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. Viivi
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game not fine grafics, but this a game with 10 Fu***g GB!
    Where all pokémon of Pokedex and where good grafics?
    And the region and the history game not is a impressive, this a generic game.    … Expand
  2. Zzz66
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    I hate gamefreak for this **** . Pls Nintendo buy Pokémon and switch the company. .
  3. Ikyey
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    This a simple pokemon game for switch. At least for me it let want more as to wish, if TVE future will be so the pokemon saga could be decreased
  4. GERKamil
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Nach zwei Tagen spielen schon einen lvl. 100 Pokemon trainiert und alle Orden gesammelt. Die meisten (wenn nicht fast alle) Pokemon findet man in kleinen "freien" gebiet weshalb das Reisen zu bestimmten Orten unnötig ist. Alle besiegten Dynamax-Pokemon denken nicht ein mal daran aus den pokebällen zu entkommen wodurch es super einfach ist sie zu fangen und die Bonus items die man dabeiNach zwei Tagen spielen schon einen lvl. 100 Pokemon trainiert und alle Orden gesammelt. Die meisten (wenn nicht fast alle) Pokemon findet man in kleinen "freien" gebiet weshalb das Reisen zu bestimmten Orten unnötig ist. Alle besiegten Dynamax-Pokemon denken nicht ein mal daran aus den pokebällen zu entkommen wodurch es super einfach ist sie zu fangen und die Bonus items die man dabei bekommt machen das Spiel auch super einfach.… Expand
  5. devilxs
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This was a very rushed game and took a big step back on some of the cool features of lets go, such as riding pokemon, or having them follow you.

    Gameplay is very linear and holds your hand the whole way through. Exploration outside of the 2 flat wild zones is non-existent. Your bike rides on water, and with no exploration, moves like surf/dig/cut/etc, have been removed from use.    This was a very rushed game and took a big step back on some of the cool features of lets go, such as riding pokemon, or having them follow you.

    Gameplay is very linear and holds your hand the whole way through.
    Exploration outside of the 2 flat wild zones is non-existent.
    Your bike rides on water, and with no exploration, moves like surf/dig/cut/etc, have been removed from use.
    Certain gym cities are unacceptably short and have 3 buildings.
    Pokedex was harshly reduced. Apparently in exchange for other improvements? (there are none)
    Graphics-wise, it's still behind it's time for a switch game. I think lets go looks better.
    Content is severely limited and being forced down 1 path while my "rival" checks in on me every 5 minutes left me very annoyed.
    Npc models were reused excessively. I've never felt like I was constantly seeing the same character over and over in previous games. Are there even more than 5 unique characters other than the main cast in this game?

    Overall, there's just been too many excuses, too many lies, and just downright disrespect by game-freak to release something like this at practically double the price of previous (content rich) handheld games. It's a slap in the face to fans everywhere and really gives Pokemon games a questionable future.    … Expand
  6. Gamefreakout
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Don't listen to the paid reviews, this game is utter garbage. I am giving it zero because for the first main series game on the switch for the "long time fans" this is a complete and utter failure. Terrible graphics/animations, boring/predictable story line and the game is deleting save files for other games. Game freak has lied to the consumers repeatedly about this game and need to beDon't listen to the paid reviews, this game is utter garbage. I am giving it zero because for the first main series game on the switch for the "long time fans" this is a complete and utter failure. Terrible graphics/animations, boring/predictable story line and the game is deleting save files for other games. Game freak has lied to the consumers repeatedly about this game and need to be called out. Avoid this game like the plague and we might finally get a capable developer to take over.… Expand
  7. kbrooks25
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Awful cut-ins and graphics, and a terrible cut to pokemon and moves. Honestly worse than the 3DS games.
  8. Sirasseater
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Uh oh stinky game. Low effort cash grab trash hope this game flops so gamefreak actually has to try with the next game.
  9. Namt
    Nov 16, 2019
    2
    Sorry, i really dont want to write a bad review, but i really have no choice i guess. This game is really bad and the developers didnt give any effort to program their game, its a shame. the animations are bad and reused over the years (from 2013 pokemon xy still the same animation), the graphics are not that good compared to newer switch games (hi nintendo 64 tree), a lot of bugs , a lotSorry, i really dont want to write a bad review, but i really have no choice i guess. This game is really bad and the developers didnt give any effort to program their game, its a shame. the animations are bad and reused over the years (from 2013 pokemon xy still the same animation), the graphics are not that good compared to newer switch games (hi nintendo 64 tree), a lot of bugs , a lot of pokemon got cut without any reason. they lied to their fans, they told they would cut the pokemon to create better animation , but where are they? if they didnt improve them, then what reason could they have to cut the pokemon? yeah its just laziness and greed after money. the worst pokemon game so far, and the reviews from sites like ign are a big problem, which lets me think they bought sites like ign to get a good review to lie to their fans again. they dont listen to their fans and only do what they want, why couldnt they just make this game 1 year longer to create something better? this game is a mess, i cant describe it really . just watch the videos on youtube, please dont buy this game and teach them a lesson! they cant do this any longer and get away with it, or do you want all pokemon games be like this? if no, then dont buy this! and also, they cut a lot of attacks and other stuff, and again, without any reason.… Expand
  10. Clockworkenergy
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Same as Pokémon shield, same problems. Lack of innovation or charm from the earlier titles.
  11. demo207
    Nov 17, 2019
    3
    With a new console at hand, obviously expectations for a full refresh are high. And yet again, they were not met. Being one of the highest grossing video game franchises ever, you’d think budget wouldn’t be an issue, as it isn’t. However, greed took place and wherever corners could be cut, they were. Same handholding linear story, same dated abysmal graphics that resemble textures fromWith a new console at hand, obviously expectations for a full refresh are high. And yet again, they were not met. Being one of the highest grossing video game franchises ever, you’d think budget wouldn’t be an issue, as it isn’t. However, greed took place and wherever corners could be cut, they were. Same handholding linear story, same dated abysmal graphics that resemble textures from 2002, same everything. The fact that fans were promised a ground-up refresh and that turning out to be a complete and blatant lie for a cash-grab just adds insult to injury. Really disappointed that lifelong fans can’t get redeem the benefits of supporting a franchise for so long. This game was a slap in the face. Do not waste $60 on a 2012 3DS port with updated cutscenes to make use of the Switch’s graphical capabilities. Believe the controversy. Where’s there’s smoke, there’s definitely fire.… Expand
  12. Crypt96
    Nov 18, 2019
    3
    Initially, the game is fine. The graphics seem to not have a poor resolution when you start off. For A nintendo switch game, everything should be clean. There are hiccups in FPS when entering battle while playing on the TV, but in handheld, the game runs smoothly, Ive only had a few drops in FPS. The render distance is abysmally bad. I have seen indie developed games with a larger renderInitially, the game is fine. The graphics seem to not have a poor resolution when you start off. For A nintendo switch game, everything should be clean. There are hiccups in FPS when entering battle while playing on the TV, but in handheld, the game runs smoothly, Ive only had a few drops in FPS. The render distance is abysmally bad. I have seen indie developed games with a larger render radius. The animations of the pokemon in the overworld are lifeless, and I feel they could have put more effort into make the pokemon world feel less like Pokemon GO, and more like other swtich titles (Breath of the Wild, for example, the creatures have some life and react more lively when you approach them) the animations in battle are subpar to previous titles, specifically the the attack animations. There are Nintendo 64 titles where the animations are far superior and more believable to this game. I dont mind the reused animations, what I do mind is saying you cut so many pokemon off from the game to say you were making new models and animations, when the only thing "new" are the gigamax models and the new pokemon to the Galar region. on a side note, I had high hopes for the Galar region Ponyta, because he is so cute and the Rapadash is so ugly. The same can be said with Wooloo. His evolution is so ugly. on a side side note, how can they pass the perfect opportunity to make a male and female Wooloo evo with a sheep and ram. (rant over) The companion is nice, but he is an idiot for the first battle. If I were him, I would want to be better than my friends. I would have picked the grass type to counter Sobble, but instead, he is the pathetic type who is programmed to be weak against you. he had two starting pokemon this time, thats new, but insignificant compared to the rest of the game as I progressed.

    The overworld suffers from the same fate of linear corridors, like sun and moon. the visuals are very colorful, but they distract you from the poor resolution you get from certain objects which throw your immersion off. the ground of the overworld reminds back in the PS2 days where the ground has poor resolution textures but the grass, that is thrown here and there, distract you from this. the damn trees get worse as you progress. you will find pretty trees and background props early on, but they get worse as you progress... why? why not fix all the trees, instead of the beginning few?

    I want to get back to the battling models because the pokemon are not scaled to size in the battle scene. we either grow a few sizes larger then our pokemon, or the pokemon get smaller, because every pokemon has about the same size in the battle scene. I am upset I spent money on this game after a while because my first gigamax, dynamax, whatever it is called, is awful. there is a significant performance drop in battle. the only other time I see my Switch have performance issues is in Xenobade Chronicles 2, when I am lvl 82+ in the Gormott province fighting the T rex looking monster with 8 or 9 vloffs hitting me because my AoE attacks aggroed them. In my example, there are 14+ high quality models that are animated very precisely to look as life like as possible, and the giant T-rex i am trying to kill that is larger than my camera zoomed out to max range that is also animated finely and lively. The last thing I want to point out is that only after all this, the Switch is also computing the huge amount of damage each unit is dealing to each other in a frantic race to keep the game from dropping below 26 FPS, its a mess (a fun, chaotic mess). All Pokemon sword and sheild have are 2 big models and the trainers. the models of the Pokemon are not lively or beautifully animated. they are just standing there and the game is not calculating anything, they are only in the idle pose. and the game stutters from this. How can the switch even have FPS problems when only loading 4ish models? After my first encounter with dynamax, I turned off my switch and sold my copy to some poor soul online. If the devs were not going to put their time into this game, then it is not worth my time. This is borderline "the game will sell because it is Pokemon." I feel like an idiot purchasing this game.    … Expand
  13. bettercritic
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    very dissapointed, i thought we were supposed to get an actual pokemon game after 'let's go', which was also a bad game.
  14. katttdillehay
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    I don't even know where to start. I've been playing pokemon since Pokemon Gold and Silver came out close to 20 years ago. I have never been more disappointed with a game in my life. Pokemon sun and moon were bad but this is just embarassing. Countless pokemon were cut so longtime fans can't even bring pokemon they've had for over 15 years with them into the new games. Mega evolutions and aI don't even know where to start. I've been playing pokemon since Pokemon Gold and Silver came out close to 20 years ago. I have never been more disappointed with a game in my life. Pokemon sun and moon were bad but this is just embarassing. Countless pokemon were cut so longtime fans can't even bring pokemon they've had for over 15 years with them into the new games. Mega evolutions and a crazy amount of content was cut for a rushed, lazy, disappointing game. Do not waste your money on this game that could barely be considered finished.… Expand
  15. Bojack349
    Jan 9, 2020
    2
    Unacceptable DLC price when the game is still stuttery online/doesn't really change the Pokemon formula.
  16. Xelfyy
    Jan 9, 2020
    2
    Historia pobre, personajes secundarios poco interesantes, te lo puedes llegar a pasar bien si le echas imaginación, el area silvestre está laggueadisima. Le hubiese puesto un 4, pero me entero de que van a sacar DLC'S... ENCIMA! se han cagado en la saga.
  17. Palomero3000
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Este juego fue apresurado y solo se hizo en mente para sacar dinero de manera facil sabiendo que su fan base pagarian por cualquier cosa sin importar la calidad del producto.
  18. pico901
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This game is simply not worth 60 not even half the price! GameFreak (Masuda) Lied to us for cutting 60% of the pokedex for ''better animations'' all we seen is some dynamax animations and RE USED battle animations! this is just a quick crashgrab! out of town the graphics are simply laughable unfinished and unpolished! The trees look worse then most ps2 games the rock textures wow! theThis game is simply not worth 60 not even half the price! GameFreak (Masuda) Lied to us for cutting 60% of the pokedex for ''better animations'' all we seen is some dynamax animations and RE USED battle animations! this is just a quick crashgrab! out of town the graphics are simply laughable unfinished and unpolished! The trees look worse then most ps2 games the rock textures wow! the rocktextures! there have been massive framerate issues in dynamax battles i saw a player fishing in a town area then when the battle came the background changed to the wild area! Inhouse battles get backgrounds simply not matching with the enviroment you just battle in a void. The gym missions are so easy to the point you can just walk to the other side without anything stopping you! You get so many potions revives and all that bullcrap u find it everywhere! the game is dumbed down so much with so many missing features. This game is unfinished and unpolished even pokemon lets go pika and evee are better polished and even looking better in alot of aspects. Gamefreak failed and i will never be buying anything pokemon related ever again! ''improved animations'' when my raboot pokemon used the move headbut and it kicked instead of actually headbutting this game is the fallout 76 of pokemon and the casual fanboys will never admit this shame on you! shame on gamefreak and shame on Nintendo for letting this come out! It's all about money these days and you can clearly see it TAKE THIS L gamefreak!… Expand
  19. FoolPhilosopher
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Lets talk beyond the obvious dexit controversy. This pokemon game highlights that Gamefreak does not think that the gaming demographic that wants challenge, variety, and quality is worth pursuing. The graphics are bland, the game refuses to let you be alone to breathe/explore for a moment, the difficulty is nonexistent even for a pokemon game, which are already traditionally pretty easy.Lets talk beyond the obvious dexit controversy. This pokemon game highlights that Gamefreak does not think that the gaming demographic that wants challenge, variety, and quality is worth pursuing. The graphics are bland, the game refuses to let you be alone to breathe/explore for a moment, the difficulty is nonexistent even for a pokemon game, which are already traditionally pretty easy. Make no mistake, this is Gamefreak phoning it in. There are so many game devs out there pouring their heart into their projects, and they are much more worthy of your time than this hacked out half-hearted garbage.… Expand
  20. Revoltado
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    - ~400 pokemon
    - movimentos apagados
    - Pokemon com tamanhos desproporcionais - Modelos antigos, por preguiça não mudam nem a posição dos pokemon desde a gen 6 - Soundtrack ruim no geral, com algumas exceções - 99% dos pokemon tem o grunhido do game boy - Endgame curto sem muito o que fazer - Gráfico bom, animações ruins e muitas vezes reaproveitadas - Pior liga de todas as    - ~400 pokemon
    - movimentos apagados
    - Pokemon com tamanhos desproporcionais
    - Modelos antigos, por preguiça não mudam nem a posição dos pokemon desde a gen 6
    - Soundtrack ruim no geral, com algumas exceções
    - 99% dos pokemon tem o grunhido do game boy
    - Endgame curto sem muito o que fazer
    - Gráfico bom, animações ruins e muitas vezes reaproveitadas
    - Pior liga de todas as gerações, e como resto do jogo também utiliza reaproveitação
    - Cooking system (gosto pessoal, odeio essa mecânica em todos os jogos)
    - Sem legenda pt-br
    - Preço alto pelo baixo conteúdo
    Estranho as revisões de sites "especializados", pois o jogo parece ser produzido para jogadores novos, minimizando os custos e priorizando os ganhos reaproveitando e cortando conteúdos    … Expand
  21. samuelglynnr
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    When considering that this is a Pokémon game for a Nintendo home console, it’s an embarrassment. Pokémon Coliseum and Pokémon Gale of Darkness for GameCube, two games which came out 15 years ago, are on par graphically and have better animations and scaling AND a better story (with a similar amount of Pokémon!). Literally look up an image of Wailord in Pokemon Coliseum and then look upWhen considering that this is a Pokémon game for a Nintendo home console, it’s an embarrassment. Pokémon Coliseum and Pokémon Gale of Darkness for GameCube, two games which came out 15 years ago, are on par graphically and have better animations and scaling AND a better story (with a similar amount of Pokémon!). Literally look up an image of Wailord in Pokemon Coliseum and then look up Wailord in Pokémon Sword / Shield and feast your eyes on the ineptitude.… Expand
  22. Rolawa
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    As somebody who has played this I can tell you it is not worth the buy. Especially at full price. It honestly is worse than previous installments in the series and fails to make use of the better hardware available in the form of the switch. Honestly if you want a Pokemon game on the switch play Let's Go. It somehow manages to be better than this. Story was uninspired and boring. Way tooAs somebody who has played this I can tell you it is not worth the buy. Especially at full price. It honestly is worse than previous installments in the series and fails to make use of the better hardware available in the form of the switch. Honestly if you want a Pokemon game on the switch play Let's Go. It somehow manages to be better than this. Story was uninspired and boring. Way too much handholding. No challenge and it results in a boring game. Camp was neat but felt like a mediocre version of Amie New Pokemon are kinda cool. Happy with the scorbunny line personally

    Graphics look worse than a Nintendo 64 game. Some lag. More than I would expect. Pop in is terrible. Makes the overworld pointless Characters are rehashed or not at all interesting

    Animations look like a pitch somebody gave to an animator but the animator died before fixing them

    The list of removed features were not improved upon or replaced. Dynamaxing was uninspired and often made the models look worse. Absolutely not worth the cost of the game. Fails to make use of the switch hardware. Game freak continues to fail to listen to what people actually want out of the games. It instead delivers poor rushed games that get worse with every installment    … Expand
  23. BadThingsHappen
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Pokemon Sword And Sheild are the worst games in the series, dont let THANKYOUGAMEFREAK and others like IGN lie to you, the models sre re-used, the game is overall very boring, the new pokemon forms (the only things that come close to new models) are boring and ugly, Skip this entry and wait for the next one with the full dex #Gamefreaklied
  24. LarsCramer
    Nov 17, 2019
    3
    CONS:
    The dex cut. You can't transfer non-Galar mons outside of a small handful. Pokemon Home is not a solution, I like my mons on a physical cartridge I own and not on a server who knows where. Pokemon Bank won't last forever, eventually it won't be possible to transfer from older games at all.
    Reused models. It would be obvious even if I wasn't actively thinking about it because of you    CONS:
    The dex cut. You can't transfer non-Galar mons outside of a small handful. Pokemon Home is not a solution, I like my mons on a physical cartridge I own and not on a server who knows where. Pokemon Bank won't last forever, eventually it won't be possible to transfer from older games at all.
    Reused models. It would be obvious even if I wasn't actively thinking about it because of you guys. It looks bad.
    The opening drags. Before you can challenge the gyms, you have to talk to like three other people.
    The game crashed. It only happened once, but I still prefer my AAA games to not crash.
    Characters disappear when you're far away. The only reason I didn't realize this was a problem at first was because I'm nearsighted IRL.
    The entire plot with the chairman. You go break into his building because the plot says so, then there's a weird non-animated cutscene, and finally an anticlimactic boss fight where the version mascots do most of the work.
    I'm about to fight the champion, and I don't feel anything.
    Postgame consists of a series of battles against Dynamax pokemon at gyms and a couple of rematches. Battle Tower is as barebones as they come.

    PERSONAL GRIPES:
    Hop is an idiot

    PROS:
    Random encounters were changed to be less annoying, and there are plenty of overworld encounters
    Most of the gym leaders have good designs and fun personalities (grass dude still looks weird tho)
    Bede and Marnie are alright rivals    … Expand
  25. EpicGamer420
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    We live in a society where gamefreak can get away with making a half baked game and changer 60 dollars. With only a fraction of old pokemon and not even 100 completely new pokemon.
  26. allewel2
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Overpriced now ($35x2 used to get you all of the game and now $60x2 only gets you 55%).

    GameFreak just needs to sell Pokémon and let someone else give it the attention it deserves.
  27. Ziop98
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Low quality graphics, Game Freak lied about dexcut connected to new models and better animation, the story is probably the worst for a main line pokemon game, no post game, bad soundtrack, just 3 legendary, new pokemon desgins suck. Probably is worse than LGPE, which was in my opinion the worst pokemon game until this
  28. QuarterLife
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Imagine making ~40% of a game, and then charging ~120% for it. That's Pokemon right now. This game is rushed, buggy, and overall an insult to anyone that has enjoyed the series before. You might consider it if it's your first Pokemon game, but if you have others in your library just keep playing them -- they're better.
  29. mrfrank79
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    a pesar de reciclar todo el contenido de 3ds, utilizar la misma bases de Lets Go, y tener un desarrollo de 3 años el resultado es la mediocridad en estado puro
  30. BlockFort
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    The release of Pokemon Sword and Shield sadly confirmed all the fears I've had during the build up to it's launch. I've been a huge Pokemon fan since its inception and always dearly loved this series, however the last couple of entries have been getting progressively worse when it came to aspects such as polish, removing features, difficulty, dungeon complexity, post game and many more. MyThe release of Pokemon Sword and Shield sadly confirmed all the fears I've had during the build up to it's launch. I've been a huge Pokemon fan since its inception and always dearly loved this series, however the last couple of entries have been getting progressively worse when it came to aspects such as polish, removing features, difficulty, dungeon complexity, post game and many more. My enthusiasm when it came to Pokemon slowly faded away. But I remained hopeful. Afterall Gamefreak promised us that Generation 8 would be "for the hardcore fans". And it would be the first mainline game on a home console, a huge step for the series!

    Despite my initial optimism for these new home console entries I couldn't ignore all the glaring and obvious problems that were observable in all the pre-release material. Graphical quality not even on par with last gen console games, complete lack of care and polish in regards to animation, reusing as many outdated assets as possible; and these were just the issues that were quickly noticeable from a first glance. But the more time passed the worse things got. The removal of basic features like the national dex and the subsequent cutting of over half of all Pokemon was the straw that broke the camel's back. The following PR disaster of justifying all of this with blatant lies certainly didn't help. I could go on but you get the point.

    And now here we are and Pokemon SwSh is exactly what is looked like it was going to be; a soulless, unpolished and short mess of a game not worthy of belonging to the most successful multimedia franchise in the world. I think the Eurogamer review said it best when it used the new Dynamax mechanic as an analogy to SwSh themselves: "Pokémon Sword and Shield project a sense of scale and ambition far beyond any previous ones in the series, but to take it back to those gargantuan new Dynamax forms, the size is merely a shadow. A shallow projection, in place of the real thing."    … Expand
  31. koophakuna
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    We need more pokemon We want better visuals
    We want a real pokemon game in Switch
  32. someactorkid
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This game is a massive disappoinment. The animations are incredibly lack-luster, the reuse of assets is embarrassing, and overall, Game Freak's heart just doesn't seem to be in these games anymore. I wanted this game to be good and to succeed, and I stayed positive despite all the backlash online, but this game has proven to be more than Game Freak could, or wanted, to handle.
  33. nikospant
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    In the beginning I was so excited about the upcoming games and the first couple of trailers seemed entertaining both in designs and the future of the game. As the time passed by, I was feeling less and less excited about the game and I will try to summarize the main points after having already finished the game after only 16 hours of gameplay, as an early copy arrived yesterday.In the beginning I was so excited about the upcoming games and the first couple of trailers seemed entertaining both in designs and the future of the game. As the time passed by, I was feeling less and less excited about the game and I will try to summarize the main points after having already finished the game after only 16 hours of gameplay, as an early copy arrived yesterday.

    Longevity and replay value:
    First of all, compared to previous Pokemon games, only 16 hours of gameplay to beat the whole game seems way underwhelming, especially considering that I caught all the new pokemons that I found, explored the Wild Area and passed through it as many times as deemed possible, as long as there was something interesting to day (Hint: there wasn't much). I feel that except the online component, there isn't much replay value to the games and I don't feel the need to play them again.

    The price tag: $60 compared to a $40 a couple of years back, for less amount of content seems way overpriced in my eyes.

    Characters:
    Most of the in-game characters seem bland, not interesting and especially the rival seems... not like a rival should feel. Even the Champion seems like a naive person the least .

    Plot:
    Easy, predictable, no depth, I really wonder if someone thought through the whole story from the beginning or was creating on the way..

    Difficulty:
    It is a pokemon game, I do not expect to have actual difficulties from a game designed also for children and here is the main point, mario odyssey is also designed for children and everyone can complete the game, but it also have more content, targeted on more mature audience with an actual difficulty to complete 100% of all the game aspects. There is no such option in this pokemon game. Exp.Share gets OP and all my pokemon are overleveled, even after switching all the overleveled ones mid-game.
    On the other hand, handholding and cutscenes in every route does not make me feel and experience the map as it should be and there is always someone telling me where to go, who to speak to and how to handle every aspect of the game without me feeling responsible for the decisions made in game at any level.

    Graphics:
    Graphics don't seem like an upscale compared to previous 3ds games and for being the first mainline game in a console, I would expect something better, for example natural-moving characters or introducing pre-rendered movie scenes in times where the movement seems unnatural (e.g. when the 2 legendaries turn around when they face each other). To get it even a notch further, voice acting in a mainline console gaming doesn't seem far fetched but they didn't even cover the basics so, that is too much to expect from what they have given us.

    Controversy:
    I am not gonna use any buzzwords, I totally understand about large number of designs logistics and that doesn't hinder my ability to play the game, so all the other reasons are why I give such a low score for the game.

    All in all:
    A pokemon game is never gonna be awful, because of the successful formula they have and because of the size of the franchise, but the way the company is going, we are never gonna have a truly great Pokemon game ever again (eg. HG/SS, Platinum, Emerald, B2/W2).

    It is not a 0, but anything above a 2 would be unfair, so my score is gonna be exactly that.    … Expand
  34. TioBizarro
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    It has barely content. Too easy, too short, no nat dex. Shame on you Game Freak.
  35. Pablo92
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    worst pokemon game to date. lack of content, bugged,no post game basically and lackluster animations.
  36. Eddieman
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Not worth the 60 dollars! You're paying for a couple of incomplete and glitchy games! Its just a copy and print 3ds version of the Pokemon games, but without the whole National pokedex
  37. JeanRiver
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. GameFreak Lied.Disappointed about this shxt work.I won't buy and Pokemon Game util they apologize and do something really matters… Expand
  38. Sneakybreeze
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Poor excuse for a pokemon game. Unfinished and undeserving of any sort of praise.
  39. Knabben
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    #GamefreakLiedToUs
    Charging 60$ for an incomplete rushed game should be a crime.
  40. Kiohara
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    jogo pokemon desde o game boy, essa minha nota não tem nada ver com natinal dex, é apenas uma critica pela preguiça de uma desenvolvedora gigantesca como a GF de fazer o jogo nas coxas e vender pelo olho da cara, zelda Breath of the wild é um exemplo do que se pode fazer no switch se tiver vontade, pokemon teve muita coisa reaproveitada das versões anteriores como movimento dos personagen,jogo pokemon desde o game boy, essa minha nota não tem nada ver com natinal dex, é apenas uma critica pela preguiça de uma desenvolvedora gigantesca como a GF de fazer o jogo nas coxas e vender pelo olho da cara, zelda Breath of the wild é um exemplo do que se pode fazer no switch se tiver vontade, pokemon teve muita coisa reaproveitada das versões anteriores como movimento dos personagen, pokemons e a câmera fixa da rotas do jogo ( apenas a wild área é mundo aberto), o que não é o problema, e deveria ter dado tempo de sobra pra melhorar outras questões do jogo, como, ataque dos pokemons, e polimento gráfico, um exemplo é o double kick, o sprite do pokemon simplesmente da dois pulinho sem movimentação alguma, parece um papelão a versão digital do jogo é leve, cerca de 9gb e pouco e o switch ja demonstrou que aguenta o tranco, então sem desculpas, pokemon let`s go tem um gráfico MUITO melhor que o sword and shield… Expand
  41. darksoulz31
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Game is absolute garbage. Anyone who's giving positive reviews have been paid off. Graphics don't improve, many mechanics are terrible.
  42. SomberlySober
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    It's a bland game even by Pokemon standards. They removed a LOT of features (old Pokemon, the Dex, the global trade system, proper trading etc..) just to out them in their $20 a month Pokemon Home app. It's absolutely pathetic and not even close to worth the $60 they are trying to charge you for it.

    The games look very poor for a switch game in general, there is lag all over the place,    It's a bland game even by Pokemon standards. They removed a LOT of features (old Pokemon, the Dex, the global trade system, proper trading etc..) just to out them in their $20 a month Pokemon Home app. It's absolutely pathetic and not even close to worth the $60 they are trying to charge you for it.

    The games look very poor for a switch game in general, there is lag all over the place, the frame rate is not stable and my biggest issue is how random objects and Pokemon pop in so close to you. The traditional Pokemon gameplay is fun but completely ruined by everything else. Save yourself some money and wait for their sharp sword sturdy shield release where they will hopefully fix at least 20% of what is wrong with these games.

    Last bit not least be careful if you have the eShop version     … Expand
  43. Leci
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Horribly rushed, had false advertising, game is a joke when it comes to difficulty, many features were stripped away just to charge extra for them despite being extremely overpriced already.
  44. 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
  45. veteranplayer88
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I never think i would give a bad rating to a pokemon game. I'm really dissapointed... that's what happen when you make a lazy game only thinking about money, not listening the players, long time fans. This game is buggy, graphics are mediocre comprared to other switch games, pokemons models are from 3ds, except new ones. But they really lied to us. And the worst, they excluded alot of content. No mega evolutions, no zmoves, lots of excluded moves, more that 400 pokemon excluded. Thats so so bad. I would like to give a good rate, but this is just bad. This game could be good, some new things are cool, but isnt enough. I hope they dont do this again, or i will not buy any more.… Expand
  46. Fer_O
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Finish-able within 15 hours, recycled and lackluster animations... though I normally wouldn't be against it, they justified cutting over 60% of national dex for supposedly "high quality, made from scratch animations". No GTS, crippled move selection, not one single of my favorites made it, except Eevee. Some of the new designs I found likable but that just doesn't make up for it... So sad,Finish-able within 15 hours, recycled and lackluster animations... though I normally wouldn't be against it, they justified cutting over 60% of national dex for supposedly "high quality, made from scratch animations". No GTS, crippled move selection, not one single of my favorites made it, except Eevee. Some of the new designs I found likable but that just doesn't make up for it... So sad, I really wanted to love this game as a loyal fan since 20 years ago... GF lost the way and totally drifted away from their true fans, maybe it's time for us to move away from pokémon... Why did they had to rush this game?… Expand
  47. FrankBoreas
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Un juego decepcionante. Los gráficos son malos, hay caídas en el framerate, objetos que aparecen a metros de ti. No es un juego optimizado. Se nota que se hizo al vapor. Incluso pasa a veces en las batallas, El modo historia es corto y carece de momentos interesantes como en otras versiones de la franquicia. Para mí ha sido una decepción total y aunque tal vez no es tan malo, le pongo 1 deUn juego decepcionante. Los gráficos son malos, hay caídas en el framerate, objetos que aparecen a metros de ti. No es un juego optimizado. Se nota que se hizo al vapor. Incluso pasa a veces en las batallas, El modo historia es corto y carece de momentos interesantes como en otras versiones de la franquicia. Para mí ha sido una decepción total y aunque tal vez no es tan malo, le pongo 1 de calificación esperando que los compradores no lo consigan para castigar al estudio. Un juego de Pokémon para la consola de nintendo, la que nos ha entregado maravillas como Breath of The Wild o Super Mario Odyssey merece más. Todos merecemos algo más. Es triste que tanta gente apoyé un producto tan inferior.… Expand
  48. Parkai
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Game feels horrendously unfinished. The starter designs are some of the worst I’ve ever seen. The story of the game feels rushed and inconclusive, with strange plot holes that should have been noticed during development. The animations (barring a few signature moves) are horrific eyesores, with models spinning aimlessly and few dedicated animations. More than half of the Pokémon roster isGame feels horrendously unfinished. The starter designs are some of the worst I’ve ever seen. The story of the game feels rushed and inconclusive, with strange plot holes that should have been noticed during development. The animations (barring a few signature moves) are horrific eyesores, with models spinning aimlessly and few dedicated animations. More than half of the Pokémon roster is also unavailable to be transferred, which has been a series staple since the early 2000’s. However, the trainer customization and card system are very fun, and the QOL changes are excellent as well. I really wanted to enjoy this game, but it left me with an awful taste in my mouth.… Expand
  49. pokead
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Its ultra sun and moon 2 but with less content same animation and cut pokedex. A shame
  50. 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.
  51. MoldyMarshmello
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Too many problems, too many regressions from the previous entries in the franchise. Not worth 60$ or even a cent.

    -Poor animations and frame drops, animations will freeze up in the overworld when climbing a ladder -Over 150 cut moves -Only 400 Pokemon in the national dex -Incredibly short 8 hour main game with absolutely no postgame or replay value -Have to pay 20$ for Pokemon Home    Too many problems, too many regressions from the previous entries in the franchise. Not worth 60$ or even a cent.

    -Poor animations and frame drops, animations will freeze up in the overworld when climbing a ladder
    -Over 150 cut moves
    -Only 400 Pokemon in the national dex
    -Incredibly short 8 hour main game with absolutely no postgame or replay value
    -Have to pay 20$ for Pokemon Home and another 20 for the GTS

    Overall, do not buy this game if you want Pokemon to improve as a franchise    … Expand
  52. caronte69
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    de los peores juegos de pokemon que he podido jugar, bugs, menos contenido (pokemons), contenido innecesario (curry) animaciones recicladas. Con la excusa de que este juego es para niños no significa que no podamos exigir algo mejor, soy fan de pokemon desde la 1ra generación jugando con mi game boy color, y no he comprado otro juego de pokemon desde blanco y negro 2, por que sinceramentede los peores juegos de pokemon que he podido jugar, bugs, menos contenido (pokemons), contenido innecesario (curry) animaciones recicladas. Con la excusa de que este juego es para niños no significa que no podamos exigir algo mejor, soy fan de pokemon desde la 1ra generación jugando con mi game boy color, y no he comprado otro juego de pokemon desde blanco y negro 2, por que sinceramente pokemon x y, sol y luna ya no me volvieron a llamar la atención, hasta pokemon go es mas divertido y con mas contenido.… Expand
  53. ioblle
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Really easy. Very few Pokemon too, and I can't transfer my favorites over.

    The game is also extremely slow and contains jacked animations that make the characters look like robots. Terrible graphics, and dynamax is very easy to battle. Not a good game, go buy something else for your kids.
  54. WeihanZhang
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    My friend I am advise please avoid bad game. Not allow purchase support Game Freak Masuda insect bottom coomer.
  55. bertkevin
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    My favourite pokemon has been deleted! Tha graphic performance is too bad. The map design is for infants.
  56. ElFiloEro
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    Well, I don't have anything to say about this game.. just is terrible only that. Not kill me
  57. Craiglis5
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    Just got pokemon shield and boy am I disappointed. I've had every game in the series since gen 1 and while they all have pros and cons,each new version attempts to improve on the old until now. In a vaccum it's not a bad game,the story and characters are done well enough and I never encountered any game breaking bug. But as the sequel to sun and moon it's a joke. No nationalJust got pokemon shield and boy am I disappointed. I've had every game in the series since gen 1 and while they all have pros and cons,each new version attempts to improve on the old until now. In a vaccum it's not a bad game,the story and characters are done well enough and I never encountered any game breaking bug. But as the sequel to sun and moon it's a joke. No national dex,proccessing issues like the world freezing if you climb a ladder, and features that were streamlined taking a step back. Online trading is this clunky hit or miss process now instead of being able to search for a specific pokemon you want like in the past. If this is your first pokemon game you will have fun,but if you are a fan of the series only the most rose tinted of glasses will save you from disappointment and frustration.… Expand
  58. Keffey
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    A Game Freak devia tomar vergonha na cara de usar toda a grana que ganha com Pokémon pra contratar uma equipe decente e grande. Ela tem que entender que não faz mais jogo pra gameboy.
  59. PokeMaster22222
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    DO NOT BUY THIS GAME. There's so many problems with it:

    1) Pokemon models reused from XY; only change is lack of compression (which was previously needed for 3DS), and shading. 2) Pokemon animations are incredibly static, lifeless and basic - Tomb Raider on the original PlayStation had better animations. 3) Move animations are still incredibly basic and lifeless too; Tail Whip, for    DO NOT BUY THIS GAME. There's so many problems with it:

    1) Pokemon models reused from XY; only change is lack of compression (which was previously needed for 3DS), and shading.
    2) Pokemon animations are incredibly static, lifeless and basic - Tomb Raider on the original PlayStation had better animations.
    3) Move animations are still incredibly basic and lifeless too; Tail Whip, for example, just flips the user around and shakes them about - no actual tail movements. Double Kick is still just basic hops instead of actual kicks, a la Battle Revolution.
    4) NPC movement is incredibly stiff, static, and robotic.
    5) Insane amounts of pop-in.
    6) Overworld uses very low-quality assets for trees and the like.
    7) Pokemon in the Wild Area aren't tied to any thematic area, just wander about, and generally look very artificial and lifeless.
    8) Over 470 (~60%) of 809 older Pokemon completely removed.
    9) A slew of moves removed.
    10) Mega Evolution removed.
    11) Dynamax isn't exciting or a worthwhile innovation, since it's a temporary scaling-up of regular models only able to be used to specific areas.
    12) Pokemon model size scaling is way off; Pokemon are way too tiny compared to what they should be. For example, Tyranitar and Wailord should be huge; instead, they appear smaller than the Trainers.
    13) Box Legendary battle has no music.
    14) Game is incredibly linear, I've heard.
    15) There's an insane amount of free heals and auto-heals present, EVEN DURING THE ELITE FOUR CHALLENGE. You know, the challenge where you traditionally had to go through five battles in a row, relying on whatever healing items and general strategies you had?
    16) Permanent Exp. All effect ruins any kind of challenge, and there's no way to turn it off, unlike the 3DS games.

    Game Freak LIED when they said they made brand-new models; they never officially told us how many Pokémon were missing, or how many moves were missing. This game feels incredibly rushed and incomplete, yet Game Freak has no plans on patching the missing content in.

    If you're looking for a good RPG on the Switch, try Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Fire Emblem: Three Houses or Octopath Traveller. If you're looking for a good Pokémon game, get a New 3DS XL and buy Omega Ruby or Alpha Sapphire and Ultra Sun or Ultra Moon - hell, buy Platinum, HeartGold or SoulSilver, Black or White, and Black 2 or White 2, since these DS games are still by far the best Pokémon games I've played.

    DO NOT SUPPORT SUCH LACK OF EFFORT. DO NOY BUY POKÉMON SWORD OR POKÉMON SHIELD.    … Expand
  60. DoublePesto
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Gamefreak Lied, Gamefreak Lied, Gamefreak Lied, Gamefreak Lied, Gamefreak Lied
  61. WeissSchnee
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    Please don't support Game Freak, we fans deserve better games with better quality.
  62. KinMonteste
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    60 bucks? never 10 bucks? maybe, it have less content than any indie game you can have with that, better idea? download a fakemon game, it will be more "for fans" than this cashgrabbing bull***t
  63. greninjaX
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    gamefreak lied. they said they were cutting pokemon because they were making new models with high quality animations, but that is simply not the case. everything was recycled from the 3DS game. there was no reason to cut pokemon. gamefreak needs to learn they can't get away with this. don't support this game
  64. Feutti
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    This game isn't the worst, I'm going to start out the review by saying that. It has some good Pokémon, some of the cutscenes look nice and the Pokémon are properly scalled in the overworld. This doesn't compare to the Pokémon cut, lackluster new gen graphics, and a game that crashes and deletes your downloaded games
  65. carloscoffanni
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Um jogo tenebroso , depois de tanta espera para um jogo de pokemon para um console de mesa esse jogo é incrivelmente decepcionante e tem tantos defeitos que eu posso ficar horas para listar todos
  66. Hisoka4lyfe
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Terrible unfinished product. Do not buy as it tells Nintendo that this level of quality is acceptable and it is not.

    We deserve better. Pokemon deserves better.
  67. Feraligabriel
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    As bad as sword or perhaps even worse, the changes between the games are almost minimal, so there isnt much to enjoy kn buying both copies, i would advise a player to only purchase one of them, but honestly i advise them to not purchase this garbage.
  68. Pikario
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. No puede ser verdad, este juego es horrible. No sólo quitaron cosas que a la mayoría de fans le gustaban si no lo sacaron antes de tiempo para poder generar ganancias nada más, ahora resulta que está tan incompleto que hasta borra partidas
    #gamefreaklied    … Expand
  69. DRGXIII
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Full of Bugs and glitches, 3ds style graphics, less features than previous games, half of the pokedex was removed for what turned out to be lies,constant stuttering,and still a bare-bones endgame.
  70. Bdiz
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Made for the hoi polloi with no appreciation for sophisticated strategy and challenge. The selection of carried over pokemon from previous versions is nonsensical (see Mudsdale), Dynamax is LAME, and they spent all that time making the game LOOK good while the pokemon still make garbled 8-bit sounds (except for Pikachu and Eevee). Save your money, play older versions and wait until theMade for the hoi polloi with no appreciation for sophisticated strategy and challenge. The selection of carried over pokemon from previous versions is nonsensical (see Mudsdale), Dynamax is LAME, and they spent all that time making the game LOOK good while the pokemon still make garbled 8-bit sounds (except for Pikachu and Eevee). Save your money, play older versions and wait until the next installment at which point Gamefreak will have hopefully realized their stupidity and reinstate the full pokedex and the deleted move-sets. OH AND WE STILL DIDN'T GET A NEW EEVEELUTION! #gottacatchemall NOT #gottacatchabouthalf… Expand
  71. Cpt_Calico_Jack
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Despite this franchise's long-awaited arrival on a full console, Pokémon does nothing but disappoint with its 3DS-level graphics and PS1-esque animations. This comes especially disappointing to long-time fans of the series who were told that roughly 50+% of the previous existing Pokémon were not programmed into this installment so that the developer could focus on graphics and animations specifically.… Expand
  72. LordCheezey
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    I can't say this is even close to the Pokemon game anyone wants. I started this game out with high hopes, but as it turns out, this is just a rehash of the 3ds games. And if you're wondering, the money grubbing second version scheme has no benefit past exclusive Pokemon and two different gym battles, Please, avoid this game at all costs and play Heart Gold or Soul Silver for the DS, thoseI can't say this is even close to the Pokemon game anyone wants. I started this game out with high hopes, but as it turns out, this is just a rehash of the 3ds games. And if you're wondering, the money grubbing second version scheme has no benefit past exclusive Pokemon and two different gym battles, Please, avoid this game at all costs and play Heart Gold or Soul Silver for the DS, those games, while old, give a much better experience.… Expand
  73. Ferrox
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    While a lot of people might give this game either a 10 or 0 in the hope to somehow "balance" the score to what they believe it actually is, that leaves reviews as unreliable. This game isn't a mere 0, but it also definitely isn't a 9 or 10. Let's discuss the good and the bad.

    The good: -Streamlining the proccess of making a competitive pokemon: This also has some downsides for the    While a lot of people might give this game either a 10 or 0 in the hope to somehow "balance" the score to what they believe it actually is, that leaves reviews as unreliable. This game isn't a mere 0, but it also definitely isn't a 9 or 10. Let's discuss the good and the bad.

    The good:
    -Streamlining the proccess of making a competitive pokemon: This also has some downsides for the satisfaction of breeding your own but it makes it a lot easier for those unwilling to put in the time, as well as change your beloved in-game capture during a playthrough into a powerful warrior.
    -The Gym Challenge: In previous games, challenging the Gyms was just something you did to progress the story. They were fun, sometimes forcing you to change up your team, but other than a unique sprite with special song it felt like story-wise it was just what kids were supposed to do. Here it feels like an actual choice was made. It is a carreer path in the Pokémon World, and people love seeing it. You are like your favorite sport star, gaining fame and entertaining the masses as you rise in the rankings. The battles in the Stadiums with an audience feels like a big event.
    -The challenges leading up to the Gym Battle: Combining the best of both traditional Gym Battles and the Island Challenge, there is a trial to prove yourself before facing the Gym Leader. And while some are better than others, it is more satisfying to do it this way than to just beat up a few Gym Trainers in normal fights.
    -The new Pokémon: it wouldn't be a Pokémon game without the titular beasts. And while not all are equally great, there are definitely a few that charm or impress you. Just look at Wooloo.
    -Several inovative ideas: GameFreak has finaly tried to join the current scene by experimenting with some new ideas like a small open-world setting with varying levels, a free camera, online multiplayer, but this unfortunately leans more towards, well...

    Unfortunately we come to

    The bad:

    -The graphics: While Pokémon might have never placed itself as a powerhouse graphicswise, it usually had a style uniquely their own with decent graphics. Unfortunately, decent is rather too generous to call this game's graphics. While it has been said many times before, the trees and vegetation call back to the era of N64. Shadows flicker, the water is horrible,...and then we have to talk about
    -The pop-in: NPC's, trees, pokémon. When you move it simply jumps into existance. This is a problem that games for years have dealt with in different methods: loading only what is visible on the screen, using lower-res models for those in the distance...and with a camera always angled just the way the develloper wants, it should have been easy to recognise just what needs to be loaded when and what could be ignored. Speaking of which
    -The camera: GameFreak was proud to show of the Wild Area, where you could roam free and encounter many pokémon and look all around you. Unfortunately it is still relatively small, with too little to do, and even that is restricted. It's not as beautiful as you'd like, and as for the Pokémon, they hardly move, pop-in jarringly, and even if you're ready to face a challenge
    -Pokemon capture is limited by badges: While it might seem like letting a newbie trainer try their hand at capturing a level 40 pokémon would be unballancing the game, take into account that it is their choice to do so, they have to win that fight and capture them first with their underlevelled pokémon, and even if they trained their Starter up to LV100 through sheer grinding, they'd still be barred by the game. And if it is a Shiny, too bad. Speaking of Shinies
    -Overworld Sprites come in one color only: Even Let's Go showed of wether you had a Regular Pokémon or the ellusive Shiny before you battled. A simple palette swap should have done that here, but it's not, so you have to engage each pokémon and hope to find them shiny during that encounter. But overworld or in battle,
    -The models are unchanged since X & Y: The root cause of the #GameFreakLied trend, Sword&Shield still use those same models AND animations as the 3DS games, with slightly upscale textures. This might not have been so bad if they hadn't promised (and yes they did) that they HAD to remake them from scratch because they couldn't transfer them over and therefore
    -Not all Pokémon are in: Less that half or all existing Pokémon are in the game, and the rest will never be here. Considering the models and animations are all there waiting, this feels like a big disapointment to long-time fans. Because what else will you do when you finish the game? Because
    -The Game is SHORT: Both in story length and routes, there is very little to do. 10 routes, some with only 2 patches of grass and
    -No post-game: Other than a more limited Battle Tower there is no battle facility or option to transfer in non Galar pokémon to fight or try a new game with.

    Conclusion: Good ideas but bad execution.    … Expand
  74. JoaoJorge
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Bad game! Game Freak has made his laziest job with this game! Don't buy it! It's **** it's trash, it's short and don't deserve your money and your time!
  75. Kelvynklain
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Muito ruim eles prometeram cortar a dex porém teríamos animação de qualidade E o que temos é uns Pokémon travados. Um rival chato da porra. E um final ruim que desmerecer muito os fans.… Expand
  76. DJTwinz
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    This game isn’t the worst game. But it’s not good or what you should expect from Pokémon. The largest media franchise ever. They have enough money they could implement every Pokémon, move, feature, and idea if they used a decent sized budget and expanded their team of 200. But this game is a sign of laziness. Most content is copied from sun and moon with a coat of paint and better graphicsThis game isn’t the worst game. But it’s not good or what you should expect from Pokémon. The largest media franchise ever. They have enough money they could implement every Pokémon, move, feature, and idea if they used a decent sized budget and expanded their team of 200. But this game is a sign of laziness. Most content is copied from sun and moon with a coat of paint and better graphics and resolution because it’s on the switch. It’s not worth $60. This game has less content, Pokemon, routes and features than most previous games. Heck if the post game was a polished up Alohla copy and paste where they just change wild Pokémon and NPCs around it would add twice the length of this game. If you want to play Pokémon Sw/Sh please buy preowned as I’m sure many second hand copies will start appearing in GameStop’s everywhere soon enough...… Expand
  77. victorlgarcia
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Such a terrible excuse for a game. Feels like a giant cash grab. The first couple of hours I tried to be positive but I can't pretend I don't see terrible grafics, animations and lack of innovation
  78. RenXYZ
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Bugs all over the game. Visuals are some of the worst in the console. Many Pokemons and mives are missing. The game is very short.… Expand
  79. icharlyi
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Do not think the game is a 0. Just want Nintendo to notice, address the discontent and improve next time.
  80. FutureZQ
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    They cut the nation dex,but bring what they call "quality" for us. shame on them
  81. arthuruea
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game looks like a beta version. Extremely poorly finished, with lousy graphics and animations. I don't believe they had the courage to launch.… Expand
  82. ForrestGump
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    GameFreak went too far with this one; the most bare bones Pokémon game I have ever played with an added insult of a $20 price increase. On top of the ridiculous decision of cutting Pokémon in this game, it has a plethora of serious issues that definitely need to be addressed. The lifeless animations, severe lack of post game, incredibly linear gameplay, the excessive cut scenes, howGameFreak went too far with this one; the most bare bones Pokémon game I have ever played with an added insult of a $20 price increase. On top of the ridiculous decision of cutting Pokémon in this game, it has a plethora of serious issues that definitely need to be addressed. The lifeless animations, severe lack of post game, incredibly linear gameplay, the excessive cut scenes, how ANNOYING Hop is, removing of fan favorite features and replacing them with shallow variations are just some of the glaring issues with the game. To me, though, what is the worst offense is how EASY and hand holdy the game is. the always on experience share makes the game too easy and removes any semblance of a challenge and your team is always overpowered. There are essentially infinite heals all throughout the game too that also removes the worry and strategy of handling injured Pokémon and how to work with that. The wild area is cool though, does get a little stale after awhile but a welcome addition. Worst Pokémon game I have played BY FAR and I have played every single generation… Expand
  83. EonRonin
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    Not so good I'm not happy with the game Everything is wrong and the graphics are awful
  84. Gigachad
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    With a heavy heart I write this review.
    My long time friend, Vargene, has been a fan of Pocket Monsters ever since we were kids. Now, I personally lost interest in this series after Emerald, but my friend enjoyed every single iteration of these games. That is, up until now. Vargene's birthday was coming up and what better gift, or so I thought, than the latest new Pokémon game: Sword and    With a heavy heart I write this review.
    My long time friend, Vargene, has been a fan of Pocket Monsters ever since we were kids. Now, I personally lost interest in this series after Emerald, but my friend enjoyed every single iteration of these games. That is, up until now. Vargene's birthday was coming up and what better gift, or so I thought, than the latest new Pokémon game: Sword and Shield. I bought a copy for both of us, because I wanted to spend some time with my friend since we're both working adults now. At his birthday party, which comprised of him, myself, and his dog, I gave him the games. He was so excited, he had kept himself spoiler free all this time. I brought my Nintendo Switch so we could play together.
    When we started the game, both of us encountered crashes. No problem after a few tries. Once the ball got rolling we were transported to the world of Pokémon, while graphically on the low-end, I didn't mind as long as my friend was happy. We were plagued by the rival and champion character of the game. It was charming at first, but quickly turned to annoyance when the rival and the so called champion halted us in our exploration. Speaking of exploration, we were shocked when we encountered strong Pokémon, but were not allowed to capture them. I brushed away these minor hiccups, and my friend was thoroughly focused on the game. That's when the straw broke the camel's back. Vargene and I looked online to see how to transfer some Pokémon, he expressed horror when we came across information that his favorite Pokémon, the one he raised since we were kids, his Venusaur, could not be transferred. He burst into tears, I couldn't believe it, I thought this game was meant for "long-time veterans". The fact that one of the original starter trio was excluded from the game was unforgivable. I calmed him down and we played the Digimon game that came out on the Switch together instead. Vargene was angry and never wants associate with the Pokémon brand ever again.
    I, of course, returned both our copies. Its tragic that this game had to ruin my friend's birthday party. I strongly dislike this game and only give it a 1 out of pity towards hard-working developers who were no doubt shut down and out while making it.
    Please avoid this game, and brand until they create a worthwhile product.

    Sincerely,
    A Disheartened Customer    … Expand
  85. OmeQuicksilver
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Ok so lets look at this objectively where it surpasses, and fails against the other entries in the series.
    The Good:
    The avatar customization is much more in depth then the attempts at previous games The design of the cities themselves are all vibrant and very well done when compared to some of the previous games. More of the new Pokemon actually feel "inspired" by their regional    Ok so lets look at this objectively where it surpasses, and fails against the other entries in the series.
    The Good:
    The avatar customization is much more in depth then the attempts at previous games
    The design of the cities themselves are all vibrant and very well done when compared to some of the previous games.
    More of the new Pokemon actually feel "inspired" by their regional setting then the other games imo.
    The Bad:
    While the cities have a charming design, the rest of the game worlds graphics are extremely lackluster. Pop-ins are common and draw distance is shockingly low, roughly akin to an early Dreamcast or PlayStation title. Lets Go Pikachu/Eevee has a much better over world in every aspect, as do the handheld titles.
    Less then half of the total number of Pokemon available are in the game, and many of those included feel chosen at random, or out of place compared to others that would fit the new region more thematically.
    The game is short. 14+ hours in and you're at the end, with virtually no post-game content to look forward to beyond online play and a half-baked 'battle tower'. The game is also far more linear then previous titles, exacerbating the quickness of it.
    Dynamaxing is far less in depth or varied a mechanic as Z-moves or mega-evolutions.
    Over 100 moves were cut, including series vital mainstays like Pursuit and Hidden Power.
    There are no longer varied environments for battles.
    Catching Pokemon is now locked behind gym-badge progression, rendering you unable to catch Pokemon of a certain level until you have certain badges, regardless of when you encounter them in the over world.
    The Ugly:
    Volume control is locked behind an optionally obtained in-game item.
    The returning Pokemon models were all imported from X/Y, as GameFreak future proofed their models back then, which means they lied to consumers about remaking the models and animations from scratch.
    The game is rather poorly programmed, characters will disappear mid-battle when certain moves are used, getting on a ladder will cause the rest of the overworld to stop moving till you dismount and the game can chug in certain areas.
    Verdict:
    Sadly, despite owning at least one game from every gen since Blue/Red came out...I cannot recommend this game to either older fans, or newer ones looking to get into the series when so many better options are available. So much is missing from older series without anything meaningful to fill the gap of their removal that it's understandable that returning fans are put off, even without the controversy of how poorly Gamefreak has been caught in lies that they decided to double down on.
    And as for those perhaps looking to get into the series, the previous 3ds games in the series are much more fleshed out and full experience, and the Let's Go games on the Switch themselves are more polished and easier to jump into setting for first timers. Sadly it TRULY feels like GameFreak decided to have this game rushed through development to make as much money as they could with as little effort as they could, and thus have done a disservice to what should have been the fullest most content rich game in the series to date. Hopefully they learn from this and take more care in the future.    … Expand
  86. GeekFrank
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    After removing all the Pokemon I love, there isn't much you get to replace them. Less content, and just a cheap way to change the meta. I was hoping so much more from this "real" Pokemon game after Pokemon Lets Go, and I'm really disappointed.

    Bare bones game that got pushed out just because Nintendo needed something for Christmas.
  87. GongHawkeye
    Nov 19, 2019
    3
    I'm one of those who bought the game even knowing all the issues that were surrounding the game. The thing is that I cannot recomend this unless you're a hardcore Pokémon fan.

    The game itself it's enjoyable, but you cannot just get over all those little and big details: Poor graphics, lack of post game, Dexit....you can find way more things on the internet but basically this is the main    I'm one of those who bought the game even knowing all the issues that were surrounding the game. The thing is that I cannot recomend this unless you're a hardcore Pokémon fan.

    The game itself it's enjoyable, but you cannot just get over all those little and big details: Poor graphics, lack of post game, Dexit....you can find way more things on the internet but basically this is the main problem: Pokémon sword and shield are not bad games, they just cannot be accepted as a good standard for the franchise. This is not an step forward but another step back on the record of the main game saga.    … Expand
  88. jacksondawg25
    Jan 31, 2020
    1
    Yes, the following is the same as my sword review. They are the same goddamn game.

    Game Freak has gotten either incredibly lazy or incredibly cheap. There's no other way to put it. They spared as many expenses as possible while making this game. They left out a bunch of Pokemon from previous games. The story mode is shorter than any previous game in the series. There is less post-game    Yes, the following is the same as my sword review. They are the same goddamn game.

    Game Freak has gotten either incredibly lazy or incredibly cheap. There's no other way to put it. They spared as many expenses as possible while making this game. They left out a bunch of Pokemon from previous games. The story mode is shorter than any previous game in the series. There is less post-game content than any previous game in the series. The animation quality is the worst it's ever been. The GTS has been removed. And the reason for all these problems? Laziness and/or greediness. Game Freak put minimal effort and resources into the making of this game and it shows. The worst part is that not only did this game disappoint me, it also got me thinking critically to the point that I realized that ever since Pokemon Black and White, this series has become just... lesser in every category. In addition to the problems listed above, anyone could look at the actual plot of recent games and see that the stories are becoming less inspired and overall more boring. Rivals seem like regular trainers that don't matter anymore, villains don't seem to be worth any concern at all, there is nothing motivating the player aside from the same old gym challenge plot. The soundtracks have also begun sounding more generic over time. Save for one or two decent songs per game, nothing has measured up to the fantastic soundtrack Black and White had.

    To add insult to injury, Game Freak's response to all this criticism was horrible. They didn't update the game to add Pokemon or fix animations, or return the GTS, or add post-game content. They did however decide to add PAID DLC. Their solution to a game almost void of content was to add some, but make players pay 30 more dollars (more for me because I'm Canadian) to turn an unfinished game into what might be a full game.

    In conclusion, don't get this game. Don't get the DLC, and don't buying anything to do with Game Freak until they get their **** together.    … Expand
  89. Tmato
    Nov 18, 2019
    1
    Game look well But i miss some kind of graphics improvements. Graphics suck to be a game of 2019. More things... Online subcription to trade pokemons, 0/10 trade should be FREE ALWAYS, like balloons were free in Mario Odyssey. Not national dex too.
    New mecanics are great But all this send game to 1/10
  90. paulshoreline
    Jan 9, 2020
    3
    Pokemon might be the most regressive game series in existence, and I might be done with the franchise after SwSh. Gone are the winding caves or intricate forests. Gone are the hidden areas or secret events. Gone are the puzzles, the ominous enemy bases, and any semblance of a challenge. Sword and Shield are a joke; empty, boring, and utterly devoid of any challenge. Always on EXP sharePokemon might be the most regressive game series in existence, and I might be done with the franchise after SwSh. Gone are the winding caves or intricate forests. Gone are the hidden areas or secret events. Gone are the puzzles, the ominous enemy bases, and any semblance of a challenge. Sword and Shield are a joke; empty, boring, and utterly devoid of any challenge. Always on EXP share turns the difficulty to zero and destroys what little replay value there might be. The story is borderline nonexistant - even by Pokemon's shoddy standards for storytelling. The Wild Area is little more than a grind with no real exploriation - just mindlessly raids over and over. There is no endgame - just a simple battle tower that always ends with Leon. Somehow these games feel even more hollow than Let's Go, and have significantly less content than all of the previous mainline entries. The much-hyped graphics do not look improved over Sun and Moon, and the Pokemon models are very obviously identical. Throw in Dexit, and it is really a wonder that Game Freak pushed these games in this abysmal state.… Expand
  91. SugarHBear
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    Spent $60 for Shield and my 9yo has played it once and says he doesn't really like it. Disappointing because I assume this is the target audience.

    Personally I was amazed by the complete lack of voice acting in a 2019 AAA title.
  92. KingReece
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    They cut Pokemons,they cut moves, they cut frame rates, they cut graphics, they cut everything, I mean they should just cut the game......
  93. Hyo
    Nov 17, 2019
    3
    I love this series, I first played Pokémon Blue and Pokémon Yellow both, borrowed from a friend, but for me, it all started with Crystal since it was the first I actually owned. As the series keep evolving it kept adding new wonderful ideas... From the secodn generation we already got a lot of new wonderful things: they added a Female Character, Two Regions, the Pokégear, they dividedI love this series, I first played Pokémon Blue and Pokémon Yellow both, borrowed from a friend, but for me, it all started with Crystal since it was the first I actually owned. As the series keep evolving it kept adding new wonderful ideas... From the secodn generation we already got a lot of new wonderful things: they added a Female Character, Two Regions, the Pokégear, they divided Special into Special Attack and Special Defense. We got Apricorns and Special Pokéballs, Move Tutor, the Battle Tower, Breeding and Shiny Pokémon. We then lost Apriconrs the Pokégear and the Battle Tower, but got Abilities, Secret Bases, Weather, Natures, Double Battles, Pokémon Contests and the -Battle Frontier. We then lost Weather and Battle Frontier. But got Global Trade System, Pokémon Super Contest, The Underground. We lost the last one and got C-Gear, Pokémon Dream World, Entralink, Pokémon Musical, Seasons, Sprite animations, Triple Battles, Rotation Battles, Battle Subway.

    We finally jumped to 3D and lost a lot of stuff for Custom Clothing and Characters, Mega Evolutions, -Horde Encounters, Super Training, Sky Batlles and Pokémon-Amie. then we got -Alola Forms, Battle Royal, Z-Moves, Island challenges, Poké Rides, Hyper Training, Festival Plaza and Poké Pelago.

    We then jumped form handheld to a main console, and lost: Mega Evolutions, Z-Moves and 400 Pokémon for a big empty Wild Area, Dynamax and Gigantamax, Max Raid Battles. Y-Comm and -Pokémon Camp, Permanend Exp share...

    This was the first main Pokémon game on a not only handheld device. We were expecting the best game in the series, but instead we got half baked game, rushed to meet merchandise and anime deadlines. I don't care about the Pokédex, but, losing all those features, Mega Evolution, the justification that they had to do it, to make better animations... It was too much, I feel betrayed, they told us Let's Go was to appeal the Pokémon Go player-base, and that they'd have something for fans of the main series later. Well, this game certainly doesn't feel made for fans, who is it for? OLM, Inc.? Pokémon Center? **** this game, **** Gamefreak, **** the Pokémon Company and **** Nintendo.    … Expand
  94. abaddon169
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Querían disminuir la pokedex para balancear el competitivo y terminan agregando un pokemon con estadísticas totalmente rotas, animaciones de combate que en un juego de wii se miraban bien, que en switch se mueven rígidamente
  95. sarapastra
    Nov 23, 2019
    0
    i really wanna know why critics give this awful game 80 points. Game design bad, art is bad, gameplay is bad, mechanics is bad and what really makes me mad they have money what are they doing with that much money.
  96. BurningShrine
    Nov 17, 2019
    2
    I couldn't be more upset with this game, and more happy that I bought it from a second hand shop so the money didn't go to Gamefreak/Pokemon Company, because this game is a lazy, lazy excuse of a game.

    I've been playing this series as a kid, and I have to say that the offering here is poor. I'm not even talking about the lack of a national dex, I'm talking about all of the features that    I couldn't be more upset with this game, and more happy that I bought it from a second hand shop so the money didn't go to Gamefreak/Pokemon Company, because this game is a lazy, lazy excuse of a game.

    I've been playing this series as a kid, and I have to say that the offering here is poor. I'm not even talking about the lack of a national dex, I'm talking about all of the features that this game completely lacks, such as any kind of endgame.

    The game took me 8 hours in total to complete, and no part of it left me surprised, Team Yell, Marnie and ESPECIALLY Hop left me not only annoyed but physically bored out of my mind.

    This game- despite all of the casual fans giving it praise, deserves none of it. I'm in the lucky kind of category because ALL of my favourites were in this game, and still, the only enjoyment I ever had was seeing them in the camp, and that's it. It truly makes me sad to see how bad this game has gone down because I genuinely wanted the experience to be good, but it's just lazy. Plain and simple.

    Also, I have to say the ending with the two legendaries actually made me laugh because of how janky and awkward the wolves moved around.    … Expand
  97. Theflash2319
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    No national dex. Unfinished animations. Lack of post game. All for the addition of point less stuff like curry, literally such a stupid concept
  98. TheBlizWiz
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    They cut features and raised the price.

    This is not the law of equivalent exchange
  99. awdwaffges
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Cut corners mixed with a predictable story, laziness and stupid features noone asked for. Don't spend any amount of money on this. Even if you get it for free, don't play it because your time is more **** valuable than anything this piece of garbage could provide you.
  100. JokerMain115
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    A lacklustre title, especially by Switch standards. The games graphics are fine enough (Textures are sometimes questionable), but the music is lacking, the weakest in the series of mainline games by far. The cut Pokémon, features and lack of new *Good* ideas with a predictable plot, either annoying or not rememberable characters and a general sense of the game feeling unpolished feels likeA lacklustre title, especially by Switch standards. The games graphics are fine enough (Textures are sometimes questionable), but the music is lacking, the weakest in the series of mainline games by far. The cut Pokémon, features and lack of new *Good* ideas with a predictable plot, either annoying or not rememberable characters and a general sense of the game feeling unpolished feels like a weak and lazy step into a new generation of consoles. The removal of the GTS feels frankly stupid as it was a big help for a lot of players attempting to complete the Pokédex of 400~ Pokémon. The cities feel empty due to your exploration through them being very limited, either by the camera or how you're unable to explore most of what you see. Dynamax feels tacked on and a very weak replacement for Mega evolutions, but better fleshed out than Z-Moves. The Pokémon brought back are baffling and leave the selection dry. 3 Legendaries through both versions + Silvally, lack of starters outside of Charizard and fan favourites just not appearing for seemingly no reason. The animations are nice, but a lot come off feeling extra rather than grand, and defiantly not worth the cut of 400+ Pokémon. Though, the new Pokémon designs are honestly some of the best we've seen in the whole series, outstanding on that part, and the quality of life improvements like Key Item descriptions being shown right away, IV supplements, HM's being completely discarded and the move relearner being easily accessible are absolutely wonderful changes, but don't make up for the games glaring weaknesses. Wouldn't recommend, instead waiting on the next games, or even generation seems to be the move, as the changes that matter here should make their way into the next set of games, as every Pokémon hopefully does too.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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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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