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. Fraxxo
    Sep 9, 2023
    5
    I think this one may be one of the worst mainline Pokémon ever created.
    Sure the game has some good concepts like the Wild Area, the camping and raids, but they are all bad executed and boring.
    The game is one of the most linear experience of the entire franchise, even more than the original Red and Green on Game Boy, and the game general design is bland, slow, uninteresting. After a few    I think this one may be one of the worst mainline Pokémon ever created.
    Sure the game has some good concepts like the Wild Area, the camping and raids, but they are all bad executed and boring.
    The game is one of the most linear experience of the entire franchise, even more than the original Red and Green on Game Boy, and the game general design is bland, slow, uninteresting. After a few hours in, there was nothing that motivated me to play the game more since all there was to know and do was throwed at the player face during the first hour and that was it. Nothing more is introduced after the first hours of gameplay, nothing. It never changes, it never tries to give you something new.
    The game is so easy, it's basically a button mashing game since your Pokémon will always be 15 or 20 levels over the average enemy.
    The only good thing about the game is that there's a decent degree of personalization, from your team of Pokémon to your character clothes, and catching 'em all is less frustrating than past games thanks to the high catch rate and how easy is to find any species.
    As for the story, it's mediocre even for the series standard: the character had potential that is just not used at all. Their only purpose is to get destroyed by the player.
    Kinda forgettable soundtrack (Idc Toby Fox made one OST, that's not gonna change the fact I don't remember 3/4 or the soundtrack), dull and lifeless art direction and the worst online interface I've ever saw in a videogame.
    Also, bad graphics, bad performance. A mess of a game...    … Expand
  2. TreasureOrTrash
    Sep 8, 2023
    0
    Trash!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  3. fnenamg
    Sep 8, 2023
    6
    Considering it's a product of Game Freak, it's somewhat acceptable.
  4. Traumvita
    Sep 6, 2023
    4
    Baby hand holding simulator. Looks like an up res 3DS game. Limiting options. Can’t explore without someone telling me where to go. Worse Pokémon game to date. A shame because the setting was interesting
  5. M1sfiT
    Sep 3, 2023
    7
    Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaameeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees!!!!!!!!! shield
  6. EasyGamerBoi
    Jun 10, 2021
    4
    I’ve never experienced a game that brought out such vivid anger & disappointment from me until this one. Pokémon has been on a steady decline for years in terms of quality but this was undeniably the breaking point. I know it’s all been said before but Dexit should have NEVER happened. Cutting major content while increasing the price of your product is always an L & I don’t care how manyI’ve never experienced a game that brought out such vivid anger & disappointment from me until this one. Pokémon has been on a steady decline for years in terms of quality but this was undeniably the breaking point. I know it’s all been said before but Dexit should have NEVER happened. Cutting major content while increasing the price of your product is always an L & I don’t care how many Nintendo apologists throw themselves into the fire over this pile of crap. This game should have been delayed for another year at most to get it right & it’s incredibly frustrating because there’s glimmers of hope in this trainwreck. The gym battles are actually an event this time & got me hype everytime, the visuals don’t always look terrible in spots, the new Pokémon roster took some getting used to but there are many gems among them like Appletun & Toxtricity, & I did enjoy the max raid system a lot more than I thought I was going to. At this point in the game’s lifespan I’m completely burned out on just about everything though. Despite my criticism, I played this game for 400 HOURS. That’s mostly from shiny hunting in max raids & being the only new Pokémon game out in a while. The DLC is overpriced tbh but the Crown Tundra alone was infinitely better than anything else this game had going for it. My biggest problem with this game’s existence is the pitiful excuses the developers gave for its shortcomings. Focusing on “higher quality animations” as a reason for cutting over half the Pokémon in the dex is a load of bull, especially since we got very few of those animations in the final product. Then adding some of them back later saying “it was always planned this way” is damage control 101 & y’all know it. Pokémon is a stagnant bubble waiting to burst & the sooner they get GameFreak’s crap together, give them a workable budget & timeframe, then they can maybe avoid a potential Pokècrash. Because this is unacceptable. I can’t believe this is the same studio that gave us classics like Platinum, HGSS & Black n White. While the game can be fun at times & has things going for it, it pales in comparison to the rest of the series (I’d still rather play this than any Gen 1 game though). Pokémon, GET YOUR SH*T TOGETHER.… Expand
  7. Tovar_pk
    Aug 23, 2023
    0
    Sinceramente la mayor decepción de juego jamás creada, sabiendo que ha sido la generación introducida por primera vez en una consola de sobre mesa. El potencial esta muy por debajo de lo que se puede conseguir con la switch, además de que la propia región carece de personalidad. Tanto ciudades como rutas son perfectamente olvidables. Lo unico que se puede salvar de estos juegos, es elSinceramente la mayor decepción de juego jamás creada, sabiendo que ha sido la generación introducida por primera vez en una consola de sobre mesa. El potencial esta muy por debajo de lo que se puede conseguir con la switch, además de que la propia región carece de personalidad. Tanto ciudades como rutas son perfectamente olvidables. Lo unico que se puede salvar de estos juegos, es el diseño de la pokedex.… Expand
  8. assisjunior
    Aug 19, 2023
    5
    Although I had my fun it is really repetitive. After some time you just want to finish it and move on.
  9. Ihtayt
    Aug 16, 2023
    4
    Summing up some bulletpoints on my thoughts of the game below, for reference this is after beating both ScVi 3 times and going back to SwSh after. I did not get / play the DLC as the base game offered so little there was no incentive to prolong this.

    Game is always on local wireless, this massively hinders connecting to wifi as it will frequently bug out and fail to connect to network    Summing up some bulletpoints on my thoughts of the game below, for reference this is after beating both ScVi 3 times and going back to SwSh after. I did not get / play the DLC as the base game offered so little there was no incentive to prolong this.

    Game is always on local wireless, this massively hinders connecting to wifi as it will frequently bug out and fail to connect to network after the game is open. This feels like a massive oversight for something that the developers forced on the game.

    Gameplay is very linear, moreso than Gen 2 and possibly even more linear than Gen 1 which is a very sad downgrade. The main story only took me roughly 20-24 hours to beat and the postgame did not offer much more; at what I feel was a moderate play pace.

    Postgame- After beating the game, gameplay massively falls off and feels very unmotivating. Farming the battle tower may appeal to some, but its gatekept behind needing to clear the BT for the currency (BP) to get the items that you need to clear the BT; which feels very outdated and counter-intuitive. You can clear all / most of the tower with provided rental teams which further detracts from the experience as by time you can make your own team with your own mons, you already beat everything. You can aim to complete the pokedex, breed, and shiny hunt; but this is nothing new or exciting from previous games really; and aside from team building for the BT it feels pretty pointless to build up mons. The game introduced raid dens, but they didn't feel at all appealing personally.

    Performance - I've encountered more performance issues with SwSh (~40hrs) than I ever did with ScVi (>1000hrs).    … Expand
  10. Killerpummkin
    Aug 10, 2023
    7
    Graphically, it is a change for the better. The wilderness area is a beta, it is very underused as for the story. Compared to the rest of the Pokemon games, it seems to be lacking in some aspects. I hope they use this base well for the future.
  11. Cer2xrafa
    Aug 7, 2023
    6
    De los juegos que más he jugado en la switch, pero fue por una época de cuarentena, haciendo intercambios y combates onine continuamente, por ello, creo que es una experiencia remplazable, y no recomendaría jugar teniendo otros juegos mejores dentro la misma saga
  12. SammyDelicious
    Jul 20, 2023
    1
    Pokemon blue, red, yellow, gold, silver and crystal are easily some of my favorite games of all time. I have replayed them countless times. I have waited for 25 years for a 3D pokemon game and this game was an insult to any lifelong, diehard pokemon fans. I don't have enough space to list everything that is wrong with this game so I'll keep it short.

    This Game Is Not Fun. Plain And Simple.
  13. Lil_noggin
    Jul 19, 2023
    9
    To me it's a really great game that's part open world part story and I like all the pokémon that they have, including all of the new ones and the regional pokémon. In fact, it's the pokémon game that got me into other pokémon games it also has a pretty good online mode and I can see you why people wouldn't like it though because it's mostly just different than the other pokémon games butTo me it's a really great game that's part open world part story and I like all the pokémon that they have, including all of the new ones and the regional pokémon. In fact, it's the pokémon game that got me into other pokémon games it also has a pretty good online mode and I can see you why people wouldn't like it though because it's mostly just different than the other pokémon games but it's also one of the first pokémon games to have pokémon out of the grass… Expand
  14. MasterGubbers
    Jul 11, 2023
    6
    Shield certainly has several flaws, but it also brings many new interesting Pokemon into the series. The biggest flaw is that you can blast through the game with seemingly no challenge, as it is easy to level up your Pokemon to level 60 before beatiflng the first couple of gyms. This ruins most of the game, but the Wild Area and new Pokemon make the game better.
  15. Rab1219
    Jul 3, 2023
    9
    Amazing Pokemon game! Only thing stopping it from being a 10 is the amount of cutscenes
  16. drseven
    Jun 30, 2023
    8
    Fun and addictive game that preserves the essence of the Pokemon saga. the attempt to implement a more open area is a bit mediocre. As a negative point, the caves are very uninspired. The implementation of raids can extend the life of the game ideal for play with your friends.
  17. KeybladeHero_05
    Jun 29, 2023
    7
    This game is okay. The only thing I'm going to talk about are the absence of voice acting to some parts of the game. It felt really weird during my first playthrough and I'm sure that I'll feel the same after going through my second attempt.

    The raids however is amazing and honestly, that's the only redeeming thing this game has. A good way to grind via EXP Candies because shared EXP is    This game is okay. The only thing I'm going to talk about are the absence of voice acting to some parts of the game. It felt really weird during my first playthrough and I'm sure that I'll feel the same after going through my second attempt.

    The raids however is amazing and honestly, that's the only redeeming thing this game has. A good way to grind via EXP Candies because shared EXP is a nightmare. If you're playing it for the first time and you don't have any time for grinding, go do the raid den as much as possible.    … Expand
  18. SANTIACO
    Jun 19, 2023
    5
    Un juego que deja mucho que desear. El juego carece de varios aspectos, empezando con el apartado gráfico y en las animaciones, además de que la historia de este juego es bastante lineal y sin profundidad. Aparte de que es la primera vez, que se agrega un DLC a un juego de Pokémon, que sinceramente no agrega nada llamativo y carece de contenido. Honestamente es un tropiezo de Gamefreak, elUn juego que deja mucho que desear. El juego carece de varios aspectos, empezando con el apartado gráfico y en las animaciones, además de que la historia de este juego es bastante lineal y sin profundidad. Aparte de que es la primera vez, que se agrega un DLC a un juego de Pokémon, que sinceramente no agrega nada llamativo y carece de contenido. Honestamente es un tropiezo de Gamefreak, el juego debió de ser algo revolucionario, ya que es uno de la saga principal y además se está lanzado para nintendo switch… Expand
  19. Garde_Mystik
    May 25, 2023
    0
    I don't think I'll make a full review but tl;dr, personally, these games tampered with literally everything i loved most about Pokemon to such extreme of an extent I still find it baffling to this day. This eventually got doubled-down on by Scarlet and Violet. Now outside personal biases, they also even went as far as to interfere with the singles battling experience for millions ofI don't think I'll make a full review but tl;dr, personally, these games tampered with literally everything i loved most about Pokemon to such extreme of an extent I still find it baffling to this day. This eventually got doubled-down on by Scarlet and Violet. Now outside personal biases, they also even went as far as to interfere with the singles battling experience for millions of players alike, thanks to their insertion of the 20 minute battle time, the effects of dynamax, and the games having an absolute joke of a battle facility. I cannot forgive Pokemon Sword and Shield. These games were a massive step down for the series, and served as evidence that the makers of Sword and Shield did not care about the players involved. They made dexit to improve animations, improve graphics, and improve the overall state of pvp battling, when all 3 ended up regressing from games we had a full National Dex in. Need I say more? To defend these games, you must attack large departments of the Pokemon community. I'm sorry but that's the truth. How these games ended up was used to easily predict the state of Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, as well as leave less room for mystery regarding Scarlet and Violet. If you care about the Pokemon community and want Pokemon games to get better from here, this is one of the few games that need to outright get rejected. I can't even say this about any game prior to Sword and Shield.… Expand
  20. DeadSmack
    May 17, 2023
    7
    Can't get the hate on this series. The games are GREAT, the online events were great also. The new regional forms are... meh, i don't like the idea of regional forms, but that's me. The story is not that great at all, but it's entertaining at least. Gameplay is fine, the pokedex are great, and the dlc's add the diversity much needed in the game. While they are not the best games of theCan't get the hate on this series. The games are GREAT, the online events were great also. The new regional forms are... meh, i don't like the idea of regional forms, but that's me. The story is not that great at all, but it's entertaining at least. Gameplay is fine, the pokedex are great, and the dlc's add the diversity much needed in the game. While they are not the best games of the series, or in general, great addition to the franchise.… Expand
  21. Danikyo-Inverso
    May 13, 2023
    10
    De lo mejor en toda la franquicia, y aunque no es tan bueno como la gloriosa 7ma generación, este juego supone un gran paso adelante en el aspecto gráfico y competitivo, con mas de 400 pokémon capturables, uno esta servido en cuanto a contenido se refiere, y aunque muchos digan lo contrario, las animaciones son de lo mejor en la saga
    Artísticamente hermoso.
  22. AlexBlasio
    May 12, 2023
    0
    Terrible, mediocre game, unfinished with unjustified changes, it suffers to play this game!
  23. Gorgola34
    May 5, 2023
    9
    Juegazo la octava generación, los legendarios increíbles, la historia simple pero contundente y los dlcs con los pájaros legendarios Buff vaya sacada y la ambientación no puede ser mejor, muy muy recomendable
  24. Christian_TV
    Apr 15, 2023
    6
    This game it's just what you expect from Game Freak.Nothing more,nothing less
  25. Foxylary
    Apr 3, 2023
    4
    A lot of good ideas poorly executed. The idea of ​​the dynamax is not so bad, the new creatures are cool, fighting in stadium is great, gym leaders are charismatic, character customisation is pretty good and the country has a good atmosphere. But it's extremely ugly and empty. The npc's are all the same (there are often clones next to each other), there are no voices, no cutscenes, theA lot of good ideas poorly executed. The idea of ​​the dynamax is not so bad, the new creatures are cool, fighting in stadium is great, gym leaders are charismatic, character customisation is pretty good and the country has a good atmosphere. But it's extremely ugly and empty. The npc's are all the same (there are often clones next to each other), there are no voices, no cutscenes, the game is designed as a 2D game. The "main story" unfolds by itself without us havin any role to play. There is no epic moment, no plot twist, no real story after all. The game is much too easy, so much so that I tried to add more difficulty by myself. When I remember Pokemon Blue or Silver, even Black... Did they try to makes peoples dumb and lazy by avoid the frustration of difficulty ? And what about difficulty options ?! There is no options to organize Pokemon Boxes. It's that hard to make ?! The list is long and it really is a beautiful mess. Because of laziness, lack of time or developers ? I don't care. Releasing a product like this is insulting. When I see that they added content that should be in the base game for 25€, I find it disgusting. There are no excuses, Game Freak don't put any effort on it, it's just easy money. I bought it second-hand years after its release because it's the only game on Switch that has all my favorite creatures and despite everything, it's not so bad next to Pokemon Scarlett Violet, that's to say the level of this last game. Looks like they want to see what the players were willing to accept.… Expand
  26. Lugizz
    Apr 2, 2023
    8
    The game is enjoyable even after my 5 playthrough i still find things i didn't see before.
  27. yangfanhong
    Mar 29, 2023
    8
    Yeah i know this game is not good enough for a series with such sale numbers, but at least i had fun.
  28. abc1234567890
    Mar 9, 2023
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I love action-packed battles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!… Expand
  29. Dyl_lionaire
    Feb 10, 2023
    7
    I know, Its a travesty that I enjoy this game but Its true, I thought the new designs were kind of meh but the best designs are some of my favourites, the trainer designs were very unique and the gym battles were a good combination of Sun and Moon trials and the original battles. I didn't really care that they didn't have all the Pokémon and the story wasn't good, but I've got a lot ofI know, Its a travesty that I enjoy this game but Its true, I thought the new designs were kind of meh but the best designs are some of my favourites, the trainer designs were very unique and the gym battles were a good combination of Sun and Moon trials and the original battles. I didn't really care that they didn't have all the Pokémon and the story wasn't good, but I've got a lot of good memories playing this game, especially doing a nuzlocke.… Expand
  30. Gaaaferraz
    Feb 10, 2023
    8
    Um ótimo jogo, com grandes novas adições ao mundo de pokemon. Vou separar aqui em pontos negativos e positivos:
    Positivos
    - Gameplay
    - Novos pokemons
    - Tematica
    - Mapa
    - DLC
    - Amigos
    - Estadios
    Negativos
    - Puzzles e misterios
    - Historia
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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]
See all critic reviews »