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. Gilligfan
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    Lousy graphics and animation in places!
    Laggy in places!
    Several launch day and pre-launch day
    bugs and glitches.
    A sad day for the franchise.
    Less quality and content with a higher price
    tag
  2. Icebrows
    Nov 16, 2019
    2
    Although there are fun parts, everything in the game feels like a hollow shell of the masterpiece it could have been. The story is short and linear, the endgame is non-existent, the wild area is very gimmicky, and missing textures or music or confusingly bad animations constantly keep you from getting immersed. Don't get it if you have any other experience with Pokemon, you'll just beAlthough there are fun parts, everything in the game feels like a hollow shell of the masterpiece it could have been. The story is short and linear, the endgame is non-existent, the wild area is very gimmicky, and missing textures or music or confusingly bad animations constantly keep you from getting immersed. Don't get it if you have any other experience with Pokemon, you'll just be disappointed.… Expand
  3. Dillium
    Nov 16, 2019
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. While some areas of the game are absolutely stunning to look at, the wild area, which was the games big selling point, has graphics that would be disappointing on the wii. The trainer and Pokémon models also don’t interact well with the terrain, for example the player often floats, especially when on the bike and water Pokémon don’t make ripples when they are swimming. The game has seen very few improvements in battle animations and many battles have their backgrounds set to a colourful void. Battles also pose very little challenge due to the forces use of a full party exp share leaving Pokémon over leveled very quickly. The story is short and very simple with very little post game content, pretty much just the box legendary, eternatus and a very bland bare-bones battle tower, a world away from the ds games that had multiple post game legendaries and a battle frontier with varied battle challenges that always kept them interesting.

    The addition of certain quality of life improvements, such as the nature changing mints, which make it far easier to obtain competitive-quality Pokémon, are a welcome addition, as is the fact that the player character now has expressions instead of the horrifying blank stares of sun and moon.

    The new gimmick of dynamax and gigantamax are interesting for a while but they just seem like a rehashed version of both mega evolutions and z-moves, both of which were removed from this game. The fact that their use is also heavily limited also makes them feel less impactful.

    The rival Hop shows up a little too often and it sometimes feel like you can’t walk for five minutes without bumping into him, which makes him quickly become irritating.

    Due to this I do not believe the removal of hundreds of Pokémon was a worthwhile trade off given the other issues with the game. However the game is fun, but Pokémon games are almost guaranteed to be fun to play purely due to the premise, but it could have been so much better than it is, it doesn’t feel like playing a switch game, it feels like playing a 3ds game, it feels like GameFreak wasn’t able to take advantage of being on a new console.    … Expand
  4. Sirotik
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    Simply the best Pokémon game I've played, the pokedex is a non important detail, the game is marvelous and the landscapes are really beautiful.
  5. kelvin78643
    Nov 16, 2019
    2
    the graphic is pretty lag in some places. Also, the story is kinda lagging as I am able to finish in one day. Not much post-story content as compared to the past Pokemon games. hahaha, also the bag is ugly and I realised u took it off during the battle scene.... Lastly, the dynamax Pokemon is kinda like not proportion to the actual size of pokedex. For example, wailord's normal size isthe graphic is pretty lag in some places. Also, the story is kinda lagging as I am able to finish in one day. Not much post-story content as compared to the past Pokemon games. hahaha, also the bag is ugly and I realised u took it off during the battle scene.... Lastly, the dynamax Pokemon is kinda like not proportion to the actual size of pokedex. For example, wailord's normal size is suppose to be super big yet the size is is smaller than a person. This kind of details are super important for the gameplay feel and sense. For example, like monster hunter games, the size of monsters make everything different and the environment we explore in more fun, and adding in more personality and action of them surviving in wild will be nice (etc picking berry to eat). All in all, there is a lot of work to be done. Also, they should remove all Kanto Pokemon like pikachu so as to be fair to the other removed Pokemon and fulfil their statement of wanting people to use new Pokemon only. Not just for the sake of doing less work, and put in popular Pokemon as marketing materials.… Expand
  6. Death_ball13
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    Absolutely love the open world mix between old and new school Pokémon the game mechanics and handling are amazing this has made me fall back in love with Pokémon after the fault of ultra sun and moon. Graphics are great love the camping and the raids aswell
  7. B4bs
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    I'm 11 hours in and beat the third gym and damn I'm having a lot of fun, it's the first pokemon game i play since black and white 2 and i'm having a blast! Really glad i bought a switch this year
  8. DrMalign
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    Buen juego. Ya era hora de un Pokémon de nueva generación. Un must en toda regla.
  9. LJavier91
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    Buen juego con muy buenos graficos y una gran historia y variedad de Pokémon en las diferentes zonas
  10. R4F43LL
    Nov 16, 2019
    6
    No geral o jogo é muito bom , porém o corte da dex com a falta de qualidade gráfica acaba deixando o jogo mediano para ruim
  11. falloutcoyote
    Nov 16, 2019
    3
    Overall feels like a rush job by a half-rate studio, not one of Nintendo's flagship titles. The game is weirdly buggy, looks bland and recycled and just...overall lacks content. For the little bit of content that is there, since I can't import a lot of my favorite Pokemon from previous titles I can't even get the usual replayability I would out of the game.

    I have tried to keep positive    Overall feels like a rush job by a half-rate studio, not one of Nintendo's flagship titles. The game is weirdly buggy, looks bland and recycled and just...overall lacks content. For the little bit of content that is there, since I can't import a lot of my favorite Pokemon from previous titles I can't even get the usual replayability I would out of the game.

    I have tried to keep positive during all the online hate and had high hopes all the way up to launch since Gamefreak said they would use that extra time from the cut content to add new animations and polish the game, but this is basically a rehashed 3DS game (and a bad one at that) with a higher price tag, half the content and the worst gimmicks yet (looking at you Gigantamax/Dynamax/Raids). For how well Nintendo's been doing with the Switch and its flagship titles so far, this is a confusing inexplicable mess and the first game in awhile that just doesn't feel like its worth the money.    … Expand
  12. Pengin
    Nov 16, 2019
    2
    Pros:
    -It's Pokemon (People buy it for the cute characters and game-play formula)
    -Some improvements to mechanics (removing the worst part of the grinding is indeed not bad) -Graphics are better (Because it's not on a 3DS) Cons: -Albeit graphics being improved, don't expect anything close to Zelda or Xenoblade. This game is made for getting a passing mark from the average child,    Pros:
    -It's Pokemon (People buy it for the cute characters and game-play formula)
    -Some improvements to mechanics (removing the worst part of the grinding is indeed not bad)
    -Graphics are better (Because it's not on a 3DS)

    Cons:
    -Albeit graphics being improved, don't expect anything close to Zelda or Xenoblade. This game is made for getting a passing mark from the average child, -not- to entertain you.
    -This is probably the easiest Pokemon game, and you are forced to have EXP share enabled. Regardless of how much you skip, you'll out-level everything, and Pokemon that you don't even use will always keep up.
    -The national Dex is gone.
    -The franchise doesn't put emphasis on exploration anymore.
    -Attack animations & Pokemon idle animations, are entirely copy-paste from previous games.

    The Pokemon franchise is huge and Game Freak is a decently big company with about 150 employees. This game was supposed to be compared to Zelda, but in terms of both graphics and game-play, these two games are leagues apart. People expected a Pokemon game shortly after the switch release, but Game Freak chose to 'work more on it', yet somehow they manage to deliver what feels like a half finished game. Copying old animations, and reskinning the 3DS models, is by no means something bad, but in the light of Game Freaks statements as to why the national-Dex is gone, it's evident this game was never meant to deliver anything more than the minimum of what could be called a main-series Pokemon game. If this wasn't a Pokemon game, people would probably say "this game has promise" rather than "this game is good", and that might very well be Game Freaks saving grace. They should make a proper game next time, and then this might be forgotten as a transitional game, rather than a main series game.

    A final note: Game-play wise, the Pokemon series is showing change that may or may not make old time Pokemon fans like me quit the games. Since X&Y, the games has put less emphasis on exploration and combat. Today, neither should be a reason to buy the game, since decisions in combat are largely irrelevant, and there isn't much to explore. At least the issues with combat could easily be circumvented by adding a difficulty setting.    … Expand
  13. billythorton198
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Half the pokemon missing means these games arent worth anything, and the fact that they lose to their fans
  14. FabioGarcia
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    The worst Pokémon ever. PSX graphics (the cutscenes are disgusting). Very easy. GF removed a loooooot of Pokémon from the ND. It seems an PSX game with a lot of limitations. REALLY GF? We wait for this game for decades and you give us this SH?
  15. merkstw
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Short game, crap, I didn't like it at all. I finished it in 3 hours. Not recommended at all, please buy another game.
  16. Tkm7
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Barebones. Would have been a decent 3DS game. No post game, bad graphics. Some of the new Pokémon have promise, but it’s just so, so disappointkng
  17. TheOnlyShape
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Played about 45 minutes, blindlessly A button pressed through pointless/badly animated cutscenes and hand holding opening battles and realized that it's the same old garbage that's been repackaged and resold for the past 20+ years.

    Honestly, if you play through the first hpur tou'll immediately understand. Took it back to Gamestop under their 48 hour full refund policy and exchanged it    Played about 45 minutes, blindlessly A button pressed through pointless/badly animated cutscenes and hand holding opening battles and realized that it's the same old garbage that's been repackaged and resold for the past 20+ years.

    Honestly, if you play through the first hpur tou'll immediately understand.
    Took it back to Gamestop under their 48 hour full refund policy and exchanged it for a game that hopefully won't treat me like a braindead child.

    0/10 Pokemon is **** dead    … Expand
  18. Alanmaster
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Corte de pokedex jogo porco sem mega mega sem pokemons suficientes e qualidade porca tudo nesse jogo é ruin
  19. KrawzerOn
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Primero que nada es una traición al concepto de la saga al no tener todos los Pokémon disponibles en el juego para atrapar o transferir de anteriores entregas, el desgano y prisa de los desarrolladores está patente en el pésimo apartado técnico, una lástima que teniendo tan buena música, dirección artística y diseños de nuevos Pokémo no hayan logrado una buena sinergía entre todos estosPrimero que nada es una traición al concepto de la saga al no tener todos los Pokémon disponibles en el juego para atrapar o transferir de anteriores entregas, el desgano y prisa de los desarrolladores está patente en el pésimo apartado técnico, una lástima que teniendo tan buena música, dirección artística y diseños de nuevos Pokémo no hayan logrado una buena sinergía entre todos estos elementos, el área silvestre tiene el peor apartado técnico visto en un juego de Switch, de lejos el peor juego de la saga principal.… Expand
  20. Zp999
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Underwhelming gameplay, terable graphics compared to what game freak was eluding to, unbearable loss of my personal favourites like kingdra, metagross, etc. Not worth a penny out of your pocket...
  21. cancer2
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Garbage. Nintendo should buy out the shares for Pokemon and get a new developer. Game freak deserves to be dissolved over this rushed game that is devoid of content and looks like it was a port from the 3DS.
  22. Kuroi_Zero
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    I do not like that this game has very few Pokémon, I do not like that they said that they made all of the Pokémon from 0 when it’s very likely that they used 3DS models for the Pokémon’s. They removed some of my favorite Pokémon, and that is just plain sad, Pokémon is a franchise I’ve been following loyaly since I am 10 years old now I’m 23 and I feel very sad I feel scammed. I feelI do not like that this game has very few Pokémon, I do not like that they said that they made all of the Pokémon from 0 when it’s very likely that they used 3DS models for the Pokémon’s. They removed some of my favorite Pokémon, and that is just plain sad, Pokémon is a franchise I’ve been following loyaly since I am 10 years old now I’m 23 and I feel very sad I feel scammed. I feel betrayed by a company which now just seeks money or at least is how I feel them now. Sorry gamefreak.… Expand
  23. ZonnedX1
    Nov 16, 2019
    6
    It's not bad, but they could have done more. My feelings on this game are mixed. It's a Pokemon game it has almost everything you would expect from a Pokemon game. However the GTS system and the national dex are both missing and these were things I loved playing with in past entries. You have to endure an almost hour and a half tutorial before you can even start the game but once youIt's not bad, but they could have done more. My feelings on this game are mixed. It's a Pokemon game it has almost everything you would expect from a Pokemon game. However the GTS system and the national dex are both missing and these were things I loved playing with in past entries. You have to endure an almost hour and a half tutorial before you can even start the game but once you finally free yourself the game picks up a bit. I like the new Pokemon and the wild area is an interesting addition. However the game has no real story to speak of the villainous team in this game is something of a joke. This kind of makes me sad because I was expecting at least a generic save the world story. It hits most of the check marks that will make a casual fan enjoy it. There are Pokemon to catch, places to explore, gym battles to win but it's not really a step up from what we had on 3DS aside from the visuals. I would argue it's a step back because the improved visuals don't make up for lacking the GTS and national dex. Though despite the visuals being improved they do not look like the best the Switch can do I have seen better in Breath of the Wild. I have mixed feelings on this game part of me likes it because it's a Pokemon game but the other half just feels there was a lot of lost potential here. Overall I recommend this for casual Pokemon fans who liked the Let's Go games but I think the more dedicated players will be a bit disappointed with so much missing.… Expand
  24. Bolvin
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    The game is nice but you cant get all pokemon and thats a no go for a pokemon game so 0 points!
  25. Sparkbomber
    Nov 17, 2019
    3
    Pokémon Shield was advertised as THE leap forward for the series: more powerful hardware, new features, better graphics and new Pokémon. Then the bad news started trickling in. No national dex with most Pokémon of prior generations cut out, no mega-evolutions, no Z-Moves. It got worse: factually the same models and animations, endless graphical glitches, the game potentially autosaving toPokémon Shield was advertised as THE leap forward for the series: more powerful hardware, new features, better graphics and new Pokémon. Then the bad news started trickling in. No national dex with most Pokémon of prior generations cut out, no mega-evolutions, no Z-Moves. It got worse: factually the same models and animations, endless graphical glitches, the game potentially autosaving to the detriment of your Switch, handholding worse than Sun/Moon/Lets Go and paywalled online play.

    I got the game as a gift, but oh damn is it bad. I can live with the graphics mostly, even if they could have featured on the 3DS easily. The slowdown is undeniably bad though, any scene with more than 3 characters involved seems to suffer from it. Pokémon and objects will appear out of thin air when the Switchu loads them, something that was common in '90's 3D games, but which most modern games do not suffer from.

    I love a lot of the Pokémon designs included in the game. Wooloo deserves to be a poster-mon for the franchise in my opinion. But all the Pokémon in the world do not make up for the pathetic attempts at story-telling and the excessive handholding and powerleveling. Yes, you can FINALLY skip parts of the tutorial segments, but it still feels as if you're poked along from a-z, rather than letting players explore. Frankly, I am shocked at just how many pokeballs you get. From the moment you visit ye moms to tell her you're leaving home to become a trainer (5) to the catching tutorial (20) and the trip to the professor (3) you're literally being overfed with the things. Add to that the 31k in cash you have along by that point and... where's the challenge? Where's the challenge even discounting that when your entire party has leveling rockets stuck up their *sses so that you can skip grinding because they'll gain a level from even frigging Magikarps that are 5 levels below them. You cannot turn off the darned xp-share function, being an actual part of the battle is just an auxiliary boost to the Pokémon's gains.

    Postgame's something I haven't gotten to yet, but I've heard there's not a lot. Competitive play and trading are limited to either physically being close to another player, or paying the damn Nintendo monthly fee just to use the internet connectivity.

    The total sum of this all, and more, is that Pokémon Shield is a game I cannot recommend. As a long-time Pokémon fan I cry bitter tears at this obviously rushed release. Had Gamefreak actually taken a step back and insisted on finishing this game properly it could have been a leap forward. Instead, it feels as if they have been forced to release before the holidays and much like contemporary games (Failout 76 to name one) it shows and does not do the franchise any favors. To all those considering to buy the game even so... The only saving grace is the fact that the new Pokémon designs are nice, mostly. I have come to loathe the champion who is as believable as soap-flavored champagne. Only buy this if you are a Poké-maniac with tons of money to burn, and then only if you can get it cheap.

    Otherwise, I'd recommend Pokémon Uranium, Disc Creatures and Monster Sanctuary for an actual game over this crud. If GameFreak somehow reads this review: fire the executives who pushed for an early release and damn please do patch the worst of it out, okay? Ideally a patch to the game's slug or something. If you do, I'll gladly revise this review.    … Expand
  26. CupidStunt
    Nov 17, 2019
    5
    I am not review bombing this game like some publications are accusing people of, just giving an objective opinion.

    Firstly what I like. The new Pokemon designs look like they could fit in well with the original Pokemon. The battles are as good as ever and I like being able to switch Pokemon in and out when ever you want. Also the British themed setting. Now what I do not like. The    I am not review bombing this game like some publications are accusing people of, just giving an objective opinion.

    Firstly what I like. The new Pokemon designs look like they could fit in well with the original Pokemon. The battles are as good as ever and I like being able to switch Pokemon in and out when ever you want. Also the British themed setting.

    Now what I do not like. The game is exceptionally low budget and feels unfinished. This is inexcusable from a £90billion franchise. So much has been taken out. The Pokedex is less than half and no older Mon will ne transferrable from older games. The GTS has been removed making trading for the Pokemon you want so much more difficult. The graphics are pretty bad in places and the battle animations are poor. Game Frwak definitely lied about the games being more completely animated. The lack of voice acting is just jarring. It is criminal that the games now are not on par with the anime, with the silly Pokemon speak and full character acting. This is 2019 and the games should now feel like a fully interactive anime. Take note from games like Ni No Kuni. There are games that sell a tiny portion of what these do with full voice acting just brimming with character. Also the music is an exceptionally bad midi-soundtrack. Really it is ear melting bad, as are the Pokrmon sound effects. Worst of all is the difficulty. Why is there still mongers mode to prepare people for playing online. A lot of Pokemon fans are older now, and the complete lack of challenge is frankly insulting for us. also the story is probably the worst yet. This is a rushed mess of a game and Nintendo should be ashamed to have taken so much and given so little. Even the Woldcarea is a bland and ugly place. This looks like it was made for the 3DS and then ported badly. Easily the worst mainline entry with little new to add. Dynamaxing is nowhere near as interesting competitively as mega evolutions were    … Expand
  27. TeaCrusader
    Nov 17, 2019
    5
    It’s an amazing game with beautiful graphics and a world which has a lot of depth. I’m still playing the game, and I’m meeting up with friends soon to fight some dynamax bosses, cook some great curries, play with each other’s Pokemon at Pokemon camp and battle. Overall, I love all of the elements of the game, especially the story and how the gyms work. They really feel real. Seriously, IIt’s an amazing game with beautiful graphics and a world which has a lot of depth. I’m still playing the game, and I’m meeting up with friends soon to fight some dynamax bosses, cook some great curries, play with each other’s Pokemon at Pokemon camp and battle. Overall, I love all of the elements of the game, especially the story and how the gyms work. They really feel real. Seriously, I can’t state enough how great this game is. I’d definitely recommend getting it.… Expand
  28. paulitomm
    Nov 17, 2019
    1
    below average graphics, few pokemons little innovation pokemons do not accompany the player
  29. Falk22
    Nov 17, 2019
    1
    Withdrawing more than half of the pokemons to improve performance and make the game more polished, gamefreak lied.
  30. FallHealer
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    This is by far the worst Pokemon game ever made. Having just 400 pokemon is not the biggest problem. Animations are ridiculous, graphics are terrible, looking like a 2000's game. The map is really short, extremely linear. Wild area, dinamax and camping are the only three new features in that make this game differen. The rest was just poorly copied from other franchise games.
  31. PokimonRanger
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Una completa basura hecha a la rápida, solo para vender por nombre y no por calidad.
  32. Commiekiller
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Half-assed game with below 3DS graphics, awful in-game campaign, no post-game content, the animations are so bad not even a beginner would commit such gaffes. The national Dex was wrongfully cut in more than half of what it should be in the name of "quality" and "balance", but the game lacks either of them. This deserves a nice 0.
  33. Pollox28
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Si iban a recortar más de la mitad de los pokémon, al menos debieron haber respondido en algo.
    -Malos gráficos
    -Mala Historia
    -Mala jugabilidad    … Expand
  34. Theco
    Nov 17, 2019
    1
    Jogo inacabado, cortaram metade da dex, modelos de Sun and moon, animações horríveis
  35. LordCaius
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Perfect example of how to betray Pokémon community and how to destroy what you have created in decades.
  36. ji-0
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Too low quality compared to 60% Pokemon, the most terrible story, terrible graphics and motion, and motion rehash. Terrible Design of New Pokemon
  37. Dementedcat785
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    The game is very short compared to some older games in the series. 60% of the pokemon were cut so building multiple teams for battle (my favorite thing) cant be done really. The animations are poor and are mostly rotations on an axis. There are some quality animations but its mostly mediocre. The render distance and models just popping in is very bad. The game is very easy (exp share isThe game is very short compared to some older games in the series. 60% of the pokemon were cut so building multiple teams for battle (my favorite thing) cant be done really. The animations are poor and are mostly rotations on an axis. There are some quality animations but its mostly mediocre. The render distance and models just popping in is very bad. The game is very easy (exp share is MANDATORY, and you get exp from catching pokemon. Losing is a challenge). The story in pokemon games recently has become annoying as your "rival" holds your hand and pesters you wherever you go. Gamefreak lied to fans about a lot of things (improving animations, not reusing models). Buying this game for 60 dollars isnt worth the game, and it definitely isnt worth supporting a lying company.… Expand
  38. pia-chu
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Odio que no tenga la pokedex nacional y que no pueda transferir los pokemones de mis juegos anteriores, muy enojada por eso. Además, gráficas no dignas de la consola, el juego es caro y se acaba en 30 horas. No lo vale, ya no seguiré comprando más juegos en preventa
  39. Felipex1
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    KD o slogan da franquia " catch them ALL". Devemos ficar satisfeitos com isso? É só ngm mais gastar dinheiro com essas coisas mal feitas para fãs, porque quando começar a causar prejuízo aí eles irão se preocupar
  40. poppinfresh
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    This game was a bit overrated in my opinion. 60 dollars for a Pokemon game is also too much.
  41. andersonwide
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Never in my entire live, i imagine this, me giving rate 0 to a pokemon game ...

    Don't buy this crap
  42. JoyousOblivion
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    Please ignore the trolls who are low-rating this game. This is by far my favourite pokemon experience in 20+ years. The game plays amazing, the battle look amazing, the interface is slick and works well. Not having all 1.6 million Pokémon in the game is really laughable to me as I have no need to catch/transfer them all to each game I play. This game is really just a lot of fun and a treatPlease ignore the trolls who are low-rating this game. This is by far my favourite pokemon experience in 20+ years. The game plays amazing, the battle look amazing, the interface is slick and works well. Not having all 1.6 million Pokémon in the game is really laughable to me as I have no need to catch/transfer them all to each game I play. This game is really just a lot of fun and a treat to play Pokémon in a true 3D experience on my TV instead of my Game Boy/DS/3DS.… Expand
  43. SaintLilith
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    With the removal of so much content, one would have expected groundbreaking new concepts. There were none. I could've bought Planet Zoo with less money than what they're charging for this.
  44. Gyroraptor
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    Really, really, bad graphic quality
    Really, really, REALLY bad animations
    Also recycled animations
    Framerate drops
    Insultingly easy
    Lazy company
  45. 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
  46. 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
  47. noxer94
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    Game left a lot to be desired. As a long time pokemon fan I was expecting so much more.
    Wild area which was supposed to be the selling point of the game looks bland with not much else to do other than catch some pokemons - there really is not much to explore, if anything at all.
    The story left a lot to be desired; it was okeish up until the 3rd gym, then it felt rushed and not very well    Game left a lot to be desired. As a long time pokemon fan I was expecting so much more.
    Wild area which was supposed to be the selling point of the game looks bland with not much else to do other than catch some pokemons - there really is not much to explore, if anything at all.
    The story left a lot to be desired; it was okeish up until the 3rd gym, then it felt rushed and not very well worked on. I know it is supposed to be a story for kids, but even then, the story felt very much unispired, boring and lackluster when compared to other pokemon titles. We are introduced to game elements out of nowhere and the explanation for those - giantmaxing - is as bland as it could be.
    Speaking of game elements - a lot of game definiting elements are missing. No national dex (more than 60% of the pokemon were cut! last time we had such few pokemons it was 2006 and pokemon pearl was being released!), no mega evolutions, no z moves, more than 150 moves were cut...you get the point.
    Game looks bad for a switch release. Let's be honest here, pokemon was never about graphics, but this is the freaking switch and there were to be expected MUCH better graphics than the ones we got. Pokemon Battle Revolution from 2006 looks BETTER than this! Models are LITERALLY the same as the 3DS ones for XY released in 2013, animations are poor, and textures are horrible albeit masked by some good lighting effects.
    The sound is also not the best. There are some crucial parts where we dont even got music going on due to pure laziness. Music used to be great, but honestly it's quite bad in sword and shield.

    I beat the game in 15h, its shorter than the other titles and the postgame is pretty much non existent.    … Expand
  48. 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
  49. Juggernub
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    The game is missing many key aspects that make a Pokemon game a Pokemon game as well as just feeling like more of a grind to be able to progress rather than natural progression
  50. Nintedofan
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. All the people giving it a 10 are people who are just feeding there natrual desire to protect an overlord like gamefreak they haven't even played the games… Expand
  51. LokidoFR
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    Déçu. Aucune difficultés. Un jeu digne d'un gosse de 5ans. On attend un jeu à la sauce "pokemon call of the trainer" !!!
  52. Sammy98
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    Another Pokemon
  53. DiminicC
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    Le faltan muchas cosas, es verdad que en el área silvestre están feos los árboles, de hecho pienso que si GameFreak hubiese añadido la PokéDex Nacional, TODO, absolutamente TODO se hubiese digerido de mejor manera, incluso las megaevoluciones, ahora también nos falta la GTS, como se supone que voy a obtener pokémon de la otra edición sin GTS y sin amigos?.
  54. Ibuki_7731
    Jun 1, 2021
    0
    Laziest game ever made. No passion or love given to this game. This is the perfect example of a rushed product all for the sake of making money as fast as possible. Game Freak has no excuse since they're a multi billion dollar company.
  55. NaKaGaWa13
    Nov 19, 2019
    0
    Game Freak killed that game! No National pokedex, no starters from previous generation, no Totodile, no Croconaw, no Feralligatr...Weird leveling system...Worst Pokemon Game ever...
  56. SK1Y101
    Nov 19, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Wonderful, impeccable, outstanding, trailblazing.
    These were the promises Game Freak made to us about this game, and yet what did we receive?
    An empty shell of a game, clearly rushed and barelypolished, without a shred of any of the former games shining features, Including, but not limited to:
    Shiny starters
    Mega-evolutions
    having access to every move, ever item, every Pokémon, every gym.
    The elite four existing.
    Victory road existing.
    Decent graphics,
    actually getting to play the game rather than being railroaded....
    The list of features missing in SwSh goes on.

    A glorified Pokémon go, with less effort than should be physically possible to inject into a franchise this large.
    If you want to play Pokémon, pickup Gen 4, Gen 7, hey, maybe even Gen 1 if you want; Don't expect to find anything desirable in sword and shield.    … Expand
  57. TurricanFan64
    Nov 19, 2019
    0
    I’d rather play Thexder while having someone repeatedly kick me in the nuts than play that pile of **** again. -10/10, would not recommend.
  58. 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
  59. 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.
  60. 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
  61. 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 :(
  62. SniperKnighter
    Nov 24, 2019
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Let me start off by saying i'm in favor of #bringbackthenationaldex so anyone who hates opposing opinions can leave quicker.

    Now let's get started.

    My experience through Pokemon Shield did feel like a pokemon game that was a mesh of X and Y and Lets Go Pikachu and Eevee, but it seemed to be just be a spit shined version of X and Y with somehow less features of which i'll explain.

    In order to make this review its necessary in my opinion to be clear that Gamefreak did in fact lie about the reasoning for taking out more than half the pokemon and from what i saw from this game i honestly can't justify why they made this move.

    That being said let me explain what i was talking about early about being somehow less features.

    #1: In the trailers for this game one of the features they advertised was customization that would be coming back with more than there was before with inclusions like makeup but that is false. There are a total of 5 boutiques in this game and unlike in X and Y the clothing does not change out each day for something new but instead sells the same small selection with small differences like color, on top of the makeup and hairstyles being rather limited. To give credit they made the trainer cards you get in every game the most customizable it's ever been with differing poses, expressions, backgrounds and a gloss pattern like a licence but that was not part of the aforementioned customization they were advertising.

    #2: They advertised the camping feature where you can play with your pokemon and a curry feature that you can make and eat with your pokemon similar to breath of the wild to an extent. I can't say that i can deny thats what was delivered but in a limited capacity. The camping feature is good to allow you to take a break on a route without wild pokemon bothering you but the play with your pokemon part has much to be desired. You have 2 options, throw a ball or have them attack a poke toy (cat toy basically), both of which get old and display subpar animations for each pokemon that sometimes are so bad they are laughable. Playing with your pokemon increases there affection however so there's that if you have the patience. The curry feature is surprisingly not bad because it heals your pokemon when you make it but doesn't replenish your moves which is fine sense the game is quite easy, however the animation for that too is laughably lacking.

    #3: They advertised that there would be a variety of pokemon in the wild area and technically there are, however you only need to explore for about 10 minutes before you've seen them all and or catched them all. To the wild areas credit it's probably the most challenging and rewarding area in the game because when you battle dynamaxed pokemon they give you powerful moves, rare candies, and EXP boosting items but that can be also a double edged blade that causes the game to be easier than it already is. Also they advertised online Dynamax raids with players online along with visiting their tents, and receiving items from them and the receiving items part is true but the online mode is an appalling joke whether that be on Nintendo's new paid for online gameplay services or game freak it makes no difference. When online you lag like in previous games but even harder, you see other players glitching around, it may take several tries to MAYBE see a single other person wanting to dynamax raid when there are 4+ players hovering over the den, and visiting other players tents works but you basically can just add your main mon to their tent and do the same 2 things you can do in your own so it's again very lacking.

    #4: The amount of times i had to stop in this game to hear a character dribble out a list of dialogue was ridiculous. The games allows you to skip tutorials but gives quantities of dialogue in exchange while seemingly babying you by always telling you where to go next when you travel via map. Your also given way to many free rare items just for doing a simple task that any trainer can accomplish. The games not as easy as X and Y but it only steps up a bit by being similar to Alpha Ruby and Omega Sapphires difficulty level.

    The plus sides to this game are your rival has the most development i've seen from any rival (he's not hard to beat but you really feel like he's gone through a journey), dynamaxing can be satisfying to use, though some pokemon don't look like pokemon there are some good looking and hard hitting ones as well, there are likable and good looking characters, it's definitely not an eyesore, and the gym challenge storyline and idea felt more like your character earned their status (it's still an easy game but it felt better story wise aside from Black and White).

    Overall it's not a bad game but me and many others expect better from the #1 franchise in the worlds mainline game.    … Expand
  63. Mack_thge_Sack
    Nov 21, 2019
    0
    I'm going to state my points and not my emotions, (although, i'm quite unhappy with gamefreak)

    1. People say not having every Pokemon in the game is "reasonable", why? i ask that because previous games on the DS, a solely handheld/portable system. (that I'm willing to bet has far less processing power than the switch) X and Y, OR/AS and Sun and Moon, Contained every pokemon and they are    I'm going to state my points and not my emotions, (although, i'm quite unhappy with gamefreak)

    1. People say not having every Pokemon in the game is "reasonable", why? i ask that because previous games on the DS, a solely handheld/portable system. (that I'm willing to bet has far less processing power than the switch) X and Y, OR/AS and Sun and Moon, Contained every pokemon and they are 3DS games, you're telling me that it was possible to put them all in those games but it was too much work to put them all into a CONSOLE game. i'm gonna call **** especially when there are those of us spending 120$ on both versions.

    2. Gigantamax and Dynamax is stupid(just an opinion(but the right one)), a) mega evolution had Twice as many forms making it much more versatile and meaning more people could have their favorite pokemon become even more powerful. 48 mega evolution, 20 some odd gigantamax.
    b) Sure every pokemon can gigantamax, but, you cant gigantamax whenever wherever like with mega evolution, also having your pokemon simply become giant and lose all of its unique moves (in my opinion) is far less appealing than keeping the moveset that i designed to work a specific way, if i wanted z-moves id play more sun and moon i don't care for your knockoff "dynamax" moves
    c) the ONLY way to get gigantamax is thru luck, in max raid battles, or through possible future events, so if i want to make sure my pokemon has the proper IVs, ability, Nature and characteristic i should probably just forget gigantamax unless i wanna spend every waking moment scouring the wild area, it makes the new staple for battling extremely inaccessible and undesirable

    3) finally the lack of content is absurd, i was waiting for maybe a second wild area(maybe in that snowy region) or something maybe a new post game area like previous games but its nothing its a tiny region(maybe the smallest so far) with short poorly thought out routes, uninteresting caves, Absolutely no Victory Road. and back to the lack of mons in the game, if they didn't put time into the out world, they obviously didn't put any more time and effort into animations than they did with X/Y-US/UM, no work on the plot of the game, then where did the resources go? gamefreak has either a lot of work in updates to do or pokemon is gonna be a thing of the past and ill just keep playing my DS versions where i can keep my longtime companions.    … Expand
  64. Guandaside
    Nov 21, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game is good overall, but there are two major things that completely ruin the experience:
    1 Dexit, having removed half the dex and still trying to convince you to catch 'em all is ridiculous and is implying that you cannot actually play with the pokemon you like because the developers won' t give them to you.
    2 Nintendo Switch is a good console, it's. Capable of. Exceptional graphics and gameplay. So why does this game feel like something that came out of 2010?    … Expand
  65. Nudie
    Nov 21, 2019
    2
    Lazy, lazy lazy game design, where should I start?

    This game is a 3ds game ported over to the switch with some enhanced features. The textures, battle mechanics, animations, lack of Pokémon from other generations, lack of puzzles and an extremely underwhelming story have made this game lacklustre to say the least. The game suffers from ageing in all aspects and even has been rated lower    Lazy, lazy lazy game design, where should I start?

    This game is a 3ds game ported over to the switch with some enhanced features. The textures, battle mechanics, animations, lack of Pokémon from other generations, lack of puzzles and an extremely underwhelming story have made this game lacklustre to say the least. The game suffers from ageing in all aspects and even has been rated lower than shadow of darkness, which is decades older... Unfortunately this game missed a huge opportunity to showcase what Pokémon could look like on a modern day console, for example, Zelda breath of the wild had some of the most beautiful textures in a large map we’ve ever seen in any Nintendo game, which, we were eager to see in Pokémon. This was not the case obviously, as the textures are pixelated and unbearable. The greatest thing about this game is the fact that it is still some what of a Pokémon game, but that’s not enough in this day and age, I feel like I literally purchased a. 3ds game..... I would miss this one for sure, or try and buy it for under $20...    … Expand
  66. pokemonhater
    Nov 21, 2019
    0
    graphics are actually pretty good other than those trees in the wild area. team yell could be better but is okay. The dynamax raids and battles are super fun, especially with friends. I love Marnie as a character so much, she has a great story. Can't skip the credits though so 0.
  67. geldshot
    Nov 21, 2019
    4
    New pokemon are great and the wild area is a sign of what we want going forward. Getting into competitive pokemon is easier than ever and that is good. Overall though the game is sorely lacking in depth so anyone looking explore the world is deeply disappointed. The online features barely work for me and the story still completely hand holds you the entire way. The world is a shallow placeNew pokemon are great and the wild area is a sign of what we want going forward. Getting into competitive pokemon is easier than ever and that is good. Overall though the game is sorely lacking in depth so anyone looking explore the world is deeply disappointed. The online features barely work for me and the story still completely hand holds you the entire way. The world is a shallow place and max raid battles are already getting old there's fun to be had but i can't help but feel frustrated at the same time.… Expand
  68. AlenJeir
    Nov 21, 2019
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. We waited for this Game for so long and 4 years of development sounds like an awesome experiencies but. OVERSCALED and adding a pink light under the reused models the price is high. Not our fault this is GF first Game of this kind, the económic growth of the company does not translate in better games. They told this was bigger and better than it actually is.… Expand
  69. xXFedericXx
    Nov 22, 2019
    0
    No regional pokedex, low framerate, bad texture, no hard mode, no dubb, some animation and same model of sun and moon. This game is very bad and game freak is lazy!
  70. Gjones91
    Nov 22, 2019
    4
    Very disappointing game that new game feeling wears off quick and you quickly realize how lazy the game freak team put the game together
  71. peterd07
    Nov 22, 2019
    0
    these games cost $20 more than the 3DS games but has an even shorter campaign then they did, has absolutely no end game, has less than 1/2 the pokemon even though they are literally just reused assets from said 3DS games, it's way more buggy and unpolished unlike the 3DS games, and again COST $20 MORE! its **** embarrassing. Not to mention they straight up lied about the reused assets andthese games cost $20 more than the 3DS games but has an even shorter campaign then they did, has absolutely no end game, has less than 1/2 the pokemon even though they are literally just reused assets from said 3DS games, it's way more buggy and unpolished unlike the 3DS games, and again COST $20 MORE! its **** embarrassing. Not to mention they straight up lied about the reused assets and my god the animations are extremely lazy. They have no excuse for this dumpster fire.… Expand
  72. Ishrod24
    Nov 23, 2019
    0
    Wow some of these Pokémon are a joke. I’m not sure where game freak is going anymore. Male better harder games or lose the support of millions. This is why I still play Gen 1-4. Before they went soft and ridiculous.
  73. BassClef94
    Nov 24, 2019
    3
    It’s clear to see why this game gets so many poor reviews- the story is atrocious first of all. The plot is nearly nonexistent, the characters are terribly developed, and the dialogue is so bad I stopped trying to read it about halfway through. The “evil” team isn’t evil at all, just annoying, and the villain doesn’t even seem that villainous. He’s no Giovanni, Archie/Maxie, Ghetsis, etc.It’s clear to see why this game gets so many poor reviews- the story is atrocious first of all. The plot is nearly nonexistent, the characters are terribly developed, and the dialogue is so bad I stopped trying to read it about halfway through. The “evil” team isn’t evil at all, just annoying, and the villain doesn’t even seem that villainous. He’s no Giovanni, Archie/Maxie, Ghetsis, etc. The story isn’t there. If this were any other game besides Pokémon it would be the worst game in history. Next is the graphics and wow were they hit or miss. Some beautiful moments, some terrible moments. The human models are basically lifeless except for one or two facial expressions, but luckily the Pokémon kind of make up for that. The whole world does in fact look like something from 1 or 2 console generations back like we all feared and there are so many graphical/frame rate issues it distracts from what little story there is. But despite all of that, I had FUN playing the game and I guess that’s all that matters. Pokémon battling is addicting and that’s all this game really aims for- addicting battling. It’s terrible to look at but it’s still fun to play. Now do I feel a strong urge to play it again like I often do with other Pokémon games? No. I will take several months off before I even think about trying to main story again. Gamefreak created a fun game packaged into a terribly created world. Let’s all hope they’ll eventually get it right.… Expand
  74. Geeksgoboom
    Nov 24, 2019
    5
    Loving this game, best one yet. Super smooth controls with no issues, in handheld mode I haven't noticed any lag or glitches. Enjoying the new pokemon, it's not the hardest game for a 33 year old but hey it's for KIDS!!
  75. Edumiroku
    Nov 24, 2019
    0
    The same thing that in Sword. I have to be with myself and my thoughs after playing the Game.
  76. Edgex10
    Nov 24, 2019
    1
    Falta de contenido deberian de haber puesto muchos mas pokemon, una estafa total
  77. Sakoondomla
    Nov 26, 2019
    2
    A total let down. I had such high hopes for this game and I bought both versions, but the 20 hours of gameplay (across both titles) and totally subpar endgame make me want to cry.

    When are we going to het a truly open world immersive pokemon game on the level with BoTW? I desperately want to be wandering through open world forest in an expansive setting seeking my prized caterpie using my    A total let down. I had such high hopes for this game and I bought both versions, but the 20 hours of gameplay (across both titles) and totally subpar endgame make me want to cry.

    When are we going to het a truly open world immersive pokemon game on the level with BoTW? I desperately want to be wandering through open world forest in an expansive setting seeking my prized caterpie using my pokeball plus to rain pokeballs down on creatures.    … Expand
  78. pzlxqy
    Nov 26, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This series died. This game brings me nothing but despair. So many critics are lying, Game freak is lying, and even some fans are lying to themselves!… Expand
  79. albinopanda77
    Nov 26, 2019
    4
    While I actually enjoyed the series like the rest of them, I can’t say this game deserves anything higher than a 4. The game was rushed and looked like a direct port from the 3DS. The animations, while some looked nice, were better a decade ago on the GameCube. The graphics were sloppy and rushed. The plot was linear and lacked substance. I had high hopes for the first 1080p mainlineWhile I actually enjoyed the series like the rest of them, I can’t say this game deserves anything higher than a 4. The game was rushed and looked like a direct port from the 3DS. The animations, while some looked nice, were better a decade ago on the GameCube. The graphics were sloppy and rushed. The plot was linear and lacked substance. I had high hopes for the first 1080p mainline Pokémon game, but was quickly let down by the negligence and greed of Gamefreak.… Expand
  80. Theaquagroup
    Nov 27, 2019
    2
    Fun for the first few hours, but in all reality the main story can take you between 20 and 60 hours. I went with the 60 hours, except that was also pretty much finishing the living pokedex for the region. I got to the point where it was kinda pointless not to finish the game. The post game (if you can call it that) takes between 200 minutes and 2 hours. Honestly this game kinda reaches itsFun for the first few hours, but in all reality the main story can take you between 20 and 60 hours. I went with the 60 hours, except that was also pretty much finishing the living pokedex for the region. I got to the point where it was kinda pointless not to finish the game. The post game (if you can call it that) takes between 200 minutes and 2 hours. Honestly this game kinda reaches its limit when you hunt down the gigantamax Charizard, catch it in a luxury ball with Hidden ability. Everyone says there's more to do, except within 100 hours, you can have 100% done.… Expand
  81. Moglipapy
    Feb 7, 2020
    1
    There is too much to say in how bad the game is. I rather play silver on my old gameboy than that. Just don't buy it and don't encourage GameFreak on this. Shame.
  82. LevelUpGaming
    Nov 29, 2019
    0
    Absolute garbage. Undeveloped story, one-dimensional characters, empty towns, a "wild area" that be explored in its entirety in 5 minutes, no postgame content, 2/5 of a Pokédex, and professional reviewers and fans who would rather lick Junichi Masuda's boots that accept that the games aren't good.
  83. FlaviaHolanda
    Dec 1, 2019
    10
    É tudo que um fã de Pokémon poderia esperar, com gráficos lindos e uma boa história. Amei!
  84. WizardChamp
    Dec 3, 2019
    10
    First to adress the elephant in the room, the visuals contain a lot of reused 3DS assets and unoptimized loading for the Switch. This game isn't overly visually stunning but it's if you approach it as a handheld game built for a home console by people who have little experience with optimizing the hardware, it's alright. Second, no not all the Pokémon are in the game but technically youFirst to adress the elephant in the room, the visuals contain a lot of reused 3DS assets and unoptimized loading for the Switch. This game isn't overly visually stunning but it's if you approach it as a handheld game built for a home console by people who have little experience with optimizing the hardware, it's alright. Second, no not all the Pokémon are in the game but technically you couldn't obtain them all in previous games either without transferring them from older games, it's fine, we still have about 400 Pokémon. The story echoes the traditional Pokémon plot structure 8 gyms, beat your rival(s), beat the team of miscreants that get in your way, and make your way to the Pokémon league. There's been 8 versions of this story prior with a few changes and adjustments (not counting retellings), it's just how Pokémon is. That being said the minor adjustments in Sword and Shield really echo some of the best past versions of it with some really neat and interesting twists, don't expect Shakespeare but if you liked past Pokémon stories you will like this one. The region the game is set in, Galar, is based on England and is probably going to be one of my favorite regions looking back. Most of the game takes place in one large connected segment of the region which honestly brings me back to games before the 6th and 7th generation of Pokémon on 3DS, and the Wild Area just adds to this connected feel (of course don't expect to have access to everything all at once, blocked off areas do open up as you go as in any other Pokémon game, and the beginning and ending segments have their own areas you won't be spending as much time in). As for the Pokémon themselves the game has a fine Pokémon selection including a bunch of new Pokémon and Galarian forms of old ones I absolutely love. The gameplay keeps the soul of the series while also offering some great stream lining and plenty of improvements, including some brought over from last years' Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee. I love the dynamax concept as a whole especially how it gives the feeling of unique and special Pokémon battles to wild non-story based encounters and just adds plenty of room to create new kinds of encounters as a whole. I finished the main story very over leveled but a post game encounter showed me that I could still improve so it's never too easy, just more accessible to everyone. In short despite the shortcomings Sword and Shield has improved where I think it matters most and offers excellent gameplay and story (for a Pokémon game's story) and has easily become one of my favorites in the series. I give Pokémon Sword and Shield a 10 out of 10.… Expand
  85. Daitya
    Dec 8, 2019
    10
    Como todo juego de la saga Pokémon es un buen juego. Nuevas criaturas, batallas, la magia de empezar de nuevo en una nueva región, una nueva cultura regional y personajes, una banda sonora impresionante... Pero también nos encontraremos con numerosos fallos como... Ciudades un poco monótonas, el recorte de Pokémon(que espero que metan un DLC para compensar), la falta de libertad delComo todo juego de la saga Pokémon es un buen juego. Nuevas criaturas, batallas, la magia de empezar de nuevo en una nueva región, una nueva cultura regional y personajes, una banda sonora impresionante... Pero también nos encontraremos con numerosos fallos como... Ciudades un poco monótonas, el recorte de Pokémon(que espero que metan un DLC para compensar), la falta de libertad del principio o la escasez de postgame.

    Lionel, el campeón de Galar se ve más humano y actúa como tal, además de ser querido y conocido por todos los habitantes. Me gusta su expresión al perder(aunque me da un poco de pena combatir contra él XD). Eso sí, este personaje fue el único que me derrotó y me superaba en nivel.

    Para terminar me gustaría destacar la toxicidad de la comunidad de Pokémon. Una comunidad tan tóxica que no puede disfrutar de un juego de su saga favorita y prefieren insultar y amenazar de muerte a Game Freak porque no se sienten satisfechos con el juego(o al menos es lo que dicen). También deberíamos apreciar la otra posición donde se ponen como locos cuando hacen una crítica a su juego favorito.

    Conclusión para ambas opiniones de ardidos y amargados: Disfrutad del juego y pasad de vuestro "Orgullo Pokémon" parecéis una secta. Es un juego y ya está, no han matado a vuestros padres. Como cada juego tiene sus puntos fuertes y sus puntos débiles y ya está. Eso sí, estáis en vuestro derecho a decir que el juego está "incompleto" o que podrían haber hecho algo mejor... Pero hacedlo sin insultar y con un punto de vista neutral, que hay cada crítica destructiva que no tiene sentido.    … Expand
  86. Kamicarze
    Dec 8, 2019
    10
    Very good game, fantastic pokemon and very good story line with the openworld play
  87. Nobuemon
    Dec 8, 2019
    10
    This game is great even without the National Pokedex (I miss Oshawottt tho)
  88. jumpingmanx
    Dec 11, 2019
    0
    Pobre contenido . Pobre desempeño pesimo diseño, pesimo online multijugador. Inexistente dificultad.

    No pagues por el así de simple.
  89. 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
  90. Dadde202
    Dec 19, 2019
    10
    I hate that the people give 0 to a game that isn't perfect but is really good. I'm not a fan pokemon (I have finished(i have played also other games) only let's go, diamond, pokepark and tornament) and I enjoied the game, also more than other chapter, so i give 10 because if you didn't like a game, you can give 6 or 5 but not 0
  91. nintendofan123
    Dec 20, 2019
    1
    The game lacks everything that makes a game good. Lacks difficulty, lacks detail, lacks voice acting, the game is walking through linear corridors, is just press a and press forward.
  92. harry_j_harry
    Dec 22, 2019
    7
    The story and difficulty of the game felt non existent. The lack of every Pokémon is lazy. But this is a decent Pokémon experience with a bunch of cool Pokémon design's.
  93. Jpbeckerl00
    Jan 4, 2020
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Es horrible, los graficos son del 3ds con filtros hd, la historia es absurda e insipida donde no muestran un verdadero problema, los gigamax no los puedes usar en cualquier lado ademas q pokemon q tienen esas formas pra gigamaxearlos debes atraprlos en raids, lo cual me parece muy mal pensando y desarrollado. Tambien no son consistentes con el poder que deberian tener, osea son gigantes po, pero llego con un pokemon con ventaja de tipo y aun asi lo derroto de un golpe. No existe un equipo, organizacion, o ente malvado que nos presione en el juego. Las entradas de los legendarios al principio de la historia fue epica pero se quedo ahi nomas por que su aparicion en la raid contra eternatus es lo mas apresurado, forzado y falto de sentido. En las rutas no hay exploracion, para nada, con suerte hay un solo bosque y dos cuevas, y seria todo, no tienes lugar donde perderte buscando nuevos pokemon, legendarios, nuevas misiones, etc. Paul es un tilo mal hecho y reciclado, pero los otros dos rivales si bien son geniles, les cortan las alas a la mitad de la historia y quedan en un “meh”. El area silvestre parecia una idea genial pero no es nada mas que un area vacia solo con pokemon, no hay entrenadores, no hay puzzles, no hay cosas pra hacer mas que atrapar pokemon como enfermos, ademas que vas con sol, caminas dos metros y aparece nieve, y despues es desertico y despues llueve. Los renderizados en esa area son tardios y encima del jugador, no ves ningun pokemon hasta que lo tienes a 3 metros de ti, ademas que hay zonas donde las caudas de fps son considerables. El postgame es una mision aburrida y sin mucho sentido, pero esos dos personajes que odie en ese momento pudieron ser la trama principal, eran perfectos para una historia central, y gamefreak los desaprovecho en un postgame que dura con suerte 5 minutos. No hay nuevos grupos de legendarios como aves, perros, los tapu, etc. No existen. Leonel me cae pesimo, es anticuado y engreido. Para finzalizar la pokedex incompleta deja ver que gamefreak, o esta obsoleta y no ha cambido sus equipos desde hace años, o simplemente son unos flojos que van al minimo de calidad y asi vender el producto final por una cantidad enferma de plata.
    Lo bueno es que su pokedex es interesante, sus pokemon son geniales. Es mundo en si se ve bonito. Y eso seria todo, no hay nada que valga la pena en este juego, no lo recomiendo por que mas encima cuesta carisimo.    … Expand
  94. Liam247
    May 5, 2020
    3
    Pokemon Sword and Shield feel like ports of 3DS games with awful visuals, with cut content that they're now trying to sell us, and an overall soulless experience
  95. Guipal
    Jan 19, 2020
    3
    Achei as novas formas bem genéricas, são divertidas, mas faltam movimentos, o pós game ficou muito repetitivo e, além disso, a impressão que tive foi que o jogo foi "capado" também no pós game pra ser vendido pelas DLCs que foram anunciadas. Uma pena pois é uma franquia que sempre gostei muito e parece que cada vez mais qualquer conteúdo que fuja da história principal é ausente de caprichoAchei as novas formas bem genéricas, são divertidas, mas faltam movimentos, o pós game ficou muito repetitivo e, além disso, a impressão que tive foi que o jogo foi "capado" também no pós game pra ser vendido pelas DLCs que foram anunciadas. Uma pena pois é uma franquia que sempre gostei muito e parece que cada vez mais qualquer conteúdo que fuja da história principal é ausente de capricho já que o foco do mercado agora é vender qualquer adicional por DLC. Uma pena… Expand
  96. JoeTG9
    Jan 22, 2020
    3
    These games are fun. That's the only good thing about them. They show the complacency and lack of innovation that has plagued game freak for years. These games are fun, but extremely lazy.
  97. Potatoes953
    Feb 2, 2020
    1
    It's not good, I hate this game with a passion. Its easy, boring, glitch y, ugly, unfinished game. I used to be a fan of the series on the 3DS but here's the thing those only costed $40 and even that was over priced, but 60. This game I knew from the leak and rumors was going to be bad. The only reason I have played is because my little brother got it for Christmas. The story is god awful,It's not good, I hate this game with a passion. Its easy, boring, glitch y, ugly, unfinished game. I used to be a fan of the series on the 3DS but here's the thing those only costed $40 and even that was over priced, but 60. This game I knew from the leak and rumors was going to be bad. The only reason I have played is because my little brother got it for Christmas. The story is god awful, in the over world and cut scenes the models look like they belong on the PS2 they cut over half the content from the previous games then lied about the models taking too long to upgrade even tho they were reused from 3DS games.
    Also they are putting a band-aid on through DLC and Pokemon home, and because of the fact that content is locked behind the other game and you need two different versions of the same DLC it costs just under $200 to get a complete experience. Don't buy these games, they aren't fun aren't pleasant to look at, and have like $20 worth of content at most. If you must play an RPG on switch there is always Final Fantasy 7, Octopath-Traveler, and Valkyria Chronicles. Don't feed the beast (Nintendo) or they will keep pumping out bad games like this.    … Expand
  98. Smoothhands
    Feb 6, 2020
    4
    Pokemon is a very unique franchise. No matter how much they half-ass it, people will still buy it.

    This game adds nothing of value. The graphics are just upscaled 3ds graphics. I did not expect them to put any work into it. It's just not how they do things. I don't care about the national dex. I think it's low to lie about why. The story is blegh. Again... To be expected. It's    Pokemon is a very unique franchise. No matter how much they half-ass it, people will still buy it.

    This game adds nothing of value. The graphics are just upscaled 3ds graphics. I did not expect them to put any work into it. It's just not how they do things.
    I don't care about the national dex. I think it's low to lie about why.
    The story is blegh. Again... To be expected.

    It's Pokémon, they can continue slapping something together and it will be fun or at least a nice way to kill time for a short while.

    What I think is almost unforgivable is sticking Hard-Mode into a freaking paid DLC that adds nothing of value except that hard mode.

    This is a bland game from an amazing franchise made by a lazy company.
    You should do yourself a favour and pick up TemTem.    … Expand
  99. Lonchoya
    Feb 18, 2020
    3
    Ever felt so frustrated with a game that you felt compelled to go out of your way to create a Metacritic account to give it the pathetic score you feel it deserves, and even write a detailed review of it? Well, this is me feeling and doing precisely that.

    I will breeze through the issues everyone got to know from the start and focus more on the recent announcements and events. How they    Ever felt so frustrated with a game that you felt compelled to go out of your way to create a Metacritic account to give it the pathetic score you feel it deserves, and even write a detailed review of it? Well, this is me feeling and doing precisely that.

    I will breeze through the issues everyone got to know from the start and focus more on the recent announcements and events. How they go about the story's climactic events makes no sense and the story in general is as dull as it gets; we all know Gamefreak codes like 5-year-olds, most attack animations are recycled; the game is laggy in the Wild Area even when offline and a framerate nightmare when online. We all know the games are toddler-level easy if you do not handicap yourself, but this has been the case for every Pokemon game. We all know the pokedex was cut and many jokingly said they were gonna sell the missing Pokemon back to us. Personally, I was suspicious of the lack of GTS since it made no sense to have removed such a helpful feature for completing the Pokedex. Yes, many people made ridiculous requests but I never struggled to complete my Pokedex when asking for reasonable trades, e.g. a starter for a starter. Enter $30 DLC and Pokemon Home's $16 annual suscription. Now it all fell into place and gamefrEAk (see what I did there?) showed us their true intentions.

    When Ishihara promised a "game for veterans in 2019", unfortunately, he was not referring to the content/quality of the games appealing to a more mature audience. He meant a game for older fans, yes, but older in the sense that they have their own money, and can pay more for less, which seems to be the direction the gaming industry in general is following: Release an incomplete game at full price, then sell the missing components.

    You can argue they always sold to us a full-price, third game "DLC", but at least all iterations always felt like a complete game, and you could get every pokemon just by trading. You might say, "well, you can still get the DLC mythicals via GTS", and to that I respond: good luck getting a stranger to let go of his/her mythicals/legendaries, assuming you don't receive a hacked mon.

    Having spoken about the bad stuff, there are some good things in the game. This is the most I've felt involved in a pokemon league and the battles are quite the spectacle. This shouldn't be the case for any game, but there is actually a right way to play a Pokemon game's main story. I did find enjoyment and a glimpse of difficulty by mainly sticking to 2 points:
    A) Rotating as many pokemon as I could. This allows you to remain underleveled and also to familiarize yourself with the newest Pokemon.
    B) Avoid help from NPC/Rivals. You always have enough money to rely on your own Potions, anyway.

    The music is also some of the best in the franchise, my favorites being Marnie's theme and Gym Leader match theme. Character design is pleasant, too, they're really going the Waif-I mean, FIRE Emblem route in these last games, if you know what I mean. But that's basically it for the good stuff.

    As to what frustrated me so much that I had to write this review? Dyna/Gigantamax raids have an absurd, artificial and cheap difficulty to them if you're playing solo. Most NPCs are just terrible and if you lose, it's because of them. Even in this game's cut dex, Gamefreak has a repertoire of 400 strong, and what do they give to the NPCs to use? Magikarp. Pikachu. Clefairy. Or single-stage Pokemon, but rarely a fully-evolved one such as Salazzle. Adding to the frustration, their online, like mentioned before, is horrendous, so it can't really count as a soluton to this. It's even a meme at this point the fact that most Pokemon players play on their own, you'd think Gamefreak would have allowed for better Pokemon to be used by the NPCs, for us sad, friendless souls. Or make a good online experience, but I guess that's too much work. There's also a fixed amount of damage you can inflict on a Dynamax Pokemon before it places its shields up, what's up with that?

    In no way is this game worth $60. I have been a Pokemon fan since 1998, and this has been the first time I did not do a day-1 purchase, and rightly so. If you must have this game, do what I did and get it on sale or pre-owned. Bought it at 3DS price ($42), because that's what it barely reaches to be: a better-looking, yet content-lacking, 3DS game.    … Expand
  100. Terranut
    Feb 26, 2020
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. He tenido que comprar Pokémon x y para.comprobar que la saga Pokémon ha muerto con la última entrega..Es el peor con diferencia. os recomiendo ultra luna sol o x e y antes que este.… 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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