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.
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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.
    Read full review
  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]
See all critic reviews »