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. Achiyugo
    Nov 18, 2019
    3
    Hilarious. The rating matches the percentage of Pokémon left in the game. RIP
  2. justinpeoples13
    Nov 18, 2019
    4
    Story is too basic and streamlined. There is nothing by the way of side quests like in all other games. Your rivals are laughable and all the gym challenges pose little challenge if you are familiar with the battle mechanics. There is a lack of interesting things to do besides the main quest like previous games. Gambling, beauty contests ect. The lack of mysteries to explore and the scaledStory is too basic and streamlined. There is nothing by the way of side quests like in all other games. Your rivals are laughable and all the gym challenges pose little challenge if you are familiar with the battle mechanics. There is a lack of interesting things to do besides the main quest like previous games. Gambling, beauty contests ect. The lack of mysteries to explore and the scaled down size of the Caves/Routes is really disheartening. The lack of world interaction with buildings and npcs is sad aswell feels very dry and like you're just pushed into a linear story. Sure you can play around in the wild area but you can explore all of that rather quickly and then it becomes stale and boring. In the end I felt like I was playing a glorified Pokemon Stadium with a story and the wild area to make up for the lack of depth implemented.

    I hope they improve upon what they have going on for the next installment but if they take the same route it will surely be another disappointment to longtime fans of the series. Here's to hoping for a remake of Pearl and Diamond to see what a real classic pokemon experience can feel like on the Switch.    … Expand
  3. AD2
    Nov 18, 2019
    10
    Easily the best Pokémon game yet. From the user interface, to graphics, to sound, to convenience, it beats nearly every Pokémon game on nearly every metric.
  4. Upsset
    Nov 18, 2019
    1
    I got it opening night at midnight I'm 32 hours deep and I have to say I have seen a lot of problems with this game the frame rate is slow half the Pokemon are gone and I could live with that however the game crashes, it has frozen on me twice, this game was advertised to be a hard core Pokemon game for hardcore Pokemon players it was not it was an entry-level game comprable to let's goI got it opening night at midnight I'm 32 hours deep and I have to say I have seen a lot of problems with this game the frame rate is slow half the Pokemon are gone and I could live with that however the game crashes, it has frozen on me twice, this game was advertised to be a hard core Pokemon game for hardcore Pokemon players it was not it was an entry-level game comprable to let's go Pikachu in fact it was about as hard as let's go Pikachu I finish the story in about 15 hours I will say it was enjoyable it was not very deep but Pokemon games often don't have a deep storyline however it was really hand-holding you can't do anything without being told what to do and I do mean anything you fight somebody as soon as you're done somebody comes up and talks to you there's no voice acting which makes the game feel really old AND. Gave me hardcore GameCube Vibes not only that it feels and plays.ike a 3ds game, not only that other than catching one legendary there is no postgame there is absolutely nothing to do there's no farther story there is nothing in fact all there is to do is grind in the battle tower or in the wild area and that's basically just pregame for online which doesn't really actually exist it's a really difficult to connect with anyone to play online and trading is a nightmare, I feel ripped off for the first time in 20 years by pokemon, and its sad,… Expand
  5. Nozum
    Nov 18, 2019
    3
    First off all i am new to the pokémon games, i have never touched another game in the series. So i was quite exited to start my journey into this universe.

    Im having a OK time playing this. I like the gameplay, story, and actually be able to go around catching all these different Pokémons. With that being said, there are 2 things i cannot understand and accept, with a game released in    First off all i am new to the pokémon games, i have never touched another game in the series. So i was quite exited to start my journey into this universe.

    Im having a OK time playing this. I like the gameplay, story, and actually be able to go around catching all these different Pokémons. With that being said, there are 2 things i cannot understand and accept, with a game released in 2019 for this price. The graphics and animations. Playing this on a 65" TV is actually pretty embarasing. All i can think of while playing is how ashamed i am to have payed $60 for this. Im pretty sure my PlayStation 2 games looked better than this. For a price tag of around $25 - $30 this would be a whole different story. But $60 for animations and graphics like this, is just insane.    … Expand
  6. Sydius4
    Nov 18, 2019
    3
    Pokemon Sword and Shield is a good handheld game. But it dont look like a Switch game with the best graphic. The story of the game is averageand the animation mostly the same. And still they have cut more than half of the pokemon, because of balancing...
    The truth is they didnt worked with eno
    ugh people to do the project and cut the pokedex. Pokemon become easier since Sun and Moon. They    Pokemon Sword and Shield is a good handheld game. But it dont look like a Switch game with the best graphic. The story of the game is averageand the animation mostly the same. And still they have cut more than half of the pokemon, because of balancing...
    The truth is they didnt worked with eno
    ugh people to do the project and cut the pokedex. Pokemon become easier since Sun and Moon. They want to cash in for the new Pokemon Go Players and dont care anymore for the hardcore loyal fanbase anymore. They can easily can eat all pokemon but they think they didn't have to.    … Expand
  7. Bruhboinohomes
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Bruh moment, why no empoleon in the game.

    Eat pant

    Animations are kinda bad

    LiTtLe ToWn HeRo Is BeTtEr.    … Expand
  8. ddark14
    Nov 18, 2019
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. los intercambios con amigos estan un poco complicados, la transición a consola mas potente me parece excelente, buena historia, buenas mecanicas… Expand
  9. Meris
    Nov 18, 2019
    8
    This game has some technical issues and the decision to not port every Pokemon into the game is sad, but aside from these issues, the game is quite fun.
    It has several interesting fights in the last quarter of the game and the new Pokemon designs are quite fun.
    It is miles above ORAS, Sun/Moon and UltraSun/UltraMoon. This Gen are a step in the right direction and I hope a possible third    This game has some technical issues and the decision to not port every Pokemon into the game is sad, but aside from these issues, the game is quite fun.
    It has several interesting fights in the last quarter of the game and the new Pokemon designs are quite fun.
    It is miles above ORAS, Sun/Moon and UltraSun/UltraMoon. This Gen are a step in the right direction and I hope a possible third game remake from B/W fixes the technical issues.    … Expand
  10. LuisFRBplus
    Nov 18, 2019
    3
    No tengo ningun incentivo para seguir jugándolo, atrápalos todos? Hace mucho que quedo atras!!
  11. Motaever
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    This game is perfect on 3ds
    Not in switch
    Its just playing sun and moon game with a mod for more pokemon and a new region
  12. ChocolateCrane
    Nov 18, 2019
    4
    Let us address the elephant in the room first. The absence of the National Dex. Yes, it is terrible, lazy, blah blah blah. I am sure you've already heard this in hundreds of other reviews. So instead of me wasting your time by complaining about something you are already well aware of, I will focus on the rest of SwSh's shortcomings. For reference, I have played every mainline Pokemon gameLet us address the elephant in the room first. The absence of the National Dex. Yes, it is terrible, lazy, blah blah blah. I am sure you've already heard this in hundreds of other reviews. So instead of me wasting your time by complaining about something you are already well aware of, I will focus on the rest of SwSh's shortcomings. For reference, I have played every mainline Pokemon game to completion and have currently sunk 40 hours into Shield; I'd imagine my criticisms also apply to Sword. In the interest of brevity, I will be utilizing acronyms: (SwSh = Sword/Shield, S/M = Sun/Moon, etc).

    The most succinct way to put it is SwSh essentially feels like a 3DS game ported to the Switch. This applies to every facet of the game: from its gameplay features to its visual presentation, to its story/characters. I believe whether or not you enjoy SwSh depends entirely upon how you view the 7th Gen games. Contrary to what the devs promised us last year, SwSh is most assuredly NOT meant for the "core" Pokemon fans. As a veteran of the series myself, I can say with certainty the abysmally low level of difficulty in conjunction with the simplification and outright removal of many features is the exact opposite of what I'd want. SwSh is nearly as simplified as LGPE, which wouldn't be an issue if the devs addressed it as such, but somehow they seem to think this is what qualifies as a satisfying mainline game in 2019. Yes, Pokemon has always been a franchise aimed primarily at children. The games have never been truly difficult when compared to many of their JRPG contemporaries. Yet, for some reason Game Freak felt the need to crank that difficulty setting from "Easy" down to "Braindead". S/M may have been easy, but it was LEAGUES more challenging than Shield. Accessibility is one thing, but this is taking it to such an extreme it nearly removes all the fun. A "Hard Mode" option selectable from the outset would have worked wonders. And of course, as is common for the past several entries in the Pokemon series, the post-game content is practically non-existent.

    So, SwSh basically fails when viewed purely as a "game", but what of the other aspects I mentioned? After all, JRPGs with subpar gameplay can still be surprisingly enjoyable if the narrative holds enough merit. I am sad to report that SwSh also completely fails in this regard. The writing is oftentimes so atrocious I've found myself wishing to skip these scenes entirely. This is par for the course as none of the mainline games (barring the "attempts" made in B/W) have really delivered anything substantive in the way of competent storytelling. However, with the majority of other Pokemon games, they at least had good gameplay to compensate for the lackluster story; a factor which is completely absent from SwSh due to its inherent simplified nature and toddler-pandering difficulty.

    Well, there is only one thing left to discuss since delving into too much detail on the above points causes me to exceed the character limit. The final point of contention is the visual fidelity and graphical offerings SwSh brings to the table. This is after all, a game made for the Switch; a console/handheld hybrid with roughly 10x the computational power of Pokemon's former home, the 3DS. Let's get the pesky numbers out of the way first. SwSh runs at a dynamic resolution on both docked and portable modes. In docked mode, the resolution fluctuates from 1080p to 864p. Likewise, during portable play, the highest res is 720p which descends to 576p on frequent occasions. This is somewhat disappointing considering LGPE was capable of running at 1080p docked/720p portable at all times. The framerate target is 30fps, which exhibits frame pacing problems and severe drops in a variety of areas. The most evident manifestation of these issues can be seen in the Wild Area, wherein both pacing and framerate are pushed to their absolute worst. This is a massive problem considering the majority of your time, especially in post-game, will likely be spent in the Wild Area.

    Aside from the quantifiable metrics highlighted above, there are plenty of other visual shortcomings to boot. Terrible terrain detail, awful textures, constant pop-in, stilted animations, low polygon count for both the human character models as well as the Pokemon, and countless other issues such as these result in a game that resembles something released over a decade ago. Many detractors claim SwSh looks like a PS2/GC game, which is definitely an exaggeration, but what we got is by no means acceptable for a non-indie game released in 2019. And yes, many of the animations and ALL the returning Pokemon models have been copy-and-pasted with negligible improvements for SwSh.

    It's one thing to sacrifice content for a more polished, higher quality game, but that is very clearly not what happened here. I genuinely hope these issues can be sorted out in future releases; I am not ready to give up hope on Pokemon just yet.    … Expand
  13. RiceTwice
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    Worst game in the series by far. Don't waste your time and money, this game is horrible and incomplete. #GameFreakLied
  14. oPROJECTMAYHEMo
    Nov 18, 2019
    5
    This is a non Biased and fair review from someone who is not overly emotionally attached.

    First off - I am a fan of Pokemon and have played the vast majority of them. (Pokemon Doesn't rule my life). I am 6 hours or so into the game and there is plenty to like and there is also plenty that could have been much better, hence my score being middle of the road. This game is far too    This is a non Biased and fair review from someone who is not overly emotionally attached.

    First off - I am a fan of Pokemon and have played the vast majority of them. (Pokemon Doesn't rule my life).

    I am 6 hours or so into the game and there is plenty to like and there is also plenty that could have been much better, hence my score being middle of the road.

    This game is far too easy. You don't have to grind or power level anything to progress through the game. I have so far only battled the random people along the way and tried to catch one of each pokemon encountered so far and I am over leveled by 8 levels.

    I really don't like being able to see the wild pokemon you encounter before the battle starts, for me half the fun was hunting in each area not knowing who you were going to encounter and the joy of finally finding the ones you wanted.

    Pokemon Shield and Pokemon Lets Go give wild access to strong and later forms of pokemon way too early in the game.

    Battling isnt difficult, at all. I started with Scorbunny and he has been the only pokemon used so far except for 1 battle.

    Forced XP share just adds to the ease of this game. I have used 1 pokemon all game so far and have a team with an average level of around 22. I miss the grind the early games offered.

    The graphics are great. I like that pokemon haven't been given voices and they still use the old retro noises.

    The characters are annoying and not very interesting. Team Yell are poorly designed make it blatantly obvious they are only there to add to the length of the game rather than being a part of the story or a side story. Some poor pokemon designs too- Who wants an ice cream pokemon or one in the shape of a tea pot?

    You have access to a bike and fishing rod without having to work for them - again, adding to the lack of difficulty.

    Gigantamax is pointless and adds absolutely nothing to the game. I am glad it is used only once every now and then in a gym battle.

    I know I have mentioned a lot i feel is wrong with this game but.... it is fun, albeit very easy.

    Would have been perfect if
    All wild encounters are hidden
    Make the game harder - Opponents have to strategy and low leveled
    Remove Gigantamax
    Add the vast majority Pokemon (far too many missing)
    Its feels empty - Whats the point of a big map if your going to leave it with not much to actually do.

    Again, my biggest gripe is this game is FAR TOO EASY and everything is just handed to you on a plate.    … Expand
  15. RGriffin
    Nov 18, 2019
    8
    La verdad, esperaba menos y me gusto, necesita cambios pues si y mejoras también, pero eso no quita todo lo que te entrega
  16. Andrito
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    In certain parts, grafically disrespectfull. Dishonoring nintendo switch system.
  17. katttdillehay
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    I don't even know where to start. I've been playing pokemon since Pokemon Gold and Silver came out close to 20 years ago. I have never been more disappointed with a game in my life. Pokemon sun and moon were bad but this is just embarassing. Countless pokemon were cut so longtime fans can't even bring pokemon they've had for over 15 years with them into the new games. Mega evolutions and aI don't even know where to start. I've been playing pokemon since Pokemon Gold and Silver came out close to 20 years ago. I have never been more disappointed with a game in my life. Pokemon sun and moon were bad but this is just embarassing. Countless pokemon were cut so longtime fans can't even bring pokemon they've had for over 15 years with them into the new games. Mega evolutions and a crazy amount of content was cut for a rushed, lazy, disappointing game. Do not waste your money on this game that could barely be considered finished.… Expand
  18. MarioFan91
    Nov 18, 2019
    8
    I don't get all the vitriol surrounding Sword and Shield. The whole National Dex thing caused a bit of a stir long before release, and a lot of Pokémon have been wiped out of the slate. But, the reasons are understandable, as these Pokémon games are massive in terms of scope.

    Pokémon Sword and Shield bring you to the Galar region, which is based on the UK. There you get three new    I don't get all the vitriol surrounding Sword and Shield. The whole National Dex thing caused a bit of a stir long before release, and a lot of Pokémon have been wiped out of the slate. But, the reasons are understandable, as these Pokémon games are massive in terms of scope.

    Pokémon Sword and Shield bring you to the Galar region, which is based on the UK. There you get three new starters, Grookey (the grass type chimp), Scorbunny (a fire type rabbit), and Sobble (the water type lizard). I chose Scorbunny in both games, largely because of his usefulness in the first gym battle, which focuses on grass Pokémon.

    Now. before the whiny fanboys go after me and say I'm getting paid to write good reviews of this game, let me just say this. Do they have their flaws - like inconsistent graphics and a lack of voice acting? Yes. Am I disappointed that some of my favorite Pokémon from the first generation like Squirtle and Bulbasaur have been wiped from the slate? Absolutely. But flaws aside, they're still a lot of fun to play. It's still the Pokémon that's been beloved for years, and flaws aside, I still recommend them.    … Expand
  19. maplepecan
    Nov 16, 2019
    3
    This game is clearly rushed, unfinished, and unpolished. The brings good new features with the wild area and free cam, but this game looks like a 3ds game that's been up-scaled everywhere else. There is so much pop in that is glaring and embarrassingly bad. The textures in the wild area are simply put, bad. The environment freezes when interacting with things, when you fish the pokemon andThis game is clearly rushed, unfinished, and unpolished. The brings good new features with the wild area and free cam, but this game looks like a 3ds game that's been up-scaled everywhere else. There is so much pop in that is glaring and embarrassingly bad. The textures in the wild area are simply put, bad. The environment freezes when interacting with things, when you fish the pokemon and grass around you stop moving. The story is very stale, characters like Hop and Leon aren't interesting in the slightest, and team yell are just a nuisance and feel like they were just thrown in. This story was bad, even for pokemon standards.

    To address dexit, it is not as bad as everyone says, but it is still a big reason why I gave this game a less than average score. Missing out on some of my favorite pokemon from the series that joined me throughout the rest of the games was terrible. I thought to myself how perfect my team would be with these 2-3 other pokemon, but they aren't available in game or through future trading with pokemon home.

    I wanted to see something new for this series, a leap forward for the first console main series release. Instead it this is a 3ds game made for the Switch that tells a story worse than one of the 3ds titles. Game freak took one small step forward, and two giant steps back    … Expand
  20. Tmato
    Nov 18, 2019
    1
    Game look well But i miss some kind of graphics improvements. Graphics suck to be a game of 2019. More things... Online subcription to trade pokemons, 0/10 trade should be FREE ALWAYS, like balloons were free in Mario Odyssey. Not national dex too.
    New mecanics are great But all this send game to 1/10
  21. kerrydevo
    Nov 18, 2019
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I've been a fan of the Pokemon franchise since the 1990s and have played through almost all the games as a lot of other fans have. I pre-ordered both Sword and Shield with the hope that they would be a breathtaking experiences. Unfortunately it was not to be. I am not saying the games are terrible, but I expected so much more from a Nintendo Switch title, especially since it is Pokemon, a franchise loved by millions.

    To start off I will say that the National Dex cut would not have been a big deal if Game Freak were honest about having to make new models. Its been proven by many poketubers and people who work in 3D modelling that the Pokemon models are indeed the same as in Sun and Moon. The Dex was cut for the purpose of increasing the animation quality, however playing through the game for hours up to the battle with Leon, it was made clear to me that many corners were cut. Characters turn in an inhuman, unrealistic way, where they look like Lego ( most noticeable in the water type gym, as seen in the early demos). The Pokemon themselves also tend to make the same sort of turns in some cutscenes. I personally found the wild area to be bland. The weather would change in an unrealistic manner( one minute it snows and another the sun is shining) and the area itself was not as big as I expected it to be. It can be very repetitive with the same sort of NPCs scattered around the area. I did enjoy the raid battles, however some of them require wishing star pieces to activate which are really expensive, around 3,000 watts to be exact. This left me with very few activities to do apart from this weird balloon cycling game which I tried a few times and they are okay at best. The textures of the wild are are also bland and boring and it didn't feel like I was exploring a beautiful pokemon paradise. I hated how pokemon would pop out of nowhere and after taking what was just a few feet away from them, they would instantly disappear again. The NPCs are also guilty of this, even in the main cities where the games would look there best. The cities do look great and colourful but even then I feel more could be done with them.

    The pokemon camping looks like a treat at first, but then you realise that there isn't much interactivity with the Pokemon apart from playing with a ball or a stick toy with a bell on it. The curry dex has recipes that look the same apart from there effects on Pokemon (Depending on how well you cook the curry). Pokemon don't even interact with each other that much. They race each other and do basic Sim-like interactions and that is it.

    I would have appreciated more activities to do with the Pokemon such as Pokleathon sort of events or contests. Pokemon that follow the trainer could have been implemented but wasn't. There were zero eeveelutions which saddened my soul. They were put aside in favour of pokemon like stunfisk?, garbodor? This made no sense to me. New favourites like wooloo and galarian ponyta were given uninspired evolutions where there could have been so much more potential.

    Overall the game does feel like a cash grab and I will be returning Sword to my local game store today. I will keep Shield in the hopes that I can transfer them to a better game in the future. Game Freak has really let me down on this one. I hope that they will up their standards from here on out and not focus on other games like Town which had mediocre scores from reviewers.    … Expand
  22. Gyroraptor
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    Really, really, bad graphic quality
    Really, really, REALLY bad animations
    Also recycled animations
    Framerate drops
    Insultingly easy
    Lazy company
  23. JankieHands
    Nov 18, 2019
    1
    I really like the new pokemon designs. but thats the only positive thing i can think out. they cut pokemons. there is a insane quantity of cutscenes that stops the flow and very short game for the series. there is not enough value for the price.
  24. LuigiTheGamer
    Nov 18, 2019
    9
    Pokémon sword and shield are phenomenal game with a lot of good qualities, the only bad qualities Ive found is the national Dex problem and the TREES. Besides that it’s a fun game that I’d suggest anyone who has enjoyed a Pokémon game should buy if they can afford it. Also don’t judge a game you haven’t played.
  25. Malooga
    Nov 18, 2019
    10
    Don’t listen to the “Dexit” reviewers. The game is awesome. There’s over 300 Pokémon and lets be honest - it was too much at 150. Keeping the games unique in offering certain Pokémon is a staple of the franchise. Expecting it to change now is silly. Sound/music is excellent - new designs are awesome. It has a cartoony and pleasing aesthetics and much of the annoying “grind” is gone.Don’t listen to the “Dexit” reviewers. The game is awesome. There’s over 300 Pokémon and lets be honest - it was too much at 150. Keeping the games unique in offering certain Pokémon is a staple of the franchise. Expecting it to change now is silly. Sound/music is excellent - new designs are awesome. It has a cartoony and pleasing aesthetics and much of the annoying “grind” is gone. Replaced by clever mechanics that keep you searching for new partners and customizing the ones you love in cool ways. It feels like a NEW Pokémon game - 40+ hours long (didn’t even see the first gym until hour 10). I even like the odd mix of cockney slang they throw in to dialogue over the “baby-English” in most Pokémon games. If you want a new Pokémon experience, and you don’t mind some subtle gameplay formula changes to enhance experience and keep things lively - then check this out. If you’re an OCD completionist who likes to whine about promises that were never made - you’ll find good company in the droves of spoiled gamers who review bombed this release. Babies. 10/10… Expand
  26. IkeEllis
    Nov 18, 2019
    1
    Not as good as earlier games. Story is flat and uninspired. They could have made breath of the wild style pokemon. Instead they made garbage.
  27. TioBizarro
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    It has barely content. Too easy, too short, no nat dex. Shame on you Game Freak.
  28. BugsyNanusu
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    A bug filled mess with less Pokemon than Diamond/Pearl. Non-existent difficulty. Graphics that look worse than the Pokemon games on the Gamecube. Do not support this cash grab!
  29. aderpaderp
    Nov 18, 2019
    10
    This game brings me back. I haven't played a Pokemon game since Red/Blue/Yellow and I can say that this game builds off the same feel good Pokemon experience. This is one of the best turn-based strategy games ever created. You can tell the developers wanted to bring it back to the old school Pokemon days. The poor reviews on here make no sense because this game is very similar to howThis game brings me back. I haven't played a Pokemon game since Red/Blue/Yellow and I can say that this game builds off the same feel good Pokemon experience. This is one of the best turn-based strategy games ever created. You can tell the developers wanted to bring it back to the old school Pokemon days. The poor reviews on here make no sense because this game is very similar to how Red/Blue/Yellow played. The game has wonderful graphics, quick loading times, brand new (and some old) Pokemon, and has Online Battle modes.

    To answer some of the criticism about Gameplay: There are 400 Pokemon (not sure why anyone complains about a lack thereof), YES you can transfer Pokemon between your Pokemon Battle lineup and your storage. YES you can store all of the Pokemon you find in 8 storage boxes and access them at any time. You can FAST travel between locations. The game mechanics are wonderful and load times are a breeze.

    I'm pushing 30 years old and wonder how many of these 0 reviewers were even alive when Red/Blue/Yellow were out. Anyway, if you want some nostalgia and throwback feel good, pick up Sword/Shield. You will not be disappointed. And shame on all these kids posting 0's. Shame!    … Expand
  30. Soul3cho
    Nov 18, 2019
    9
    Try not to listen to the butthurt fanboys below that like to scream that the game is bad because the national dex inst in the game and play for yourself first.

    Really great experience, the new animations give a whole new life to the experience, raiding is surprisingly fun an all in all got me back into pokemon!
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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.
    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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