Pokemon Sword / Shield: The Isle of Armor

 Switch
User Score
5.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 520 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 181 out of 520
  2. Mixed: 119 out of 520
  3. Negative: 220 out of 520

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  1. hkjhkjh
    Jun 17, 2020
    8
    Pro:
    +Much more complex and more variety than the wild area
    +Some of the areas like the swamp or the forest look much better than we know from the wild area, it's still not switch standard but still Con: -No new pokemon or galarean form beside the ones we already knew about (Kubfu, Urshifu, Slowpoke, Slowbro), atleast i didn't enounter one in the 10h i already played -Not much    Pro:
    +Much more complex and more variety than the wild area
    +Some of the areas like the swamp or the forest look much better than we know from the wild area, it's still not switch standard but still

    Con:
    -No new pokemon or galarean form beside the ones we already knew about (Kubfu, Urshifu, Slowpoke, Slowbro), atleast i didn't enounter one in the 10h i already played
    -Not much trainer battles and most of them are very easy (exept the last one)

    Neutral:
    ~Pokemon follow you which is really nice BUT only on the isle of armor and because of the postition of the camera and the fact that most pokemon are slower than the player u don't see them most of the time because they are too much behind

    Overall about what I expected,, it's really ok, especially considering that was only the first DLC, really looking forward to the next one    … Expand
  2. Starfree
    Jun 17, 2020
    8
    There’s a lot in this half of the pass that I didn’t expect. The new moves are amazing, new items are very much welcome, and the new story content is more then I expected. Tho at the same time there some stuff missing that I was expecting. New Galarian forms or new Pokémon just for version exclusives. I find it very odd that the only difference between the sword and shield versions is theThere’s a lot in this half of the pass that I didn’t expect. The new moves are amazing, new items are very much welcome, and the new story content is more then I expected. Tho at the same time there some stuff missing that I was expecting. New Galarian forms or new Pokémon just for version exclusives. I find it very odd that the only difference between the sword and shield versions is the rival. I’m sure that’s a disappointment for anyone who bought both. But overall very good experience, up their with smash and splatoon as the best AAA DLC on the switch.… Expand
  3. CritMetaCrit
    Jun 26, 2020
    10
    gosh when i haveme a dog darn tough rough day and my dog is gone missn, i play arm and sheld. pokeman reminds me of the time i would eat moon pie as a kiddo. thanks for the memories
  4. HerDragon
    Jun 22, 2020
    8
    Ya deberían programar toda la dex nacional y regresar las mega evoluciones
  5. CurryTea
    Jun 23, 2020
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Summary:
    Average experience on the story line. The areas are visually stunning (especially Forest of focus) together with a great addition of Side quests and other functions to this DLC. However, several flaws from the mainline games was not fixed together in the DLC patch with the controversial pricing of the DLC. I hope the Crown Tundra DLC will contain a stronger emphasis on story line and exploration to make up for the price wall.

    Pros:
    - Interesting story and quests to obtain Kubfu through the 3 trials
    - Your Pokemon is able to follow you now (although note that often Pokemon can't catch up with you and will be teleporting, especially slow ones)
    - Beautiful visuals and map, does not look as plain as the wild area in comparison.
    - No loading screen when travelling between caves to forest.

    Cons:
    - Still lagging when connected to internet on the DLC map, similar to the lag in the wild area
    - YCOM do not refresh often to join a new raid.    … Expand
  6. Barracuda36
    Jun 30, 2020
    8
    As far as DLC goes I don’t think we could ask for much more. It had a fun and engaging story, new Pokémon and moves and some of the best locations to explore in all of Galar and perhaps even the Pokémon world. I only wish there had been more new Pokémon and Gigantamax forms but I can not complain about what we got and I’ve never been the biggest fan of the whole Max feature anyways. A goodAs far as DLC goes I don’t think we could ask for much more. It had a fun and engaging story, new Pokémon and moves and some of the best locations to explore in all of Galar and perhaps even the Pokémon world. I only wish there had been more new Pokémon and Gigantamax forms but I can not complain about what we got and I’ve never been the biggest fan of the whole Max feature anyways. A good first step for the Pokémon series into the world of main series DLC.… Expand
  7. DragonGamerZ
    Jun 18, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Ah yes, the first part of the Expansion Pass for easily the most controversial Pokemon games. Now, before this review begins, be mindful of something: Do not be misinformed. All these rumors on Twitter and such about how "they cut content to sell it back to you as DLC" and things of the such are false. Anyone who's heard of this DLC knows that it's bringing back Pokemon that didn't appear in the base game, and they're doing so for free, NOT behind a paywall. The DLC is simply extra content like all other DLC. Now, with that in mind, let's get right to it.

    First and foremost, the Isle of Armor itself looks gorgeous. Game Freak wasn't kidding when they said there were a variety of different areas in the Isle of Armor. There's a swamp, a cave, beaches with a massive Level 80 Wailord because sure, why not, forests where Pokemon interact with their surroundings in new ways such as Emolga gliding from tree to tree, etc. And of course, each area has different Pokemon, including both old ones seen in the Galar region already and new ones added to the Isle of Armor. Some fan-favorites that were added back in include Volcarona, Zoroark, Luxray, Skarmory, Lycanroc, and much more (I think the exact number added back in is 109). On top of all these locations, there's also the Master Dojo, which is where the story campaign of the Isle of Armor will take place. It looks nice overall, and has a few different attractions of its own, which I'll get to in a moment.

    As for the story campaign itself, it was quite enjoyable. You're given three trials to do alongside the other students of the Master Dojo, which is run by someone who used to occupy the seat of Champion before: Leon's teacher, Mustard, and you'll also meet Honey, who gives you a Bulbasaur or a Squirtle later on, each of which are able to Gigantamax. Additionally, one of these students is your rival on the Isle of Armor: Klara in Pokemon Sword, and Avery in Pokemon Shield. These two actually have a bit of development of their own, which is frankly pretty surprising given that the time from the beginning of the campaign to your final battle with them where their development comes to a close is a bit on the shorter side. That's not to say the campaign itself is over then and there though, as after this, you get Kubfu and need to build a friendship with it before heading to either one of the Towers of Two Fists, the Tower of Darkness if you want to evolve Kubfu into Urshifu's Single Strike Style (a Dark/Fighting type, which I chose), or the Tower of Waters for Urshifu's Rapid Strike Style (a Water/Fighting type). Clearing whichever tower you choose results in Kubfu evolving into the aforementioned Urshifu style. Additionally, once you complete this, you'll have another quest to do, which involves Hop coming to the Isle of Armor, something which pleasantly surprised me. This then eventually culminates into a final battle against Mustard's full team of 6 Pokemon, with the highest levels seen in a Trainer battle in Sword and Shield, maxing out at Level 75. What's also really neat is that he uses the Urshifu form that is opposite to the one you use. Not only is this story campaign fun to go through, it's surprisingly longer than I expected, making for a great experience.

    Despite the aforementioned events being what ends the main story campaign, there are a plethora of activities to do on the Isle of Armor, and they are a lot of fun to do. For starters, you can fill up the Isle of Armor Pokedex, which is not only as fun as always, you can also talk to certain people and register a Pokemon on the Isle of Armor as seen for a small price of 100 Watts. Speaking of Watts, you can also spend time collecting them via Raid Dens that show up in the Isle of Armor, on top of fighting and catching Dynamax versions of Isle of Armor exclusives (one Den even has a Dusk Form Lycanroc, which is really cool). These Watts can also be used to help Honey out in a side-mission involving spending lots of Watts to improve the Master Dojo, which will even let you unlock a secret battle against her, where she has a full team of 6 and uses the opposite starter of what you chose (between Bulbasaur and Squirtle), which can Gigantamax. You can also find TRs on the Isle of Armor, which can be pretty helpful, and other activities include making Max Soup to Gigantamax Pokemon you have that are capable of doing so (including the Sword and Shield starters, who all now have new Gigantamax forms), finding Apricorns and making Poke Balls out of them (along with combining items to make new ones with the Cram-o-matic), finding 151 Diglett scattered across the Isle of Armor for a reward, and even finding Gym Leaders just hanging out on the Isle of Armor. There is simply a lot to do and a lot of ground to cover as you explore.

    All in all, this is a great start to Sword and Shield's Expansion Pass, and while we wait for the even more promising Crown Tundra, we can enjoy what the Isle of Armor offers us.    … Expand
  8. FixR
    Jun 22, 2020
    8
    The Isle of Armor provides players with new, visually distinct areas, opportunities to catch around 140 additional Pokémon to the base game's already impressive roster, fun sidequests that offer activities to multiple kinds of players, and various other pieces of bonus content that, when put together, make it feel like a real expansion and not something that could easily have been in theThe Isle of Armor provides players with new, visually distinct areas, opportunities to catch around 140 additional Pokémon to the base game's already impressive roster, fun sidequests that offer activities to multiple kinds of players, and various other pieces of bonus content that, when put together, make it feel like a real expansion and not something that could easily have been in the game originally. And at an acceptable price of just $30 in addition to the content coming in the Crown Tundra later this year, it's easily a good purchase for those who need a bit more Pokémon in their lives- albeit stunted by an air of damage control caused by the base game's notoriety.… Expand
  9. dudebro
    Jun 20, 2020
    8
    Nice expansion if you were a fan of the Wild Area in the original game. This is basically a new super-charged Wild Area that's at least 5 times the size of the original, with a lot more useful stuff. Lots of quality of life features. The campaign takes between 3-6 hours depending on your pace, but there are countless hours of content in this. Worth the buy for sure.
  10. OmegaAP
    Jun 18, 2020
    10
    This expansion is amazing. Wish the base game had Pokemon follow you around. Such an underrated feature.
  11. Hotshot645
    Jun 19, 2020
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It so fun, there is so much to do from meeting new Pokémons and see old return favorite Pokémons and so much side mission open wild areas and weather systems helps the world be more immersive.… Expand
  12. ZeoN
    Jun 30, 2020
    8
    Esta expansión mejora varios aspectos del juego original, introduce Pokémon que no estaban en la región de Galar originalmente, nueva banda sonora y zonas explorables. Lo peor, su historia, la cual es muy anecdótica.
    Introduce nuevas opciones para competitivo
  13. Leugimpiza
    Jun 23, 2020
    9
    Me gustó que implementarán que los Pokémon te siguen y trae mucho contenido para los jugadores competitivos
  14. Hij45g
    Jun 26, 2020
    10
    This is really great this game really expand the the full gameplay length hope they update it more
  15. KrissTRS
    Jun 19, 2020
    10
    Personally I adore all pokemon games and more of it is just perfect for me and the new wild area/entire new area is large expansive and feels lived in unlike the base one wich felt more barron
    Over all perfect for anyone who slightly enjoyed the base game. The story could have been longer but its aboit 2 and a half hours a quarter of the base game so with the other part it will be enough    Personally I adore all pokemon games and more of it is just perfect for me and the new wild area/entire new area is large expansive and feels lived in unlike the base one wich felt more barron
    Over all perfect for anyone who slightly enjoyed the base game. The story could have been longer but its aboit 2 and a half hours a quarter of the base game so with the other part it will be enough and more for me    … Expand
  16. GenkiYokota
    Jan 27, 2022
    10
    The first half of the expansion, and one that pushes the concepts of Sword and Shield to other frontiers.
    The animations of the pokémon that follow you from behind are very well taken care of.
  17. Blueflame1114
    Jun 17, 2020
    10
    Everything I wanted out of the DLC and more. It improves on SwSh in every way. Only real problem I have is the following Pokémon feature is a little buggy, but I think it’s still a 10
  18. arulz8
    Jun 17, 2020
    10
    Only the first half of the DLC! Already way more content than USUM versus base SUM. If this was the full DLC my rating would be lower, but considering it’s only HALF so basically $15 USD, that’s ridiculous value. Best value pokemon you can buy IMO.
  19. Kikeyet
    Jun 21, 2020
    10
    Buena expansión incluso esta un poco mejor pulida que el juego en sí y da gusto que saquen contenido de calidad
  20. RiggyBell
    Aug 31, 2021
    9
    I really enjoyed the game. I wish the main game had an adventure like this, because I really disliked the story and the boring open world of Pokemon Shield. Isle of Armor felt like a real adventure in which the open word was much more fun to walk through.
    The downside was that the story was a bit short: There were only a few quests, and the world wasn’t that big. I also disliked the fact    I really enjoyed the game. I wish the main game had an adventure like this, because I really disliked the story and the boring open world of Pokemon Shield. Isle of Armor felt like a real adventure in which the open word was much more fun to walk through.
    The downside was that the story was a bit short: There were only a few quests, and the world wasn’t that big. I also disliked the fact that every single pokemon was lv60 (because I finishend the main game). And they could’ve added some legendaries. Apart from that, I really enjoyed the DLC! I hope the next main Pokemon game will be like this!     … Expand
  21. Supermariogames
    Sep 30, 2020
    10
    An enjoyable expansion for this great game that welcomed the Pokemon series to console platform.
    At first I thought that $30 would be too much for the two expansions, but after playing a decent number of hours in this first part, I can determine that it was worth every penny.
  22. Figgiet
    Jul 23, 2020
    8
    i actually liked this expansion. i really liked the fact that new pokemon and old pokemon appeared in this expansion. Fine story, maybe it should have been a bit longer.
  23. FelixHuang
    Jul 28, 2020
    10
    The first open world Pokemon game! Love it.I must say that Isle of Armor has a much better "open world design" than wild area. The overall map is small but with a variety of different places like linked caves, forest, ocean, wetlands etc. It also contains some side quests and interesting interactions like sharpedo chasing you to hell
  24. DaHomeaSimpzon
    Oct 27, 2020
    8
    It's an alright game but it needs still needs some graphical improvements. Kudos for Game Freak for bringing some of the fan favourites back such as the other starts of Gen 1.
  25. opnyx
    Jan 16, 2021
    8
    This new story is fun, and the background is very convincing in my opinion. But it's way too short : it could have been much better with some extra hours of gameplay.
  26. divegold
    Nov 24, 2022
    10
    Added a lot of content to the base game! It brought innovation and many hours of fun!

Awards & Rankings

7
#7 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 42 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 26 out of 42
  3. Negative: 1 out of 42
  1. Universo Nintendo
    Dec 16, 2020
    70
    When reviwed from a zero point, Isle of Armor renews the metagame and includes a significant amount of content. It is just a pity that there is no sign of challenge to live up to the eight months of training. When out of this vacuum, however, it is clear that this expansion is much more complete than the base game, expanding its experience.
    Read full review
  2. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Oct 26, 2020
    80
    The overall evolution of the Pokémon gameplay experience has taken another step forward thanks to DLC. [Issue #48 – September/October 2020, p. 28]
  3. GameMAG
    Sep 12, 2020
    50
    A tiny boring plot, four new monsters for the series, and optimization of some game mechanics are clearly not enough for fans of the franchise, nor for ordinary players. The overall impression of the Expansion Pass, of course, can be formed only after the release of the final part - The Crown of Tundra. Now we can only say with complete confidence that The Isle of Armor is not worth the money.
    Read full review
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