i loved most about Pokemon to such extreme of an extent I still find it baffling to this day. This eventually got doubled-down on by Scarlet and Violet. Now outside personal biases, they also even went as far as to interfere with the singles battling experience for millions ofI don't think I'll make a full review but tl;dr, personally, these games tampered with literally everything i loved most about Pokemon to such extreme of an extent I still find it baffling to this day. This eventually got doubled-down on by Scarlet and Violet. Now outside personal biases, they also even went as far as to interfere with the singles battling experience for millions of players alike, thanks to their insertion of the 20 minute battle time, the effects of dynamax, and the games having an absolute joke of a battle facility. I cannot forgive Pokemon Sword and Shield. These games were a massive step down for the series, and served as evidence that the makers of Sword and Shield did not care about the players involved. They made dexit to improve animations, improve graphics, and improve the overall state of pvp battling, when all 3 ended up regressing from games we had a full National Dex in. Need I say more? To defend these games, you must attack large departments of the Pokemon community. I'm sorry but that's the truth. How these games ended up was used to easily predict the state of Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, as well as leave less room for mystery regarding Scarlet and Violet. If you care about the Pokemon community and want Pokemon games to get better from here, this is one of the few games that need to outright get rejected. I can't even say this about any game prior to Sword and Shield.… Expand
  8. AlexBlasio
    May 12, 2023
    0
    Terrible, mediocre game, unfinished with unjustified changes, it suffers to play this game!
  9. Foxylary
    Apr 3, 2023
    4
    A lot of good ideas poorly executed. The idea of ​​the dynamax is not so bad, the new creatures are cool, fighting in stadium is great, gym leaders are charismatic, character customisation is pretty good and the country has a good atmosphere. But it's extremely ugly and empty. The npc's are all the same (there are often clones next to each other), there are no voices, no cutscenes, theA lot of good ideas poorly executed. The idea of ​​the dynamax is not so bad, the new creatures are cool, fighting in stadium is great, gym leaders are charismatic, character customisation is pretty good and the country has a good atmosphere. But it's extremely ugly and empty. The npc's are all the same (there are often clones next to each other), there are no voices, no cutscenes, the game is designed as a 2D game. The "main story" unfolds by itself without us havin any role to play. There is no epic moment, no plot twist, no real story after all. The game is much too easy, so much so that I tried to add more difficulty by myself. When I remember Pokemon Blue or Silver, even Black... Did they try to makes peoples dumb and lazy by avoid the frustration of difficulty ? And what about difficulty options ?! There is no options to organize Pokemon Boxes. It's that hard to make ?! The list is long and it really is a beautiful mess. Because of laziness, lack of time or developers ? I don't care. Releasing a product like this is insulting. When I see that they added content that should be in the base game for 25€, I find it disgusting. There are no excuses, Game Freak don't put any effort on it, it's just easy money. I bought it second-hand years after its release because it's the only game on Switch that has all my favorite creatures and despite everything, it's not so bad next to Pokemon Scarlett Violet, that's to say the level of this last game. Looks like they want to see what the players were willing to accept.… Expand
  10. Bluelion32
    Feb 8, 2023
    3
    Doesn't have sword dog.
    The problems of these games have been stated many times, so I won't go over them again.
  11. Rooster93
    Dec 9, 2022
    1
    Zero effort field, forced exp share, and beyond easy game. You can get to Lv100 before fighting the first gym rather easily due to the ridiculous exp candy.
  12. Alebernard
    Dec 8, 2022
    0
    Movement stuck for a game on a console that is the Nintendo Switch. I expected more quality as it is the same console generation as PS4, PS5, xboxone, xbox x and s. I expected movement of attacks within battles. The worst history lore. A silly mechanic. Shameful, I regret the purchase too much, too bad it is digital media.
  13. ShrekXGrinch
    Nov 30, 2022
    1
    Very annoying characters, poor graphics quality, bad animations, lots of pokemon characters removed, too easy, insultingly babyish dialogue, features removed, poor story, very bad region/route and towns design
  14. Cloud_cipher
    Nov 29, 2022
    3
    I have only played sheild for 20 hours but I wish I only played 0 for the waste of time this was.
  15. SlowbroLin
    Nov 22, 2022
    1
    It is meaningless when I can not get my old Pokemons back! And I think that Mega Evolution is the most beautiful thing since Pokemon XY! And it is gone in this generation!
  16. Bozzy943
    Nov 20, 2022
    2
    Stop giving Game Freak your money. Quality is just as important as gameplay.
  17. GamingGuy25
    Nov 20, 2022
    0
    sh1t game refer to a review about scarlet on why its ****

    Pokecucks are mentally ill
  18. mestaku
    Nov 19, 2022
    0
    Someone should pay you to play this absolute garbage game. The graphics are the same as some random bad game from 2006.
  19. Tomplexthis
    Nov 19, 2022
    1
    its just a soulless skippable game, pass hard on this dumpster
    the starters look nice, but its just way too many problems
  20. arlatius
    Nov 19, 2022
    1
    this game is a prime example on why you should only trust user reviews and never critic reviews.

    dexit nixed a ton of pokemon, including fan favorites. then gamefreak released two dlcs (which combined totaled the cost of the game itself) whose only real draw was the inclusion of pokemon missing from the main game. But even with these DLC, the dex is still missing huge swaths of pokemon.    this game is a prime example on why you should only trust user reviews and never critic reviews.

    dexit nixed a ton of pokemon, including fan favorites. then gamefreak released two dlcs (which combined totaled the cost of the game itself) whose only real draw was the inclusion of pokemon missing from the main game. But even with these DLC, the dex is still missing huge swaths of pokemon. it leads me to believe that dexit was not only motivated by laziness, but by greed - the DLC was always the plan.

    the plot was nonexistent, and the games mechanics come nowhere near being able to make up for it. the main enemy team is completely unrelated to the main antagonist - the main antagonist whose motivations were nonsense and who was only revealed to be the antagonist in the last hour or so of this 20 to 30 hour game.

    im giving it one point to acknowledge the only good trait about the game: the setting design for the locations were all very strong. its the only strong thing about the game. if it werent for PLA i would have been sure that this spelt the end for the pokemon franchise    … Expand
  21. manujm23
    Nov 3, 2022
    0
    No me gusta ningun juego de Pokemon, sus historias no valen nada, ah, enhorabuena a los nintenderos por el remake a 60 pavazos, que penita me dan, de verdad
  22. BritainButNot
    Oct 6, 2022
    3
    Having bought nearly every pokemon game (including spin offs, ) since coliseum, I was extremely excited to try out sword and shield. However, the game was probably my biggest disappointment on the Switch yet.

    One of my gripes was that the graphics look like the belong on 3DS or GC. While this isn't the most important thing in a game, it seems shameless considering its 1st party peers at    Having bought nearly every pokemon game (including spin offs, ) since coliseum, I was extremely excited to try out sword and shield. However, the game was probably my biggest disappointment on the Switch yet.

    One of my gripes was that the graphics look like the belong on 3DS or GC. While this isn't the most important thing in a game, it seems shameless considering its 1st party peers at Nintendo include visually stunning titles like Mario Odyssey and TLoZ: Breath of the Wild.

    Besides that, the presentation and story are at best bland and lazy. While there is the skeleton of a good game, it mostly felt cheap to me.    … Expand
  23. That0sy
    Sep 24, 2022
    2
    Pokemon sheild is wanna of the worst game I've ever played, First of all, the graphics is dog **** and this was made by Nintendo and game freak and they made games with beautiful graphics are amazing like Mario kart and legend of zelda and sometimes the graphics can look beautiful and what did pokemon sheild nothing like look at the trees they already have good trees like how game freak.Pokemon sheild is wanna of the worst game I've ever played, First of all, the graphics is dog **** and this was made by Nintendo and game freak and they made games with beautiful graphics are amazing like Mario kart and legend of zelda and sometimes the graphics can look beautiful and what did pokemon sheild nothing like look at the trees they already have good trees like how game freak. Now the story oh my god the story is so boring and bland I don't even know what the story is **** The animation omg the animation is dog **** **** pokemon is the biggest RPG franchise their net worth is 90 billion and they can't make good animation and they **** reused the animation.
    Ok, now gameplay.....its dog **** it's so easy just click the super effective one, and done it's so easy it's boring and the models of pokemon have the same models.
    and that's my review the game is dog ****    … Expand
  24. Third_Era
    Aug 25, 2022
    3
    This game is great if you are into competitive play; however, as a single player game it is absolutely dreadful. There is no challenge - the cave "systems" are literally a straight line - to keep the player engaged. At no point did I lose or even come close to thinking I could lose. It's crazy to think that the GBA games were better designed than a home console release 20 years later. IfThis game is great if you are into competitive play; however, as a single player game it is absolutely dreadful. There is no challenge - the cave "systems" are literally a straight line - to keep the player engaged. At no point did I lose or even come close to thinking I could lose. It's crazy to think that the GBA games were better designed than a home console release 20 years later. If this game didn't have Pokemon on the cover it would have been a commercial flop.… Expand
  25. Xaboss
    Jul 19, 2022
    4
    A simply bad game, bad graphics, dynamax sucks, bad pokedex, horrible plot...
  26. La_langosta
    Jul 2, 2022
    2
    He estado con Pokémon desde el principio y encuentro que este juego es la razón perfecta para abandonar la franquicia. Pensemos en esta franquicia como esa vaca famélica a la que nadie se atreve a carnear porque aún produce leche, Pokémon es así, no importan las malas críticas (muchas vienen de los fans más acérrimos a la saga), lo gastado de sus dos mecánicas ni del patético rumbo queHe estado con Pokémon desde el principio y encuentro que este juego es la razón perfecta para abandonar la franquicia. Pensemos en esta franquicia como esa vaca famélica a la que nadie se atreve a carnear porque aún produce leche, Pokémon es así, no importan las malas críticas (muchas vienen de los fans más acérrimos a la saga), lo gastado de sus dos mecánicas ni del patético rumbo que tomaron desde X & Y, nada de eso importa. Gamefreak está aquí para ganar dinero de la forma más sucia y perversa posible, vendiéndote un juego con gráficos de PS2, diseño de un juego de Gameboy y con la narrativa más estúpida que me haya echada a la cara desde el arco de la boda de Batman y Catwoman. Pokémon dejó de significar aventuras entrañables con tu mascota ficticia favorita para convertirse en una trituradora de sueños y esperanzas que produce dinero, dinero de fanáticos enfermos y recalcitrantes que se niegan a madurar y aceptar que Pokémon a estas alturas es basura. Diría que lo mejor que podemos hacer es dejar de comprar estas porquerías jugables pero ¿Para qué? si habrán hordas de pokétarados ahí afuera dispuestos a comprar hasta dos veces el mismo maldito juego. Pokémon está muerto, y Gamefreak lo ha matado. Le doy dos puntos porque el campamento pokémon está bonito y lo del curry la currydex se me hace original.… Expand
  27. HammerSeven
    Jun 27, 2022
    3
    Pokemon Shield isn't an awful game. There is some fun parts of the story, and the graphics aren't *that* bad. The pokemon franchise will always be fun in my opinion because the formula at heart is good, catch rare pokemon, complete your pokedex, battle other people ECT. However, in my opinion where the game really falls apart is in the difficulty, the game has no challenge and all thePokemon Shield isn't an awful game. There is some fun parts of the story, and the graphics aren't *that* bad. The pokemon franchise will always be fun in my opinion because the formula at heart is good, catch rare pokemon, complete your pokedex, battle other people ECT. However, in my opinion where the game really falls apart is in the difficulty, the game has no challenge and all the starters are way too overpowered. It makes it no fun to play, and it has no challenge.

    It also is the exact same as other pokemon games. I wish they would change the gameplay a little bit, make it open world or make fun puzzles or dungeons. Their really isn't anything different in this game then from the last... Also the animations are lazy, and they removed some pokemon from the national dex... So your favorite pokemon might not be there. Honestly, the only reason I would buy it is if I didn't already have a traditional pokemon game. 3/10.    … Expand
  28. Victorbalbo
    Jun 21, 2022
    3
    Basicamente um jogo de DS mas com preço de jogo AAA pra console. Mesma mecânica de sempre, gráficos muito fracos pra um jogo de console e toda a “vantagem” do mundo aberto se resumo a uma área nem tão grande assim.
  29. Kenoct
    Jun 8, 2022
    0
    It's a shame for the first entry on switch to be this lazy. The game looks like a wii game in 2019.
  30. Jofe
    Apr 30, 2022
    1
    The worst entry in the Pokemon series. The scenario does not exist, the characters are all mediocre. The roads are just straight lines without any level-design. The game is immeasurably ugly, though being pretty wouldn't change much at this point. Galar is the most insipid region in the series.
  31. julietfes
    Apr 14, 2022
    3
    A rushed, lazy, boring mess. There is almost no reason to buy this game, there is nothing fun about it. I love Pokemon but this game just makes me sad.
  32. Demi251700
    Apr 6, 2022
    4
    Lo bueno :
    Buenos pokemon , buena música , la crianza para el competitivo, Dinamax & Gigamax

    Lo malo
    pokedex recortada, personajes planos, animaciones de batalla pobres, malos graficos, muy corta la historia, pobre postgame, mundo semiabierto mediocre
  33. Patedus
    Mar 15, 2022
    2
    An absolutely pathetic game to add to a franchise with so much potential. Extremely disappointing.
  34. Black_S
    Feb 28, 2022
    3
    Not acceptable. Many bugs, lies, DLCs etc.
    It is 3DS like game at switch for full price.
    Gamefreak is burned.
  35. UltanCombo
    Feb 8, 2022
    2
    I feel so burned by this. Ive been a fan of this series since the beginning and this is a poorly put together and offers little new. Its your basic pokemon game set in a 3D space but takes no advantage of the 3D space. You have a fixed camera for most of the game. Why?

    I have a list of issues with this game and the pokedex doesn't crack the top 10. If your new to the series I'm unsure    I feel so burned by this. Ive been a fan of this series since the beginning and this is a poorly put together and offers little new. Its your basic pokemon game set in a 3D space but takes no advantage of the 3D space. You have a fixed camera for most of the game. Why?

    I have a list of issues with this game and the pokedex doesn't crack the top 10. If your new to the series I'm unsure if this will interest you. It feels like a low budget indie title but its made by a huge company who makes huge money from this series. This is a bizarre game.

    If I'm to be objective this is maybe a FOUR or a FIVE by I'm emotional so TWO. Don't bother with this.    … Expand
  36. fanmadeendings
    Feb 4, 2022
    4
    It's about as entertaining as any cookie cutter pokemon game, but never more than that. By far the most disappointing entry in the series, made by technically incompetent developers, and devoid of any meaningful content.
  37. dragonblade
    Feb 1, 2022
    4
    A bunch of half baked ideas put into one package. I will put as much effort in this review as gamefreak has put into this game.
  38. eljajas
    Jan 30, 2022
    2
    El peor juego de toda la saga, excesivamente facil, muy lineal, no hay nada interesante en todo el mapa, y el area silvestre pese a estar muy bonita es aburrida y no hay nada mas alla de pokemon(poca variedad) arboles, y mierdas para incursiones . No le doy un cero por que el apartado grafico me parece bonito y el diseño artistico de escenarios es muy bueno tambien
  39. Federx
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    the wild area is actually pretty cute, but everything else is a huge downgrade (camp vs pokemon amie, pokejobs vs pokepelago etc), and the latter half of the game feels rushed and unfinished.
  40. 32fromdiscord
    Jan 29, 2022
    0
    Pokémon Sword and Shield are by far the worst entries in the series. There's not even a debate to be had about it. Anyone defending these games should reconsider their life decisions.
  41. Lil_Caucasian
    Jan 29, 2022
    4
    Very disappointingly dated for a Pokemon game. It feels like something that I would play on the 3DS, and even then that system had much better games. Sad to see such a great franchise stagnate like this.
  42. SnorlaxGeek
    Jan 29, 2022
    4
    Jogo feio, e pouco original. É um absurdo o que a Gamefreak está fazendo com a franquia Pokémon.
  43. Fireyoshi779
    Jan 25, 2022
    3
    Sword and shield is in my opinion a big downgrade to gen 7 like for example,the graphics are just a slightly better than gen 7's graphics but are almost the same despite one is being on the switch with almost ps4 level hardware,it only has 400 pokemon while gen 7 has 700 and getting somethings are harder a berry you want is so complicated if your trying to get a berry you want with theseSword and shield is in my opinion a big downgrade to gen 7 like for example,the graphics are just a slightly better than gen 7's graphics but are almost the same despite one is being on the switch with almost ps4 level hardware,it only has 400 pokemon while gen 7 has 700 and getting somethings are harder a berry you want is so complicated if your trying to get a berry you want with these berry trees while in gen 7,you could just grow a bunch of what berry you want.And because pokemon games come out every year and get the least care out of the other nintendo mascots,you'll end up with a rushed mess,… Expand
  44. FROSTYDEVIL08
    Jan 11, 2022
    0
    Terrible, just so boring with too many bs mechanics. Such a terrible experience and no one should play it.
  45. HildaSimp5
    Jan 4, 2022
    3
    I was very excited for these games. I never cared one tiny bit about the National Dex or really any of its controversies. Playing these games, i did enjoy them, but thats the end of it. Ive tried to replay them, but each time i lost interest. Galar is immensly boring. I adore exploring the amazing routes of this franchise, but here, they are like linear corridors. The Wild Area is big, butI was very excited for these games. I never cared one tiny bit about the National Dex or really any of its controversies. Playing these games, i did enjoy them, but thats the end of it. Ive tried to replay them, but each time i lost interest. Galar is immensly boring. I adore exploring the amazing routes of this franchise, but here, they are like linear corridors. The Wild Area is big, but empty, lacking anything at all too do. Dynamax and Gigantamax got old fast and the weak story barely exists. I don`t need a complex story, but this was poor. Ill say that the design for the characters and Pokèmon where fantastic, the best since Gen V imo. Lost of new Pokèmon became my favorite and Nessa and Sonia are high quality waifus. None of this saves this game though. Its not close to being worth the money. They felt rushed, underdeveloped, lacking pretty everything i love about the series. From what ive heard, the best content in these games are in the DLC, but there is no way i am paying for what i belive should have been in the base games.
    The series has been on a steady decline for me since XY, but with these games, they have hit rock bottom for me and i feel like i am done with this franchise.
    Pokèmon SwSh manages to stand out as the most dissapointing games i have played in this franchise.    … Expand
  46. Reddytal
    Dec 28, 2021
    1
    El peor juego de toda la franquicia tiene una cantidad gigantesca de fallos que no me voy a poner ahora en nombrar, simplemente malísimo y sin alma. Si desconectas el cerebro es medianamente disfrutable pero en cuanto vuelves en ti y te das cuánta del desastre de juego que es te entran ganas de arrancarte los ojos.
    Soy fan de toda la vida de esta franquicia y solo puede decir que que es triste.
  47. dfq
    Nov 21, 2021
    4
    First of all I wouldn't recommend any parent to buy this game for their child or anyone for themselves. I regret having to write this review as I definitely wanted this game to be the best it could, just like the "professional" game critics wrote in their reviews, but Pokémon Sword and Shield just don't deserve to be praised like that. Not only did the developers of this game lie aboutFirst of all I wouldn't recommend any parent to buy this game for their child or anyone for themselves. I regret having to write this review as I definitely wanted this game to be the best it could, just like the "professional" game critics wrote in their reviews, but Pokémon Sword and Shield just don't deserve to be praised like that. Not only did the developers of this game lie about making new models and animations for every Pokémon from scratch (which they didn't do, because they just reused the EXACT models and animations of the 3ds, which are really bad to nonexistent btw), but they also filled the game with filler cut-scenes, slow-animations and barely any story. There is no real story in these games. At least nothing with any love put into while creating it. After beating the game I felt disappointed and couldn't believe I'm done already. There is almost nothing fun to do except the obvious catching of pokémon and beating gyms. Catching pokémon was still a fun grind in the beginning, but the really bad animations and the obnoxious slow speed of the battles sort of overwrote most of the fun after a while, especially with the boring background battle music, which is the same in every battle, for a couple of exceptions later in the game. In contrast to almost all previous games before and including Pokémon Black & White which I've loved, this game was bland and felt generic. Except for the fact that you can now play Pokémon on a big screen which is exciting and all, there is just barely anything good to say about Pokémon Shield (and Sword). The things I did like were the new Pokémon (even if some of them aren't very creative or exceptionally well designed, but they honestly don't have to be in my opinion, they were still cool and looked like Pokémon) and the fact that they have ported the game to a not exclusively portable game console. The central characters introduced in these games like Hop, Leon, Bede and Marnie felt strangely awkward, fake and most importantly shallow and didn't convince me at all. During the little bit of story there is I didn't sympathize with any of these characters and felt indifferent towards them which is unlike the Pokémon games before Satoru iwata's unfortunate demise.
    If I could exchange the current developer stuff of Game Freak, I definitely would, because playing these honestly bad successors to my favorite game genre breaks my heart and I just kept playing because I hoped it would get better which it didnt. This is sad for Game Freak and I hope that they realize this themselves and improve in the future.    … Expand
  48. Latios___
    Nov 18, 2021
    2
    So unfortunate to see a dexcut, hand holding, lack of interesting plot and introduction of Dynamax, a worse gimmick than Mega evolution. Overall subpar compared to all other Poke-titles.
  49. BL4D3M45TR
    Nov 1, 2021
    0
    This game is a **** Stain on the pants of the Pokémon Franchise.
    It is overpriced
    It was released at an unfinished state
    Its far to easy and short
    The DLC (which is also overpriced) doesn't save things
    The plot is atrocious
    They randomly removed gameplay mechanics from previous titles.
    This game is awful, and nobody should play it.
    STOP PUTTING UP WITH GAMEFREAK RELASING MEDIOCRE GAMES!
  50. Suroguner
    Sep 5, 2021
    0
    What can I say about this game that hasn't already been said?
    Well for starters, a ton of pokemon you had to work for, stone evolutions, trade evolutions, location evolutions, are now just wandering around on map waiting for you to catch them. No more need to go and talk to anyone to get a Steelix. It's right there in the field.
    Pokemon are completely missing from the code and this    What can I say about this game that hasn't already been said?
    Well for starters, a ton of pokemon you had to work for, stone evolutions, trade evolutions, location evolutions, are now just wandering around on map waiting for you to catch them. No more need to go and talk to anyone to get a Steelix. It's right there in the field.

    Pokemon are completely missing from the code and this hurts pokemon home as a result. Because you don't know what pokemon can or can not be transfered in, you now risk trapping pokemon from the older games or pokemon go in pokemon home with no way to get them out! This is a real problem if you're a free home user as you only have a single box of 30 spaces and each trapped pokemon is one less space you can use.

    The story is not that good either. Instead of being the protagonist you're the NPC who comes in to save the day at the last minuet and not in the fun way.

    The DLC makes an overpriced $60 game even more over priced at $90, and it still FAILS to bring back the rest of the pokemon!

    I bought this game used because of the whole mess this game turned out to be in 2019, and as a result I would recommend you stay clear of this game and the upcoming Legends Arcus and Brilliant Diamond and Shining pearl too.    … Expand
  51. Attred
    Sep 1, 2021
    0
    You are racist. You could only translate texts and menu items into Russian. But instead, you decide to ignore the Russian-speaking community once again, guided by your racial prejudices about the ability of the Russian population to pay. You sell the game on the territory of Russia and I pay good money for this game. When hundreds and thousands of Russians are paid, is that not enough forYou are racist. You could only translate texts and menu items into Russian. But instead, you decide to ignore the Russian-speaking community once again, guided by your racial prejudices about the ability of the Russian population to pay. You sell the game on the territory of Russia and I pay good money for this game. When hundreds and thousands of Russians are paid, is that not enough for you? The racists!… Expand
  52. retr0_1992
    Aug 19, 2021
    1
    This game is lazy, not for the pokedex, for everything else.
    The story is bad, the combat is the same as always but with a new stupid mechanic... Awful
  53. zhekon03
    Aug 17, 2021
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. 2021 год а русского языка нет, зато реклама с русской озвучкой, неплохо, а так тяжело выделить переводчика для этого хотя игра и нет так велика как кажется.… Expand
  54. Trevaskisschar
    Aug 6, 2021
    0
    Probably one of the worst games I have ever played and the visuals hurt my eyes and looks like something from the game cube this game is a massive step down from sun and moon
  55. 7thru7
    Aug 4, 2021
    3
    This game has significantly less depth than essentially every other Pokémon game. There are fewer Pokémon (while being on a more advanced system), less of a story, especially the post-game, and fewer animations for some reason. There are 10 routes and the gym battles and process feel so gutted. The world feels small which is inexcusable for a well-developed franchise making use of a newerThis game has significantly less depth than essentially every other Pokémon game. There are fewer Pokémon (while being on a more advanced system), less of a story, especially the post-game, and fewer animations for some reason. There are 10 routes and the gym battles and process feel so gutted. The world feels small which is inexcusable for a well-developed franchise making use of a newer and more powerful system. For many people, hearing about the national dex's removal is not much of a talking point, but to me when they removed so many Pokémon and then had the audacity to add DLC Pokémon shows to me there was no care put into this game for the community. Perhaps one can find a modicum of entertainment for a short period of time playing this game, but ask yourself is it really worth all that is happening to the franchise? I personally feel as though this is true beginning of the end for Pokémon. "So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay." - Robert Frost… Expand
  56. Jullai
    Jul 10, 2021
    4
    I tried to enjoy it, but I ultimately found it to be too easy and linear. Parts of the game seem lazily slapped together, and the story is lackluster. It's OK because it's still a pokemon game where you can fight and collect, but it needs some love put into it.
  57. Moxiberry
    Jul 5, 2021
    1
    This game is **** Awful, I played it on release and I did have fun but the the flaws really show through the towns and routes are do bland and uninterested the game looks awful it looks ok in some areas but it's mostly awful and the game is so easy to boot, this is one of the most brain dead pokemon games I've ever played
  58. Niwai
    Jun 11, 2021
    2
    Нет русского языка. Игра и так не шедевр, а без русского вообще шлак. Русский язык третий в мире, но разработчику пофиг.
  59. Ibuki_7731
    Jun 1, 2021
    0
    Laziest game ever made. No passion or love given to this game. This is the perfect example of a rushed product all for the sake of making money as fast as possible. Game Freak has no excuse since they're a multi billion dollar company.
  60. snocown
    Jun 1, 2021
    4
    A heartbreaking experience. Not even counting the Pokémon cut from the dex. Such a hand holdy experience. Too linear.
  61. TruthfulGamer67
    Jun 1, 2021
    0
    This game is **** and Garbage Pokemon hasn't been good since Gen 2

    If you want a good Monster Hunter play SMT
  62. manuel812
    May 29, 2021
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Es un juego pésimo primero de todo es juego es SUPER fácil ya al comenzar te dan una cantidad de dinero absurda segundo el repartir XP es un desastre ya que entre el repartidor, los absurdos caramelos de XP y los pokemons a niveles absurdos en el área salvaje tu equipo siempre va a ir tipo 10 niveles por encima de los enemigos aparte de eso casi todos los npc te regalan items por la cara después la historia es una mierda primero de todo no hay ningún equipo villano porque me rehusó a llamar equipo villano a la mierda de team gel o como se diga y el villano final no tiene sentido porque como la crisis pasara dentro de 1000 años en ese tiempo la tecnología podría mejorar y solucionar todo aparte cuando lo vences el te APLAUDE wtf le acabas de arruinar el plan y el se alegra wtf aparte de eso es el juego con las rutas mas simples y lineales el 99% de ellas son puro pasillo aparte de eso tira a la mierda a los movimientos z a la megaevolucion y al ultravuelo para agregar a putos pokemons grandes por cierto los gráficos son asquerosos parecen de 3ds sin mencio lo unico bueno del juego es el competitivo… Expand
  63. HaydemRWyat
    May 11, 2021
    0
    I have to pay money to get DLC so I can get access to my favorite pokemon

    I don't like the animations at all, we were clearly told "we are delaying the game to improve upon battle animations for the game, pokemon black and white have better animations than this game, and that one is over 10 years old the story is garbage along with the fact that the music is just plain bland and    I have to pay money to get DLC so I can get access to my favorite pokemon

    I don't like the animations at all, we were clearly told "we are delaying the game to improve upon battle animations for the game, pokemon black and white have better animations than this game, and that one is over 10 years old

    the story is garbage along with the fact that the music is just plain bland and boring

    the starters are horrible fugly.

    A complete waste of money to be honest. I grew up with this franchise but I just haven't had fun with it since generation 5. I fell lied to and betrayed. This game is a disappointment. and I only play it because I don't have a DS anymore    … Expand
  64. MaddoxWhite
    Apr 24, 2021
    1
    There are so many things wrong with this game.
    The graphics. The national dex. The gameplay itself.
    I don't have much to say that hasn't been said already.

    The fact that this even exists makes me want to not even buy New Pokemon Snap.
    But I'm a sucker, so I already preordered it.
  65. Payson
    Apr 21, 2021
    0
    I really only hate the game this much because of the horrible fanbase. It's an ok 5 or 6 out of 10 normally. The wild area specifically was really fun. The story was, as usual, halfhearted, filled with plot holes, and given way too much spotlight. Graphics were Terrible with a capitol T. The New pokemon designs are cool for the most part. Like I said, an ok 5 or 6 out of 10. I'd pay 40I really only hate the game this much because of the horrible fanbase. It's an ok 5 or 6 out of 10 normally. The wild area specifically was really fun. The story was, as usual, halfhearted, filled with plot holes, and given way too much spotlight. Graphics were Terrible with a capitol T. The New pokemon designs are cool for the most part. Like I said, an ok 5 or 6 out of 10. I'd pay 40 dollars for this

    The Problem is the mouth-breathing fans who swear on this game like the bible. If you so much as even suggest that this game is a 9 out of 10, these fans will cover their ears, start screaming and spewing out uninformed garbage, and discounting all valid points because you are a "hater", and apparently that invalidates your opinion. It's gotten to the point where once respectable people like Joe Merrick have to constantly agree with these morons so they don't get torn to shreds.

    If you like this game, and can accept it is flawed, good for you. You're the exception. Congratulations. I just can't fathom people making fun of Karen's and how they can never accept they're wrong, and then vehemently defending this game from any and all criticism. This is why TrueGreen7 is currently the best Pokémon youtuber, and will probably always be. He likes the games, but never calls people who don't malinformed idiots who don't agree with him.

    This is why I'm giving the game a zero out of ten. to counterbalance at least one idiot who rated this game 10/10 out of spite.

    Inconclusion, everyone who blindly loves this game is
    A) a child
    B) someone who panders to children
    C) An idiot
    D) Has never played a good RPG. I recommend Earthbound.    … Expand
  66. thilg881
    Apr 4, 2021
    3
    1) The Good:
    - It's a pokemon game after all, if you liked the previous games, at some degree you will like this one too;
    - The soundtrack is great; - The pokemon design. 2) The Bad; - No challenge at all; - Too many exp items; - Too short; - No side quests; - No option to turn off the exp. share item; - Too linear and no exploration at all; - Unfinished graphics - The    1) The Good:
    - It's a pokemon game after all, if you liked the previous games, at some degree you will like this one too;
    - The soundtrack is great;
    - The pokemon design.

    2) The Bad;
    - No challenge at all;
    - Too many exp items;
    - Too short;
    - No side quests;
    - No option to turn off the exp. share item;
    - Too linear and no exploration at all;
    - Unfinished graphics - The Nintendo Switch could do A LOT better;
    - Poorly animated moves;
    - No National Pokedex;
    - Not dubbed;
    - The Wild Area is bland;
    - Graphics pop in;
    - An expensive game for what is delivered.    … Expand
  67. Anatoma
    Mar 25, 2021
    0
    Wasted 60 doller on this... still regret buying it.
    The game had so much potential but the execution is poor
  68. Kennanady
    Mar 6, 2021
    2
    I was very excited for this game when it came out being an avid Pokemon fan, but boy was it a huge disappointment. I’d like to address its flaws:
    The online is horrible. Nintendo online has never been great, but this takes it to a whole other level. While in the Wild Area and connected to the Y-Comm, the game’s frequent lag-spikes and FPS drops to at times 5 FPS can be truly unbearable.    I was very excited for this game when it came out being an avid Pokemon fan, but boy was it a huge disappointment. I’d like to address its flaws:
    The online is horrible. Nintendo online has never been great, but this takes it to a whole other level. While in the Wild Area and connected to the Y-Comm, the game’s frequent lag-spikes and FPS drops to at times 5 FPS can be truly unbearable. They managed to downgrade true online system that the 3DS had already well-established. The graphics are nothing short of lazy. The tree textures look fresh out of a PS2 game, not to mention the same poor Pokemon move animations that haven’t changed since essentially the original with Pokemon not even getting up close. How is a Pokemon using scratch going to show me a poorly animated claw effect that my Pokemon just summons that doesn’t even go near the opposing Pokemon?
    These are only a few of this games several horrific flaws—completely skipping over the story (with writing that truly does show how much of a rushed project this was, the post game is probably the worst wrote thing I have ever seen in a game), the limited amount of content in the base game and more. The only well-done original thing I can see from this game is Pokemon camp. This is where you can tell the animators had more time to give your Pokemon character and life rather than the soulless beings they are everywhere else. The cooking I also found to be quite fun and just watching your Pokemon interact with each other each with actual personality was definitely my favourite part. The game also has the huge national dex problem which was sought to be fixed by a poor and sloppy dlc that I won’t be talking about. Overall, very lacklustre and there are so many games out there on the switch that are just better. This was the game that truly told me to wake up and stop buying Pokemon, the franchise is running itself into the ground.    … Expand
  69. XXPX1
    Mar 4, 2021
    0
    This game had a lot of potential but sadly, fell short in almost every expectation.

    For context, the last game I've played was Pokemon Y and I'm about 10 hours into Pokemon Shield (1 badge to go). The big thing this game introduces is the Wild Area where pokemon roam the grasses and rare, high level pokemon can also be found. The first impression is great, however the more you play,    This game had a lot of potential but sadly, fell short in almost every expectation.

    For context, the last game I've played was Pokemon Y and I'm about 10 hours into Pokemon Shield (1 badge to go).

    The big thing this game introduces is the Wild Area where pokemon roam the grasses and rare, high level pokemon can also be found. The first impression is great, however the more you play, the shallower the experience becomes.

    The wild area flips from day to night instantly when 8pm/9am rolls around. The weather effects are so small in area and can touch each other that it can be very jarring as one battle might have hail and the next be a sandstorm.

    It would have been nice to see all the towns connected via the Wild Area or have multiple wild areas link the towns together. The routes feel very short with a lot of random dead ends.

    One big change is the inability to catch pokemon over a certain level until you have the badge. While I understand why they implemented this with the wild area, it seems kind of cheap. From my personal playthrough, I saw a Gastly which spawns in the 25-30ish range in the Wild Area but I wasn't able to catch it until I had the second badge despite my pokemon being mid-20's.

    The addition of the instant travel and being able to access your box anywhere combined with the fact that each route can be traversed in a matter of a few minutes removed any real threat or challenge from going to the next area. As a result, the camping mechanic was completely useless since you could either instant travel or simply bike to a pokecenter (which are never that far away).

    There are additional stream lining, such as every pokecenters featuring the shop and being able to remember moves. Sure, it's convenient but there is already so much convenience. The clothing and character customization is also very limited compared to what I remember in Y.

    From a technical perspective, the game has a really short render distance creating a lot of pop in. While it would be understandable in the wild area, with dozens of characters roaming around, it does it on the routes and in the cities as well. There is also terrible lag and framerate issues when the online mode is enabled...

    Speaking of the online experience... It's slow, inconvenient and just poorly done. It's surprising how poorly the Pokemon series has taken to online given the fact that Pokemon Red/Blue was, for many kids, the first time they would experience networked multiplayer, albeit extremely primitive.

    There is a lot more to talk about, such as the story (or lack thereof), only a subset of the total pokemon and the battle system being very slow and cumbersome.

    Overall, I'm disappointed. The game feels rushed and shallow, and with Mario and Zelda getting a completely fresh look and feel on the Switch, it would have been great for Pokemon to undergo the same process.    … Expand
  70. Tonico8
    Mar 2, 2021
    1
    I only could enjoy the first 2 hours, afterwards it's an empty game, the routes are shameful, and there's no sign of difficulty in any part of the game, except one or two exceptions. I've never felt more cheated
  71. Warbringer
    Feb 21, 2021
    1
    No story. No Pokedex. Not all Pokemon available. Only handholding. Content locked behind DLC. Content locked behind third party apps like "Pokemon Home" "Pokemon Bank" "Nintendo Switch Online". Gamefreak lied to all of us and they admited it.
  72. jar6
    Feb 18, 2021
    2
    Pokemon Shield (and Sword) are easily the worst in the franchise's history. The potential that a Pokemon game on the Switch has is incredible. This could have been one of the greatest games of all time. Period, full stop.

    BUT, GameFreak decided to just wing it this time. This game, to put it bluntly, sucks. The graphics are legitimately 3DS quality (arguably worse at times), the    Pokemon Shield (and Sword) are easily the worst in the franchise's history. The potential that a Pokemon game on the Switch has is incredible. This could have been one of the greatest games of all time. Period, full stop.

    BUT, GameFreak decided to just wing it this time. This game, to put it bluntly, sucks. The graphics are legitimately 3DS quality (arguably worse at times), the gameplay is the same as every other Pokemon game and does stand out, and this entry in the series is by far the most empty one. This is despite touting its expansive wild area as a selling point. Speaking of the wild area, it also sucks. When you're connected to the internet, you are moving at around 3 frames per century. And, as alluded before, despite being the largest area in a Pokemon game to date, it is barren of any content. The dynamax dens are cool for the first five or so raids. After that, it's just a slog fest and is honestly one of my least favorite parts of the game.

    I forgot to mention this point before, but now that I'm on the topic of the dynamax dens, it needs to be mentioned: the candies you get from these dens make this game so unbelievably easy. In fact, even without these candies this game is a breeze. Realistically, the only way to make this game challenging is by using a self-imposed ruleset known in the community as the Nuzlocke ruleset. This means, essentially, when you lose a Pokemon, it's gone for good. I could go on about the difficult,y, but that is one of the most cited issues.

    In fact, everything I've brought up has been talked to death. However, I think a less common insight (while still being pretty well-discussed) is how this game's mechanics translate to the competitive side of the game. Dynamax is a terrible mechanic. Ever since mega evolution, Pokemon's gimmick mechanics have been getting worse. Mega evolution was actually a pretty cool opportunity to give weaker Pokemon the boost they need to be competitively viable (did this happen? No, but you can thank GameFreak for this). Z-moves were kind of a mess and spawned a lot of annoying builds (i.e. Z-Geomancy Xerneas). However, topping the faults of both of these mechanics is Dynamax/Gigamax. This ability, on its face and in concept, should be the best gimmick. However, the implications of stat-boosting moves, doubled health, and the fact that any Pokemon (including already broken and overpowered ones) have access to this makes it terrible to play against and not that exciting to use either.

    Finally, perhaps the worst transgression that this game has made is the $60 price tag. Now, I would understand $60 if this was the greatest Pokemon game in the history of the planet. However, I believe that this is the opposite. This is the worst Pokemon game in the history of the planet, and I'm including Pokemon GO, Let's GO, and Pokemon Rumble Blast in this history. Charging the player $60 for a bad 3DS (at best) is one of the most insulting things I've ever seen a company like GameFreak do. On top of this egregious pricing, GameFreak has the audacity (THE AUDACITY!) to charge money for DLC that should have been in the game on release, bumping up the price for the (full) game to $90 ($60 for the base game and $30 for the expansion pass which gets you Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra). I will not address the Isle of Armor or Crown Tundra DLC expansions for two reasons: this section of Metacritic is for the base game of Pokemon Shield (and Sword) and I was smart enough not to buy the DLC.

    In summation, Pokemon Shield (and Sword) are easily the worst games in the franchise. I credit this label to numerous parts of the game that are either low quality or obstruct good parts of the game (the general Pokemon game formula). This game is not worth buying. Please, value your voice as a consumer and don't encourage lazy, greedy behavior in the gaming companies which are supposed to cater to YOU. I understand that companies are greedy by nature and will cut corners if possible, but you are able to hold them accountable with your dollar. So, PLEASE, do not purchase either game in this installment in the franchise. You are better off playing a fanmade rom hack (this is not to insult these games, they are sometimes better than most of the mainline games) and have an exponentially greater amount of enjoyment. Thank you, do not buy these games, be well.    … Expand
  73. hammyG
    Feb 8, 2021
    1
    The weakest games from the mainline Pokémon series yet. Developed entirely by greed, truly these games are proof that evil still exists in the world. Skwovet's pretty cute though.
  74. GameFriet
    Feb 2, 2021
    0
    For a Switch game Compaired to Mario Zelda DragonQuest it was not that good..
    The game feels behind in Year 2010
    Where is the exploration, difficult and good story?
  75. Jejeff
    Jan 23, 2021
    0
    Gamefreak stopped in 1996. Terrbile technical issues, animations and lacks challenge.
  76. Gio00
    Jan 13, 2021
    1
    Such a shame for pokemon legacy to be so poor and lazy this game..0 Creativity and the skills you ve got to have for this game is a 2years old kid
  77. Kchewz
    Jan 6, 2021
    4
    $80 price tag, $20/year pokemon home subscription, two $30 DLCs. Yet the quality and functionality from the 3DS pokemon games are equal, and these games costed $40... Both Sword and Shield have its pros such as cool new pokemon, incredible music and DLCs were more memorable and enjoyable than the base game. But poor graphics, boring dynamax mechanics and dynamax raids, the mobile camp etc.$80 price tag, $20/year pokemon home subscription, two $30 DLCs. Yet the quality and functionality from the 3DS pokemon games are equal, and these games costed $40... Both Sword and Shield have its pros such as cool new pokemon, incredible music and DLCs were more memorable and enjoyable than the base game. But poor graphics, boring dynamax mechanics and dynamax raids, the mobile camp etc. were all lacklustre. For the largest franchise in the world, expectations were much higher. For someone who grew up playing Pokemon Battle Revolution in 2006, I was expecting this type of quality at the very least.… Expand
  78. rst1
    Jan 5, 2021
    3
    It is a pretty bad game, but not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. It had some genuinely good features such as the wild area, and the DLC wasn't bad either as gamefreak has clearly shown some improvement such as using render distance on the three galarian birds, and the raid battles were pretty cool despite how utterly broken dynamax is. But now that I am done talking about the goodIt is a pretty bad game, but not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. It had some genuinely good features such as the wild area, and the DLC wasn't bad either as gamefreak has clearly shown some improvement such as using render distance on the three galarian birds, and the raid battles were pretty cool despite how utterly broken dynamax is. But now that I am done talking about the good parts, let's move on to the bad. Allow me to start with the elephant in the room, and say that the dex cut was a dumb decision, and it was unforgivable. Despite the flaws in past gens, the fact that as long as I got to play as my favorite pokemon feraligatr, it wasn't really a problem for me all that much. But now that this switch title has been released, and I still don't get to battle with my favorite pokemon, and many others such as ampharos even with the DLC patch makes the experience pretty unforgivable. The game was so souless, and boring that even game critics such as IGN said that pokemon sword, and shield was one of gamefreaks more souless games. Also, lets talk about the lack of difficulty. By the time I got to the first gym I was easily 10 levels above everyone with a genuinely good team build. I wish the game would stop holding my hand, and let me roam around. I wish the game was more challenging. Believe it or not, not all kids want their hand held, and not all kids want an easy game. Challenge is what makes a game fun, and memorable. Challenge in video game teaches kids to perservere. Sure a childs attention span might be low, but there persistence is high. How do I know this you ask? It's because I was once a child myself. Also, we need to address the poor map design. It was so linear, and it was such a point A to point B experience even with the wild area. Going to one gym to the next, getting my hand held, damn near unable to explore anywhere else, and the pointless roadblocks created a janky, and restrictive experience.

    Overall, the game is piss poor, but definitely not as bad as others say it is, and I have high hopes for the next title.    … Expand
  79. CurriMan
    Jan 4, 2021
    2
    My expectations were really low, and it still dissapointed me.

    The game takes out a lot of stuff from previous titles and gives really little back, the only way I found to make this game even a little difficult is by imposing limitations yourself, wich is really underwhelming. Most of the stuff in the DLCs and the other services this game requiers you to have for you to enjoy it as    My expectations were really low, and it still dissapointed me.

    The game takes out a lot of stuff from previous titles and gives really little back, the only way I found to make this game even a little difficult is by imposing limitations yourself, wich is really underwhelming.

    Most of the stuff in the DLCs and the other services this game requiers you to have for you to enjoy it as it was supposed to is stuff that was included with the purchase of games that came long before it, and even then most things are poorly optimized and really leave a lot to be desired.

    The "plot", gameplay and several aspects of the game are really underwhelming, even with the standards that the last few titles have set. The game doesn't rival the grafic capacyties of most switch games, and the plot doesn't even get close to other pokemon games that came more than a decade before it, everithing in the game seems really artificial, you don't get rewarded for exploration and most times random NPCs will pop up and drag you in the direction required for the game to progress, most of the adventure and region comes out as linear and really unnatural, when I, for example, came across people repairing or doing contruction works in a route, that served as a roadblock and also felt natural in it's enviorment, but when i come across a random corvinight in the middle of nowhere blocking a path, that feels really forced and artificial.

    The dinamax mechanic, as mos other recent gimmicks, is absurdely broken, and the fact that it can be used by any pokemon without any restriction or downside really hurts. The other gimmicks in the franchise at least had some limitations and downside, but this one is just plain broken.

    In a nutshell: SW/SH are really underwhelming pokemon games and even with their DLCs and punchrasable content, they don't mach any spectations and come out as lame and unidimensional.    … Expand
  80. JohnnyBanana99
    Dec 31, 2020
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Before starting my review, I want to say that I had good expectations for this game before playing it, as these are the first main pokemon games on a home console I was expecting a huge revolution for the saga. Addressing some issues, I think the pokedex cut was necessary, there are now too many pokemon and this was going to happen sooner or later (that doesn't mean GF can lie though). Reusing models is not that big of a deal they are well made... What I’m saying is I don't hate this game because of controversies, I just want to review this game as any other game... and I must say it's a disaster, it doesn't hold up in any department.

    *EXPLORATION: My biggest issue with this game. For me pokemon was always a game about exploring the world around you but in this game and just like in pokemon sun&moon routes feel like corridors except this time it feels more accentuated without any hidden paths nor mistery. Routes' only purpose in this game is to connect point A to point B unlike any other pokemon game where you could find other sub-areas like the power plant in gen 1 or shoal cave in RSE for instances.
    As for the Wild Area, it's completely empty and spreading some pokeballs over the place with useless items doesn't solve the problem, everything mildly interesting in this area is just decoration like the watchtower ruins or the lake of outrage. The wild area is just a flat terrain with the layout of an "old times route" (you can't just call it “route” since now it means corridors) and with the false impression of "open world" they give you by letting the player handle the camera.
    Lastly, towns and cities are full of inaccessible buildings and there’s nothing to do other than buying items or clothes and beating the gyms.

    *COMBAT: So as everyone says the game is easy you already know what I’m going to say: exp share bad, rival gets the weaker starter to yours, Sonia gives you a ton of revives, etc. But i want to focus mainly on dinamax and gigantamax.
    They should have sticked to megaevolution, I already thought that Z moves were a "nuke button" but now with dina/gigantamax you get 3 turns of that. Megaevolutions at least were more circumstantial in the sense that it changed the pokemon's typings, abilities and stats in a way that sometimes it could play against you (for ex: pokemon losing speed, gaining weaknesses due to the typing changing, etc), on the other hand dina/gigantamax is just a power boost that makes you win instantaneously without any negative consequences

    *PLOT: Almost non-existent, and the story is told almost entirely in speech bubbles by Sonia. The plot is driven by a boring villain with stupid motivations.

    *CHARACTERS: I'm unable to care for any of the 3 rivals, Leon doesn't have a personality, Sonia doesn't let me go anywhere without talking for over 3h, Rose is stupid, Oleana's personality is that she's Rose's assistant, the Gym leaders are OK, just OK, and don't get me started on the royalty brothers from the postgame, they are unbearable.
    *ANIMATIONS: I won’t say much but there are only 2 combat animations for each pokemon which doesn't look good for a good part of the moves. Outside of battle you will see a lot of moments where the screen fades to black to avoid animating the characters, there are moments where the screen doesn’t even fade to black and the characters are still not animated.

    *MUSIC: Probably the best thing of this game but still (and this is to my liking), the music sounds cheap, as in it is mainly made by computer and not instruments, in previous games you could already hear orchestrated themes, in Sw&Sh you get very generic rpg library themes.

    *POSTGAME: Lacking, the episode of the royal brothers is poorly written, boring, and even frustrating at some point, once you finish it the only thing left is the battle tower.

    *CONCLUSION: It’s a boring and rushed game without any incentive to ply it other than "it's pokemon", and it's a terrible game, nobody should defend this; it fails as an RPG, as an open world, as a game by home console standards, but as a pokemon game apparently not because people would buy anything that says “pokemon” in the title. This game would still be a bad game even it had come out for the Gamecube, it makes some mistakes that are unforgivable for any game. I could keep highlighting bad aspects of this game all day: performance issues, graphics, character customization, pokemon camp, the curry mechanic which CONTRIBUTES NOTHING TO THE GAME, immersion, etc. There are a lot of issues I haven’t talked about that I despise in this game, but I think these are the most important aspects to highlight.
    I won’t talk about the DLCs because I haven’t played them, but since it must be built from the base this game has established, I doubt making 2 new areas and introducing some pokemon is going to change this game’s problems.
    I give this game 1/10 (and not 0/10) because it has Yamper and I love corgis.    … Expand
  81. SwShDie
    Dec 28, 2020
    0
    When will this game be succeeded?? GameFreak cut corners in order to make the 2019 release date as it seems they release a mainline Pokemon game every year. But lo and behold, this steaming, half ***-ed pile of a game is still the current main game as 2020 is ending. We want a new main Pokemon game in order to leave this one to rot away (and to get the bad taste out of our mouths if GameWhen will this game be succeeded?? GameFreak cut corners in order to make the 2019 release date as it seems they release a mainline Pokemon game every year. But lo and behold, this steaming, half ***-ed pile of a game is still the current main game as 2020 is ending. We want a new main Pokemon game in order to leave this one to rot away (and to get the bad taste out of our mouths if Game Freak doesn't mess up that one too). Even a month with Sword/Shield is far too long.… Expand
  82. Joeycapss
    Dec 22, 2020
    1
    Absolute **** excuse for a Pokémon game, I’ve seen higher quality animations and visuals in GameCube games from 20 years ago, need some serious restructuring at gamefreak cause they have no idea what they’re doing anymore
  83. Letholdus
    Dec 21, 2020
    0
    This game is trash and so is the company. Lazy and greedy. No depth to the story. No character development. Subliminal Satanic Temple signs throughout the game. Battle Tower shows that the company condones cheating being that it's pokemon cheat against the player. Lost to a Charizard using Gyarados, Mewtwo, Volcanion. All of which were maxed out right with EV's and natures. Just a sickThis game is trash and so is the company. Lazy and greedy. No depth to the story. No character development. Subliminal Satanic Temple signs throughout the game. Battle Tower shows that the company condones cheating being that it's pokemon cheat against the player. Lost to a Charizard using Gyarados, Mewtwo, Volcanion. All of which were maxed out right with EV's and natures. Just a sick waste of time. Shame on you GameFreak. Shame on you.… Expand
  84. JackReviews
    Dec 20, 2020
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I bought both Sword and Shield and was very underwhelmed. The game could be very ugly at some points, there was 0 game after catching the legendarys, and half time game was DLC. The game was also VERY easy I only lost twice once to Leon once to the dragon gym leader. Yes you can do a nuzlock and it’s very fun but that’s self imploded rules not the game. I don’t think it was worth the 60$ price tag and I wish I hadn’t bought both. If you want to play it be my guest but if I were to recommend a Pokémon game it wouldn’t be this one.… Expand
  85. Otts
    Dec 20, 2020
    0
    Unfinished product sold with cut content at a full price. Glitchy and disrespectful with its consumers and fanbase. A loveless cashgrab rushed to the market from the highest grossing media franchise in the planet. Underperforming software for the current generation standards. Shameless and sad.
  86. honchkrow_lover
    Dec 14, 2020
    3
    very lazy and mediocre game , for a triple A game it feels like a half assed $20 indie game
  87. StarLorder
    Dec 2, 2020
    0
    Absolute **** a fan of pokemon since im 5 yo,but gamefreak simply doesnt give a crap anymore for the games.
  88. prakx9
    Nov 26, 2020
    3
    Un pokemon malo,corto, con unos gráficos feos y con un rendimiento malo también. Han quitado pokémon's para meterlos en el dlc (que es contenido recortado).
  89. vitin
    Nov 5, 2020
    3
    O jogo tem pontos positivos e eu consegui me divertir bastante com ele, mas a preguiça da Game Freak deixa ele ainda mais odiável. Os gráficos lembram o DS, a National Dex em si é um problema enorme, a história é bem mais simples que os outros Pokémon e ele acaba sendo bem curto. Pro preço dele, não diria que vale a pena, melhor comprar algum jogo anterior.
  90. GingerLoves
    Oct 25, 2020
    3
    It is the same box standard pokemon game as pokemon Red and Blue. The visuals have been updated (In some regards only slightly,) The basic gameplay loop is the same. The plot is non-existant, the online is quite disappointing. There are even frame rate drops at times. It seems like Gamefreak do not have enough staff to make a competent and satisfying game in the strict timetable theyIt is the same box standard pokemon game as pokemon Red and Blue. The visuals have been updated (In some regards only slightly,) The basic gameplay loop is the same. The plot is non-existant, the online is quite disappointing. There are even frame rate drops at times. It seems like Gamefreak do not have enough staff to make a competent and satisfying game in the strict timetable they have to uphold. If you own any pokemon games, you will have played this game before.… Expand
  91. SuperWooper
    Oct 22, 2020
    4
    A step in the wrong direction for the franchise. A game with huge potential and freedom of an open world map turned out to be completely empty and uninspiring. The flaws revealed during the introduction of the games in its early stages were forgivable at first, but now show how completely incompetent and lazy the development of this game is when absolutely none of those issues andA step in the wrong direction for the franchise. A game with huge potential and freedom of an open world map turned out to be completely empty and uninspiring. The flaws revealed during the introduction of the games in its early stages were forgivable at first, but now show how completely incompetent and lazy the development of this game is when absolutely none of those issues and graphical errors were fixed by release day.

    The cuts to certain aspects of the game, such as the pokedex, movesets, etc, were foreseeable at some point with the amount being added every generation, but are completely inexcusable when its predecessors from the 3DS era seem to have much more content in it with much less room to work with. Mega evolutions and Z-moves from earlier games were also cut to make room for the lazier concept of Dynamax and Raid battles, which is just a recycled ideas from Pokemon GO.

    While the new Pokemon designs from Generation 8 are, for the most part, some of the best we've seen in awhile, it doesn't save the fact that this game is the biggest disappointment seen from the franchise to date.    … Expand
  92. ObamaGames
    Oct 12, 2020
    0
    I wish this game was good but it just isn't. The story is mediocre, even by pokemon standards, fan-favorite features are consistently missing, the difficulty is nonexistent, animations are abysmal, graphics look like a 3DS game, and the Dynamax feature is a complete gimmick that exists for no reason other than to be shoved into advertising. Overall, Sword and Shield are just 3DS games thatI wish this game was good but it just isn't. The story is mediocre, even by pokemon standards, fan-favorite features are consistently missing, the difficulty is nonexistent, animations are abysmal, graphics look like a 3DS game, and the Dynamax feature is a complete gimmick that exists for no reason other than to be shoved into advertising. Overall, Sword and Shield are just 3DS games that are on the Switch. Not ObamaGames approved.… Expand
  93. xchrmoney
    Oct 5, 2020
    2
    Rapido e incompleto. post-game absurdo. Y online pesimo
    Cuando me lo compre tenia mucho hype y disfrute las primeras 20 h pero cuando me pase el juego no había otra cosa que hacer ni estaba la pokedex completa ni habia un online bueno como el online de juegos anteriores. Kenebfujsnjeifisjenoeuyfnfrk dibfrn ixbrnek k la is a good 7 for all the use of the web and the website itself is not    Rapido e incompleto. post-game absurdo. Y online pesimo
    Cuando me lo compre tenia mucho hype y disfrute las primeras 20 h pero cuando me pase el juego no había otra cosa que hacer ni estaba la pokedex completa ni habia un online bueno como el online de juegos anteriores. Kenebfujsnjeifisjenoeuyfnfrk dibfrn ixbrnek k la is a good 7 for all the use of the web and the website itself is not the same as the one who has the most excellent quality and quality and you can buy a new one 4 a great price and a great idea of how many you will need for the new year with a price for of your two products to make sure you your best product and for the selling of product and is the a leading supplier to for sale your business product in order with the highest quality and affordable quality of product for your home customers or with other any products that are available for purchase and sell or products to or from any from the manufacturer or from any other any manufacturer of products or services that are available in the following categories or by the seller or by the seller or by the manufacturer or manufacturer supplier of to provide information on the    … Expand
  94. Puma10
    Sep 26, 2020
    2
    Es un juego incompleto, mal programado y demasiado lineal, se hecha de menos los juegos hechos de la primera a la 5ta gen, donde se superaban cada juego, ahora se nota que hacen juegos por hacer
  95. Ceyarove
    Sep 17, 2020
    0
    como fui a perder mi dinero con este juego. pésima historia, dificultad inexistente, personajes nada interesante.
  96. pikminpro20
    Sep 13, 2020
    3
    Its a pokemon game...but not really I've played almost all of the other pokemon game and this one has significantly less content than them even though its a $60 console game. Even the wild area isnt actually very big (I explored the whole place in less than an hour) and the routes are incredibly linear to the point of even caves being a straight path. For reference in the original redIts a pokemon game...but not really I've played almost all of the other pokemon game and this one has significantly less content than them even though its a $60 console game. Even the wild area isnt actually very big (I explored the whole place in less than an hour) and the routes are incredibly linear to the point of even caves being a straight path. For reference in the original red and blue the first cave was 3 floors this game doesnt even have a multi layer cave. i dont really mind the dex cut but the game literally look like an upscaled 3ds game 90 percent of the time (That ten percent of the time is the camping minigame) the graphics could have been good just look at rescue team and poken tournament dx. One of the towns is just a gym and a pokemon center and the other ones arent really much better. The game really just feels rushed and thats about all there is to say about it.… Expand
  97. NakedWizard
    Sep 7, 2020
    4
    Pokemon Shield has great new pokemon designs, a few beautiful places and some nice new mechanics. But, overall, this game has so many problems that I simply cannot recomend it to anyone.

    Graphics and animations: It looks and feels exactly like a HD version of a 3DS game. That's not a metaphor, that's not a joke. Pokemon sword and shield are upscaled 3ds games. It is really disapointing    Pokemon Shield has great new pokemon designs, a few beautiful places and some nice new mechanics. But, overall, this game has so many problems that I simply cannot recomend it to anyone.

    Graphics and animations: It looks and feels exactly like a HD version of a 3DS game. That's not a metaphor, that's not a joke. Pokemon sword and shield are upscaled 3ds games. It is really disapointing to see those battles with almost no movement on the TV screen, and the characters animations are robotic and unatural in a way I've never seen in a console game.

    Difficulty is inexistent in this game. This is the easiest entry in the franchise and that says a lot. It is also one of the most handholding entries (comparable with sun & moon) and sometimes it seems like you are only pressing A.

    The wild area was the biggest promise of this game (and for god sake, it's only an open 3D area), but turns out it's only another big disappointment. This part of the game has big performance issues, including heavy pop-in, frame rate drops and terrible textures. Besides that, the area seems empty and there's not really much to do after you try the dinamax raid battles a few times (spoiler: these battles are boring too).

    Overall, the game feels empty, childish and unfinished. Unacceptably bad for a console game, even more if you consider it's one of the biggest and more profitable game franchises.    … Expand
  98. Maattio97
    Aug 30, 2020
    4
    Llevo jugando a este juego desde pokemon plata, y puedo decir que soy un gran fan. Tenia muchisimo hype con esta entrega, la decepción fue gigante. Ni termine el juego de lo aburrido que era, solo tienes que clickar sin parar y te lo pasas todo, la historia aburrida, 0 dificultad, la falta de los pokemon de generaciones anteriores, el dinamax no hace falta ni opinar de el... no saben conLlevo jugando a este juego desde pokemon plata, y puedo decir que soy un gran fan. Tenia muchisimo hype con esta entrega, la decepción fue gigante. Ni termine el juego de lo aburrido que era, solo tienes que clickar sin parar y te lo pasas todo, la historia aburrida, 0 dificultad, la falta de los pokemon de generaciones anteriores, el dinamax no hace falta ni opinar de el... no saben con que innovar y se estan cargando la saga. Es triste que prefiera jugar a juegos de hace 10 años antes que a las nuevas entregas. Parece que prefieren sacar juegos con los que contentar a niños de 6 años en vez de hacer un punto medio y gustar tanto a gente nueva como a los que llevamos amando esta saga desde hace mas de 20 años.… Expand
  99. NuiHarime
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    el peor pokemon de la historia, juego incompleto, sin contenido completo, pokedex incompleta. una basura
  100. joshuee
    Aug 26, 2020
    3
    pessimo in tutta la sua interezza (breve interezza)
    Post game nullo, tecnica pre 2010 e difficoltà inesistente... Zero chicche e solo corridoi
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Awards & Rankings

76
#76 Best Switch Game of 2019
3
#3 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 89 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 69 out of 89
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 89
  3. Negative: 0 out of 89
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Apr 30, 2020
    90
    Sword & Shield have a lot to love for old and new fans, and they're pure quality from top to bottom. [Issue #44 – January/February 2020, p. 72]
  2. GameCritics
    Feb 6, 2020
    75
    I enjoyed my time with Pokemon Sword and Shield, but I ended feeling conflicted. I appreciate many of the changes and felt that it generally respected my time, but I almost felt like a passive participant. The more complex gym challenges had a meatier role, but the narrative shouldn’t have been shoved to the side. Overall, I would recommend it to players who want to have a Pokemon experience, but this one won’t stick with me the way the older ones have.
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  3. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Jan 14, 2020
    78
    Pokemon Sword/Shield is uncharacteristically user-friendly: now there’s no need to backtrack half across the world to heal your entire team of pokemon or to get to a particular city, for example. [Issue#242, p.66]
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