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. sojasonk
    Nov 20, 2019
    1
    Lazy writing, bad graphics, an absolute mediocre and underwhelming introduction to Mainline Games for the Nintendo Switch. GameFreak has done the community a disservice by removing integral parts to long time loyal fans such as the National Dex. They do this because they feel they can get away with cossting simply on the name of Ppkemon alone
  2. InTheMood
    Nov 20, 2019
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is by far the worst Pokémon game I have ever played. Most people have complained about the exclusion of Pokémon species as their main concern, but I put all of those basic complaints aside when I played. The graphics are essentially the same as Pokémon Sun. The different being able to look around in the wild area. However, Pokémon and people “pop” in and out of the world with a clear lack of regard for proper rendering. Towns are built as if you can look around, but you can’t, so everything looks off and it’s hard to interact with stores and NPC’s. I like the idea of being able to “dynamax” but honestly it just makes battles longer without adding any extra difficulty. My major beef is that there are no difficult or long routes in the game. All the routes are very short and there are hardly any trainers to battle. I do like how they changed the championship battle, except it’s made extremely easier than any elite four because they heal your Pokémon after every battle. Also, it only took me 25 hours to beat even though I caught over 200 Pokémon and explored every area/battled every trainer. On top of that, the only post game content is the battle tower. There are no new areas to explore, no new trainers.... it’s a very short game and a very short post game. I don’t understand how the metacritic score is so high when this game sucks so bad.… Expand
  3. Lawrence7
    Nov 20, 2019
    10
    For anyone debating whether they will like the game or not - stay assured that game freak put a lot of thought and love into this game. I played non-stop the last few days, and I have had a blast. A very charming and fresh addition to the series. There is always room for improvement of course, and I hope the next games on the switch are even better. As a casual Pokemon fan I am very happyFor anyone debating whether they will like the game or not - stay assured that game freak put a lot of thought and love into this game. I played non-stop the last few days, and I have had a blast. A very charming and fresh addition to the series. There is always room for improvement of course, and I hope the next games on the switch are even better. As a casual Pokemon fan I am very happy with it and don’t regret buying it at all.… Expand
  4. Gonz04
    Nov 20, 2019
    0
    This game is so disappointing, I literally ended this game in two days, and my favorite Pokémon is not here, don’t buy it (trust me, don’t do it) this is not worth $60 :(
  5. julianym89
    Nov 20, 2019
    6
    Nueva entrega, en general continuista, con algunas nuevas mecánicas, dirección artística muy buena (inspirada en UK) aunque motor gráfico rozando lo mediocre. Las animaciones en combates han avanzado poco.
    Mantiene el encanto y sigue siendo adictivo.
  6. Ruvi
    Nov 20, 2019
    9
    It's my first real Pokemon game though so I don't know all the drama behind the expectations other people had for it. I think It's relaxing and fun. Well thought out!
  7. HollyS
    Nov 20, 2019
    2
    Very short, bland and low quality Pokemon game. It is definitely not worth $60. It uses graphics from the 3DS and has many bugs in gameplay, it can even fry your Switch and all other games save files. It only has about 40% of existing Pokemon available. It is very tutorial and baby proofed feeling the entire game. Too easy. Characters are annoying and constantly interrupt gameplay.
  8. GabrielCZ
    Nov 20, 2019
    1
    The backgrounds are not good Glitches all the time
    Graphics are so simple and the attack’s animation made me cry
  9. dirvin
    Nov 20, 2019
    3
    Very underwhelming Nintendo Switch title. It felt as though they took a 3DS game, added very little unimportant features, made the game super easy and also cut a lot of content that people originally enjoyed about Pokémon such as being able to catch all of the Pokémon, instead of having a limited Pokédex. The graphics are also horrible for a main entry title and the animations areVery underwhelming Nintendo Switch title. It felt as though they took a 3DS game, added very little unimportant features, made the game super easy and also cut a lot of content that people originally enjoyed about Pokémon such as being able to catch all of the Pokémon, instead of having a limited Pokédex. The graphics are also horrible for a main entry title and the animations are horrible. I’ll be selling my copy very soon.… Expand
  10. Rukimaru
    Nov 20, 2019
    8
    Mejorable pero tiene sus cosas que disfrutar, historia muy lineal, se hecha en falta mas trasfondo.
  11. exts4
    Nov 20, 2019
    10
    Hace tiempo que no me enviciaba tanto con un juego. Aunque es ligeramente más fácil que las entregas anteriores. Muy buen juego.
  12. Mattminty
    Nov 20, 2019
    10
    Best Pokemon in time loved it. Great Pokémon great mechanics . I’ve been a fan since gen 1 . The only reason the user score is low is be cause some children are having a strop(tantrum) about not having all the Pokémon in the game.
  13. DumbFum
    Nov 20, 2019
    0
    I just think it’s bad they don’t have the national Dex Honestly I know not everything is black and white and such but I genuinely believe they rushed the game for sales every November since Sun and moon there’s been a new Pokémon game I don’t like that Sure this game does a LOT right but I still think it deserves this low score to show gamefreak we care about The National Dex and want ourI just think it’s bad they don’t have the national Dex Honestly I know not everything is black and white and such but I genuinely believe they rushed the game for sales every November since Sun and moon there’s been a new Pokémon game I don’t like that Sure this game does a LOT right but I still think it deserves this low score to show gamefreak we care about The National Dex and want our Pokémon games made with time and love feel free to disagree because the simple fact is yeah this mostly cause of the National Dex it’s not cause I want all the Pokémon well I do but still I think slowly but surely if this yearly release thing keeps going then Pokémon’s gonna become no different then Say Madden or Freaking EA sports games bold claim I know but it’s what I believe so yes this is a good game but I’m giving it a low score so maybe hopefully the next Pokémon game is made without the stupid deadline but maybe IM the stupid one… Expand
  14. Spington
    Nov 20, 2019
    6
    Let's just get this out of the way real quick. Pokemon Sword and Shield are NOT 0/10s. While Pokemon Sword and Shield aren't perfect, they also don't deserve that unfair rating.
    The graphics in Pokemon Shield are a hit or miss to be honest. Sometimes they look really good, and other times they look pretty shaky. But overall, I will say the game does look...nice. Not fantastic,    Let's just get this out of the way real quick. Pokemon Sword and Shield are NOT 0/10s. While Pokemon Sword and Shield aren't perfect, they also don't deserve that unfair rating.
    The graphics in Pokemon Shield are a hit or miss to be honest. Sometimes they look really good, and other times they look pretty shaky. But overall, I will say the game does look...nice. Not fantastic, just...nice. I'd give the graphics a 6/10. They aren't bad, but they aren't anything to talk about.
    As for the animations...Yeah they can be pretty bad. Some of the animations for specific attacks in a Pokemon Battle can look really good! The same goes for the Pokemon Trainers when they first send out their Pokemon. Something as simple as throwing a Pokeball was given so much character and personality. However, I will say that a lot of the Pokemon battle animations just resort to the Pokemon hopping in place while an effect plays to show an attack happening. Some of the choices are really strange too (For example, Scorbunny will run up and kick a Pokemon when using "Tackle", but will only hop in place when using "Double Kick"...? Also, the Pokemon Dubwool will use it's hind legs and kick when using the move "Headbutt"). While some moves are given actual animations, as confusing as some of them may be, most of the moves that I've seen resort to simply moving the model around and using fancy effects instead of giving us an actual animation. Not to mention the models are ripped straight from older games, instead of what GameFreak promised, which was giving us brand new models. Speaking of ripping from older games, even some animations for trainers were ripped from older games, such as Hop having some of the exact same animations as Hau (Pokemon Sun and Moon).
    I also have a complain that I haven't really seen going around before, and that's...the lack of brand new Pokemon, and the mass of older Pokemon. When there's a brand new Pokemon game, with a brand new region, people want to see the new Pokemon, catch and train them, to see how good they all are! However, the game features...a surprisingly small amount of brand new Pokemon. They do give you a good handful at the beginning, but after that it becomes rather difficult to find new Pokemon, you just keep finding the same Pokemon you've already seen before (and no, Galarian forms of old Pokemon don't count as "brand new Pokemon"). In my opinion, all the routes should have been filled with brand new Pokemon in order to support the new region, while the "Wild Area" would be filled with Pokemon from other generations for those who want to seek them out.

    Despite these negatives...I can't say it's a bad game. It's definitely a breath of fresh air from how all the other Pokemon games are handled. Participating in the gym challenge is treated more like a sort of sports league, and it's a whole celebration for new and upcoming trainers. It gives you a far greater feeling than just grabbing a Pokemon and walking up to a gym leader, for them to say "Oh, you're a trainer. Cool, let's fight, I guess." This game's gyms are handled just differently enough for them to feel nice and fresh. This also extends to the final challenges in the main story, which I will not spoil here.
    The fact that you can see all the Pokemon just walking around, doing their own thing, is really cool. I know that the "Let's Go!" games did this before Pokemon Sword and Shield, however it's still something to appreciate.
    The Galar Region is absolutely beautiful, and is easily one of my favorite regions in all of Pokemon. The land is filled with such diverse areas and it's so fun to simply just look around them.
    The ability to customize your character in this game is very diverse (for a Pokemon game) and it really does help add your own personal touch into this game. It may not be anything ground-breaking, although it is a nice addition to see included.
    Dynamaxing is also a really nice mechanic...although I will say, gym battles will often just resort to "Let's Dynamax our last Pokemon, then see who hits harder." Also, the idea is just...really dumb in my opinion. It's just the Pokemon growing bigger. I feel like they could have used a bit more creativity here.

    If you like Pokemon, you'll like this game. I only give it a 6/10 due to the negatives listed earlier, and since this doesn't feel like enough of a change from the other Pokemon games. It feels like they did the bare minimum of what they could do for a new Pokemon game. Today, we expect more from Pokemon, especially when The Legend of Zelda and Mario have games like Breath of the Wild and Odyssey. So in short...it's what you'd expect from the next Pokemon game. Changes are made, but not as much as you'd like.    … Expand
  15. F4g077
    Nov 20, 2019
    0
    It seems like they ported the game from the 3DS. the laziness of the developers really shows everywhere in game.
  16. Fidelator
    Nov 20, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Terrible graphics, laughable battle animations, missing half the pokémon, there is no voice acting, the wild area does not have anything to do, Dynamax is ridiculous and not nearly as good as Megas. The story on the game is utterly recycled and terribly bad. They took away useful mechanic, specially the world trade center. 0/10, would not buy again, go spend your money on Witcher 3 or dragon quest so you can see the definition of a well made game.… Expand
  17. fidalgo0
    Nov 20, 2019
    9
    The story is amazing and entertaining. The pokemon selection, despite incomplete, is perfect for the region. The music is amongst the best of all the franchise. The wild area is immersive, and a great step forward in the franchise.
  18. AvalonBunny
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Half the pokemon for 20 extra USD. Game Freak is simply not up to the task, Nintendo should takeover and hand the franchise to real developers or give the current one enough resources.
  19. Lugui96
    Nov 20, 2019
    10
    Haven't been this excited for a Pokémon game for so long. The graphics are not mindblowing, but thats not what I expect out of a Pokémon game. For me, the gameplay and atmosphere are what matters most, and this game nails it.
  20. dandan791
    Nov 20, 2019
    4
    I have been a long time Pokemon fan, and I totally feel the disappointment in the negative reviews. I originally gave this a rating of 2 simply because I’m horrified by some of the choices that were made in creating this, but I decided to change my rating to a 4 because even though it’s a “bad“ game compared to other pokemon games it’s still a Pokemon game. I wish they had simply focusedI have been a long time Pokemon fan, and I totally feel the disappointment in the negative reviews. I originally gave this a rating of 2 simply because I’m horrified by some of the choices that were made in creating this, but I decided to change my rating to a 4 because even though it’s a “bad“ game compared to other pokemon games it’s still a Pokemon game. I wish they had simply focused on really showcasing what they could do with a Pokemon game on the Switch, but rather they chose to cut corners where they IMO really shouldn’t have (especially considering the promises that were made during the creation of the games). I don’t know why, but Let’s Go seemed more polished than this.

    You have 8 preset character designs to choose from, all of which are really really boring, and I wish a more thorough character customization tool (besides hair, eyebrows, and eye color) were in place. They cut a ton of my favorite Pokemon (all in all they cut 400 pokemon out of the games completely). The graphics are bad compared to other switch titles (but obviously good compared to the 3DS versions of Pokemon, but that should go without saying). The story is flat, the characters are uninspiring, and the conversations are dry. “Dynamaxing” and “Gigantamaxing” seem gimmicky. The latter was slightly more intriguing, but I cannot understand the big difference between this and the Mega X&Y forms, so to release it as a “new” feature seemed a bit odd to me. Also, why spend time on that and not time on including all the Pokemon and polishing the game? I managed to ignore other annoyances like the occasional stuttering, lifeless 3DS style animation in trees and greenery, and the odd bug here and there. However, my disappointment peaked towards the end of the main story (no spoilers) when they chose to suddenly change the typical 3D movie scene of people talking to a few still images of blatantly obvious concept art with subtitles running below. It felt random, out of place, lazy, and like a total break from the general art style in the rest of the game. It literally only happened once in the entire game, but during a pretty important conversation. The concept art images were pretty ambitious, so I assume they just didn’t have time to finish the actual scenes. It made me see just how rushed this game was, and it also made me critically look at just how many corners they cut (and promises they broke) in making this game – it’s a lot.

    If they release updates and DLCs in the future I am more than willing to change my review, as I feel like there is a solid skeleton in place here. It just feels hollow compared to other titles. So... as a Pokemon fan I’m incredibly disappointed with these two games, but it seems obvious to me that this is not a proposal to the core fan base. This is to all the parents that want an easy holiday present for their kid and it will sell like hot cakes regardless of the reviews. Kids will gobble this up and be happy, as is the case with every single Pokemon game.    … Expand
  21. Dazar
    Nov 20, 2019
    3
    A lot of reviewers are saying this is the best Pokemon game ever. How? Look, it has the fundamental bare bones stuff, but it also has a lot of crap and cut out good parts. Lets start with the ones I have the greatest issue with. So, this game was touted as being for the long-time and competitive fans. I disagree.

    First lets look at the EV system. You can no longer see what your exact EV    A lot of reviewers are saying this is the best Pokemon game ever. How? Look, it has the fundamental bare bones stuff, but it also has a lot of crap and cut out good parts. Lets start with the ones I have the greatest issue with. So, this game was touted as being for the long-time and competitive fans. I disagree.

    First lets look at the EV system. You can no longer see what your exact EV values are. Which sucks. You can not instantly reset all EVs, you need to use berries specific to each stat. Where do you get these berries? The stupid boring Max Raid battles. You have to farm them. There is no berry garden to cultivate them in this game either. Have fun with that.

    The GTS is gone as many are aware, but now you need to use both Nintendo Online service as well as communicate with the person you want to trade with before you start. Have fun using Discord or this game's Wonder Trade (I know it is called something else) to get version exclusives that you may want (HA Darmanitan is going to be fun to try and get for shield).

    Lets talk about Max Raid and dynamaxing. They are boring. Now I never liked Z-moves all that much but they were more interesting than dynamaxing. The fact that the Megas were also cut for this
    crap sucks. The number of moves you have when dynamaxed is so limited and brainless. I believe all status moves become a glorified 'protect' as well. Even Z-moves had more varied effects. The worst part is you are pretty much forced to use it unless you want to get a lot of your guys killed in gyms.

    We already know about the dex cut so there is no reason to talk about it in too much detail. That said the animations outside of battle are nice, but very pointless and should not have had resources put into them.

    It has fun moments, but whereas there was stuff I used to enjoy (like the gym and the battles to become champ) this game has made me dread it. A majority of the new Pokemon I like, but for the first time they actually created Pokemon I dislike. Five of them. This game gets a 3 out of 10 for going backwards in too many ways and adding forced unpleasant mechanics. Hopefully, gen 9 comes out better, but I am concerned. Due to gen 8 being the basis of the possible gen 4 remakes, I have no hope for those games. I do hope they patch some problems out, but can in no way patch everything out. Also, turn autosave off for this game.

    Edit: The games sold well. Expect the drop in quality to continue.    … Expand
  22. Joelfusetti
    Nov 20, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. O novo jogo de Pokémon é um desrespeito aos fãs. O que se esperava de um game para console era uma coisa inovadora e com um grande potencial. O que foi jogado por agua abaixo com um jogo cheio de bugs e absurdos gráficos. Jogoa feito por uma pequena empresa de 10 pessoas dão de 10 a 0 nesse fiasco comandado por uma empresa multnilhonaria. Fico triste com a situação e mais triste ainda com quem compra e apoia cegamente. Quem sabe um dia a gamefreak a gamefreak visa mais o público doque dinheiro.… Expand
  23. Vasiliid
    Nov 20, 2019
    10
    Good game, if you like Pokemon world, all thacute little creatures, that definatly your game, fun to catch, fun to watch, fun to play that's all what need from good game!
  24. Reprise
    Nov 19, 2019
    6
    Pokemon Sword and Shield can only be described as a huge disappointment. Despite these games being hyped as the first 'real' Pokemon games on the Switch and the next generation in the series, Pokemon Let's Go (the sort of spinoff/Pokemon Yellow remake) released last year was actually a far more enjoyable game.

    Instead of taking the series forward, Sword and Shield take things backwards.    Pokemon Sword and Shield can only be described as a huge disappointment. Despite these games being hyped as the first 'real' Pokemon games on the Switch and the next generation in the series, Pokemon Let's Go (the sort of spinoff/Pokemon Yellow remake) released last year was actually a far more enjoyable game.

    Instead of taking the series forward, Sword and Shield take things backwards. It looks and feels like a 3DS game, but more importantly, the gameplay feels a bit stale. You experience the same story beats play out once again, the environments aren't great and catching and battling Pokemon just doesn't feel as good as it used to.

    Overall, I don't feel Pokemon Sword and Shield are bad games per se, they are reasonable adventures and I'm sure younger audiences will find them mostly enjoyable, but for those who have played Pokemon games before, will find that not only do these new games fail to take the series forward, but there are also far better Pokemon games out there.    … Expand
  25. Gtwoodin
    Nov 19, 2019
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Pokémon has been a mainstay in my life since I was 6. I’ve loved Pokémon and even battled in the world championship. I honestly loved the game. I’ve played over 24hrs and for a busy student that’s a feat. Negative:

    But I have some unavoidable problems. First off the bat not a full Pokédex. Game freak is lazy simple as that. The laziness is felt through the game and that makes me mad and disappointed. Each town feels so close to good that it sucks. We see locations that are constantly not explorable. This is laziness that needs to be fixed. Pokémon that are in the game sometimes don’t even make sense. Why is Durant in the game when mareep a literal sheep Pokémon not in a game that has a use for sheep Pokémon. Then not being able to fit all the Pokémon in the game is bs and the models look like exactly what they are, up scaled sun and moon models. The cut of moves and TR system is stupid. Team yell is the worst yet, they aren’t even evil just something in the way. If game freak thinks the gym challenge is enough for a campaign they are sorely wrong. Constant frame rate issues gets in the way too. Mega evolution was the last time a gimmick truly worked but I’m neutral on dinamaxing. Bring me more to do. If there was a second region with an updated Kalos story I would have been way happier. Pokémon camp is just bad Pokémon ammie

    Positives:
    Great npc designs, I love the gym leaders and their trainer cards. I have never caught so many Pokémon in a main story campaign I have a 150 in the box rn. Games look great, from a spectacle standpoint. I do honestly enjoy the max raid battles and it’s fun to do in that sense but in gyms it’s dumb. I love most all of the new designs. Some of my favorite were hatterne, coalossal, and duraludon. Some of these new Mons’ look great for competitive. And the music is really well composed the gym theme really gets you hyped up. Overall had fun but game freak has their work cut out to make it up to the fans and I really hope they do. Pokémon is just such a heartwarming phenomenon and deserves better than what gamefreak put into this game.

    5/10-ok not great had more fun than sun and moon but sun and moon has more to do with a real story.    … Expand
  26. Mikki1986
    Nov 19, 2019
    10
    Storymode took me 30hrs to finish. Playing docked and graphics are really nice. 400 pokemon are more then enough for me. Me and my 11 year old love it 10/10
  27. Meteorsmash
    Nov 19, 2019
    0
    The Short Version: Hire Genius Sonority again for 3D games. Gamefreak is incompetent.

    The Long Version: GameFreak wanted to spare efforts cutting down content as much as possible for maximum profits, their reason for doing so is: "It's Pokemon! Even if it's garbage it will sell! The consumers are kids and adults who disregard quality after all, right?" WRONG! And I think the overall    The Short Version: Hire Genius Sonority again for 3D games. Gamefreak is incompetent.

    The Long Version: GameFreak wanted to spare efforts cutting down content as much as possible for maximum profits, their reason for doing so is: "It's Pokemon! Even if it's garbage it will sell! The consumers are kids and adults who disregard quality after all, right?" WRONG! And I think the overall Metacritic score speaks volumes. Let me list the issues of the game once again...
    -The game is full of low quality environments and textures.
    -Pop-in is Awful.
    -Cutscenes that look like they were meant to have voice acting makes the game feel awkward...this is inexcusable in 2019
    -ALL FAN-FAVORITE POKEMON CUT FROM THE GAME!! There's NO starters from previous regions, NO fossil pokemon, No legendaries from previous games either, hell, they went out of their way to piss a lot of people off. What was the point of Pokemon Home then??! Greedy and lazy summarizes GameFreak's "efforts" this generation.
    -Story is the most dull and boring I've seen in any pokemon game...
    -Recycled models and animations from the 3DS, AND NO, THEY ARE NOT "NEW" MODELS, THEY ARE THEY VERY SAME! There's a pretty absurd rumor online that the models were made from the ground up, that's an obvious lie, unless you are blind.

    Overall: Gamefreak need to wake up, it's 2019, this piece of garbage is inexcusable, Switch games so far have set the bar pretty high, if you compare this game to Zelda, Mario, Xenoblade, Smash, etc. GameFreak should feel ashamed of themselves for releasing this game in its current state, shame on you...    … Expand
  28. Starfree
    Nov 19, 2019
    8
    This game a lot of issues, but IMO the positives outway them all. This feels like a Pokémon game I know and love. The atmosphere is great the characters are great, and the graphics are pretty good.MAX RAID BATTLES ARE AWESOME!!! However with the story it’s clear that this is an unfinished game. Their is a lack of story content compared to past Pokémon titles, and the last 2 gyms aren’tThis game a lot of issues, but IMO the positives outway them all. This feels like a Pokémon game I know and love. The atmosphere is great the characters are great, and the graphics are pretty good.MAX RAID BATTLES ARE AWESOME!!! However with the story it’s clear that this is an unfinished game. Their is a lack of story content compared to past Pokémon titles, and the last 2 gyms aren’t even gym challenges, the 7th gym is literally a hallway. But the game is still super fun… Expand
  29. LosAndos
    Nov 19, 2019
    9
    I don't understand what's wrong with everybody. These games are for sure not the best Pokemon games ever, but also not the worst. Let's be honest, most hate is just out of spite.

    The real disaster happened on November 18 2016, when Gamefreak released a Pokemon Game with: A tutorial lasting more than an hour Cutscenes lasting longer than 10 Disney movies Horrible Pokemon designs    I don't understand what's wrong with everybody. These games are for sure not the best Pokemon games ever, but also not the worst. Let's be honest, most hate is just out of spite.

    The real disaster happened on November 18 2016, when Gamefreak released a Pokemon Game with:

    A tutorial lasting more than an hour
    Cutscenes lasting longer than 10 Disney movies
    Horrible Pokemon designs
    The same boring map design everywhere
    Annoying NPCs
    Every dialogue being about friendship and stuff like that
    Dancing-1-Hit-KO moves (how creative!)
    The most childish story ever in a Pokemon Game
    I could mention so many more points why Sun/Moon is the game that should get all the hate.

    All this is NOT the case in Sword/Shield, but it was in the "just great" Sun/Moon.

    Sorry for being real, now have fun disliking my review, nerds.    … Expand
  30. Floobersman
    Nov 19, 2019
    3
    Despite the fact this generation of Pokemon games feature some of the best new Pokemon and the best new exploration features since Gold/Silver. This game shows a lack of GameFreaks willingness to improve their games to the high quality of a AAA game which would be expected from highest grossing video game franchise in the world. The game feels like a game that highly underutilizes theDespite the fact this generation of Pokemon games feature some of the best new Pokemon and the best new exploration features since Gold/Silver. This game shows a lack of GameFreaks willingness to improve their games to the high quality of a AAA game which would be expected from highest grossing video game franchise in the world. The game feels like a game that highly underutilizes the power of the Switch and still uses the same graphics and mechanica for a smaller handheld console. Being a fan for many years it is frustrating that Game Freak will not change their practices and bring the Pokemon franchise the a better quality of game with their first leap onto a large console.… 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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