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. Gio00
    Jan 13, 2021
    1
    Such a shame for pokemon legacy to be so poor and lazy this game..0 Creativity and the skills you ve got to have for this game is a 2years old kid
  2. leeaw
    Jan 8, 2021
    5
    I can best describe this game as "it's Pokemon, again!" And while Pokemon is good, this entry feels very, very tired. Yes, it has made some improvements over prior entries, the core gameplay is the same, with all of the dated mechanics therein, rushed into what's at it's core just "another one"- though it admittedly does still preserve the good parts as well. The Pokemon series hasI can best describe this game as "it's Pokemon, again!" And while Pokemon is good, this entry feels very, very tired. Yes, it has made some improvements over prior entries, the core gameplay is the same, with all of the dated mechanics therein, rushed into what's at it's core just "another one"- though it admittedly does still preserve the good parts as well. The Pokemon series has essentially survived on changing very little between entries, but with the jump to much more powerful hardware, it feels more blatant than ever. I did have a fun time with the game at launch, but several playthroughs later, the cracks are definitely showing.
    If you're craving a new Pokemon story, sure. This is just that, and it does have some delightful elements- the exploration of the wild area was fantastic the first time around, and I'm a big fan of some of the new designs- it's the same structure, and it's beginning to rust. I can only hope Game Freak sees the criticism and is overhauling the series, because without, I can only worry the magic will become lost on the public as it now is on me, but with the sales numbers they got, I question whether they truly have the motivation to.    … Expand
  3. Kchewz
    Jan 6, 2021
    4
    $80 price tag, $20/year pokemon home subscription, two $30 DLCs. Yet the quality and functionality from the 3DS pokemon games are equal, and these games costed $40... Both Sword and Shield have its pros such as cool new pokemon, incredible music and DLCs were more memorable and enjoyable than the base game. But poor graphics, boring dynamax mechanics and dynamax raids, the mobile camp etc.$80 price tag, $20/year pokemon home subscription, two $30 DLCs. Yet the quality and functionality from the 3DS pokemon games are equal, and these games costed $40... Both Sword and Shield have its pros such as cool new pokemon, incredible music and DLCs were more memorable and enjoyable than the base game. But poor graphics, boring dynamax mechanics and dynamax raids, the mobile camp etc. were all lacklustre. For the largest franchise in the world, expectations were much higher. For someone who grew up playing Pokemon Battle Revolution in 2006, I was expecting this type of quality at the very least.… Expand
  4. 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
  5. CurriMan
    Jan 4, 2021
    2
    My expectations were really low, and it still dissapointed me.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    *CONCLUSION: It’s a boring and rushed game without any incentive to ply it other than "it's pokemon", and it's a terrible game, nobody should defend this; it fails as an RPG, as an open world, as a game by home console standards, but as a pokemon game apparently not because people would buy anything that says “pokemon” in the title. This game would still be a bad game even it had come out for the Gamecube, it makes some mistakes that are unforgivable for any game. I could keep highlighting bad aspects of this game all day: performance issues, graphics, character customization, pokemon camp, the curry mechanic which CONTRIBUTES NOTHING TO THE GAME, immersion, etc. There are a lot of issues I haven’t talked about that I despise in this game, but I think these are the most important aspects to highlight.
    I won’t talk about the DLCs because I haven’t played them, but since it must be built from the base this game has established, I doubt making 2 new areas and introducing some pokemon is going to change this game’s problems.
    I give this game 1/10 (and not 0/10) because it has Yamper and I love corgis.    … Expand
  7. SwShDie
    Dec 28, 2020
    0
    When will this game be succeeded?? GameFreak cut corners in order to make the 2019 release date as it seems they release a mainline Pokemon game every year. But lo and behold, this steaming, half ***-ed pile of a game is still the current main game as 2020 is ending. We want a new main Pokemon game in order to leave this one to rot away (and to get the bad taste out of our mouths if GameWhen will this game be succeeded?? GameFreak cut corners in order to make the 2019 release date as it seems they release a mainline Pokemon game every year. But lo and behold, this steaming, half ***-ed pile of a game is still the current main game as 2020 is ending. We want a new main Pokemon game in order to leave this one to rot away (and to get the bad taste out of our mouths if Game Freak doesn't mess up that one too). Even a month with Sword/Shield is far too long.… Expand
  8. Joeycapss
    Dec 22, 2020
    1
    Absolute **** excuse for a Pokémon game, I’ve seen higher quality animations and visuals in GameCube games from 20 years ago, need some serious restructuring at gamefreak cause they have no idea what they’re doing anymore
  9. drumguru
    Dec 21, 2020
    8
    Great game stop being a hater, just go & play it.. I like Wild area's they're cool
  10. Letholdus
    Dec 21, 2020
    0
    This game is trash and so is the company. Lazy and greedy. No depth to the story. No character development. Subliminal Satanic Temple signs throughout the game. Battle Tower shows that the company condones cheating being that it's pokemon cheat against the player. Lost to a Charizard using Gyarados, Mewtwo, Volcanion. All of which were maxed out right with EV's and natures. Just a sickThis game is trash and so is the company. Lazy and greedy. No depth to the story. No character development. Subliminal Satanic Temple signs throughout the game. Battle Tower shows that the company condones cheating being that it's pokemon cheat against the player. Lost to a Charizard using Gyarados, Mewtwo, Volcanion. All of which were maxed out right with EV's and natures. Just a sick waste of time. Shame on you GameFreak. Shame on you.… Expand
  11. fed_up_nerd
    Dec 21, 2020
    6
    Expected way more, it was enjoyable but the mechanics and game design has not changed in two decades.
  12. JackReviews
    Dec 20, 2020
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I bought both Sword and Shield and was very underwhelmed. The game could be very ugly at some points, there was 0 game after catching the legendarys, and half time game was DLC. The game was also VERY easy I only lost twice once to Leon once to the dragon gym leader. Yes you can do a nuzlock and it’s very fun but that’s self imploded rules not the game. I don’t think it was worth the 60$ price tag and I wish I hadn’t bought both. If you want to play it be my guest but if I were to recommend a Pokémon game it wouldn’t be this one.… Expand
  13. Otts
    Dec 20, 2020
    0
    Unfinished product sold with cut content at a full price. Glitchy and disrespectful with its consumers and fanbase. A loveless cashgrab rushed to the market from the highest grossing media franchise in the planet. Underperforming software for the current generation standards. Shameless and sad.
  14. honchkrow_lover
    Dec 14, 2020
    3
    very lazy and mediocre game , for a triple A game it feels like a half assed $20 indie game
  15. lehepl
    Dec 5, 2020
    10
    One of my favourite games of all time. The low reviews definetly have their merit, but whilst playing they are barely noticable. The story is good and the DLC is amazing. Definetly one of the best pokemon games.
  16. StarLorder
    Dec 2, 2020
    0
    Absolute **** a fan of pokemon since im 5 yo,but gamefreak simply doesnt give a crap anymore for the games.
  17. Luts1224
    Nov 30, 2020
    6
    A really basic RPG. Nothing special about it. A few fun moments. Poor graphics. Poor story.
  18. prakx9
    Nov 26, 2020
    3
    Un pokemon malo,corto, con unos gráficos feos y con un rendimiento malo también. Han quitado pokémon's para meterlos en el dlc (que es contenido recortado).
  19. emilyratesgames
    Nov 20, 2020
    7
    Score: 7
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  20. sera1
    Nov 17, 2020
    5
    Pretty small step from the 3DS version, a game for a console that is capable of a game like Zelda BOTW shouldn't just be stamped off with a 3DS-Feeling game. The big cut in the Pokedex is my opinion a big mistake, compared to all the reused skins it just feels lazy. I wouldn't mind the cut if we got some new and awesome sprites for the new Pokemon, but everything here seems pretty reused.Pretty small step from the 3DS version, a game for a console that is capable of a game like Zelda BOTW shouldn't just be stamped off with a 3DS-Feeling game. The big cut in the Pokedex is my opinion a big mistake, compared to all the reused skins it just feels lazy. I wouldn't mind the cut if we got some new and awesome sprites for the new Pokemon, but everything here seems pretty reused. Another big nope from me is the lame world, the potential of the nature zone isn't used fully and the lack of content on the routes is just a disaster, boring walks and some couple of fights aren't what i call a "long time adventure". This feels also approved by the fact that EP sharing is always on, there no need to grind before gym fights. Overall its not a bad game but it has its own fight with many missing content, like who thought its a good idea to cut the GTS and put it on a phone app?? Pokemon Shield just gives me the feeling of "laziness" and "filling the market with a new entry". Gamefreak could and can do better. Also i would prefer a open world game like Borderlands, big free explorable areas. after playing this game, ike i read it in many other reviews i don't think Gamefreak is ready for a open world game like BOTW.… Expand
  21. vitin
    Nov 5, 2020
    3
    O jogo tem pontos positivos e eu consegui me divertir bastante com ele, mas a preguiça da Game Freak deixa ele ainda mais odiável. Os gráficos lembram o DS, a National Dex em si é um problema enorme, a história é bem mais simples que os outros Pokémon e ele acaba sendo bem curto. Pro preço dele, não diria que vale a pena, melhor comprar algum jogo anterior.
  22. NoobSpy
    Oct 29, 2020
    9
    Apesar de muitos dizerem que o jogo é ruim e tudo mais, ele é extremamente viciante e envolvente, sim o jogo tem alguns problemas, personagens surgindo do nada, cenários, texturas feias em algumas partes, mas fora isso temos os lados bons, muitos Pokémons novos, alguns que já conhecemos, sem falar que agora o game facilitou algumas coisas, como poder trocar de Pokémon sem precisar ir aoApesar de muitos dizerem que o jogo é ruim e tudo mais, ele é extremamente viciante e envolvente, sim o jogo tem alguns problemas, personagens surgindo do nada, cenários, texturas feias em algumas partes, mas fora isso temos os lados bons, muitos Pokémons novos, alguns que já conhecemos, sem falar que agora o game facilitou algumas coisas, como poder trocar de Pokémon sem precisar ir ao centro pokémon, algo similar o que ocorre em Pokémon Lets Go, save automatico, dentre outras melhorias, sei que o jogo poderia ser ainda maior, mais grandioso, mas não achei tão horrível quanto muitos diziam!… Expand
  23. Reed_Reviews
    Oct 28, 2020
    5
    For everything this game does well, it does another thing poorly. There is now a wide-open wild area full of realistic encounters that reduce the tedium of random encounters, but every other route in the game is painfully linear and short. Combat added the new gigantimax gameplay addition to make battles bombastic, but gigantimax is not a particularly strategic core gameplay mechanic. GymFor everything this game does well, it does another thing poorly. There is now a wide-open wild area full of realistic encounters that reduce the tedium of random encounters, but every other route in the game is painfully linear and short. Combat added the new gigantimax gameplay addition to make battles bombastic, but gigantimax is not a particularly strategic core gameplay mechanic. Gym leader battles are now epic with well crafted game feel elements, but there is no Elite Four. Most of the new Pokémon are great, but many of the old Pokémon do not make an appearance. Towns take cultural inspirations from England, but there is hardly any interactivity with those towns.

    Best part of the game: the gym leader battles.
    Worst part of the game: the barebones story and heavy-handed dialogue.    … Expand
  24. DaHomeaSimpzon
    Oct 28, 2020
    8
    Before I stated my thoughts on the game, I don't condone review bombing as they may have never played it before. The reason why I am making this is because the review bombing of the game on Metcritic just bothered everyone. I want to let you know I had played the game (Yes, I had both versions) and let me tell you the designs of the characters and the new Pokemon are great. If there thingsBefore I stated my thoughts on the game, I don't condone review bombing as they may have never played it before. The reason why I am making this is because the review bombing of the game on Metcritic just bothered everyone. I want to let you know I had played the game (Yes, I had both versions) and let me tell you the designs of the characters and the new Pokemon are great. If there things that Game Freak needs improve on is the National Dex (which they already did with the DLCs), the graphics, the storyline and other issues. Maybe an update would be perfect to improve the games. Even though I am bothered with the price of the game and the DLCs, it still hadn't stop me from liking Pokemon. Even though the games had some bad moments, Game Freak was trying their best as they can.… Expand
  25. GingerLoves
    Oct 25, 2020
    3
    It is the same box standard pokemon game as pokemon Red and Blue. The visuals have been updated (In some regards only slightly,) The basic gameplay loop is the same. The plot is non-existant, the online is quite disappointing. There are even frame rate drops at times. It seems like Gamefreak do not have enough staff to make a competent and satisfying game in the strict timetable theyIt is the same box standard pokemon game as pokemon Red and Blue. The visuals have been updated (In some regards only slightly,) The basic gameplay loop is the same. The plot is non-existant, the online is quite disappointing. There are even frame rate drops at times. It seems like Gamefreak do not have enough staff to make a competent and satisfying game in the strict timetable they have to uphold. If you own any pokemon games, you will have played this game before.… Expand
  26. SuperWooper
    Oct 22, 2020
    4
    A step in the wrong direction for the franchise. A game with huge potential and freedom of an open world map turned out to be completely empty and uninspiring. The flaws revealed during the introduction of the games in its early stages were forgivable at first, but now show how completely incompetent and lazy the development of this game is when absolutely none of those issues andA step in the wrong direction for the franchise. A game with huge potential and freedom of an open world map turned out to be completely empty and uninspiring. The flaws revealed during the introduction of the games in its early stages were forgivable at first, but now show how completely incompetent and lazy the development of this game is when absolutely none of those issues and graphical errors were fixed by release day.

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

    While the new Pokemon designs from Generation 8 are, for the most part, some of the best we've seen in awhile, it doesn't save the fact that this game is the biggest disappointment seen from the franchise to date.    … Expand
  27. DeltaHaven
    Oct 20, 2020
    6
    one of the most bland Pokemon games yet. Finished the main campaign in less than 18 hours, and other than completing the Pokedex (what is left of it in this generation), I had little to no reason to keep playing this game. The raid battles are a slog, the Battle Tower is boring, the Online is even worse than S&M Festival Plaza and makes the game lag in the Wild Area and the Wild Area looksone of the most bland Pokemon games yet. Finished the main campaign in less than 18 hours, and other than completing the Pokedex (what is left of it in this generation), I had little to no reason to keep playing this game. The raid battles are a slog, the Battle Tower is boring, the Online is even worse than S&M Festival Plaza and makes the game lag in the Wild Area and the Wild Area looks like a badly executed concept that was added last minute.
    Buy this game on sale. Maybe buy the $30 DLC if you like it.    … Expand
  28. BrightAbyss
    Oct 19, 2020
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Not a ton of new things added and the national dex being cut is a huge con. I am aware of the dlc's coming out later and think that this is a better format than dropping pretty much the same game with a new cover, but the complete lack of a postgame makes waiting for these dlc's difficult. I can't help but feel these games were rushed, and that the creators just needed a little bit more time to make these games perfect. I did enjoy the atmosphere of the gym battles, and I thought most of the new pokemon added had great models, but there are really only 2 new legendaries currently in the postgame, and the battle tower is a joke. Overall, the story isn't terrible, but it's not great either. Team Yell, the newest evil team in the galar region, is by far the worst team to ever be introduced in the pokemon franchise. They play almost no part in the story and have no real purpose. In the end, I do think that this is a step in the right direction for pokemon if they can take these criticisms into account for the next games, as I believe the switch will have a longer lifespan than the traditional handhelds pokemon releases on. Hopefully the upcoming generations won't need to be rushed onto a new console, because I truly believe that we could be in for a treat if the developers are given proper time to make these games great.… Expand
  29. JoshuaEric
    Oct 13, 2020
    6
    As someone who has only kind of played one other Pokemon game before this (Ruby), I went into this game basically as a new Pokemon player. After 16 hours of game play, I can confidently say that this is a GREAT game. I am having so much fun battling and catching as many Pokemon as I can.

    The game follows the same formula as previous games, at least from my little knowledge of them.    As someone who has only kind of played one other Pokemon game before this (Ruby), I went into this game basically as a new Pokemon player. After 16 hours of game play, I can confidently say that this is a GREAT game. I am having so much fun battling and catching as many Pokemon as I can.

    The game follows the same formula as previous games, at least from my little knowledge of them. Start off in a small town, follow routes, get to the next town, get badge, route, town, etc. Battling seems to be the same, aside from dyanmaxing in gyms which is super fun and makes me laugh seeing these tiny cute creatures turn into giants.

    The characters are great. I love Hop and his ambition to take his brothers spotlight, but he never seems jealous of his brother, only driven by his greatness and how to be better than him. Sonia keeps the story interesting by continuously researching the events of the past and the truth behind it.

    The game is definitely not what it could have been, however, it is exactly what it needs to be. I have not encountered anything in the game that would make me consider it to be "bad". The game is very well polished, no glitches or other hiccups that might cause frustration to the player.

    Overall, the game is FUN. I am having a blast. The backlash and enormous negativity surrounding it almost kept me from buying it, but I got it anyway and I have no regrets. If you like Pokemon and can see a game for more than just graphics, this game will be perfect for you! Looking forward to the next entry in the series.    … Expand
  30. ObamaGames
    Oct 12, 2020
    0
    I wish this game was good but it just isn't. The story is mediocre, even by pokemon standards, fan-favorite features are consistently missing, the difficulty is nonexistent, animations are abysmal, graphics look like a 3DS game, and the Dynamax feature is a complete gimmick that exists for no reason other than to be shoved into advertising. Overall, Sword and Shield are just 3DS games thatI wish this game was good but it just isn't. The story is mediocre, even by pokemon standards, fan-favorite features are consistently missing, the difficulty is nonexistent, animations are abysmal, graphics look like a 3DS game, and the Dynamax feature is a complete gimmick that exists for no reason other than to be shoved into advertising. Overall, Sword and Shield are just 3DS games that are on the Switch. Not ObamaGames approved.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 89 Critic Reviews

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