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. Otonaburu
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    What should have been a giant leap to significantly stronger hardware feels more like a port from 3DS. New features and improvements come at way too high a price, both literally and figuratively (half of the Pokemon gone, for starters). Gamefreak continues to disappoint and Pokemon as a series stands out as a black sheep among other loved Nintendo franchises on Switch.
  2. Zammm
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Lots of reports about it deleting your save data for other switch games. Should be considered a virus rather than a game
  3. mareldmon590
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    "A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad."
    -Shigeru Miyamoto
    Six more months to a year perhaps, or focusing on these games rather than the "Town" Project would have made this game into something worth 60$. Not these games though. Instead, you get this pitifully underwhelming mess of a Pokemon "console" experience. Play Coliseum or XD Gale of Darkness instead.    "A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad."
    -Shigeru Miyamoto
    Six more months to a year perhaps, or focusing on these games rather than the "Town" Project would have made this game into something worth 60$. Not these games though.
    Instead, you get this pitifully underwhelming mess of a Pokemon "console" experience. Play Coliseum or XD Gale of Darkness instead. Sword and Shield are a mistake and it pains me as a fan who started in Gen 4, went back and played every game before and after to see how they disrespected the franchise they spent years cultivating.    … Expand
  4. Draz2153
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Deletes your save data for other games like splatoon and let's go. DO NOT DOWNLOAD FROM ESTORE
  5. meHG12
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. There are a lot of restructuring problems, but I've cleared them and I want to say a story
    Very boring and the lowest ever    … Expand
  6. Leix1712
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    Es un juego incompleto le faltan mas de la mitad de los pokemon existentes, tiene unos graficos muy malos para una Nintendo Switch
    El area Silvestre esta vacia y los pokemons se ven muy mal. Las ciudades estan muy vacias
    . El juego es muy corto(el mas corto de la saga) y los personajes son muy olbidables no hay nada que explorar y el juego no se siente un juego de pokemon.
  7. Tyrtiuz
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    Nuevamente una fantastica entrega del esta mítica saga con importantes novedades y nuevos pokemon, con una jugabilidad que hace las delicias de todos y un apartado grafico en la linea hasta ahora, una vez mas no defrauda.
  8. NormalReview
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    Pretty much the same as my Sword review... except Eiscue's in it.

    Please, don't let this franchise continue like this. The flaws that were there are still here after 2 generations and instead of listening Game Freak decides to lie to their fans instead. If you can have fun with these games good for you.
  9. phoenixsaturn
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    The core of the Pokemon experience is there (albeit in a highly stripped and watered down version compared to past entries in the series), but the entire game lacks polish. Apart from the Wild Area, there is very little to explore in this game. Routes are linear hallways designed to move you from A to B. The game's animations are very poor and for the most part recycled from previous 3DSThe core of the Pokemon experience is there (albeit in a highly stripped and watered down version compared to past entries in the series), but the entire game lacks polish. Apart from the Wild Area, there is very little to explore in this game. Routes are linear hallways designed to move you from A to B. The game's animations are very poor and for the most part recycled from previous 3DS entries. The rushed nature of the game is also very apparent after gym 5, as the game becomes extremely streamlined and the animations dip in quality substantially after this point. I would not be surprised to hear that this game was rushed out the door for the Christmas season.

    Overall, the entire game can easily be completed in 12 hours, there is little to do after the end credits, and what you can do gets repetitive very quickly. While you play you will be faced with busy, grating music that will make you desperate to go out of your way to find the NPC that will allow you to MUTE it. While the game is not fundamentally broken it is not at all worth the retail price and I would recommend purchasing any of the older Pokemon games rather than buying this one.    … Expand
  10. PewPewMcP
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    The theme of Pokémon Sword and Shield is: limit.
    They limit your selection of Pokémon to catch
    They limit the pool of moves Pokémon can learn from, including some moves signature to Pokémon, like Heal Order to Vespiquen They limit where and when you can catch Pokémon in the open area They limit when you can use Dynamax and Gigantamax, the games signature battle mechanic. They limit your    The theme of Pokémon Sword and Shield is: limit.
    They limit your selection of Pokémon to catch
    They limit the pool of moves Pokémon can learn from, including some moves signature to Pokémon, like Heal Order to Vespiquen
    They limit where and when you can catch Pokémon in the open area
    They limit when you can use Dynamax and Gigantamax, the games signature battle mechanic.
    They limit your ability to explore a world with the series's now signature heavily railroaded storytelling techniques They limit the difficulty setting of the game by forcing Exp Share to always be on
    They limit your ability to change the sound settings by forcing you to first find and interact with the right NPC.
    Pokémon Sword and Shield are mediocre entries that take two steps back for every one step they take forward.    … Expand
  11. UniversalReview
    Nov 15, 2019
    5
    Pokémon Sword/Shield are fun, fresh, new Pokémon experiences. You can catch nearly one-hundred new creatures, explore never before seen towns and cities, and interact with a colourful cast of new characters. However, the same can be said for every new Pokémon generation in the history of the franchise, and for perhaps the first time ever, the cuts and flaws really start to bring thePokémon Sword/Shield are fun, fresh, new Pokémon experiences. You can catch nearly one-hundred new creatures, explore never before seen towns and cities, and interact with a colourful cast of new characters. However, the same can be said for every new Pokémon generation in the history of the franchise, and for perhaps the first time ever, the cuts and flaws really start to bring the experience down.

    Through two decades of handheld releases with the same formula, the question was always there: “what if?” What could Pokémon look like, what could the series achieve, if finally freed from limited handheld hardware and brought onto modern home consoles?

    As it turns out, the answer is more of the same. And that is exactly the problem.

    Sword/Shield are a graphical upgrade from their 3DS predecessors, yet still look mediocre for their hardware. They offer plenty of new features, at the expense of everything new introduced the previous generation. They promise a new experience, yet have less content than DS and Gameboy Advance games released 10-15+ years ago. All the boxes are ticked, but that doesn’t account for everything that is missing.

    It could be argued that Sword/Shield are a product of Gamefreak’s shifting design philosophy. Since 2013’s X and Y, franchise leaders have made it clear that accessibility is a priority. Case in point, 2014’s ORAS famously removed Pokémon Emerald’s Battle Frontier because “kids would get frustrated with the difficulty”, completely disregarding the millions who grew up with the games regardless.

    This mentality is overwhelmingly present in every aspect of Sword/Shield, to the extent of actively removing player-choice in many situations. Sword/Shield are arguably the most linear games in the franchise: outside the Wild Area, you’ll mostly be moving from A to B, with a noticeable lack of traditional “dungeons”, various inaccessible areas and major plot points happening off screen. Even worse, the EXP-Share is no longer optional. To many, it was a major factor in X/Y & Sun/Moon being far easier than previous instalments, resulting in the player often being comically over-levelled in major battles, and here its removal limits player choice for simply no good reason. By focusing on simplicity and linearity, everything suffers, producing easier and shorter experiences that feel less like RPG adventures and more like a guided tour.

    But now comes the main event: Dexit. Pokémon’s largest ever controversy, and for good reason: you are finally unable to “Catch ‘Em All”. Roughly 500 creatures simply cannot be transferred into Sword/Shield. Disregarding the ethics of forcing players to use a (likely paid) service to store Pokémon that might be in a future game, improved graphics and animations were specifically cited as the main reason for this decision. Sadly, that explanation simply doesn’t hold true. Sword/Shield look mediocre for their hardware, in many cases lacking simple details such as battle backgrounds, decent textures or proper attack animations. Furthermore, many animations and models are outright reused, and while the jury is still out on whether Gamefreak lied about using “new models”, it’s indisputable that a AAA title in 2019 shouldn’t look this poor, especially if visuals are used to justify shortcomings elsewhere.

    However, perhaps Sword/Shield are expansive enough to justify the cut content? Sadly, this isn’t the case either. At a moderate pace, Sword/Shield are roughly 15-20 hour games, average for the franchise, and offer significantly less post-game content compared to many previous instalments. Sword/Shield cost $20 more than previous Pokémon experiences: console prices for console games, but nothing about the story, formula, length or breadth of content reflects that. New features like the Wild Area, Dynamax and Pokémon Camp are fun, but every new Pokémon game in history has brought new features to the table, and nothing about Sword/Shield particularly screams bigger or better.

    Sword/Shield are undoubtedly fun games. Pokémon’s core formula is one that works. But to many, they are also indicative of a stagnation that has plagued the franchise over the past five or so years. Sword/Shield are on a home console, but downgrade the graphics and they would be indistinguishable from any 3DS Pokémon release. Even with Sword/Shield being the series’ fourth consecutive yearly releases, they can expect to sell 10-15 million copies, so there really is no incentive to give the franchise the “Breath of the Wild” moment it deserves. But in 2019, on the most powerful hardware yet, the bare minimum simply isn’t good enough anymore.

    When your visuals are rivalled by a Wii spinoffs from 2006, you offer less content than DS releases from 2009, and players have less freedom than in your Gameboy debut, that’s a sign things need to improve.    … Expand
  12. ShayminFan95
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Reposting my Pokémon Sword review because this is literally the same game but with a Ponyta instead of a Farfetch'd (exaggeration, but you get the point). And I was almost tempted to reduce it to a 1 because said Ponyta should have been Fairy-type and the fact it isn't bothers me more than it should.

    The very low score I'm giving these games might seem like a poor attempt at review    Reposting my Pokémon Sword review because this is literally the same game but with a Ponyta instead of a Farfetch'd (exaggeration, but you get the point). And I was almost tempted to reduce it to a 1 because said Ponyta should have been Fairy-type and the fact it isn't bothers me more than it should.

    The very low score I'm giving these games might seem like a poor attempt at review bombing them, but oh no my friends, this is an actual review from someone who actually played the games and didn't receive any dirty money to say something other than the truth. Pokémon Sword and Shield are possibly the worst Pokémon games to ever be made. For a fully priced 60$ game, they have less than HALF the content of any of the 3DS Pokémon core series games and nearly no redeemable features. In fact, one of their most notable "features" is the lack of more than half of the old Pokémon (a first for a series, hurray innovation!), which means there's over 50% chance that your favorite Pokémon is not even in the code for these games. The cut in content also includes moves, some of which make absolutely no sense why they would have been left out.

    The characters are mostly bland and uninteresting and some are carbon copies of previous characters from Sun and Moon. Those that aren't usually don't have a story or personality deeper than a sheet of paper, and their constant, pointless, overly enthusiastic interruptions make it feel like the game is asking you at all times to "pretty please be excited". The environments pale in comparison to other first-party Nintendo games on the console even if some admittedly had potential. You'll eventually find yourself walking through the empty streets of London, as if the apokélypse happened the day before.

    Let's talk about models, animations, and performance, shall we? All of the Pokémon models are reused straight from the 3DS games, with some exceptions that were so slightly improved that you can't even tell the difference in practice. This wouldn't be a problem as the Pokémon community understands this is necessary to keep these games realistically doable. The problem is that the producers of the game claimed they were cutting the amount of Pokémon so they could focus on remaking the models from scratch for the Switch hardware and also improve the quality and expressiveness of animations. Oh boy, are those animations lacking in quality. The characters move in tank controls (even during cutscenes!) like we're still in 2000. Even in the overworld, expect a lot of 180 degree turns while the walking forward animation plays. This is completely unjustifiable, but not something we would even care if only GameFreak had not called attention to it and used it as an excuse for the massive cuts that will severely damage the entire series. Pokémon models are not properly scaled in battle, and instead they give us an absolutely unnecessary and lame feature of "Dynamax" in which they suddenly discovered the scale slider exists in 3D software and decided to abuse it. The game struggles to maintain a stable framerate even tho it took Breath of the Wild the "Godray & Foliage Overkill Woods" and Smash Bros. "16 Ice Climbers on Fountain of Dreams" for the same to happen. The draw distance is laughable and glaring, you are sure to direct your eyes to the nearest Berry Tree popping in.

    Difficulty-wise, the game is so easy that the biggest challenge will be not falling asleep while playing it, something that is amplified by the previously mentioned constant interruptions by NPCs. The soundtrack has a few good themes, but the rest is a cacophony of instruments desperately trying to grab your attention with inharmonious, generic and chaotic tracks. The only hype I got from this game was during the climax, which I shall not mention for spoiler reasons, where apparently they blew the entire budget and development time, and even that is an average experience when put into context with climaxes from other current games.

    If after this entire review you still think this game is worth playing, be aware of the awful glitch (that somehow passed quality assurance) which can actually delete your other game's save files from your console.
    It's so obvious that this game was rushed out in this poor state to meet unrealistic deadlines and extract as much money as possible from a blind and passive fanbase that I'm baffled by anyone who defends it.

    In conclusion, whether you are a Pokémon fan or wanting to become one, these are games you can easily skip and save some bucks. I dare to say Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee are better games than these dumpster fires. If you truly want a good Pokémon experience play the 3DS games or, even better, the DS ones.    … Expand
  13. Wiki
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Bugs y mas bugs... No estan todos los Pokémon, fallos graficos, reutilizan modelos de 3DS... es ridículo y carisimo. NO HAY POSTGAME
  14. Conas
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The good about this game is the same that can be said about other Pokemon games. Exploring is fun, battling is fun, and training is fun. But the wild area was suppose to be a trade off for little routes, but the wild area is fairly small. Pokemon in the over-world don't interact with the over-world save for chasing after the trainer. The weather changes in the wild area are way too sudden. And have the bike become the hm replacer is bad, should've sticked to how SM and LGPE did it. The routes are fairly short and route 7 especially takes less than a minute to cross including trainers. The story is very bland. I don't expect much from Pokemon but after SM I at least wanted to interact with more personal stories characters had. There is no evil team in the game. Team Yell are just Marine fans who like to get in your way. Then turns out they are actually the gym trainers for the 7th gym, Piere's gym. Marine's older brother. It seemed Marine was gonna have a small story arc when we got to the seventh gym, but it was shafted after we beat Piere. The League got rid of the Elite Four and replaced it with a tournament. Not bad , it's execution in this game sucks because it's against Gym Leaders and characters you didn't really bond with. The twist in the game was Chairman Rose wanted to awaken a pokemon with infinite energy for dynamaxing. Dynamax energy runs out in 1000 years btw. He decides to awaken it during the tournament, we literally would've helped after the tournament. But he was too impatient to wait 1 day for a problem that wouldn't happen for 1000 years. The battle against Eternatus sucks, you don't fight whatsoever. The two box legionaries are the only one's that can damage him, and you don't even control them. You're just in the battle was picking whatever move, because it doesn't matter. YOU can't hurt him. After the battles the legionaries jump into the sunset, you don't get to catch one until post game. The game has so much potential, but it just fell flat for me. Also gamefreak, this is scummy releasing the same game so metacritic score is different… Expand
  15. ExPokemonFan
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    I've no idea what the "professional" reviews were on when they were playing this game.
    Are they reviewing the same game?
    This game is a half assed attempt at bringing the Pokemon franchise forward to the next generation.
    Don't waste your time with this trash and vote with your wallet.
  16. mechanica
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. so awaful
    story , ost , character , UI , all boring
    nooooooooooooooooooo！    … Expand
  17. beyak
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    The bad:
    The main story is short, and the postgame is lacking, around 25 hours if you take your time.
    The music is hit or miss most of the time. The wild area (the biggest new feature) feels incomplete and has bad textures and models for the environment. Its also not very big. The game has pop-in issues both in the wild area and in cities/routes, and has a horrible draw distance. The    The bad:
    The main story is short, and the postgame is lacking, around 25 hours if you take your time.
    The music is hit or miss most of the time.
    The wild area (the biggest new feature) feels incomplete and has bad textures and models for the environment. Its also not very big.
    The game has pop-in issues both in the wild area and in cities/routes, and has a horrible draw distance.
    The game is missing staple moves like pursuit, return and hidden power.
    Some animations in cutscenes and battles are either incredibly lacking, or amazing in some cases.
    Half of the pokemon are not coded into the game, and will be impossible to transfer (unless GameFreak changes their stance and updates).
    Mega evolution and Z-moves were removed and replaced by dynamax.
    Subjective, but some of the new pokemon are really off-putting.
    The game, as of release, has a fatal bug that can wipe your SD card.
    No following pokemon.

    The good:
    It's still pokemon, and still has the same great formula.
    The games look great, especially in cities.
    The trainer customization is the best ever.
    Some of the new pokemon and character designs are amazing.
    Competitive teambuilding is easier than ever before.

    Overall: The game could have used more time before release and had great potential. If all pokemon, moves and megas were coded in and the whole game was polished more (especially the wild area) the game could have been the best pokemon games so far. It's sad to see GameFreak pushing yearly releases for the games instead of giving them the development time needed to become truly great.    … Expand
  18. Andmyaxe90
    Nov 15, 2019
    9
    I don't understand the hate this game gets. Yes, it's a bit rough around the edges, but the points made by the negative people don't stand. The dex cut was needed. Balancing 890 Pokémon is an impossible task. The animations are fine. But most importantly: the game is fun.
  19. Rardo
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    To be honest this game is disappointing, don’t get me wrong the game likes nice and all visually but this game just ain’t it. They used the exact same game models from the 3DS and they cut 455 Pokémon from the game for better animation and graphics even though it looks the exactly the same as it did for the past 7 years. I never thought GameFreak could get any lazier and incompetent thanTo be honest this game is disappointing, don’t get me wrong the game likes nice and all visually but this game just ain’t it. They used the exact same game models from the 3DS and they cut 455 Pokémon from the game for better animation and graphics even though it looks the exactly the same as it did for the past 7 years. I never thought GameFreak could get any lazier and incompetent than this. Generations 1-5 had more soul put into them than these games. Now the digital copies of these are being reported to not only corrupt your SD card and delete your Save data but it kills the console too. They should have spent an extra year or two working on these games. “A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad”… Expand
  20. Nick_bs
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    It's alright for what it is. It follows the same formula as other Pokemon games and if you liked them you'll like this and if not then you won't. The gameplay is always fun in Pokemon games and that still stands here. However this isn't any big jump for the series as many expected. Overall I enjoyed it because it's still a Pokemon game and at it's core it's still a fun experience.
  21. Vanbeef
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    After several Hours of Gameplay I really can say: It's the best Pokemon Game ive ever played.
    Started my Journey with Pokemon Red & Blue and came all my Way to Shield now.

    The Game looks amazing
    Smooth Gameplay
    Cute Pokemon Style
    Over 350 different Pokemon... thats just amazing!!
  22. DoomDragon9000
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Expectations are everything in life. Video games are certainly no exception. Our opinions, reviews or “scores” for a given video game are a direct result of our expectations. A change in expectations - either deliberately or unconsciously; sudden, or as a result of multiple experiences - can result in radically contrasting impressions of the same underlying video game. With that in mind,Expectations are everything in life. Video games are certainly no exception. Our opinions, reviews or “scores” for a given video game are a direct result of our expectations. A change in expectations - either deliberately or unconsciously; sudden, or as a result of multiple experiences - can result in radically contrasting impressions of the same underlying video game. With that in mind, it begs the question: what are reasonable expectations to have for a game like Pokémon Sword and Shield? What should we use as the baseline for forming these expectations?

    The level of quality, polish, depth and amount of content in previous main entries in the series?
    The relative quality of alternative $60, 1st party Nintendo Switch titles?
    The hardware capabilities of the Nintendo Switch relative to previous handhelds on which Pokémon has appeared?
    The certain level of production value one might anticipate in a watershed moment for the highest grossing media franchise of all time?

    These are all perfectly fair and reasonable baselines from which to form one’s expectations of Pokémon Sword and Shield. Nostalgia, goodwill and sentimentality for this particular series have seemingly always resulted in an expectation discount of sorts, but for many the 50% price increase for this installment, outright lies from GameFreak and the non-stop, in-your-face Kanto exposure in recent years have all but eliminated said discount. The unfortunate reality is, that even with a discount of sorts on expectations, Pokemon Sword and Shield still fall woefully short of expectations by any reasonable baseline.

    Content removal has reached a fever pitch, and what remains lacks effort, ambition, or even a semblance of challenge. Since its transition to 3D, Pokemon has gone from mildly challenging to downright patronizing. In an era where Mario, Zelda, Fire Emblem and Super Smash Bros. have displayed radical ambition in their main Nintendo Switch entries, pushing their respective series’ to new heights…Pokemon Sword and Shield are aggressively mediocre. With the transition to console – from 4GB cartridges to 32 GB cartridges – from 240p to 1080p – that we even had such confusion and debate regarding the re-use of models, animations and textures is a tragedy. While a novel could be written on the business inner-workings of GameFreak and The Pokemon Company, having standards for their products - especially given their capacity to produce good ones when they try - does in no way make one entitled.

    So it bears repeating: Pokemon Sword and Shield fall woefully short of expectations by any reasonable baseline.

    Much to its detriment, Pokémon Sword and Shield offer substantially fewer features, shallower depth, and reduced challenge relative to earlier, cheaper Pokémon games on weaker hardware. That is the brutal reality of these games. If one is completely new to the Pokémon series and does not possess any level of – and here is that word again – expectation for these games, this might not matter quite as much, but will still worsen the overall experience if they have had even a taste of the Nintendo Switch’s JRPG contemporaries (XenoBlade, Dragon Quest 11S and Atelier, among others). For series veterans, especially those who have experienced the relatively ambitious, content-loaded, reasonably-challenging, generation 3-5 games, it will be hard for Pokemon Sword and Shield to block criticism of its cut content.

    Again, by any reasonable baseline of expectations – which I list at the beginning of this review – Pokemon Sword and Shield fall woefully short. It’s painful to say and type that, along with everything else I have. What is even more painful however, is the reality that these games will likely be an enormous commercial success based on name recognition and have already received critical acclaim from the corporate critics and “content creators”, both of which are subject to an insidious conflict of interest when assessing the quality of these games. Said success will only incentivize low-effort, unambitious annual releases.

    You will see many negative reviews here, none nearly as lengthy as my diatribe. However, recognize that these negative reviews, like mine, come from a place of love and passion for the Pokemon series, and a sense of heartbreak and betrayal over seeing what it has become. To us, we love Pokemon, and in order for it to improve, there needs to be a place for criticism. This is it.

    Anyways, do not buy Pokemon Sword or Shield. For the good of your money, your time, and the future of this franchise, do not buy Pokemon Sword or Shield.    … Expand
  23. UnionJack0714
    Nov 15, 2019
    9
    This game is very bitter sweet. The game itself, is as good as 'pokemon' games get, at the expense of missing favourites... but honestly the designs of the new Pokemon are so good, it's forgivable... to an extent. Obviously I want my old favourites back, but at the same time I'm finding some new favourites. The wild area is great, even if it's not the best looking area in the game and isThis game is very bitter sweet. The game itself, is as good as 'pokemon' games get, at the expense of missing favourites... but honestly the designs of the new Pokemon are so good, it's forgivable... to an extent. Obviously I want my old favourites back, but at the same time I'm finding some new favourites. The wild area is great, even if it's not the best looking area in the game and is very bare bones in terms of decoration, offering a unique take on Pokemon encounters, and playing with other players is brilliant too. The story and characters definitely aren't bad, but are predictable if you've played Sun and Moon... very obvious inspiration there. The music ranges from the best in the series to this doesn't fit at all, thankfully more good than bad songs. Dynamax and Gigamax forms aren't the silly gimmicks I thought they would be, they offer up some great battles, especially towards the end of the game. And most importantly, unlike Sun and Moon, the game doesn't have a long unnecessary tutorial. Overall, if you want a good Pokemon game, this is for you. If you wanted a massive leap forward in the series, maybe wait for Gen 9 instead and safe yourself the anger and hate towards this game.… Expand
  24. Glyssade
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Well, nothing much to say. All the things we feared and prayed that were fixed are not. Gamefreak shows no leadership at all, these games are a big dissappointment in all aspects.
    Not only did they remove everything that we liked, but they also implemented new mechanics that are just boring and lifeless, nobody asked for this. Gamefreak has decided to not listen to fans, they will keep    Well, nothing much to say. All the things we feared and prayed that were fixed are not. Gamefreak shows no leadership at all, these games are a big dissappointment in all aspects.
    Not only did they remove everything that we liked, but they also implemented new mechanics that are just boring and lifeless, nobody asked for this. Gamefreak has decided to not listen to fans, they will keep making these games as long as people still buy them, which is kinda sad, because pokemon switch had the greatest of potentials to be one of the best games ever created.    … Expand
  25. Tarasios
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    This game is like an uncooked unseasoned potato: Bland and simple.

    It lacks the depth of any other game, being a straight line through. No hidden paths or secrets. And once you finish the main story that's it, you are done. You unlock the "battle tower" which has even less features than any prior simple "battle tower" and absolutely nothing else. The only positives are some good new    This game is like an uncooked unseasoned potato: Bland and simple.

    It lacks the depth of any other game, being a straight line through. No hidden paths or secrets. And once you finish the main story that's it, you are done. You unlock the "battle tower" which has even less features than any prior simple "battle tower" and absolutely nothing else.

    The only positives are some good new Pokemon designs, but the excitement over new Pokemon is dulled thanks to the National Dex cut meaning that I can't even be sure that I can keep them with me.

    Dynamaxing is fine but ultimately hollow. It combines mega evolution and z moves and manages to capture the worst of both. Even those who enjoy it can look forward to it being cut from the next game.

    Curry and Camping are barely even relevant to gameplay, and serve no purpose aside from being something they can add to the games "features list". As though they were added to meet a quota.

    This is a disgrace to the franchise, and it saddens me to see my favourite brand doing so poorly.    … Expand
  26. WorriedDenizen
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    From my Sword review:

    Sword and Shield is a shameless, rushed cashgrab. These games are easily one of the biggest disappointments in 2019, and one of the worst JRPGs in recent years, and perhaps one of the worst switch games thus far. The positives of SwSh are few, but they're there. For one, the moveset availability is a lot better since while it sucks to have the good attacks go    From my Sword review:

    Sword and Shield is a shameless, rushed cashgrab.
    These games are easily one of the biggest disappointments in 2019, and one of the worst JRPGs in recent years, and perhaps one of the worst switch games thus far.

    The positives of SwSh are few, but they're there. For one, the moveset availability is a lot better since while it sucks to have the good attacks go back to the 1 use TM system known as TRs, at least moveset potential is still flexible.

    The new pokemon is always a good addition to the ever increasing size of the amount of pokemon that well... would have existed.

    SwSh also brings back the smug @sshole rival archetype that wasn't seen since Silver in gen 2 and it's remakes.

    Yet these are a few compared to the few of many huge downsides below:

    SwSh most common and biggest problem is the cut pokemon. You can't transfer any pokemon from previous games that aren't in the Galarian dex into the games. You have to wait for that potential cashgrab known as Pokemon Home as well. Plus you can't even inject, or even attempt to play as the missing pokemon. Only some of the ones not part of the dex are programmed in, and they're the starters and some legendaries. At least in gen 3, the missing pokemon were programmed in, and you could use gameshark to play with them.

    SwSh also removes mega evolutions, and z-moves and creates yet another gimmick which is inferior, and more broken to the 2 separately. Dynamax and Gigantamaxing are poor gimmicks which only benefit the fast, and powerful mons. What it does is it increases the hp temporarily, and turns all attacks in dyna/giga attacks which are powerful attacks that each one has a secondary effect. All status moves turn into protect. Essentially a temp hp boost with z-moves, and it doesn't take up an item slot.
    This sucks since it just means that in game, the ace mons that are giga/dyna often die in very anti-climatic means, and in competitive play, these mechanics force the other player to utilize it to stand a chance.

    Graphically, the game looks even worse than 3H. Water reflections are off, theres those infamous n64 trees, and the texturing is PS2 tier. Which is an honest to god achievement, how does a game manage to look worse than 3H on the same console. At least 3H has great gameplay, and decent story for the most part, SwSh has none of that.

    The technical aspects, and animations of SwSh is truly atrocious. The games have hideous draw distance, and random FPS drops. the game that does ZA WARUDO whenever the player fishes, or climbs a ladder. Horrible graphics in general, terrible scaling especially for mons like Wailord and Tyranitar. The animations look especially bad on a lot of attacks. The infamous double kick animation, and even the important plot cut scene with the box art legendaries when they just turn around in place.

    The GTS is also looking to be missing which is another huge downside, considering the GTS was pretty much a series staple, and to see it removed adds to the ever growing list of features GF introduces then throws out in the next gen.

    The main story is really short, you could probably finish it in 8-10 hours, and the intrusive dialogue from S/M makes a return in SwSh, meaning the biggest problem with S/M is back again in these set of games. No you cannot skip the dialogue, only the actual cutscenes.

    EXP Share is on permanently and is no longer a key item. This means that training up a low leveled will lead to your other mons being massively overleveled. Oh and for some reason sound settings are locked behind a key item which you have to get from a rather easily miss able NPC.

    The post game is once again barren, perhaps even moreso than XY. You get 2 hours worth of post game, and it's mostly just going to the other gyms and fighting dynamax mons, and then fighting the box art legendaries. That's seriously it. Oh and you can do a gimped battle tower if you really wanted to.

    The biggest crime of them all though. It has most of the flaws which I listed above, and it costs $60 USD. Yeah that's the same price as a triple A game, yet this game is basically a shovelware tier joke.

    Seriously this is supposed Pokemon's mainline series debut on a console? This is what it has to offer? Nothing but pure disappointment, and a total step backwards from a 3DS game? The GC spin offs, and Wii's Battle revolution were a better taste of what a main series pokemon game on a console could have been. But alas here we are, sitting here with quite possibly the worst set of pokemon games ever, and disappointed again after a slew of mediocre 3DS games.

    Stay away from these games, it's not worth your money at all.    … Expand
  27. nintendofanboy2
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    This game is amazing 11 out of 10
    best Pokemon to date thank you game freak
  28. ThankUGamefreak
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    This is the most important review you will ever read on metacritic. These are the best games ever made. The criticisms are unfounded and dumbfounded. Why are you complaining about only having 400 pokemon to play as? Other RPGs like final fantasy and xenoblade and persona typically only have 7ish characters to play as. Yet people are upset about 400? Bad argument. Bad graphics? That's notThis is the most important review you will ever read on metacritic. These are the best games ever made. The criticisms are unfounded and dumbfounded. Why are you complaining about only having 400 pokemon to play as? Other RPGs like final fantasy and xenoblade and persona typically only have 7ish characters to play as. Yet people are upset about 400? Bad argument. Bad graphics? That's not true. These games are cartoony beautiful appealing graphics. They'retimeless. I think the Thanos snap of pokemon is the best thing to happen to the series. It exposes the fake fans and shows who really cares about pokemon. If you dislike these games then you need to purchase them again and try again. And if you don'tbuy them then dont talk. .… 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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