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. hacazevedo
    Dec 17, 2019
    10
    Best game in the world. Great RPG, good cutscenes, I loved the new Pokémon. Congratulations to Game Freak for the game. One of the best I've ever played on the switch. Recommended
  2. Sasa789
    Dec 17, 2019
    0
    Pokemon, make REAL videogames! This is not what we wan't. Evolve like all that other video games have, you of all companies have the funds to make the greatest game EVER.
  3. Spagbonara
    Dec 16, 2019
    5
    This is as barebones as Pokemon gets. I like Raid battles and dynamaxing, but the bad online and story even for pokemon standards drag this experience down. The gameplay at it's core is nothing new for pokemon with slightly better visuals than Sun and Moon. Speaking of the visuals, I think it looks good in towns and routes but the Wild Area just looks ugly. In my experience, it took 70This is as barebones as Pokemon gets. I like Raid battles and dynamaxing, but the bad online and story even for pokemon standards drag this experience down. The gameplay at it's core is nothing new for pokemon with slightly better visuals than Sun and Moon. Speaking of the visuals, I think it looks good in towns and routes but the Wild Area just looks ugly. In my experience, it took 70 hours to do everything there is in the game including finishing the Pokedex and beating the postgame. If this pokemon game had everything in Sun and Moon and these extra stuff on top, It would have been an easy 8 or 9 from me, But as it stands, it's a game you play through once and sell. If you like pokemon, you'll like this game but don't expect anything more.… Expand
  4. N7NormandySR2
    Dec 16, 2019
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A below average Pokemon experience. The national Dex and graphics are the majoritys complaints it seems and I can respect that. It's not something that bothers me a lot though. Biggest things that get me are the inability to play the game ranked. Sure they made it easier to grind out comp. Pokemon but what's the point if I can't even find someone to play ranked with? Last game session I spent an hour and a half searching and found 1 person. One before that spent an hour to find nobody. Ranked is completely broken so I'm forced to go play casuals and all that happens there is playing against legendaries or cheated g max Pokemon. I've played for 200 hours so far and at least 100 of it has been going for ha pokemon or grinding up comp. teams for ranked. Now I'm realizing it was a complete waste of time since can't play against anybody. By far worst game in the series. There are some innovative things I enjoy like I said about being able to grind comp. mons easier but that's really about it except some of the new mons designs. Either than that. Meh. Worst story as well imo with the worst antagonists. Almost felt forced in for no reason. End game is weak as hell compared to sun and moon. Hopefully GF steps it up next gen and actually starts putting in a lil effort instead of putting in the bare minimal. 1 more thing. WHY NO MASS RELEASE FEATURE. Releasing Pokemon 1 at a time is absolute insanity. Thought I might try my hand at shiny grinding but not a chance without that feature lol seems Niantic is a bit smarter than GF when it came to that. Take a page out of their book GF. All in all there's things that I like but only a few and out of all the Pokemon games it's definitely the weakest. Thanks to any for reading my rant!… Expand
  5. ASDfdffsf123314
    Dec 16, 2019
    1
    I think the game may be a great gift for a small child who has never played a pokemon game before but that's about it. And it's a 60$ gift too if you go that route. Otherwise, it's just a bad game. The series is incredibly formulaic if you've played more than one and way too easy. And for people who want to play competitive battles, you can just play pokemon showdown online without theI think the game may be a great gift for a small child who has never played a pokemon game before but that's about it. And it's a 60$ gift too if you go that route. Otherwise, it's just a bad game. The series is incredibly formulaic if you've played more than one and way too easy. And for people who want to play competitive battles, you can just play pokemon showdown online without the grind. Also, not all pokemon are available so many people's favorites are missing which seems lazy when they are just reusing sprites; it’s not that big of a deal to those new to the franchise and it does push people to newer and fresh options but at the same time it was a disappointing choice game freak made. The dialogue coming from the NPCs seems strange and inhuman when talking to characters besides the main cast. I’m sure someone who has never played one of these before or is just into the games for the quite designs and nostalgia would still find it enjoyable and I can’t honestly recommend it to anyone else.… Expand
  6. jimmya0
    Dec 16, 2019
    4
    This has been the worst pokemon game in the franchise by far:

    - They have cut many features which were available in previous games. - Not all pokemon are available in the game. - Difficulty is WAY too easy specially with the multi-exp you have from the start. - End game is basically non-existent - Graphics look like the ones you'd expect in a 3DS game. - Your rival is the most    This has been the worst pokemon game in the franchise by far:

    - They have cut many features which were available in previous games.
    - Not all pokemon are available in the game.
    - Difficulty is WAY too easy specially with the multi-exp you have from the start.
    - End game is basically non-existent
    - Graphics look like the ones you'd expect in a 3DS game.
    - Your rival is the most incompetent I have seen in the pokemon franchise.

    Basically it is a rushed game which shouldn't have released in this state. I hope this serves as a wake up call to Gamefreak and the next installment is much better    … Expand
  7. cepanutis
    Dec 15, 2019
    3
    [REVIEW IN SPANISH]

    Lo primero que quiero dejar claro es que no soy ni un hater de pokémon ni de nintendo, solo un jugador que cuando un juego es bueno lo dice y cuando es malo, también. Y aquí comento las sensaciones que me ha dado este juego tras haberlo finalizado, ni más ni menos. AL TEMA: > Dificultad nula debido al absurdo nuevo sistema de Rep. Exp de esta generación. >    [REVIEW IN SPANISH]

    Lo primero que quiero dejar claro es que no soy ni un hater de pokémon ni de nintendo, solo un jugador que cuando un juego es bueno lo dice y cuando es malo, también. Y aquí comento las sensaciones que me ha dado este juego tras haberlo finalizado, ni más ni menos.

    AL TEMA:

    > Dificultad nula debido al absurdo nuevo sistema de Rep. Exp de esta generación.
    > Rutas vacías y sin alma. Lineales, cero exploración.
    > Animaciones del paleolítico, quitando 4 o 5. Ya no solo en combate si no en general.
    > Entre alguna medalla y la siguiente hay literalmente 10-15 minutos de juego, sin palabras.
    > Los pokemon nuevos en su mayoría muy flojos a nivel artístico.
    > El rendimiento del area silvestre en el modo online mejor ni mencionarlo.
    > El team Yell es el peor de la saga y sus motivaciones son un chiste de mal gusto al jugador.
    > Personajes olvidables 100%. Paul es irritante.
    > La historia ni te engancha ni despierta el más mínimo interés, y encima pasa casi todo en la última hora y media.

    Cosas buenas que mencionar:
    > Algún que otro diseño que está muy bien.
    > Cambios de calidad de vida como lo de los motes o recordar movimientos en cada centro.
    > Los desafios de gimansio (me parecen el camino a seguir aunque aquí no se han hecho demasiado bien, pero hay margen de mejora).

    En definitiva, por lo que nos dan, me parece que es un juego de 20€ y me arrepiento de haber pagado por él más del doble de eso, siendo sincero. No justifica su precio, es un producto inacabado en el cual se nota que han faltado tiempo y recursos. Algo inconcebible viniendo de una compañía de este tamaño.

    Que no olviden nunca que si son algo es gracias a los títulos consoleros de la franquicia, no gracias a los jueguecillos de móvil con microtransaciones. Que parece que es lo único que les importa ahora. NO todo es dinero a veces señores.    … Expand
  8. Silaf
    Dec 14, 2019
    2
    This game was made in really little time cutting the corners. To me it kind of fell soulless even tough it has his own good points like the characters and new pokemon designs (stonejourner is an exception).
    Online services, grafic and animations are unacceptable.
    The missing pokemons in the pokedex could have been easily added by hiring new programmers for the job. Fake buildings with    This game was made in really little time cutting the corners. To me it kind of fell soulless even tough it has his own good points like the characters and new pokemon designs (stonejourner is an exception).
    Online services, grafic and animations are unacceptable.
    The missing pokemons in the pokedex could have been easily added by hiring new programmers for the job.
    Fake buildings with no doors and linear corridor like cities and routes (wrose than other pokemon games).
    Oh and it's super short.    … Expand
  9. Wayne86
    Dec 13, 2019
    10
    Jogo maravilhoso, iniciais perfeitos, desafio de ginásio épico. Trilha sonora impecável. Dex maravilhosa. Senti falta de alguns poke, mas no futuro em outros games matarei a saudade deles.
  10. Rare289
    Dec 12, 2019
    7
    So, let's just get this out of the way: the story is very meh. To be frank, I haven't felt as engaged with a Pokemon story in a while, with the last time I actually enjoyed one being in Pokemon X and Y. But this go around, I feel like this is mainly do to the lackluster characters involved in the story. Not to mention that, rather than let my character get more involved in theSo, let's just get this out of the way: the story is very meh. To be frank, I haven't felt as engaged with a Pokemon story in a while, with the last time I actually enjoyed one being in Pokemon X and Y. But this go around, I feel like this is mainly do to the lackluster characters involved in the story. Not to mention that, rather than let my character get more involved in the mystery/world-ending phenomenon, it just gets pushed aside so that I can "continue my journey while the adults take care of stuff". Aside from that, what did save this game for me was the new quality of life improvements, the Wild Area, Surprise Trade and the new Pokemon from the Galar region. I love Dreepy, Grapploct and Boltund, but all the other new Pokemon are cool and unique in their own ways and in their designs. Especially since I found Sun and Moon's new pokemon to be pretty bland, Shield really did impress me with it's Pokemon. And I've put tons of hours into just exploring the Wild Area, doing Max Raids, and doing tons of surprise trades with people. And, I've got to admit, I've had fun. This is still a fun and enjoyable Pokemon game. I would say try it out before completely rejecting it, but I do hope that we can see and even better game, with an actually good story, in the next generation. Not sure if I'll write a Sword review, but it will probably be similar to this.… Expand
  11. Derbearz
    Dec 11, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Legit feels like a hollow shell. Gamefreak really crapped on the true fans with this incredibly awful game. It’s Pokemon dumbed down to the lowest degree. Linear routes full of lifeless battles, no caves/dungeons/caverns to explore. The towns are empty shells. No use for TMs/HMs there are no hidden paths. Routes are generally blocked by Team Yell grunts. Team yell is irrelevant, probably the most uninteresting team or antagonist in any Pokemon game. Their hideout doubles as a “town” which is a straight left to right town of absolutely nothing. I wasnt expecting this game to be the greatest, but I did not expect this game to be this bad. The wild area is lifeless and feels like a random assortment of pokemon that feel out of place. Theres nothing really else to do in the wild area other than raid battle. It’s like a bigger, more controlled safari zone. I could go on about how disappointing this game is. Graphics not being the most important thing are lackluster. Looking at the coding of this game, it was done very sloppy. The code is so messy, textures in the game look terrible. Pop in looks adds to the lifelessness of this game. No elite 4, you just re battle gym leaders at the end. The final showdown of the game is so anti climactic. Just don’t buy this game. I rarely regret buying a game especially Pokemon, but this hame is just god awful. I could go on and on about how bad this game is.… Expand
  12. jumpingmanx
    Dec 11, 2019
    0
    Pobre contenido . Pobre desempeño pesimo diseño, pesimo online multijugador. Inexistente dificultad.

    No pagues por el así de simple.
  13. Bullish
    Dec 11, 2019
    4
    This is my first pokemon game since the original red/blue, and when I first started it, it really did get its claws in me. But over time, the luster faded as I started to sense how rushed and lazy the game felt.

    If you don't know what I mean by rushed and lazy, please take a long look at Team Yell. Other Beef: - Identical characters everywhere - Bad translations all over the    This is my first pokemon game since the original red/blue, and when I first started it, it really did get its claws in me. But over time, the luster faded as I started to sense how rushed and lazy the game felt.

    If you don't know what I mean by rushed and lazy, please take a long look at Team Yell.

    Other Beef:

    - Identical characters everywhere
    - Bad translations all over the place. This is the first pokemon game on a major console. This thing should have been polished to a gleam.
    - Dynamax system just seemed dragged fights out, and the moves were just replicas? I never understood that
    - Sometimes there was absolutely nothing in between gyms
    - Music was completely unspecial
    - I don't know about you, but the actual pokemon have seemed to drop in originality/creativity over the years. There's an apple, a teapot, a cart filled with coal. Who thought these things up?    … Expand
  14. OTMRUSH
    Dec 11, 2019
    3
    Not the best Pokémon they have released. The game it’s self is not that bad but if you’re big into shiny hunting don’t even bother... I’m 83 hours into Pokémon shield and still haven’t gotten a single shiny. I’ve breezed and hatched over a thousand Lapras eggs and battled over 1000 zigzagoon and the list goes on. It’s kind of ridiculous
  15. Sensey_DARJ
    Dec 11, 2019
    9
    Vengo jugando desde pokemon amarillo para el GBC y después de terminar el juego con los 400 pokemon máximos por capturar hasta ahora, pasar toda la historia que es corta y resumida pero te entretiene,incursiones , las animaciones y lo fácil que es subir de nivel a tus pokemon como hacerlos perfectos para el competitivo que ahora ya no nos llevaremos eternidades en crear un pokemonVengo jugando desde pokemon amarillo para el GBC y después de terminar el juego con los 400 pokemon máximos por capturar hasta ahora, pasar toda la historia que es corta y resumida pero te entretiene,incursiones , las animaciones y lo fácil que es subir de nivel a tus pokemon como hacerlos perfectos para el competitivo que ahora ya no nos llevaremos eternidades en crear un pokemon perfecto.... mi nota final es 9. Y las canciones de los gimnasios y las de enfrentamiento como la de la Torre de batalla son hermosos… Expand
  16. Maucritic
    Dec 11, 2019
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Esse jogo é bem divertido dependendo do seu ponto de vista , porém , ele tem problemas gráfico-visuais em alguns pontos , os vilões são ridículos ( no caso a team Yell ) , falta de pokemons e novos pokemons sendo alguns com designes horríveis pode fazer você odiar o jogo .… Expand
  17. bakuboy
    Dec 11, 2019
    6
    The most disappointing thing in SWSH isn't even the graphics or national dex, Galar itself is just the most boring and mechanicswise uninspired region of all. The cities look beautiful, but they are ridiculously small and hollow, there is almost nothing to do there besides the main quest. That's why this game is just not as good as the older ones, it cuts too much content, even with goodThe most disappointing thing in SWSH isn't even the graphics or national dex, Galar itself is just the most boring and mechanicswise uninspired region of all. The cities look beautiful, but they are ridiculously small and hollow, there is almost nothing to do there besides the main quest. That's why this game is just not as good as the older ones, it cuts too much content, even with good improvements like Overworld Pokémon and Raids, it's not enough to call this game a "really good Pokémon game". It's still fun because it's Pokémon, but it is by far the most lazy installment in the franchise.… Expand
  18. AllenF
    Dec 10, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Pros: most of the new Pokemon are all around great! Some very neat designs, unique moves, and unique typings. Very good job on the new 'mons, Gamefreak

    Cons: where do I begin? I'll just list a few

    1. Dynamaxing. This new feature is by far the worst of the battle mechanics in recent memory. It is 3 turns of Z moves (which were already a bit broken) from a Pokemon with massive HP and a downgrade from mega evolutions, creatively (which actually had creative designs and brought old 'mons back to life). An overall disappointment and a broken game mechanic.

    2. Dexit. I am very sad and still confused that about 1/2 off all Pokemon were just cut from the game entirely. And after having seen which ones remain, I'm even more baffled. This leads to my next point

    3. Lack of content. After beating the boring campaign, I am left feeling empty. The routes are short, there is no reward for exploring, there is no middle dungeon, no puzzles, confusing storyline, and anti-climactic lore leading to the legendary battle. What is the most odd to me, though, is the complete lack of endgame content. After catching the box legends, there's nothing. There are a total of 3...yes 3 legendaries in the entire game. I'm stunned. 4. To finish, I'll comment on max raids. These are fun until about your 3rd raid. They are monotonous and tedious after that. Every battle is the same strat: destroy as quickly as possible. Many 5* raids are literally impossible with the complete garbage AI that is given to single players who don't play online. To top it off, the spawns are random and rare. If you happen to find a rare spawn, you must go through an excruciatingly long battle only to have 1...yes 1 chance to catch it. The catch rate is trash for high tiers. This is a boring, chance-filled, unoriginal, tedious battle format. I'm ashamed at Gamefreak for this nonsense.


    There is so much more I could complain about (HA hunting, harvesting EV berries, poor animations, etc.) But overall gen 8 is a complete downgrade from previous installments. It's a literal step backwards in so many ways. As a Pokemon fan and competitive battler for 20 years now, I wanted to love this game. I anticipated it since it's announce. Now, I'm giving it away to a kid who is new to Pokemon and is saving up to buy it. I don't want him to have to spend his money on this game. Here's to hoping for gen 9    … Expand
  19. Herbyy
    Dec 10, 2019
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The routes were way too short compared to previous games which destroyed any sense of exploration and made it feel rushed. The cities and towns were just there, there were no activities or mini games only the gyms and Pokémon centers which made it really boring. The story was bland and the plot twist at end came out of nowhere and tell yell is the worst team in the series by far. I was really hoping to love this game but I just ended up being super disappointed. I really hope gamefreak learned their lesson and give us a much better game that ya Pokémon deserve next time.… Expand
  20. andoni_galicia
    Dec 10, 2019
    10
    El juego de Pokémon más adictivo de la historia. Cazar, criar, intercambiar y farmear entre otras cosas nunca había sido tan ágil y divertido. Es verdad que el tema de la pokedex es un aspecto negativo, pero se ve más que compensado con la calidad de los modelos y la diversión que proporciona el juego.
  21. Grijandor
    Dec 10, 2019
    5
    Es un juego con muchas carencias, la primera la nula dificultad, el juego te invita a explorar el área silvestre que está metida con calzador en medio del juego y que a nada que estés un rato recomiendo volverás a la historia principal con muchos niveles por encima de los rivales que te encuentres. La historia del juego también es bastante plana, no incita a la rejugabilidad. El online, enEs un juego con muchas carencias, la primera la nula dificultad, el juego te invita a explorar el área silvestre que está metida con calzador en medio del juego y que a nada que estés un rato recomiendo volverás a la historia principal con muchos niveles por encima de los rivales que te encuentres. La historia del juego también es bastante plana, no incita a la rejugabilidad. El online, en el que se ha hecho bastante énfasis es digno del año 2001, la interacción con otros jugadores no pasa de verlos corretear por el área silvestre. Por otra parte el único interés en el que se ha hecho mejoras reales que es el competitivo, se ve roto gracias al dynamax, el cual además, está poco trabajado limitando los ataques a prácticamente uno por tipo, lo mismo que las incursiones, muy buena idea esta última pero vista una, vistas todas. Si bien el número de Pokémon recortado es suficiente para disfrutar el juego habría sido imposible meter el resto coherentemente, serían casi el doble en un área silvestre demasiado pequeña y poco variada. Aún así el juego de las arregla para ser divertido como cualquier otro juego de Pokémon, pero mucho menos memorable que otros juegos de la saga. Muchas ideas buenas que no se han sabido llevar a cabo que tal vez culminen en un juego próximo bien hecho de verdad que realmente esté a la altura del salto generacional y de lo que Nintendo switch es capaz.… Expand
  22. GreyKompot
    Dec 9, 2019
    8
    First of all I'm a zoomer who has played all the pokemon games except gen 1/let's go (played the gen 3 remakes). -Gen 1 on the gameboy is bad and broken, that's a fact-. My top favourite 3 games are pokemon or/as ,pokemon fire red/leaf green and heart gold /soul silver ,which from what i know most of the community agrees on. (Played pokemon shield on the switch lite, 55hrs*)
    Ok, and now    First of all I'm a zoomer who has played all the pokemon games except gen 1/let's go (played the gen 3 remakes). -Gen 1 on the gameboy is bad and broken, that's a fact-. My top favourite 3 games are pokemon or/as ,pokemon fire red/leaf green and heart gold /soul silver ,which from what i know most of the community agrees on. (Played pokemon shield on the switch lite, 55hrs*)
    Ok, and now that we are done with the introductions.
    Let's get on with the review. Pokemon shield does not deserve the low score it has from the users, it is by far top 3 in my opinion. Beating out the gen 3 remakes , and is edging the gen 2 remakes. I think the game solidly deserves an 8.5/10.
    The game is a step up from gen 7, in gameplay, gyms/trails and gym leaders. Not so the story
    Let's address some of the complaints:

    Graphics: I heard a ton of people hating on the graphics and "old reused animations". Not only are they blatantly wrong, but some of the rumours are just ridiculous, it's like they haven't played the games.
    The game by far looks the best out of the series, with new and improved animations (just watch it on YouTube or something if you don't believe), tbh i loved every single tweak they added and welcomed any change in the animations.
    One complaint would be, everything gets a bit pixelated if you stand like 10m/~33ft from it. It wasn't a big deal for me personally, but i see why people might be frustrated.

    Music: One of the best part of the game, you have some classical Scottish bagpipes, some funky groovy edm and a mix of rock. And it features by far the best gym leader/champion theme. The rival theme is ok but still doesn't beat the best one (the or/as one).

    Story:I'm not gonna spoil it ,but just rank it 7/10. (Took me 26hrs of casual play to finish up till champion.)

    The national dex: I'm gonna be real with you, my favourite pokemons didn't appear in this generation. But we need to move on. Personally I'm a fan of competitive. And i think removing some pokemon (like landorus) can spice up the competition. I will miss the pokemon I love, but I will grow to love new ones.

    Now if you will excuse me i have to get back to catchin' em a--, some of them.


    Btw created an account just to make this review. English is not my first language so i hope I made a satisfactory review.    … Expand
  23. PachirisuFanNo1
    Dec 9, 2019
    1
    The game is way to easy. I cleared the story in about 7 hours. There are also numerous bugs and glitches, like being able to teach an egg tm's, seeing the eggs stats before it hatches, and a computer mouse cursor moves across the screen in multiple cutscenes, just to name a few. To top things off, the meta is completely revolving around a single Pokemon. If the national dex was available,The game is way to easy. I cleared the story in about 7 hours. There are also numerous bugs and glitches, like being able to teach an egg tm's, seeing the eggs stats before it hatches, and a computer mouse cursor moves across the screen in multiple cutscenes, just to name a few. To top things off, the meta is completely revolving around a single Pokemon. If the national dex was available, I don't think this would have been an issue due to not having a limited number of pokemon. This game feels very rushed.… Expand
  24. lazy_vortex
    Dec 9, 2019
    4
    Okay guys. I'm OK with Cutdex, this would happen, sooner or later.
    But game has a lot of problem and I couldn't make myself fall in love with SwoShie.
    1. No touch-screen. Absolutely. Giant disadvantage for hand-held game. 2. Сlumsy engine. Game Freak doesn't know how to work with devkit. When you touch the staircase you also use ZA WARUDO and freeze all over the world. 3. Broken online    Okay guys. I'm OK with Cutdex, this would happen, sooner or later.
    But game has a lot of problem and I couldn't make myself fall in love with SwoShie.
    1. No touch-screen. Absolutely. Giant disadvantage for hand-held game.
    2. Сlumsy engine. Game Freak doesn't know how to work with devkit. When you touch the staircase you also use ZA WARUDO and freeze all over the world.
    3. Broken online system. Really, it is THE WORST trade in hystory.
    4. The 5-6th points will be a little bit spoiler, please don't read if you are not ready.
    4.1. The designes are totally crienge. Fossils looks like a vomit in agony.
    Impidimp looks like from Yo-Kai Watch and NOT from Pokemon.
    Eiscue is laziest design ever.
    Alcreamie, Polteageist and apple dragon? Pokemons are wild creatures, they hunt, kill and eat each other! But these dudes looks like they accidentally escaped from a Disney tea party
    5. SPOILER ALERT!
    5.1. The story is very bad. Really:
    WE HAVE AN EXPLOSION IN THE CITY, BUT YOU MUST RUN TO THE NEIGHBORING CITY TO THE STADIUM, BADGES ARE MORE IMPORTANT.
    Or how Chairman decide to defeat third legendary (awful design btw).
    Yeah, very realistic and logic.
    6. Characters are empty and worthless.
    Professor is so usless, so if you cut her out from story, nothing will change.
    Hau ew Hop is cheap copy of Hau. The only one bright moment in him it's his sorrow and fear of disgracing brother. The other is bruh moments.
    Or Team Yolo. Yeah, they were trying to create Team Skull-2, but it isn't earnestly.
    7. A lot of trash instead of content. Those collecting cards, curry dex. Who cares?! It's trash!

    I will lie if I say "there are no good side in game".
    1. Wild Areas are interesting. At least first 10 hours. I left them only for obtaining new badges and compliting **** story.
    But at one moment even the Wild Areas make me tired with their repetitiveness.
    2. Some animations REALLY are nice. My personal love -- Falinks's NO RETREAT. It cool, but not at all. Other animations are cheap and askew, like Flamethrower not from mouth but from forehead.

    IN CONCLUSION: this is not AAA-title. It is VERY raw beta but it cost like complited game.
    I suppose the main problem in fate of Pokegames is Gamefreaks. In the foreground are their general incompetence and lack of development skills.
    I am ashamed that I supported this game with a purchase.    … Expand
  25. Spiritombed
    Dec 8, 2019
    0
    Spiritomb isn't in this game, therefore it's a terrible game. I am absolutely livid, I am full for agony. My wife left me, my son no longer loves me, due to how broken I have become. The Day of Reckoning is upon Gamefreak. You will all suffer the consequences.
  26. Nobuemon
    Dec 8, 2019
    10
    This game is great even without the National Pokedex (I miss Oshawottt tho)
  27. Zool098
    Dec 8, 2019
    0
    Stop giving this game a 10/10 rating. All you're doing is making it worse and damaging the franchise. Do not encourage Gamefreak to stay lazy, we need to keep the score low so gamefreak sees we are not happy and actually put effort in their next game. You can enjoy this game all you want, but you can't ignore the objective flaws it has, such as the poor performance, poor graphics, poorStop giving this game a 10/10 rating. All you're doing is making it worse and damaging the franchise. Do not encourage Gamefreak to stay lazy, we need to keep the score low so gamefreak sees we are not happy and actually put effort in their next game. You can enjoy this game all you want, but you can't ignore the objective flaws it has, such as the poor performance, poor graphics, poor animation, cut Pokemon, no voice acting, lack of story, pop ins, poor textures, and many more problems. This game is a 6/10 at best, so let's keep the score and hope it sends the message to Gamefreak!… Expand
  28. CasualGames
    Dec 8, 2019
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Honestly, this game is just too 50/50 to really have a definitive opinion on it. There are several things done really well, making it a step up. And then there are things that are so bad, they take the games several steps back. It’s too many strange ups and downs to call it a decidedly good or bad game. Here are just some examples.

    Graphics - There are moments when this game is visually stunning. Just take one look at the cities from afar, and they are breathtaking. The gym battles are clearly where the developers were putting all those “high fidelity animations.” You really feel like you’re watching a real sports match. But outside these areas, these games look like a student who turned in a paper without spellchecking it. Pop-in is laughable, and it looks like something a game development student would turn in. Textures are really uninspired and too old-school to be “hip.”

    Story - I think the game really tried to shake things up with the story at the beginning. I had high hopes for it, but the further you progress, the more of a let-down it becomes. There were so many missed opportunities for good story, and you could see it. These are some of the most expressive characters we’ve seen, but we don’t get a chance to see their stories because we keep getting shoehorned into moving through the gym challenge. I really wanted to be some of the other characters in this because they seemed to be having more interesting adventures than my character was.

    The Pokemon - Boy, some of these were really hit or miss here. Some designs, like Thievul, Alcremie, and Corviknight were spot on. Others, like the Frankenstein-like fossils and Duraludon were just too weird. And the starters definitely left something to be desired. They were good in their first form, but I sorely regret evolving my Grookey.

    All in all, this game felt half-baked, hence the score of 5/10. Masuda is right. Kids just aren’t staying interested in Pokemon games, but Game Freak is doing themselves no favors with half-done work like this. There are some great things this game has to offer, but then it’s topped off with so many missed marks. Combined with cut content like the transferability of pokemon for the national dex, I just don’t think it’s worth $60. It may have been better as a 3DS game. I hope they come back at it with something better.    … Expand
  29. BaldFrog
    Dec 8, 2019
    8
    I would say decent pokemon game, not as bad as ppl make it to seem like, but decent. It can be that my 8 is only from the reson that its pokemon and the core of pokemon is fun.

    Also pokemons that i mostly cared was in the game so i dont have anything to say, but if thay would keep every pokemon every time in the game, the memory ussge would get really big and it would not make sence in    I would say decent pokemon game, not as bad as ppl make it to seem like, but decent. It can be that my 8 is only from the reson that its pokemon and the core of pokemon is fun.


    Also pokemons that i mostly cared was in the game so i dont have anything to say, but if thay would keep every pokemon every time in the game, the memory ussge would get really big and it would not make sence in natural perspective, like why there would be a animal from shout america in europe, daam nature ripping off    … Expand
  30. kenshingensai
    Dec 8, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. postgame is lacking, There are no Elite Four, you fight the same trainers all over again instead, wild area don't care for, raid battles don't care for, towns are empty, lifeless animations, feels more like a port from 3DS, improvements come at way too high a price, the game suffers from many graphical issues. Pokemon, trainers and objects will just pop into and out of the overworld for seemingly no reason.… 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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