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. 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.
  2. OmegaAP
    Jun 18, 2020
    10
    This expansion is amazing. Wish the base game had Pokemon follow you around. Such an underrated feature.
  3. 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.
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. Hij45g
    Jun 26, 2020
    10
    This is really great this game really expand the the full gameplay length hope they update it more
  7. 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
  8. 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.
  9. 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
  10. 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
  11. 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
  12. divegold
    Nov 24, 2022
    10
    Added a lot of content to the base game! It brought innovation and many hours of fun!
  13. 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
  14. 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
  15. Leugimpiza
    Jun 23, 2020
    9
    Me gustó que implementarán que los Pokémon te siguen y trae mucho contenido para los jugadores competitivos
  16. 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.
  17. 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
  18. 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
  19. 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
  20. 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
  21. HerDragon
    Jun 22, 2020
    8
    Ya deberían programar toda la dex nacional y regresar las mega evoluciones
  22. 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
  23. 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
  24. 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.
  25. 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.
  26. 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.
  27. Kashmoney
    Jan 24, 2021
    7
    Intro: While I personally enjoyed my adventure into the Galar region, Pokemon Sword and Shield definitely needed a bit more help content-wise and polishing up the game to make it more worthwhile for people to get into. And since the games were already in some deep water with the fanbase, I can safely say that I am glad Nintendo and Gamefreak went with this route with DLC.

    What is it?:    Intro: While I personally enjoyed my adventure into the Galar region, Pokemon Sword and Shield definitely needed a bit more help content-wise and polishing up the game to make it more worthwhile for people to get into. And since the games were already in some deep water with the fanbase, I can safely say that I am glad Nintendo and Gamefreak went with this route with DLC.

    What is it?: The Isle of Armor is part of the 2 pack DLC for Pokemon Sword and Shield. The player will travel to another small island off the coast of Galar to train in a dojo to obtain the new legendary Pokemon Kubfu which will later turn into Urshifu. The island is also filled with pokemon that wasn't previously present due to the dex cut, but now can be found, caught, and traded to anyone who has the games.

    Pros: The isle of Armor looks pretty good on its own. It's definitely not super amazing looking, but the map looks pretty neat on its own and was a breath of fresh air from the rolling hills and dry looks of Galar. The story itself is also a nice little addition and brought in some cool characters such as Mustard and the two trainers who rival you on the island, Avery and Klara ( I hear a lot of people like Klara ;3). The story for the DLC is also neat, it's nothing out of the ordinary or super epic like the Delta story or Rainbow Rocket, but I thought that overall the DLC does a good job making a nice side story. And while I still do not support the dex cut, I do like how this DLC update allowed over 100 more Pokemon to come back into the fray making the new dex count of the Galar region be around 500 of new and old pokemon. Plus, while you can't get the returning pokemon in the mainland area of the game, you can trade over or receive the returning Pokemon via wifi from friends or online if needed, no DLC required!

    Cons: While I do like this DLC, I think there are still some problems with it. Main issue I have is that while I didn't expect this DLC to be super long, I wished they could have added more content to make the DLC's story a bit longer. I was able to beat the story in maybe 4 hours, including catching pokemon and raiding a bit. If it was around 6 hours in story content, I feel that it would have been a perfect length for this expansion. Also, while there are some nice little things such as the return of pokemon following you, I feel that Gamefreak failed a bit with it because it looks a bit too janky. Some pokemon literally can't keep up with the player because they tried to be accurate with how fast or slow the pokemon is and it just makes this small feature feels underdeveloped. My final main issue of this DLC is that while the map overall looks decent, I feel that certain areas like the caves and the forest could look a bit better, especially the forest because the textures in there still looked a little washed out.

    Verdict: Overall, I do believe that the Pokemon games should stick with the direction of DLCs instead of a third game and this was a good start. I feel that this DLC was nice overall and was worth its price. I do believe it needs some touch-ups in providing a longer story and including more new Pokemon, but I think this was a nice addition for SWSH. I can't wait to see what will happen in November for the Crown Tundra.    … Expand
  28. 820_alvaro
    Jun 21, 2020
    7
    Entretiene, era mas o menos lo que esperaba, ojala algún día Game Freak se anime a hacer un juego donde la dificultad sea elevada.
  29. georgetime2003
    Jun 21, 2020
    7
    Un DLC en el que esperaba menos pero se ha legado a lucir de maravilla, hay que decir que las texturas de los arboles han aumentado, y ahora te acompañan pokemons detrás tuyo, la pega, las animaciones aun se las pueden currar y que el acompañante vaya a la misma velocidad que tu personaje.
  30. marvsfontanilla
    Mar 31, 2021
    7
    Story: 7
    Graphics: 8
    Sound: 7
    Gameplay: 7
    Game Time: 5 Hours (Main Story)
  31. nocturnechloe
    Jun 17, 2020
    7
    It's about what I expected and I think your mileage will vary significantly depending on how true that is for you. The narrative is short; the new characters are charming but hardly exhibit any growth. The island is a bit prettier than the main game's wild area, which is all well and good because the majority of the island is just another wild area to begin with. There are lots ofIt's about what I expected and I think your mileage will vary significantly depending on how true that is for you. The narrative is short; the new characters are charming but hardly exhibit any growth. The island is a bit prettier than the main game's wild area, which is all well and good because the majority of the island is just another wild area to begin with. There are lots of returning Pokemon to catch and I've had fun running past trees, trekking through caverns, and figuring out the optimal way to avoid Sharpedos on the high seas (you'll see what I mean). If this were sold as a full game it would be the worst value proposition in the franchise, but it isn't. It's a piece of DLC, and a pretty passable one at that.… Expand
  32. Blud
    Jun 18, 2020
    7
    This is a nice little addition to the game, but the problem lies in this very fact: it is nice, but it is little if it is to be considered as endgame content. I feel to really get the most out of this DLC would be to create a new playthrough, being able to go back and forth between the Isle of Armour and mainland Galar while the Isle scales with you.

    On the positive side, this is how the    This is a nice little addition to the game, but the problem lies in this very fact: it is nice, but it is little if it is to be considered as endgame content. I feel to really get the most out of this DLC would be to create a new playthrough, being able to go back and forth between the Isle of Armour and mainland Galar while the Isle scales with you.

    On the positive side, this is how the wild area always should've been; I would welcome some of the fetch quests within the main game itself.

    The negatives is that it is far too short and unfortunately save for some (actually very cool) additional features, everything we saw in the trailer (at least new Pokémon wise) was all we got. Some additional Galarian forms as well as some Gigantamax forms would've gone a long way.

    In short, it's too short as an endgame piece of DLC but could easily thrive as part of a new playthrough, involving going back and forth. If you want to start over and have Pokémon home to move all your mons to, this would be a great time.    … Expand
  33. AlphaSpectre84
    Jun 21, 2020
    7
    Isle of Armor is a fine DLC addition to Pokemon Sword and Shield, which I personally found to be an incredibly lacking package to start with. Seeing old favourites making their return here, having them pop up at random throughout your time on the isle kept me playing long enough after I had finished the main story.
  34. Lish13
    Jun 21, 2020
    7
    too short, but great to have some old pokemon back and the following system
  35. DaniyalIslam
    Oct 23, 2020
    7
    Though better than the base game, Isle of Armor comes with some negative aspects. However, I am excited to see a new focus for the series.
  36. tensioly
    Jun 6, 2023
    7
    Venía con muy pocas expectativas para este DLC pero parece ser que las ha cumplido. Como primera parte de un DLC de 30€ quizá parece un poco corto pero, para mi gusto, es de bastante calidad. Los personajes son expectaculares y el pequeño arco argumental hila bastante bien con la historia principal del juego. Añade pokémon de otras generaciones y los nuevos legendarios me parecenVenía con muy pocas expectativas para este DLC pero parece ser que las ha cumplido. Como primera parte de un DLC de 30€ quizá parece un poco corto pero, para mi gusto, es de bastante calidad. Los personajes son expectaculares y el pequeño arco argumental hila bastante bien con la historia principal del juego. Añade pokémon de otras generaciones y los nuevos legendarios me parecen interesantes. Aceptable primera parte de este DLC que me deja satisfecho. 6,6/10
    (07/2020)    … Expand
  37. ScreenS
    Jun 5, 2023
    7
    You get a cool bear, I guess?

    Honestly for a first DLC attempt it’s fine, but the fact they knew we wanted an official monotype format but left it single player only and didn’t heal your team between battles is a level of stupid I cannot comprehend.
  38. Kacek1996
    Aug 20, 2022
    6
    Pokemon The Isle of Armor was a short DLC I played mostly to see my own pokemons run after me, to get new pokemons for my Pokemon HOME pokedex, to catch the new Kubfu and Urshifu pokemons. This DLC was really short and easy with too much of allolan diglets to look for... I liked the galarian Slowpoke evolution line quite a lot, and the map was nicely done!
  39. mystery556
    Jun 29, 2020
    6
    It was more fun than I thought

    However, it is still impossible to enter the Sword Shield's Pokemon, so it is necessary to change the tone quickly.
  40. R3n4h
    Jun 20, 2020
    6
    Besides Being a good game, the animation qualities are worst than Never, it is really degusting.
  41. guygardner2020
    Jun 24, 2020
    6
    Content is not balanced , really only good for starting a new game. New Pokemon are cool though. I think its fixable with a patch and hope they go that route.
  42. Protomario
    Jun 21, 2020
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The Isle of Armor DLC will begin similarly to how Fallout DLC’s occur, where you are alerted to having DLC and directed to go to that location to begin said DLC.
    Once you present the pass at the train station, you may go to the Isle where a short cut scene is shown to introduce you to your new area for exploration.
    Instantly you are introduced to a unique antagonist, Klara, which pops with color.
    This battle is presented to the player to display some of the new Pokemon available.
    After roughly 5 minutes you can begin seeing wild Pokemon, from a Waylord in the water to tons of Pokemon Popping up.

    There are around 100 new Pokemon added with this DLC, some from every generation as well from 1 to seven, new Galar forms like Slowpoke and Gigamax forms like Venasaur and Blastoise.
    Some notable new Pokemon added are –
    Scyther, Porygon, and their evolutions, Dunsparce, Azurill, Sharpedo, Lopunny, Magnezone, Krokadile, Zoroark, Emolga, Talonflame, Kelfkey, Rockruff, and of course, the new mythical and legendariies.

    With over 100 to collect there are plenty to choose from as soon as you get on the island.
    However, most of the island will be cut off until you address the Dojo issue, an old Master named Mustard runs it, after a short battle, he insists you join the dojo and complete three trials.
    This is the crux of this DLC, if you are not into Martial Arts of any kind, you likely will not enjoy the story.

    The music, some of the new Pokemon, the aesthetics of the area are all based around this.
    This DLC follows all the Kungfu tropes, an Old Master, Menial Chores, Rivalries between students, it is all here and done very well.

    All through the DLC you will be tasked to do things and be given rewards from this dojo, to include Kanto starters Bulbasaur and Squirtle.

    The three tasks are simple, involving a few battles and a fetch quest.
    This DLC silently explains that the rival antagonist wants to be the poison type gym leader, and that by you the player appearing to push the antagonist further, they put in all of their effort instead of doing the minimum.

    In a surprising twist of events, the rival actually cheats in the final trial, introducing the possible concept in future games that we could have evil teams doing things outside Pokemon battles to gain the edge.

    I find this concept to be extremely unique, and if a game like Gen 1 was remade, it should definitely be implemented with the Team Rocket encounters.
    After the completion of said trials you are introduced to a comical fighting type bear in a cut-scene that I greatly disliked…

    Regardless, this is how the player receives Kubfu.
    Get it, Kub, fu, like a bear Kub that does Kungfu…the creativity is amazing….
    This leads into how the player gets to take their Pokemon for a stroll…
    You might think this is Amazing, just like in Heart Gold and Soul Silver, and it is, kinda….
    See this is where the game fumbles a little bit, some Pokemon do a better job of following you than others.

    For example, if you ask Drakeloak to follow you it will slowly, and I mean very slowly, follow you, to the point where it takes 5-10 seconds to catch up.
    After testing this feature, your next objective is to become better friends with Kubfu by finding fellow dojo members all around the island.

    This is another way the DLC fumbles greatly, by putting the focus of going to these differently locations to become friendlier with your new Pokemon the game is tricking the player into seeing places they might normally not see.

    But outside of capturing new Pokemon, there is nothing to do in these areas but find these go here and press this button points.

    It is very similar to Destiny’s missions where you are requested to go from one side of the map to the other for some random scan, which people really panned as a negative thing.
    I do think there is a lot to do in the DLC, but in the first hour you are required to do what boils down to busy work until you reach two unique towers with interesting battling gimmicks.

    Then you are finally given access to most of the island for training your new Pokemon.

    These towers revolve around using Kabfu to battle five opponents, while indicating that your Pokemon should be around level 70.

    You can view these towers to be an extremely mild version of the older Battle towers, where you can heal in between battling trainers but only use Kabfu.

    Depending on the chosen tower to battle will also lead to the evolution type of Kubfu, either the single strike or rapid strike Kubfu, one being dark fighting, the other water fighting.
    The method for which this Pokemon was introduced and fleshed out is intriguing but dedicating an entire DLC to one Pokemon and it’s evolutions is a bit strange. This DLC might last you a week at best if you think that is worth $15 then have fun… or you could buy – A Pizza, a couple sodas, buy detective Pikachu and have a great time.    … Expand
  43. Robertinho123
    Jun 19, 2020
    5
    Mediocre. Very short, you can finish it in a few hours and for the time spent very overpriced. Only 2 new pokemon and 2 new versions, very little actual new content and no normally available new legendary (2 event-only ones though, which haven't been confirmed for a release yet)

    It seems like the next dlc is the real one to look out for, as it got teased here as well. This one seems    Mediocre. Very short, you can finish it in a few hours and for the time spent very overpriced. Only 2 new pokemon and 2 new versions, very little actual new content and no normally available new legendary (2 event-only ones though, which haven't been confirmed for a release yet)

    It seems like the next dlc is the real one to look out for, as it got teased here as well.

    This one seems like it could have been included in the base post-game.    … Expand
  44. Kotelo
    Jun 18, 2020
    5
    I can only give 5/10.

    This DLC is boring. Sure the new Map looks nice and they added new Pokemon, which had to be included in the Original Release i think. The Main problem for me is that it isnt Challenging at all. I read about Level Scaling the last Days and was excited that i can play with my strongest Team of 6 LvL 100 Mons. The first fight on the Isle was... well.. a LVL 58 Abra.    I can only give 5/10.

    This DLC is boring. Sure the new Map looks nice and they added new Pokemon, which had to be included in the Original Release i think. The Main problem for me is that it isnt Challenging at all. I read about Level Scaling the last Days and was excited that i can play with my strongest Team of 6 LvL 100 Mons. The first fight on the Isle was... well.. a LVL 58 Abra. Thats not how Scaling works. Till the end of the Story Part which includes about 10 Trainer Battles and some Fetchquests the highest Pokemon i had to fight was LvL 75. Again thats not Challenging at all. My Mew Oneshottet everything on this Isle.
    The Reason i dont go lower with the DLC is the Hope for the Second Part of the DLC. Till then i will go for DynaRaids and nothing else, cause there isnt really much to do.    … Expand
  45. Luffydjw
    Jun 18, 2020
    5
    At first I was enamoured with Pokemon swords dlc isle of armour. But when you realise it adds 10 hours of meaningful content that should of already been within a very basic main game. Isle of armour demonstrates what could of been with wild area with various interesting biomes. Yet I feel the still fall short of many other cutting edge Nintendo games. It lacks the charm of Mario odyssey orAt first I was enamoured with Pokemon swords dlc isle of armour. But when you realise it adds 10 hours of meaningful content that should of already been within a very basic main game. Isle of armour demonstrates what could of been with wild area with various interesting biomes. Yet I feel the still fall short of many other cutting edge Nintendo games. It lacks the charm of Mario odyssey or innovation of legend of Zelda breath of the wild. The world should simply put be better the graphics(although are not essential) should also be of quality befitting of the franchise. The dlc shows early promise with Klara being an interesting character but unfortunately over the time of playing the dlc she is not developed and then is given a massively different character with no motivation for the change . But the core problem with this and all other Pokemon games since red and blue are lack of gameplay changes with the same basic features. This is problem which must be addressed maybe not in the dlc but for the future of Pokemon. There are not only negatives though with cool new Pokemon and an interesting if lacking in substance new wild area. With a incredible and interesting ensemble of Pokemon which is still incredible to catch making one of the best possible base premises for a game the dlc still brings me enjoyment. But if the Pokemon franchise could match this kind of varied biome set and incredible Pokemon with higher quality environment, better story(black and white level), side quests, voice acting and improved gameplay it may be justifying of swords initial high ratings. But in truth this just a pale imitation of what Pokemon should and could be. So overall: -it shows promise due to an interesting new setting
    -still wonderful to catch Pokemon -yet is let down by lack of character development or real story - it feels more like a side quest than a new story for instance like heart of stone is in Witcher 3 which gives real personality to most characters that are met. - the core gameplay has not be changed (not to be expected with a dlc) but 20 years of virtually the same game only with different typing still feeling outdated.
    - When there are games that are older than this like Witcher 3 the whole of pokemon not just the dlc leave a bitter taste.    … Expand
  46. drywall
    Jun 21, 2020
    5
    dlc is pretty bad. trying to clear out all the raid dens in the ungodly large wild area that is the entire isle of armor is terrible, the draw distance means i've had to scour every nook and cranny, including the huge ocean surrounding it, just to refresh my raid battles. 4/10 + 1/10 for klara being both a cool rival and cute
  47. jbezanso
    Jun 22, 2020
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. There is some good in this DLC. New map is great, "New lol" pokemon/raid battles are good too. But we gotta call it how it is, no sugar coating (I'm looking at ALL the youtuber reviews/gaming sites who are scared to call a square a square). This is NOT worth your money. DLC has been around for over 10 years and Nintendo is acting like their eyes were closed the whole time. This "Expansion" is not acceptable for the price. All you get is the new map, added pokemon (not new ones, old ones that weren't in original game) and maybe 1-2 hours of story missions. Thats being NICE. Andddd thats it lol The main mission is to "Train" your Kubfu to be strong enough to battle in the Tower. You get Kubfu at level 10 and every pokemon on Island is 60+. So you can't actually use Kubfu until the end. He sits in your party and gets exp points. When you hit level 70 you can battle in tower. 5 battles, ONE pokemon each. Game Over. OHH and if you were a loyal fan and got most of your pokemon level 75 or higher, again all the pokemon are level 60 in expansion (until your hit tower and they're level 65-70, WOAH), so you blow them out of the water. To make this expansion "Fun" I had to catch a whole new group of pokemon (level 60) and play. There are no extra trainers to battle throughout the world, no additional story lines (only Kubfu tower one), NOTHING. Just a collectathon of sparkles and watts. I really hope the 2nd expansion blows our MINDS but I'm not counting on it.… Expand
  48. Darros2
    Jul 23, 2020
    5
    Una extensión del juego bastante pobre, prácticamente solo vale la pena por no quedarse fuera del competitivo y tener más variantes de pokémon, pero la historia es bastante mala, solo el rival muestra algo de personalidad y genera algo de interés, pero en general bastante simple y si se va directo por la historia se puede terminar fácilmente en 2 horas o incluso menos.
  49. Toasttt
    Mar 26, 2022
    5
    meh .
  50. AlexMakesToast
    Dec 16, 2022
    5
    Isle of Armor = 5/10
    ......................................................
  51. Resoul
    Apr 18, 2023
    5
    The pokemon all feel super week even tho there level 60 they still get one shot by pokemon that are within 10 levels of them, i think your meant to do the dlc before you beat the main game. Also there levels are tied to how many gyms you've beat not to the level of the pokemon on your team so even if you change your team out for lower level pokemon they'll still be level 60 which might beThe pokemon all feel super week even tho there level 60 they still get one shot by pokemon that are within 10 levels of them, i think your meant to do the dlc before you beat the main game. Also there levels are tied to how many gyms you've beat not to the level of the pokemon on your team so even if you change your team out for lower level pokemon they'll still be level 60 which might be fine if you use level 50 pokemon but i think you're meant to do the dlc around the 3rd gym.

    The DLC's "story" is really short if you aren't filling the dex or finding the diglett as you play and have the rare candies needed to get kubfu to level 70 right away it's likely only around two hours, without having the candy ready and not doing the side stuff it will likely only be about a hour longer as the super weak level 60 pokemon make leveling up pretty quick tho raid battles are the best way since you'll get rare candies which are way faster if you're just trying to level up one pokemon.

    Sadly there's no store where you can buy pokeballs which sucks if you want to fill the pokedex (and go into the dlc with less then 70 pokeballs 50 of which are just the basic pokeball) and there are really no trainers either and of the very few trainer battles that there are only one puts up any type of fight with it being the last trainer of the water tower's poliwarth and even then the fight is only like three turns. The map is also a bit of a maze and just going somewhere you've already been can be a bit of a pain if you don't fully remeber how yoiu got there the first time.

    Now i do like the yellow jacket they give you (not the rest of the outfit tho) and two of the new hair styles for the female trainer are pretty nice and tho the new white bike/outfit is better then all the rest in the game there's still a lack of good character customization also tho you do get to have your pokemon follow you you don't get it right away and if you're like me and started looking for the digletts right away or started catching pokemon for your dex it could be a hour or more before you get to have your pokemon follow you. Also finding all the diglett doesn't really get you anything as tho you get some gen 7 versions of pokemon you can pretty easily get them with home so there not much of a reward.    … Expand
  52. muttsy13
    Jun 18, 2020
    4
    Finished the story in just over an hour new wild area is nice to look at and is what the original wild area should of been but 151 digletts to pad out how long it takes to finish this dlc is silly only 8 or 9 trainer battles id wait till the second dlc comes out before buying the pass as ive still hope that will be better
  53. riverkev95
    Jun 18, 2020
    4
    Es un añadido interesante a la aventura que vivimos en Pokémon Sword/Shield con funciones llamativas como la historia del pokémon Kubfu, la nueva área salvaje con ambientes que van desde playas hasta cuevas, algunos pocos nuevos pokémon y el regreso de más de 100 especies de generaciones anteriores, además de la sorpresa del regreso de la característica del pokémon acompañante.
    A pesar    Es un añadido interesante a la aventura que vivimos en Pokémon Sword/Shield con funciones llamativas como la historia del pokémon Kubfu, la nueva área salvaje con ambientes que van desde playas hasta cuevas, algunos pocos nuevos pokémon y el regreso de más de 100 especies de generaciones anteriores, además de la sorpresa del regreso de la característica del pokémon acompañante.
    A pesar del aumento en las horas de juego, este contenido adicional no deja de sentirse como contenido recortado del juego original, lo que vendría siendo el postgame en otras ediciones. Además de la inexplicable limitación en la funcionalidad del pokémon acompañante, la cual no permite utilizarse fuera de la isla. También es inevitable no destacar que los nuevos ambientes no mejoran en lo absoluto la experiencia de juego, lo cual nos muestra una especie de mundo abierto que continúa sintiéndose muy vacío y falto de personalidad.

    En conclusión, si te encantó el juego base deberías comprarte este pase de expansión con la incertidumbre del contenido del segundo DLC, en cambio si el juego base no te convenció del todo recomendaría esperarte aún más para ver si el segundo DLC mejora mucho más la experiencia de juego.

    El precio de $30.00 me parece muy elevado para un pase de expansión y específicamente $15.00 por este DLC no lo vale, habiendo muchos mejores contenidos adicionales de otros juegos o juegos independientes que te ofrecen mucho más por un menor precio.    … Expand
  54. Ernest_Figueroa
    Jun 27, 2020
    4
    Literalmente es contenido recortado. Es muy obvio que esta expansión es lo que debería ser el post game del juego. Lo peor es que podrían haberlo lanzado dos meses después del juego para darle continuidad y de forma gratuita... quizá pase como una disculpa a los usuarios si lo hubieran puesto gratis... pero la avaricia puede más. MUY MAL. La expansión en si no está mal, es difícil ver esteLiteralmente es contenido recortado. Es muy obvio que esta expansión es lo que debería ser el post game del juego. Lo peor es que podrían haberlo lanzado dos meses después del juego para darle continuidad y de forma gratuita... quizá pase como una disculpa a los usuarios si lo hubieran puesto gratis... pero la avaricia puede más. MUY MAL. La expansión en si no está mal, es difícil ver este contenido como positivo si no es gratuito, puesto que el pokemon S&S es muy corto, muy corto en contenido y lo cobraron como pokemon de toda la vida. promedia un 4.… Expand
  55. vitin
    Nov 7, 2020
    4
    Ao mesmo tempo que a DLC adiciona algumas ideias legais, não é o suficiente por esse preço, mais ainda considerando o quão curta ela é. O Urshifu tem uma mecanica divertida, mas não vale a pena. Talvez depois de jogar o The Crown Thundra eu mude de opinião.
  56. Il_Brama
    Jun 18, 2020
    4
    Pro: "new" pokemon, Urshifu and some minigames.
    Con: ALL THE STORY because after 8 months from the release, all people who have had fun playing Pokemon Sword and Shield, have at least 6 pokemon at level 100, but in this DLC the opponents pokemon are between level 58 and 75.. so finishing the DLC is too easy also for a child..
    The question is: WHO IS THIS DLC MADE FOR? surely not for    Pro: "new" pokemon, Urshifu and some minigames.
    Con: ALL THE STORY because after 8 months from the release, all people who have had fun playing Pokemon Sword and Shield, have at least 6 pokemon at level 100, but in this DLC the opponents pokemon are between level 58 and 75.. so finishing the DLC is too easy also for a child..
    The question is: WHO IS THIS DLC MADE FOR? surely not for people who played Sword and Shield after have beaten the League.. and this is a paradox because who buys a DLC is usually a person that has already finished the game..
    My final opinion about this DLC: 4 becouse IT IS WRONG.    … Expand
  57. Eruck
    Jun 19, 2020
    4
    Ofrece poco para el precio correspondiente, no supone ningún tipo de desafío ni aporta nada nuevo al juego base, es una expansión prescindible y mediocre que suma un par de horas de gameplay y nuevos pero no muy interesantes combates y una pequeña extención de historia simple
  58. MohammadBAghri
    Jun 27, 2020
    4
    This text does not contain spoilers
    And that's just a short review, not all parts of the game, and it's just a summary.
    The graphics, gameplay, and storyline aren't as compelling as they should be.
    This is an unresolved issue and unfortunately this game does not have anything attractive.
  59. annual_ring
    Jun 21, 2020
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. too short and less fun
    the "new" pokemon,they should be there in the first place
    gf,grow up    … Expand
  60. RegularWaffles
    Jun 20, 2020
    4
    This expansion has several issues that need to be addressed. Firstly, while the open area is the greatest benefit of this dlc, most of the content in this dlc is fetch quests which are astounding for its price. The addition of pokemon feels like a smack as one of the issues of the base game was that the full dex was not in the game.
  61. asael24
    Jun 24, 2020
    4
    Pokémon es una de mis sagas favoritas, pero con sword and shield la vienen embarrando un poco. Sin embargo, llego la isla de la armadura y cuando creías que ya todo estaba mal, viene lo peor. No es posible que vendan eso como un dlc. Una pequeña historia de un par de horas y Pokémon de otras regiones, es hueco esta expansión. Básicamente cobraron por un traje para el personaje y un PokémonPokémon es una de mis sagas favoritas, pero con sword and shield la vienen embarrando un poco. Sin embargo, llego la isla de la armadura y cuando creías que ya todo estaba mal, viene lo peor. No es posible que vendan eso como un dlc. Una pequeña historia de un par de horas y Pokémon de otras regiones, es hueco esta expansión. Básicamente cobraron por un traje para el personaje y un Pokémon "legendario" o lo que sea. Lo único rescatable es el tamaño de la isla para poder explorar pero ni así, te aburres a las 3 horas de jugarlo.… Expand
  62. mtkf
    Jul 26, 2020
    4
    Wayyyy too short for it's price. Game Freak really screwed up Pokemon this generation. Sword and shield should have been a 3ds game with a $40 price tag
  63. BigTaco
    Aug 31, 2020
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Buy this expansion if you just want another wild area. This exp. forces you to use a pokemon in some fights. This honestly should have been like $10. Easy money grab.… Expand
  64. Fazed
    Nov 23, 2021
    4
    Not very fun at all, its basically just a mini pokemon game story rather than a contiuation but you are just overleved as hell so each battle feels more like a pain in the ass rather than a battle. You basically just have to nerf yourself just to make it feel like there is a progression to the game. I think it is a good way to do the pokedex additions and make the area feel more unique.
  65. Jippe89
    Aug 19, 2020
    3
    This DLC is a big disappointment, a cash grab. No substantial content except time wasting tasks and old Pokémon to catch.

    Yes it's a nice experience to traverse around this island with all Pokémon roaming about, bits that's not enough to demand extra payment for. It's a lackluster "story" and tedious tasks (Diglett...) that should have offered an upgrade. A (for a Pokémon game) boring    This DLC is a big disappointment, a cash grab. No substantial content except time wasting tasks and old Pokémon to catch.

    Yes it's a nice experience to traverse around this island with all Pokémon roaming about, bits that's not enough to demand extra payment for.

    It's a lackluster "story" and tedious tasks (Diglett...) that should have offered an upgrade. A (for a Pokémon game) boring game just got worse. That pains me.    … Expand
  66. Harrison17
    Jul 2, 2020
    3
    debería estar todo ese contenido en el juego inicial una verdadera estafa de Nintendo y game freak
  67. uncledad
    Jun 21, 2020
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The actual location of the DLC, the Isle of Armor, looks much nicer and has better design than most of the base game: there’s less one-way dead ends and areas actually have a reason to return a second time (wow!) in the form of a Diglett collect-a-thon. However, it’s not a super large area, and there isn’t much to do besides complete the story, partially due to the complete absence of enemy trainers to battle, but also due to the lack of /new/ Pokémon to catch. The level scaling miscommunication from the Pokémon Company itself was also incorrect, as the DLC scales exactly like the main game and caps at 60. If you have Pokémon Home, you could essentially fill up your new Isle of Armor Pokédex before you even arrive. The only new Pokémon in the DLC are a gift Pokémon (Kubfu/Urshifu) and an item-reliant Galarian form evolution (Slowbro). They don’t add any new TMs or TRs, which I think is a missed opportunity as the dozen or so new moves from the move tutor are actually pretty cool (regardless of how limited the learnsets are). I wish there was some element of challenge or even just more trainers to fight besides the 6-7 easy ones that are tied into the storyline. I think Kubfu was a cute character and it would’ve been nice for them to expand on its character development from your shy sidekick to a confident kung-fu master. The Restricted Sparring feels like an afterthought in my opinion as it’s just a one-dimensional Battle Tower clone but without some of the fun nuances that make the Battle Tower enjoyable. All in all, the DLC feels shallow and rushed, much like the base SWSH games. The DLC could be ran through in an hour or so, but likely will take you around 3-4 hours if you try to 100% it and enjoy the sights. Sad to see more potential wasted, but at this point with GF, are you even surprised?… Expand
  68. Askhelon
    Jun 19, 2020
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is the first half of the DLC. There are some nice ideas and design (Slowbro, the new rival and dojo characters), the island is of a respectable size with much more detail than the wild area (save some zones, which are very empty still and feel like filler). However, it feels very unfinished and is disappointingly short. The experience is made worse with the poorly working Y-comm, and the following-but-teleporting-every-2-meters pokemon is a big miss. Really expected some suprises that were not shown in the trailers, but the trailers are all there’s to it. They probably show a good 30% of the story.
    The story itself is fun, interactions with the characters are well made, but it's just so short. You can be done with everything in under 2h. Very few trainer battles that use unevolved pokemon. They're not using anything interesting. The first match with Avery uses a lv 60 Abra and slowpoke, which is simply ridiculous after beating the story. Sure, you can enter the DLC as soon as you enter the wild area, but still, this feels disappointing.
    If you come after finishing the main story (which is probably most people), there's NO mention that you're the champion, even the reverse: they refer to Leon and some gym leaders, but act as if you're a nobody. Not that you just went on all screens and newspapers from defeating the Undefeated Champion or saved the world from Eternatus.
    The rest of the island is just a more detailed wild area with dens everywhere, and with how well the Y-Comm is working, it’s not very enticing. The addition of "removed" pokémon doesn't feel like reason enough to buy the DLC (they're unlocked for everyone anyway), and to many, they should have been in the main game already. So I will not consider it content from the expansion, since you don't pay for it. It does feel nice to see all these new faces roaming the island, though.
    They added supposedly a huge feature: following pokémon. Sounds amazing on paper. In practice, it's only available on the isle of armor, and most pokemon won't manage to follow you at your speed (walking or on your bike) and will just teleport at their convenience. Looks horrible. They even added an NPC in the Dojo to disable that; so I guess they knew how bad it was. Fast pokemon even struggle to follow you, I could not understand the logic behind that.    … Expand
  69. Yoir
    Jun 20, 2020
    3
    Que asco de expansión. Se nota que solo hacen los juegos por plata y no por amor. Hasta mejor se ve el Pokémon snap
  70. Darklight000
    Jun 22, 2020
    3
    Sloppy lazy, not worth the money...could have been a free update. Fortunately had just enough to get a three...
  71. Squaf
    Jun 28, 2020
    3
    Not worth the price. The base game is limited in what you can do, and the main storyline is dry. You level up so fast that by the time I got to the end, I was at least 10 levels ahead of the opponents. This game pales in comparison to every other Pokémon game I’ve ever played (smart phone games excluded). The graphics aren’t terrible, but compared to Switch games like Mario Odyssey or BOTWNot worth the price. The base game is limited in what you can do, and the main storyline is dry. You level up so fast that by the time I got to the end, I was at least 10 levels ahead of the opponents. This game pales in comparison to every other Pokémon game I’ve ever played (smart phone games excluded). The graphics aren’t terrible, but compared to Switch games like Mario Odyssey or BOTW it’s pretty bad. Spending $30 on the dlc that I beat in one day is probably the biggest waste of money I’ve ever spent. The best part of the game is definitely the Wild Area, and even that gets pretty underwhelming after a while. Over all it seems like they were rushing to release the game, knowing long time fans would buy it regardless of quality.… Expand
  72. LewisDisease
    Jul 27, 2020
    3
    Content took like a total 2h to beat, being generous, taking it slow and trying to enjoy it.

    Nothing of substance other than the first time exploring the Island, the Kubfu storyline and the challange battles at the dojo. I don't know why I keep expecting greatness from Pokemon games in 2020.
  73. JulienK06
    Dec 11, 2022
    3
    Underwhelming, it should have had more content even tho the open world was fun to explore in the first 15 minutes
  74. Mijdax
    Jun 18, 2020
    2
    It is really beyond me how anyone can give this DLC anything over 5. The DLC consists of a few trainer battles which arent even a challenge when you use freshly cought pokemon from the wild area. Most battles are just rematches and there isnt much to do except a few mmo like fetchquests. The only good thing is that they added more wild area but its fun for 15 minutes and becomes boringIt is really beyond me how anyone can give this DLC anything over 5. The DLC consists of a few trainer battles which arent even a challenge when you use freshly cought pokemon from the wild area. Most battles are just rematches and there isnt much to do except a few mmo like fetchquests. The only good thing is that they added more wild area but its fun for 15 minutes and becomes boring very quickly. What is left then is a bland DLC without any challenge and a bad story.… Expand
  75. CKaedhan
    Jun 21, 2020
    2
    Here are the reasons why you would want this DLC:

    -The new legendary -Pokemons to catch from the island And then the QoLs/"""P2W""" elements: -Gigamax Soup that gives Gigamax gene so your Shiny Charizard can now gigamax instead of just Dynamaxing. -Cram-o-Matic, some recipes are crazy good, 4 candy into a talent pill! -The island currency that allows you to access some features    Here are the reasons why you would want this DLC:

    -The new legendary
    -Pokemons to catch from the island

    And then the QoLs/"""P2W""" elements:
    -Gigamax Soup that gives Gigamax gene so your Shiny Charizard can now gigamax instead of just Dynamaxing.
    -Cram-o-Matic, some recipes are crazy good, 4 candy into a talent pill!
    -The island currency that allows you to access some features such as resetting EVs or teach the new abilities.
    -EVs Drinks at a reduced cost.

    Gameplay wise, you have a weak story and "Mastery challenges", a series of battle that forces you to use a certain type. You also have a quest to find 150 Diglett that was the best experience of all the DLC.

    The story is:
    -Battle 2 trainers.
    -Battle 3 pokemon.
    -Go find Mushrooms.
    -Another Trainer battle.
    -Get the Legendary and max out his happiness.
    -5 Trainer Battle.
    -Find a Pokemon.
    -Find another Pokemon.
    -Find a third Pokemon.
    -One Last battle to conclude the DLC.
    Fin.

    All of this in less than 2h and the content isn't even level scaled.
    I know a fellow pokemon fan that usually take AGES to finish a game, he finished it in 6 hours while taking his time.

    But what about the new island? It's big and diverse. You have a desert, forest, beach and even a neat sea to explore. The textures are still ugly as hell but it isn't as empty as the main game's Wild Area.

    There is actually a bug that prevents Pokemons to be registered in the Pokedex if they come from Pokemon Home. Without this bug I would have completed 100% of the DLC, with of course no guide on how to find the Diglett.

    It's more of a "Pay For Quality of life" type of DLC, like a premium pass that increases your inventory size or ease the access to some elements. You don't pay the DLC for the gameplay or extra challenges. You pay it to complete/fix Sw&Sh features. And they charge you 15$ for it.

    That's a 2 for me, a DLC should bring new ways to enjoy the game. Correction, fix and quality of life should be free update.
    Do you remember that Breath of the Wild DLC Pass was 20$ and added much more ?    … Expand
  76. Tellthem
    Jun 18, 2020
    2
    It really depends on what you were expecting.

    Everything that was shown in the trailer is in the DLC, but very little else is included. It’s very much just a new wild area where you can catch old Pokémon (which should’ve been in the base game) along with two new Pokemon and two new forms. The two new Pokemon are quite good and I like how you get given Kubfu at level 10. The new Galar    It really depends on what you were expecting.

    Everything that was shown in the trailer is in the DLC, but very little else is included.

    It’s very much just a new wild area where you can catch old Pokémon (which should’ve been in the base game) along with two new Pokemon and two new forms. The two new Pokemon are quite good and I like how you get given Kubfu at level 10. The new Galar forms are nothing particularly special and it is irritating that you cannot evolve the Slowpoke into a Slowking until the next DLC.

    The story is insultingly basic and can be completed in under an hour easily. It seems weird that no one recognised you as the champion of Galar either considering the story. The levels of the trainers and wild Pokemon do not seem to go higher than 65-70 either which makes this DLC very easy to complete.

    Another feature introduced is Max Soup which allows you to “Gigantamax” certain Pokemon, such as your Gen 8 starters, manually.

    The remaining new feature allows your Pokemon to follow you around out of their pokeball however this really shouldn’t have been hidden behind a pay wall.

    Overall it seems that Gamefreak have done the bare minimum to create DLC, I would really hope that the next DLC later on in the year is more substantial but I wouldn’t hold my breath.    … Expand
  77. Mapak
    Jun 21, 2020
    2
    It added some of the old Pokemon but just 2 New Pokemon. Like Pokemon Shield/Sword it still feels empty and more like a Beta Version. There is no real Storyline in the Game and the DLC. It's no longer a Pokemon Game you can enjoy.
  78. Marioipod13
    May 25, 2023
    2
    Not a good postgame DLC storyline, Platinum, Black 2, and UltraMoon did more than double better than this without publishing a DLC. It has some interesting new areas but the story is just all cutscenes and little interaction. Additionally, the DLC is overpriced and split into two versions. It's smarter to buy a trio of Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum than waste money on this.
  79. Warbringer
    Feb 21, 2021
    1
    No story. No Pokedex. Not all Pokemon available. Only handholding. Content locked behind DLC. Content locked behind third party apps like "Pokemon Home" "Pokemon Bank" "Nintendo Switch Online". Gamefreak lied to all of us and they admited it.
  80. Obeliskraider
    Jun 27, 2020
    1
    A nice little add on which should of been free. Still haven’t fixed the big glaring issues around the multiplayer raid dens but it’s something that Nintendo likes to over look.
  81. Cabohernandez
    Jun 21, 2020
    1
    This has to be one of the worst DLCever made in the history of video games, not only you are not able to buy it by parts, you are forced to buy the whole season pass for 30$ if you want to try it and if you have both expansions you have to pay 60$ because they are not capable of programming just one for both versions. The story mode is a soulless 1 hour gameplay that consist in gettingThis has to be one of the worst DLCever made in the history of video games, not only you are not able to buy it by parts, you are forced to buy the whole season pass for 30$ if you want to try it and if you have both expansions you have to pay 60$ because they are not capable of programming just one for both versions. The story mode is a soulless 1 hour gameplay that consist in getting Kubfu and evolve it after you beat a non challenging dojo. They only added 4 new Pokemon. Pokemon follows you know. But only in the island and that is hroken, they are slow and because of that, g… Expand
  82. Roymustanguwu
    Jun 19, 2020
    1
    Me parece increible que debamos pagar por algo que es gratis, al final, uno esta pagando solo para poder tener pokemon de otras regiones (pq si el home te deja pasar pokemon de generaciones anteriores, pero, capturarlos jugando no, como si lo es pagando. Game freak se rió de todos nosotros. Lamentable
  83. Madhatterdevoid
    Jun 19, 2020
    1
    This was an absolute waste of time. Easily beatable in a few hours and a whole 2 new pokemon implemented. The story was lackluster and they managed to sell you the opportunity to catch pokemon I guarantee you already have if you use pokemon home. This doesnt add anything new and the map isnt fun to explore in the slightest. Not worth 15 dollars at all. Please do not fund cash grabs such as this.
  84. Reysorciento
    Jun 20, 2020
    1
    Muy poco contenido, solo 100 pokemon y la historia se termina en 1hr, aunque aún falta otra parte del DLC definitivamente en calidad precio no vale la pena.
  85. Legalbeagle
    Jun 21, 2020
    1
    Online is still broken. Broken to the point it is unplayable. It's also equally as sloppy as the original game.
  86. Overlorde
    Jun 22, 2020
    1
    This is the first time in my life I've ever fully hesitated a DLC purchase and on release day , decided not to buy it. The DLC adds boring , tedious side quests and some new characters. They once again , took away all our pokemon roster from every previous game , then added a pinch back for 30$ MORE dollars. They added BACK the mechanic to have pokemkn follow you - this should have been inThis is the first time in my life I've ever fully hesitated a DLC purchase and on release day , decided not to buy it. The DLC adds boring , tedious side quests and some new characters. They once again , took away all our pokemon roster from every previous game , then added a pinch back for 30$ MORE dollars. They added BACK the mechanic to have pokemkn follow you - this should have been in the core game , and its SO BUGGY AND TERRIBLE! The companion pokemon sizes are completely off , you can even stand next to a wild pokemon in the overworld compared to the SAME pokemon following you, and your pokemon will be smaller. Ontop of this , you earn hidden ability pokemon for a side quest where you need to find 150 digletts...THEY TOOK HIDDEN ABILITYS OUT OF THE WILD FOR SOME REASON. So basically its like they wiped the slate here , restarted the pokemon franchise , but asked for money. Completely awful , with this DLC the game is 90$ SO FAR. Will not buy unless there's CORE reworks or improvements and some fixes. We should boycott Nintendo for doing this to all the loyal pokemon fans.… Expand
  87. xSemantics
    Jun 22, 2020
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As a long time and original Pokemon player this expansion is just sad. After being underwhelmed by a very easy and "kiddie" main campaign I had hoped for more. This expansion gives very little in creativity and story. It amounts to maybe 4 hours of game-play the majority of which is looking for digletts (spoiler alert). Similar to the main campaign, there really isn't any story for this DLC. Just menial tasks you're walked through. There's no connection for the player to get emotionally invested in what's going on. I personally don't think it's worth the purchase. Maybe the next DLC will be better and it will be worth buying both as a package, but as of right now I'd be skeptical.… Expand
  88. TestingTest123
    Aug 4, 2020
    1
    How are people actually willing to pay $30 for this?

    - The DLC is extremely easy even compared to the already piss easy main game, due to the amazingly bad level scaling where Pokemon were generally around the levels 50-70s and your Pokemon will be around levels 80-100s. You will just be mindlessly tapping A for every single battle to the point where it becomes tedious as all hell to    How are people actually willing to pay $30 for this?

    - The DLC is extremely easy even compared to the already piss easy main game, due to the amazingly bad level scaling where Pokemon were generally around the levels 50-70s and your Pokemon will be around levels 80-100s. You will just be mindlessly tapping A for every single battle to the point where it becomes tedious as all hell to "play".

    - Wild area was ok-ish but honestly not enough to justify a $30 price tag

    - Following Pokemon was a nice touch to bring back from LGPE. However, Pokemon will constantly teleport and pop-in from nowhere when they lag behind the player. This is quite distracting and honestly became annoying to look at after a while.

    - Story was straight up non existent and the DLC can be completed in about 2 hours (being generous here).

    - The Digletts (why?)

    - Another battle tower clone (no effort as per usual).

    This just goes to show that Gamefreak realizes that they can just keep cutting content and brain dead consoomers/casuals will just eat it up no matter the price.    … Expand
  89. doltorb
    Oct 14, 2020
    1
    I can't believe I spent £70 on this game. I spent 25 hours in total playing (most of which seemed to be spent watching story animations waiting to be able to do anything) and feel like I have done everything there is to do already.
    This has to be the most simple plot of any pokemon game I've ever played. Every step of the way you are led through the basic maps without really having to    I can't believe I spent £70 on this game. I spent 25 hours in total playing (most of which seemed to be spent watching story animations waiting to be able to do anything) and feel like I have done everything there is to do already.
    This has to be the most simple plot of any pokemon game I've ever played. Every step of the way you are led through the basic maps without really having to explore at all, the cities are visually impressive but lack any actually interesting features. The standard good guys vs bad guys subplot is simpler than any other game and lacks any difficulty. There is no post-game content other than the isle of armor DLC which basically just adds a second wild area and a tiny plot that can probably be completed in 30 minutes.
    The graphics are impressive but don't make up for how lacking in substance this game is.    … Expand
  90. Suroguner
    Oct 17, 2020
    0
    I managed to get the DLC for free buy buying a bunch of other better games and collecting the my Nintendo gold coins. Getting into the DLC, it's not worth it. Following pokemon is broken and worse than the previous games in the series that had the feature.

    While the game was updated to support players who don't have the dlc, you still have no real way to get the pokemon it has without    I managed to get the DLC for free buy buying a bunch of other better games and collecting the my Nintendo gold coins. Getting into the DLC, it's not worth it. Following pokemon is broken and worse than the previous games in the series that had the feature.

    While the game was updated to support players who don't have the dlc, you still have no real way to get the pokemon it has without some form of payment. While a non-issue for past games, Here it's a bigger problem as it's either a minimum of $8 for a combo of Bank and home, provided you still have a 3ds and a bank compatible game, or a max of $30 (plus tax) for access. One could argue you could get it for free doing what I did, but that technically is just a more expensive way of getting the DLC without giving the money to the pokemon company and Gamefreak.

    One of the advertised features, the apricorns, gives you the wrong idea about getting more apricorn based pokeballs. the only exchange for them gives you totally random items and you must use 4 items at a time. In the past Johto games, these items were given directly to a NPC named Kurt who made the balls for you with them.

    The addition of another wild area seemed good at first, until you start catching everything. Because you can see the pokemon now, what pokemon you can find where is even less of a mystery and you can actively avoid encounters. After that the area becomes boring.

    What could be considered a double edged sword is that because you could come to it at any time, the area scales up ALL the pokemon based on your current progress in the base game.

    the diggers who dig up armorite or are actually worse than the diggers who dig up items and watts as if their shovels break you get nothing opposed to getting what they dug up. It's a gamble to even use them, and I'm not sure if this feature is even legal in Korea.

    Despite not being through the DLC's story at the time of writing, the dlc is just not worth it. Not even by the method I used to get it. On the plus side, I got a bunch of better games along the way.    … Expand
  91. Vissarion
    Jun 21, 2020
    0
    I think this game lacks many things, but more imprtantly you don't get anything of value of what you pay.
    1 hour of content, graphics still bad, you have to pay to access certain pokemon, etc.etc. really bad choice.
  92. Nati
    Mar 14, 2021
    0
    This DLC has absolutely destroyed Pokemon Sword/Shield Ranked matching.

    Ranked is just an imbalanced JOKE now that requires zero skill or knowledge and spamming Legendaries. Urshifu is OP... I dont care about your "debate" That pokemon is OP. Not to mention other STARTLING imbalance issues that has ruined a long history of great competitive gameplay. Way to kick the hardcore fans    This DLC has absolutely destroyed Pokemon Sword/Shield Ranked matching.

    Ranked is just an imbalanced JOKE now that requires zero skill or knowledge and spamming Legendaries.

    Urshifu is OP... I dont care about your "debate" That pokemon is OP. Not to mention other STARTLING imbalance issues that has ruined a long history of great competitive gameplay.

    Way to kick the hardcore fans Pokemon, this was a rediculous decision. 0/10

    PS My review is about THE WHOLE game, but Pokemon seem to think these DLC deserves a title on their own. So I will return the favour and 0/10 them all.    … Expand
  93. Gallego
    Jun 28, 2020
    0
    Contenido de pago recortado de un juego base desastroso, el cual ni siquiera añade contenido acorde a su precio. Una total basura.
  94. greninjaX
    Nov 25, 2020
    0
    pokemon SWSH and it's expansion pass are stupid wastes of money. gamefreak put zero effort into making this. where's the real 8th gen? is this some kind of twisted joke!?
  95. Lobo_Nocturno
    Jul 18, 2020
    0
    Sorry but Gamefreak is not allowed to sell us pokemon from old games, previous games had this feature de facto. Poor adition to a poor base game. Offensively easy and there is no difference between Shield and Sword DLC so it's nonsense selling them separate... a total mess.
  96. Lareplay
    Jun 18, 2020
    0
    This game, it's so unattractive! The added areas are all small volumes, with no answers to what you've been doing for a year! The game is so boring, fun! You can tell it's a real rush.
  97. Edumiroku
    Jun 19, 2020
    0
    Postgame que debió estar en el juego, no vale la pena pagar 30 pavos por el postgame de un juego y por un contenido que oficialmente fue recortado con la intención de sacar más dinero. Sorry not sorry
  98. RobbieRelhas
    Oct 28, 2020
    0
    Garbage dlc for a garbage game as expected.
  99. GabFire
    Aug 9, 2020
    0
    Tutorial de como estragar uma franquia super conhecida e aclamada por todos, terceira e melhor parte:
    Passo número 1: Chame a Nintendo!
    Parabéns!!! Você concluiu seu tutorial.
  100. LongHappyFrog
    Jun 18, 2020
    0
    Its really hard for me as someone that loves Pokemon to see how far in the opposite direction the game has gone. This DLC to me mainly feels they took all the complaints that the game had on launch and tried to put a price tag on it. Not only that it feels like you are paying for content that should have just already been in the main game! This is the post game! Why do i have to pay forIts really hard for me as someone that loves Pokemon to see how far in the opposite direction the game has gone. This DLC to me mainly feels they took all the complaints that the game had on launch and tried to put a price tag on it. Not only that it feels like you are paying for content that should have just already been in the main game! This is the post game! Why do i have to pay for it!

    Not only did they put this dumb price tag on it they put as much effort into this DLC as they did the main game. They couldn't even do the Pokemon following you correctly. They put this giant invisible box around the Pokemon so you cant even get near it which in my guess is laziness on not wanting to develop collision for each individual Pokemon. Not only that they just copied over the same code they used for wild over world Pokemon and used it for the following mechanic. That's right! Your Pokemon that is following you is just a wild spawned Pokemon chasing you! This is why some of the Pokemon who normally dont spawn in the world have very slow speed and dont even move! They have to teleport to catch up to you! That is not FOLLOWING! They added more Pokemon cool i guess, should be in the main game already.
    Its laziness that's all this DLC is and that's all Sword and Shield is. It is the equivalent if in gen 4 they made it so once you beat the elite four you had to spend 30$ to go to the end game islands. As a hard core Pokemon fan for 12 years i am disappointed.    … Expand
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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.
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  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.
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