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. Snowtooth
    Mar 24, 2020
    5
    I loved this game, it was different than any of the past games. I was crazy impressed with a number of the new podex, I also loved cooking it was something I hadn't imagined seeing. Good job Game freak
  2. MutantDJ123
    Mar 25, 2020
    8
    Smooth graphics and nice story with the exception of the lack of national dex this is a great game.
  3. Victorbalbo
    Jun 21, 2022
    3
    Basicamente um jogo de DS mas com preço de jogo AAA pra console. Mesma mecânica de sempre, gráficos muito fracos pra um jogo de console e toda a “vantagem” do mundo aberto se resumo a uma área nem tão grande assim.
  4. RichSwish
    Apr 21, 2020
    6
    I don't have that much problem with the 400 pokemon, its sad and I understand why others are mad too. The main problem I think we should all be mad about is the fact that Gamefreak said the reason there are 400 pokemon is because they wanted to make other aspects of the game better. Take a look at the tree texture you are introduced to right away. That explains it. To me it doesn't feelI don't have that much problem with the 400 pokemon, its sad and I understand why others are mad too. The main problem I think we should all be mad about is the fact that Gamefreak said the reason there are 400 pokemon is because they wanted to make other aspects of the game better. Take a look at the tree texture you are introduced to right away. That explains it. To me it doesn't feel that much of a pokemon game, but it is OK. Not worth 60 dollars. Also a buggy mess at times, still OK story, and basically a below average pokemon game. If I had a problem with the National Dex issues, this review would be a 4.… Expand
  5. rowdyfennekin12
    Apr 17, 2020
    8
    Pokemon Shield is totally worth it. It brings a refreshing taste to the series and the new Pokemon are totally adorable and cute. It`s really worth the buy!
  6. rireefrif
    Apr 19, 2020
    6
    this game is quite enjoyable, end up binge playing it for 30 hours-ish before finishing the whole "story" part. the cooking feature is actually not as dumb as i thought, it's actually kinda fun completing the dex. but other than that, it's still just an ok game, not bad, but not that good either in my opinion.
  7. Andydoo
    Apr 19, 2020
    6
    It's really not as bad as people make it out to be. Sure, it's got an underwhelming... well, everything, but it's not painfully bad in most regards.

    It's not as good as Sun and Moon or Black and White, which I believe to be the best the series has to offer, and while it has no right being any worse than these, it's not really that huge a deal compared to everything else. I hate to say    It's really not as bad as people make it out to be. Sure, it's got an underwhelming... well, everything, but it's not painfully bad in most regards.

    It's not as good as Sun and Moon or Black and White, which I believe to be the best the series has to offer, and while it has no right being any worse than these, it's not really that huge a deal compared to everything else. I hate to say that "people only hate it because it's popular", but people really bandwagonned on hating this game because most people who played this hadn't played a Pokemon game before it. It's really harmless.

    While the story is kinda bland and really, really bad, I think the characters are some of the strongest in the series. This game has some high highs when it comes to animations, but it also has some low lows. The character animations in battle and in Pokemon Camp are genuinely really charming, especially the gym leaders which are likely the most human-feeling gym leaders in the entire series.

    The battle system is the same as it's always been, and while I am against that notion of "don't fix what isn't broken" in RPGs, that doesn't mean it's not fun. Because it's fun. But it's the same fun as it was before. Dynamax offers no real difference in strategy, especially since you always know when the opponents are gonna use it and it's basically just a guaranteed win if you use it right (which, again, is very easy). But it's still Pokemon, and I still think it's great.

    My friend wasn't sure about it after he saw all the bad publicity, but once he got it he really, really liked it. He still noticed all the things that held it back, but ultimately most of it didn't matter because he was having fun. And that's sorta the same thing that happened to me. I own a copy of every game in the series (or at least one game of each pair for each generation) and I still had a grand ole' time with Pokemon Shield. Don't get me wrong, probably every bad thing people say about it is totally true and it's still an objectively bad game, but you'll have fun with it. If you like filling the Pokedex, congratulations, it's so much easier now and more fun because of that. Sure, the Dex cut is still heartbreaking and unnecessary, but if you're not someone who's got a full living Dex from other games, this really won't matter to you in the slightest past, "I wish {this Pokemon} was in this game."    … Expand
  8. Azzytap
    Apr 26, 2020
    6
    I’ll keep this short because most of what I’ll say has probably been said before.

    Graphics were not up to snuff, animations were wonky, and the removal of so many Pokémon is an insult to fans. This would have been fine if this was a fangame or spinoff but for a full on main title this is embarrassing. But otherwise it was a totally fine Pokémon game. Not great, but the new gym leaders    I’ll keep this short because most of what I’ll say has probably been said before.

    Graphics were not up to snuff, animations were wonky, and the removal of so many Pokémon is an insult to fans. This would have been fine if this was a fangame or spinoff but for a full on main title this is embarrassing. But otherwise it was a totally fine Pokémon game. Not great, but the new gym leaders are some of the best in any Pokémon game, they did try to add some new mechanics, and the story was decent.    … Expand
  9. BrunoMacielS
    Apr 29, 2020
    7
    I really had a very high expectation for this pokemon. Unfortunately it is a good game but not what I expected.
  10. bluefighter45
    May 14, 2020
    8
    I have sunk over 400 hours into both Sword and Shield because of how fun it can be to run around the wild area and hunt for shiny pokemon. In the beginning, the story is a little slow but after the 3rd gym, you're going places. There really isn't much post-game content but because of the online, Raids, and shiny hunting, there is so much to do. With DLC on the way and more pokemon beingI have sunk over 400 hours into both Sword and Shield because of how fun it can be to run around the wild area and hunt for shiny pokemon. In the beginning, the story is a little slow but after the 3rd gym, you're going places. There really isn't much post-game content but because of the online, Raids, and shiny hunting, there is so much to do. With DLC on the way and more pokemon being added you can't really complain about lack of content and the Dex cut. The pokemon are not locked behind an in-game paywall, you can have them transferred up or trade with a friend to get the pokemon. Those pokemon, however, can only be caught in the DLC areas. If you think it's a scam to buy the DLC, think of it this way, they could have re-released Sword and Shield with the DLC included but that would have been another $60. If anything, Gamefreak is doing us a favor and giving us remake content for half the price. So thank you GameFreak for everything you have done for the Pokemon community.… Expand
  11. Daichigo
    Jun 21, 2020
    5
    Lack of an interest story, no real postgame even with the dlc, no interest explotation, very lineal, lazy game design. Still I had fun but there is nothing new here.
  12. lamen_table
    Jun 24, 2020
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Es un pokemon fácil de narices, ya pueden ponerse las pilas en gamefreakss… Expand
  13. Arturos
    Jul 1, 2020
    7
    Fun game to play with friend a family, if you are a big pokemon fan but it.
  14. manujm23
    Nov 3, 2022
    0
    No me gusta ningun juego de Pokemon, sus historias no valen nada, ah, enhorabuena a los nintenderos por el remake a 60 pavazos, que penita me dan, de verdad
  15. SrRay
    Jul 18, 2020
    0
    I played all Pokémon games until the sixth generation, and it's amazing how Nintendo can saturate its games to the point where they become garbage. Pokémon was the franchise that most marked my childhood, but this game is a complete disrespect to fans.
  16. Sibree
    Jul 24, 2020
    2
    most pokemon missing, what pokemon there are in this game are the more boring ones. It's basically the same as all the other pokemon games but with a changed gym battle system and gimmicky dynonaxing (nowhere as cool as mega evolutions in some of the more recent games former games) You can change your players appearance slightly (not many options)
  17. GinoBuonvino300
    Aug 7, 2020
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game is amazing, it has a great Lore (who thinks that is too fast to finish, please, read the dialogue)
    -the story isn't that bad, although it doesn't have side quests or too many events, but the few events are epic
    -is a pokemon game with a mental change of the "main" rival (Hop), as opposed to previous games such as Lets Go ... Marnie who fights against injustices towards her city and her brother, as well as gym leader, makes you empathize with the character understanding him ...
    Beed takes on the role of the "bad" rival as were the rivals of the GS and Red and Blue games, which intrigues the player into wanting to defeat him (although the rival will still remain of his opinion, with a few small changes from time to time)
    -the music sector is one of the best ever created
    -the technical sector, unfortunately, is not uniform (just think of the animation of Zacian and Zamazenta in the post-league, but, also looking at the positive sides, of Zacian and Zamazenta against Eternatus)
    -the wild areas are, unfortunately, scarce in content, but the dynamax raids to do with friends make you have fun (moreover those of the dlc are much more detailed and more beautiful)    … Expand
  18. Cizer
    Aug 29, 2020
    8
    Firstly, the game isn't that bad how internet says. Yes the game has bad things but that doesn't mean all the game is such a trash. I want caegorize the things for how people critizies. 1-The lore
    The lore is really to short, but better than xy. The strytellimg part is jus great with the darke
  19. LucarioSmash246
    Sep 1, 2020
    7
    Lets get this out of the way: I get why people might not like the fact that not all the Pokemon are in the game but that alone doesn't make it terrible. There is still enough mons to play with and alternate between. As for the graphics, I do agree that some of the textures aren't great but there are some good or great ones too like the caves, cities, and forests. The main characters haveLets get this out of the way: I get why people might not like the fact that not all the Pokemon are in the game but that alone doesn't make it terrible. There is still enough mons to play with and alternate between. As for the graphics, I do agree that some of the textures aren't great but there are some good or great ones too like the caves, cities, and forests. The main characters have great arcs and personality and Gym leaders are interesting to listen to and aren't only standing at the end of the gym like some of the other games do while also having personality. All the pokemon designs are either fantastic or just okay and the pokemon animations are either really awesome or bland. I like the activities you can do in the game like the Max Raids and the timed bicycle runs. The Wild area is a great idea though it really needs to be expanded upon(i don't mean size of the area). The only things that i'm not a big fan of is the Y-comm ,though I do like the idea of what it is and it just doesn't update very well, and having a little more people in the bigger cites as well as being able to look at more in said cities. Overall, I think Sword and Shield are good games but not fantastic games and believe they can do better. I don't think they are bad games since they still work and play well. They just aren't groundbreaking games.… Expand
  20. greyrinplays
    Sep 18, 2020
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The past games did not have a National Dex also. And also from a business perspective, the DLC is much more easier then lets say creating another game from scratch, and finally you can just continue your story and I think that is what majority of Pokemon players were asking for before and yes they had to make some cuts, but it really is not a big deal. The game has it's flaws as well but overall exploring the new region was fun. And with the DLCs coming it will only get better.… Expand
  21. HelisBig
    Apr 26, 2021
    8
    This game is shorter than reviews would say. Maybe 17-22 hours for the main game and the docs maybe 6-10 hours.

    There are quite a few good wow moments when you first have a max raid battle. The largest thing I wish it had more of was attitude in the trainers. . Trainers tend to blur together because they are all quite unforgettable. The gym leaders need more unique styling ego and    This game is shorter than reviews would say. Maybe 17-22 hours for the main game and the docs maybe 6-10 hours.

    There are quite a few good wow moments when you first have a max raid battle. The largest thing I wish it had more of was attitude in the trainers. . Trainers tend to blur together because they are all quite unforgettable. The gym leaders need more unique styling ego and attitude and so do your rivals. I think anybody who wants a relaxed turn based rpg will find something to like.    … Expand
  22. rst1
    Jan 5, 2021
    3
    It is a pretty bad game, but not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. It had some genuinely good features such as the wild area, and the DLC wasn't bad either as gamefreak has clearly shown some improvement such as using render distance on the three galarian birds, and the raid battles were pretty cool despite how utterly broken dynamax is. But now that I am done talking about the goodIt is a pretty bad game, but not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. It had some genuinely good features such as the wild area, and the DLC wasn't bad either as gamefreak has clearly shown some improvement such as using render distance on the three galarian birds, and the raid battles were pretty cool despite how utterly broken dynamax is. But now that I am done talking about the good parts, let's move on to the bad. Allow me to start with the elephant in the room, and say that the dex cut was a dumb decision, and it was unforgivable. Despite the flaws in past gens, the fact that as long as I got to play as my favorite pokemon feraligatr, it wasn't really a problem for me all that much. But now that this switch title has been released, and I still don't get to battle with my favorite pokemon, and many others such as ampharos even with the DLC patch makes the experience pretty unforgivable. The game was so souless, and boring that even game critics such as IGN said that pokemon sword, and shield was one of gamefreaks more souless games. Also, lets talk about the lack of difficulty. By the time I got to the first gym I was easily 10 levels above everyone with a genuinely good team build. I wish the game would stop holding my hand, and let me roam around. I wish the game was more challenging. Believe it or not, not all kids want their hand held, and not all kids want an easy game. Challenge is what makes a game fun, and memorable. Challenge in video game teaches kids to perservere. Sure a childs attention span might be low, but there persistence is high. How do I know this you ask? It's because I was once a child myself. Also, we need to address the poor map design. It was so linear, and it was such a point A to point B experience even with the wild area. Going to one gym to the next, getting my hand held, damn near unable to explore anywhere else, and the pointless roadblocks created a janky, and restrictive experience.

    Overall, the game is piss poor, but definitely not as bad as others say it is, and I have high hopes for the next title.    … Expand
  23. luis18716
    Feb 26, 2021
    10
    Pokemon sword and shield is one of the most hated games in the saga, although this game it's hated it is still a great game specially for people playing Pokemon for the first time a great story with a good selection of Pokemon and a great post game, with or without the expansion pass.
  24. Mckenzieawesome
    Mar 29, 2021
    10
    I honestly don't know why this game gets so much hate. It has good storytelling, cute Pokemon, and even a massive open world! this is a brilliant game.
  25. AshGamer08
    Mar 21, 2021
    9
    Pokemon Sw/Sh are some of the best pokemon games ever made, Here are some things I really liked about the game. The WIld Area is amazing, The Starters are balanced, decent graphics, decent story, Gigantamax Is Incredibly fun, the best pokemon soundtrack in years, Raid battles are really fun, pokemon appear in the overworld. Here are some things I disliked about the game. No National Dex,Pokemon Sw/Sh are some of the best pokemon games ever made, Here are some things I really liked about the game. The WIld Area is amazing, The Starters are balanced, decent graphics, decent story, Gigantamax Is Incredibly fun, the best pokemon soundtrack in years, Raid battles are really fun, pokemon appear in the overworld. Here are some things I disliked about the game. No National Dex, Some Textures look awful, shinys don't appear in the over world. Overall Pokemon Sw/Sh are 100% worth buying If your a long time fan of the series or a new comer to the series, Personally I give it a 9/10 because it's such a great game.… Expand
  26. TruthfulGamer67
    Jun 1, 2021
    0
    This game is **** and Garbage Pokemon hasn't been good since Gen 2

    If you want a good Monster Hunter play SMT
  27. khoitran101507
    May 1, 2021
    10
    this game is so addictive and so much fun in this game. i think it better when you buy a expansion pass for this game too.
  28. eljajas
    Jan 30, 2022
    2
    El peor juego de toda la saga, excesivamente facil, muy lineal, no hay nada interesante en todo el mapa, y el area silvestre pese a estar muy bonita es aburrida y no hay nada mas alla de pokemon(poca variedad) arboles, y mierdas para incursiones . No le doy un cero por que el apartado grafico me parece bonito y el diseño artistico de escenarios es muy bueno tambien
  29. Patedus
    Mar 15, 2022
    2
    An absolutely pathetic game to add to a franchise with so much potential. Extremely disappointing.
  30. 7thru7
    Aug 4, 2021
    3
    This game has significantly less depth than essentially every other Pokémon game. There are fewer Pokémon (while being on a more advanced system), less of a story, especially the post-game, and fewer animations for some reason. There are 10 routes and the gym battles and process feel so gutted. The world feels small which is inexcusable for a well-developed franchise making use of a newerThis game has significantly less depth than essentially every other Pokémon game. There are fewer Pokémon (while being on a more advanced system), less of a story, especially the post-game, and fewer animations for some reason. There are 10 routes and the gym battles and process feel so gutted. The world feels small which is inexcusable for a well-developed franchise making use of a newer and more powerful system. For many people, hearing about the national dex's removal is not much of a talking point, but to me when they removed so many Pokémon and then had the audacity to add DLC Pokémon shows to me there was no care put into this game for the community. Perhaps one can find a modicum of entertainment for a short period of time playing this game, but ask yourself is it really worth all that is happening to the franchise? I personally feel as though this is true beginning of the end for Pokémon. "So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay." - Robert Frost… Expand
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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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