Pokemon Sword

 Switch
User Score
4.7

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 5909 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,997 out of 5909
  2. Mixed: 852 out of 5909
  3. Negative: 3,060 out of 5909
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  1. pseudo_gamer
    Dec 8, 2019
    4
    Its so obvious they rushed the game for the release date. There is nothing really new, its all the same! Its ok i guess, but mostly is just boring. I feel like they could have done SO much more with the Switch its hardly any better than a DS game.
  2. AllenF
    Dec 13, 2019
    0
    Nothing more that I can add. It's a downgrade and is several steps backward in many ways. Empty buildings, terrible online functionality, easy difficulty even for a Pokemon game, no HA hunting outside of max raids, Gigantamax/Dynamax is just Z move x3 turns with Uber HP, the wild is vast and boring after the initial viewing, there is 0 endgame outside of boring and impossible-to-soloNothing more that I can add. It's a downgrade and is several steps backward in many ways. Empty buildings, terrible online functionality, easy difficulty even for a Pokemon game, no HA hunting outside of max raids, Gigantamax/Dynamax is just Z move x3 turns with Uber HP, the wild is vast and boring after the initial viewing, there is 0 endgame outside of boring and impossible-to-solo raids, berry farming sucks and is all random. Nothing to love about this game. If it were the first in a Pokemon series, it would be an OK game at best. This half-baked game is shameful. Here's to hoping for gen 9. This hurts me so much as someone who grew up with Pokemon… Expand
  3. Ayresbrun
    Dec 11, 2019
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Game seems unfinished in a lot of aspects.
    It is the worst pkm game i ever played. I have all of them and this is the only one i stopped at 35 hours of gameplay. Can’t even bring myself to take online battles in this format. My pkm are staying in USUM.

    Pros:
    - a lot of character customization
    - good menus
    - pkm league with random trainers
    - the stadium vibration in battles is awesome. U feel like it is a match to watch.
    - wild pkm on screen
    - internet connection similar to PSS

    Cons:
    - only 10 routes
    - wild area is a mashup of areas that don’t fit together
    - supersized pkm feels like a flawed gimmick near z moves and mega evos.
    - the games takes nearly 15 - 20 hours to finish
    - no post game content. I mean, not a thing... the battle tower is garbage.
    - exp share turned on forever makes your party overleveled entire game (the champion was 7 lvls below my pkm without grind).
    - graphics glitches in matches
    - poor visuals in a lot of cities, itens and cutscenes
    - Removal of GTS. U can’t post what pkm u want on the internet
    - U can’t catch pokemon above your badge lvl. So if u see a pkm u want but its overleveled, come back other time.
    - Mediocre legendaries
    - Mediocre story
    - More cutscenes than Sun and Moon
    - a rival as annoying as Hau
    - Kanto pandering. (Charizard lover here, but even i think it needs to stop)    … Expand
  4. fishfarter400
    Dec 11, 2019
    1
    Everyone is complaining about the National Dex being left out of the game, but the issue with this game is far deeper. I think majority of us are upset with the end product because we all were expecting much more from the first core Pokemon game in the series on a next gen console that isn't just a handheld. Seeing screenshots online of a Pokemon game done in the style of Breath Of TheEveryone is complaining about the National Dex being left out of the game, but the issue with this game is far deeper. I think majority of us are upset with the end product because we all were expecting much more from the first core Pokemon game in the series on a next gen console that isn't just a handheld. Seeing screenshots online of a Pokemon game done in the style of Breath Of The Wild makes your imagination run wild on what a Pokemon could and should be. Instead we were all left with another regurgitated Pokemon game, that has been dumbed down to the point where there is no challenge to the game at all. There are so many missed opportunities with this game and it's not just the national dex. The game as a whole isn't a terrible game, but it's an extremely disappointing Pokemon game that leaves us wondering what could actually be, and it's left me feeling that I am done with the series, and I won't be bothered to play another Pokemon game unless we see a new game with some real wow factor.… Expand
  5. marvalarv
    Dec 13, 2019
    4
    You can't keep rebranding the same gimmick button from five generations ago and call it an innovation
  6. Silaf
    Aug 18, 2020
    3
    How can this game possibly be on a sistem that can run skyrim? Confront the wild area with skyrim... it's absurd.
    Online services are terrible and you need to pay for it. It was way better in x y with the gts. The game is getting worse instead of improving.
    Masuda lied and resold us old models instead of improving te game.
  7. Yosik
    Dec 14, 2019
    4
    I grew up with the pokémon franchise and have played through every official generation pokémon game alongside some spin off titles. Pokémon Sword has its moments of wonder when running into new pokémon you haven't seen before & that nostalgic feeling returns reminding you what you love about the franchise. But then outside the boundaries of new pokémon & extremely linear exploration,I grew up with the pokémon franchise and have played through every official generation pokémon game alongside some spin off titles. Pokémon Sword has its moments of wonder when running into new pokémon you haven't seen before & that nostalgic feeling returns reminding you what you love about the franchise. But then outside the boundaries of new pokémon & extremely linear exploration, you're met with what feels like a rushed game skinned with extra polygons for Nintendo Switch.

    Despite the controversy surrounding the game, as a game itself it felt quite poor in quality ranging from the boring & useless dialogue which seemed to go on for the entirety of the game to your rival or some other character stopping you in nearly every new area. At the time of writing this, the games score is 80 but this score to me should be more like 40. That may appear harsh but given the tools & resources this game had in development, it's mind boggling how it was able to be so boring. Animations are akin to nintendo 3DS versions of previous pokémon games & despite being on a more powerful system, the graphics & animation appear to be sub-par. I would compare the ageing of the pokémon franchise to that of Dragon Quest. Both franchises are roughly the same age & both franchises also have similar mechanics in regards to turn based play, monsters which evolved from random encounters in their older games to appearing on screen in their latest counterparts. Dragon Quest did its sequel & that franchise justice with its amazing story & incredible graphics in Dragon Quest XI Definitive Edition. Where the latter is concerned, Pokémon Sword, in my opinion has been released in an uncompleted form with the potential to be so much greater but instead is an underbaked cake that falls apart when you cut into it. Poor dialogue, useless side quests that prolong progression & for no other purpose. The pokémon community is full of all ages from children to mature adults & unfortunately the Pokémon company alongside ganefreak have failed to grow with their community. This revelation is clearly justified by Pokémon Sword & Pokémon Shield.    … Expand
  8. IGNisaFraud
    Dec 15, 2019
    1
    Many people who defend this game will often say things like "the main story never really matters" or "I play for the postgame anyway." The postgame is shallower than Sun/Moon's. What postgame is there? Why would you pay $60-80 and not have any care about a main campaign (what is this, Call of Duty?)?

    There are surprisingly many exploits, bugs, etc. that affect both the main and postgame    Many people who defend this game will often say things like "the main story never really matters" or "I play for the postgame anyway." The postgame is shallower than Sun/Moon's. What postgame is there? Why would you pay $60-80 and not have any care about a main campaign (what is this, Call of Duty?)?

    There are surprisingly many exploits, bugs, etc. that affect both the main and postgame in annoying, sometimes harsh ways. The positives of this game which you may have heard about from the likes of corporate reviewers like IGN, NintendoLife and others are blown out of proportion. Quality of life changes are really all there is to enjoy, because who doesn't appreciate convenience? Everything else, from the Wild Area to side quests and activities are not 9/10 worthy.

    Game Freak unfortunately couldn't use their time and massive wealth to make Pokemon new AND better, a task which isn't that difficult to achieve.    … Expand
  9. KANATA
    Dec 15, 2019
    0
    I was very disappointed and IGN was a joke，GameFreak is lLazy and arrogant。
  10. KingofLions
    Dec 17, 2019
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Este es el fin, de todos nosotros, hemos vivido el auge, el amanecer de un imperio mundial, en donde los compradores ya no exigirán lo más de sus productos y cada vez, chistes como los Fifas, Cod y este juego llegarán a cubrir la tierra entera, he seguido la saga desde pequeño y admira a mis heroes, que eran capaces de en un juego en una videoconsola que cabía en mi bolsillo, dos regiones enteras, y la misma cantidad de pokemons que hay en este juego, no tengo nada personal en contra de este juego, me lo he pasado todo e incluso lo he llegado a disfrutar por momentos, pero lo que me enferma son los tóxicos resultadistas que creen que de la vida hay que aceptar esto, es que esto no hay por donde cogerlo, no fue hecho con amor, cómo es posible que este juego comparte catálogos con obras maestras en Switch como el Odyssey, el BOTW, Three Houses o Ultimate, cuando dicen que es el mejor juego de la saga, los considero locos, pero decir que este es el mejor juego de la consola, es una vergüenza, los personajes son un copia y pega de los personajes en Sol y Luna, la historia es más sencilla, aunque no ha estado del todo mal, el roster estuvo bien, aunque pudo ser un poco más grande, lo que me vuelve loco fueron las mentiras que se atrevieron a decirnos a la cara, que lo de las animaciones ultra detalladas, que lo del pasto, que lo de las horas de juego, vendiendolo como Dios en forma de cartucho de 36 gb que cuesta lo mismo que BOTW, un juego infinito con un mundo abierto que es probablemente el mejor juego de la historia, cada cosa a su tiempo, y los enfermitos que le ponen 10 a este juego, no siendo objetivos, se me pueden ir a jugar Fifa 20 Champions Edition y ver The Last Jedi, porque esto no queremos en una comunidad de Switch, espero que Game Freak reflexione y se tome su tiempo para desarrollar un juego mejor que este de aquí y que si va a hacer cagadas, que digan la verdad, ya estuvo, joder.

    ENGLISH TRANSCRIPTION
    This is the end, of all of us, we have lived the boom, the dawn of a world empire, where buyers will no longer demand the most of their products and each time, jokes like the Fifas, Cod and this game will come to cover the whole earth, I have followed the saga since I was little and admires my heroes, who were capable of in a game on a console that fit in my pocket, two entire regions, and the same amount of pokemons that there are in this game, I have nothing personal against this game, I've been through it all and I've even come to enjoy it at times, but what makes me sick are the toxic who believe that life is to accept this, this is not where to take it, it was not done with love, how is it possible that this game shares catalogs with masterpieces in Switch as the Odyssey, the BOTW, Three Houses or Ultimate, when they say it is the best game in the series, I consider them crazy, but say that this is the best game on the console, is a shame, the characters are a copy and paste of the characters in Sun and Moon, the story is simpler, although it has not been entirely wrong, the roster was good, although it could have been a little bigger, what drives me crazy were the lies that dared to tell us to the face, that of the ultra-detailed animations, that of the grass, that of the hours of play, selling it as God in the form of a 36 gb cartridge that costs the same as BOTW, an infinite game with an open world that is probably the best game in history, everything at its time, and the sick people who put 10 to this game, not being objective, I can go to play Fifa 20 Champions Edition and see The Last Jedi, because this we do not want in a community of Switch, I hope Game Freak reflects and takes his time to develop a game better than this here and that if you're going to do **** tell the truth, it's already been.    … Expand
  11. Anonijm21
    Dec 18, 2019
    0
    Cutet Pokedex ,Gigantamax Suck,same animations as 6th and 7th Gen Gamefreaks sues Leakers,Leakers which tried to warn us
  12. Pidabyte
    Dec 18, 2019
    3
    They promised us a veteran game, but is just a casual pokemon (again). Its too easy, simpe graphics, cutdex, poor animations and shorty.
  13. Zequila
    Oct 10, 2020
    2
    An incredibly boring and repeatitive game. Unbalanced and with ton of cut contents, short and with a very poor graphic. Worst level design of the series and and very little areas to exploring. It's enough?
  14. Mitchie22
    Dec 22, 2019
    4
    I enjoy the game but some part of me really wishes I bought Let's go Eevee or pikatchu instead, by comparison lets go is more beautiful graphically, allows with better interactivity with pokemon including riding.
    I bought sword and im disappointed, i was hoping that with the more open landscape of the wild area it'd be a perfect place to ride and spend time with my pokemon, the camp    I enjoy the game but some part of me really wishes I bought Let's go Eevee or pikatchu instead, by comparison lets go is more beautiful graphically, allows with better interactivity with pokemon including riding.
    I bought sword and im disappointed, i was hoping that with the more open landscape of the wild area it'd be a perfect place to ride and spend time with my pokemon, the camp feature is Okay but gets boring fast since you only have two toys to play with and the talk feature, I was really hoping pokemon would be able to follow you around which is seriously a feature game freak needs to stop being indecisive about having in their games, get rid of the bike and let players ride pokemon, more interactivity with pokemon is what makes a good pokemon game, we want to be trainers who actually spend time and enjoy our travels with our partners, that's how every pokemon should become and stay for the future. The bike outfit is ugly, nuff said about that, I honestly dislike the raids, they're fun to play with other players but the for solo play the ai is a hot mess that is perfectly incapable of making good decisions, who sold those people pokeball anyways? The shield that dynamaxed raid mons get is annoying, mostly because it's scripted to come up at certain HP points preventing you from just one shouting raid mons, don't get me started on the pokedex cut, i was saddened by the fact i could get a dragonight one of my favorite pokemon, along with many others, thank go i can at least get Arcanine, but still, i feel Game freak took waaay to many lazy decisions with this game, the pokedex cut being the most glaring along with graphic quality as compared to the let's go games.    … Expand
  15. Drizzyt10
    Dec 25, 2019
    0
    Game freak... really? Creatures inc... really? The Pokémon company.. really? Trash
  16. Missiletainn
    Dec 27, 2019
    4
    The overall Experience feels rushed, they took all the wrong criticisms from Sun and Moon, with a serious downgrade in story and characters, but kept the horrible pacing, terrible route and town designs where everything is basically one street, with the occasional side road. The Music is cheap and uninteresting, being played on dollar store MIDIs, the graphics of the game are sub-par evenThe overall Experience feels rushed, they took all the wrong criticisms from Sun and Moon, with a serious downgrade in story and characters, but kept the horrible pacing, terrible route and town designs where everything is basically one street, with the occasional side road. The Music is cheap and uninteresting, being played on dollar store MIDIs, the graphics of the game are sub-par even for the switch, though the aesthetics for the character designs are really good, and the overall world aesthetics are nice, the new pokemon designs on the other hand are probably the most decisive and overall worst since generation one, the ratio of sheer misses compared to big hits is about 5:1 for the new pokemon, compared to the last two generations lovely quality over quantity, Galar has neither. It does 2 things well, the integration of Gyms into the culture, and the wild area, but neither are done perfectly, the linear progression of the gyms ruins some of the experience as there is no real reason you have to face them in such a strict order, and the wild area is ugliest part of the game, as well as one with lots of missed potential, it feels small, and it should've had access to every city, and been there to remove most of the worthless nothing routes. it could've been hub where you could then go to each city with a gym to challenge them in any order you see fit, but right now, while being the best part of the game, the wild area is certainly lacking.

    Overall, the game feels rushed, GameFreak NEED to hire help if they want to continue doing Pokemon games at the scale and size they are trying, they cannot handle the workload, and hiring teams to optimise, transfer, and update data from old games would not get in the way of their creative team, they don't know how to optimise and it shows, especially with the draw distance.    … Expand
  17. jz_paris
    Dec 31, 2019
    1
    Very bad experiences with version sword. A lot of Pokémon is banned and the shield limited Pokémon can not be collected. Very bad YY communication system, you can NOT get the real time info from it and possible to connect to anyone else when your try to exchange Pokémon with your friends. One point for the music, and the others are 0, it is a proper score.
  18. Xevius
    Jan 3, 2020
    4
    The worst main Pokemon Game so far.
    Still good Games but not for Hardcore Fans.
  19. Dudebro420
    Jan 9, 2020
    1
    Was waiting to see if there would be any patches/dlc. Well, there is now and I can safely say I’m out of the franchise. The main points of contention about the main game have been made countless times so I’m not going to make them again. To add a $30 charge to a broken and unfinished game is greed. There’s no other way to describe it. You’re still not getting all of the Pokèmon, theWas waiting to see if there would be any patches/dlc. Well, there is now and I can safely say I’m out of the franchise. The main points of contention about the main game have been made countless times so I’m not going to make them again. To add a $30 charge to a broken and unfinished game is greed. There’s no other way to describe it. You’re still not getting all of the Pokèmon, the animations are still garbage, the graphics are still quality of an iOS 7 game. If the dlc was being made available for free, this would probably be a 3-4, but the announcement of the dlc put such a bad taste in my mouth that I’m going be trading in my copy tomorrow. Nintendo needs to step it up. The practice of getting every cent out of its customers (who else charges $60 for a port of a last console release) is getting out of hand and old. Much like this franchise.… Expand
  20. GabFire
    Aug 9, 2020
    2
    Tutorial de como estragar uma franquia super conhecida e aclamada por todos, segunda parte:
    Passo número 1: Chame a Nintendo!
    Parabéns!!! Você concluiu seu tutorial.
  21. Chores
    Oct 10, 2020
    2
    The core mechanic is broken, the game is too easy. There is no challenge in battles at all, you need to set your own rules to have fun. It is possible to beat the game without any Pokémon deceased.
  22. LongHappyFrog
    Sep 3, 2020
    0
    Worst pokemon game i have ever played. Didn't even feel like pokemon and it go to the point the story felt like a chore to play though. You could pay me and even then i dread to play though this game again.
  23. Ludcario
    Apr 3, 2020
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's a Nice try, but so was alola and they keep triying and triying selling us demos with boring underdeveloped characters diguised as deep with a couple lines about how they Will surpase You when they obviously won't, also worst villain ver, could have been Best villain ever, with such fame amd limitless resources, just a moneygrab, it's so sad to seer the love they puto no Mario and Zelda… Expand
  24. GAMESMAN-T
    Apr 13, 2020
    2
    It is embarrassing that pokemon is such a huge and profitable franchise and all they can come up with is this mediocre and completely forgettable game.
  25. danoreviewsbro
    May 3, 2020
    0
    disgusting, boring as f*ck, awful and crap graphics, no excuses since pokemon is the highest grossing franchise of all time
  26. Teosas
    Jun 8, 2020
    1
    This game is just incomplete, it isn't funny and the cut of the roster is one of the worst things in the world, it isn't make sense, the graphics is decent but is not up to the hardware.
    (The switch can run Zelda BoTW)
  27. Joeymeca
    Jun 12, 2020
    2
    juego por debajo de mediocre, llevo 20 años jugando a la saga y apoyando el juego en sus altas y bajas pero este es el colmo del minimo esfuerzo. graficos pesimos para una switch, historia inexistente, contenido imperdonable retirado (60% de la pokedex) va a 10 fps en el area salvaje, falta de contenido propio como una gts interna y todo con el fin de vender DLC para completar un juego quejuego por debajo de mediocre, llevo 20 años jugando a la saga y apoyando el juego en sus altas y bajas pero este es el colmo del minimo esfuerzo. graficos pesimos para una switch, historia inexistente, contenido imperdonable retirado (60% de la pokedex) va a 10 fps en el area salvaje, falta de contenido propio como una gts interna y todo con el fin de vender DLC para completar un juego que vino fraccionado de manera intencional. como fan de esta saga fue mi mayor decepcion en cuanto a videojuego se refiere en toda mi vida, lamento que una empresa como gamefreak y nintendo hayan caido tan bajo teniendo las herramientas para hacerlo infinitamente mejor.… Expand
  28. julian20
    Jun 25, 2020
    1
    I loved past Pokemon games and seeing sword and shield being so bad is heartbreaking. As a nintendo game I never wanted the highest resolution and stuff, but Pokemon Sword and Shield are so underwhelming it's an incredible achievement for gamefreak. Too much to cover it here.
    Besides that, the overworld design was disappointing, the giganto mechanic is dumb, the wild area is bs and I    I loved past Pokemon games and seeing sword and shield being so bad is heartbreaking. As a nintendo game I never wanted the highest resolution and stuff, but Pokemon Sword and Shield are so underwhelming it's an incredible achievement for gamefreak. Too much to cover it here.
    Besides that, the overworld design was disappointing, the giganto mechanic is dumb, the wild area is bs and I don't like the the designs of the starters AT ALL... Also earlier pokemons are missing (lookup gamefreak lied). And the gameplay felt bland. You are better of playing the gba/ds/3ds games...
    Maybe they don't mess up the next switch games, though I don't have my hopes high.    … Expand
  29. mtkf
    Dec 9, 2020
    3
    A very very disappointing cash grab from Game Freak and Nintendo. There is no reason this game couldn't have been on the 3ds as a $40 game. It looks horrible compared to most games on the switch, is a buggy mess, has massive pop-in issues and no post game content whatsoever unless you shell out another $30 for the dlc, which is also half assed. Worst mainline pokemon to date, which is sadA very very disappointing cash grab from Game Freak and Nintendo. There is no reason this game couldn't have been on the 3ds as a $40 game. It looks horrible compared to most games on the switch, is a buggy mess, has massive pop-in issues and no post game content whatsoever unless you shell out another $30 for the dlc, which is also half assed. Worst mainline pokemon to date, which is sad because it could have been stellar if some actual love and care went into the development of the game.… Expand
  30. Lehefir
    Aug 7, 2020
    2
    Desapointing, bad optimized. Playing since red/blue, I give up the franchise. Wild area its not interesting to play, the frame rate goes way down, giving headache. Bad interaction with your friends, compared to XY gen.
  31. Mr_retro7000
    Aug 7, 2020
    0
    Just spent 60 **** dollars on a half finished game. If you want to play a pokemon game then just download an emulator. You are better off that way.
  32. frdifrna
    Aug 8, 2020
    3
    A very shallow pokemon experience, with a story and lore where everything happens under the player's nose, and cities that, no matter how big a populous, you only have access to a few houses, besides the extremely short routes. All this for a very badly executed open world that is the Wild Area, where it relies mostly of the online services that are very primitive in Y-Comm. InterestingA very shallow pokemon experience, with a story and lore where everything happens under the player's nose, and cities that, no matter how big a populous, you only have access to a few houses, besides the extremely short routes. All this for a very badly executed open world that is the Wild Area, where it relies mostly of the online services that are very primitive in Y-Comm. Interesting characters but extremely bad exploited in the game itself. It simply could be a better game with the developers weren't so greedy.… Expand
  33. Xverr
    Aug 11, 2020
    0
    As a pokemon player, this game is a complete disapointments. Graphics are an insult, wild area is bad imolemented, the game is ridiculously easy, no all pokemonas,caves and dungeons are so linear, the history is awfull, to sum up, game is very incompleted.
  34. Nmzdcb
    Aug 17, 2020
    4
    So forget the graphics, forget the lack of a full pokedex and the mostly bad animation whatever, that's all fluff. This game is just fundamentally bad. Take away the online capabilities and the open(ish) world, this can easily have been made on the DS and maybe even the game boy advance (of course not with the same graphical fidelity). Believe me the the old school formula is fine but theSo forget the graphics, forget the lack of a full pokedex and the mostly bad animation whatever, that's all fluff. This game is just fundamentally bad. Take away the online capabilities and the open(ish) world, this can easily have been made on the DS and maybe even the game boy advance (of course not with the same graphical fidelity). Believe me the the old school formula is fine but the as its first real console outing this game could have been amazing and instead it reeks of laziness. Way too short, way too shallow and no end game what so ever. Game Freak should be ashamed of themselves to release this in the state that they did. Someone new to the pokemon games may find this to be a decent game but as a pokemon bet this is literally the same game we have been getting since Red and Blue (once again, save the openish world environment and online features). This game is an utter disgrace and any long-time pokemon fan should stay far away from it… Expand
  35. NuiHarime
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    juego incompleto, una mierda en toda regla, no importa si tiene los mejores personajes, el juego es una basura
  36. Azraelfx
    Aug 31, 2020
    1
    It's really disappointing, not at all what people expected...........
  37. ZeroBacon
    Sep 5, 2020
    3
    I have been a Pokémon fan for 7 years. I have played all generations except 5, and I can say with certainty that although gen’s 3,4, and the rest had really repetitive gameplay, they still had some charm to them. Good music, great graphics, everything. Sword and Shield were a big disappointment. They had recycled animation, a Pokédex being cut down after spending twenty years of working onI have been a Pokémon fan for 7 years. I have played all generations except 5, and I can say with certainty that although gen’s 3,4, and the rest had really repetitive gameplay, they still had some charm to them. Good music, great graphics, everything. Sword and Shield were a big disappointment. They had recycled animation, a Pokédex being cut down after spending twenty years of working on it, and a bad story with terrible dialogue, and just okay characters. The series since gen 6-7 has been really underwhelming, and has lost everything that made Pokemon pokemon. They think they can just make whatever the heck they want because they know the fans will buy it, and they are correct. Us fans need to step up and tell GameFreak and the Pokémon company itself and tell them in their faces that this is not what we want. Know I am worried if the inevitable Sinnoh remakes will end up the same. Boring and repetitive with a cut Pokédex and recycled animations, just as Sword and Shield was.… Expand
  38. Lochoupp
    Sep 7, 2020
    3
    Étant novice de la série des jeux Pokémon mais friand des Jrpg, je me suis dit que jouer à Pokémon Épée serait plutôt sympathique ou tout au moins divertissant. Hélas, ce jeu n'est honnêtement pas un bon jeu. Gameplay très limité même avec une multitude de Pokémon, animations vraiment pas terribles, peu diversifiées et très saccadées, graphismes honteux pour une switch et clipping abusif àÉtant novice de la série des jeux Pokémon mais friand des Jrpg, je me suis dit que jouer à Pokémon Épée serait plutôt sympathique ou tout au moins divertissant. Hélas, ce jeu n'est honnêtement pas un bon jeu. Gameplay très limité même avec une multitude de Pokémon, animations vraiment pas terribles, peu diversifiées et très saccadées, graphismes honteux pour une switch et clipping abusif à souhait. De plus les modèles des personnages sont recyclés absolument partout dans le jeu (il se peu que plusieurs personnages aient exactement le même skin côte à côte), l'environnement n'est pas du tout diversifié dans un open world triste avec une musique oubliable.
    Pour donner quelques bons points au jeu, je trouve que l'ambiance dans les arènes est plutôt bien reproduite et on sent vraiment une importance au combat avec le dynamax malgré la facilité déconcertante que l'on a à battre les membres de la ligue.
    Malheureusement j'aurais aimé dire que ce jeu était bien, mais c'est pas parce que c'est Pokémon que tous les défauts doivent passer à la trappe parce que c'est Pokémon et que c'est comme ça depuis longtemps... Non, ces défauts sont inexcusables aujourd'hui quelque soit la licence.
    Je n'ai pas passé un bon moment avec ce jeu, mais j'espère que le contenu additionnel saura ajouter du contenu en quantité importante pour rattraper le vide qu'il y a et pas seulement un ajout bête de Pokémon.    … Expand
  39. Kijuger
    Sep 29, 2020
    1
    A shame, millions and millions of dollars available to make this product and we find ourselves with a disastrous technical sector, and as has already been pointed out by many other users, they must begin to understand that the main fanbase of the game is not children and therefore to stop with ridiculous and cringe dialogues, scenes and characterizations etc, it's time to give us someA shame, millions and millions of dollars available to make this product and we find ourselves with a disastrous technical sector, and as has already been pointed out by many other users, they must begin to understand that the main fanbase of the game is not children and therefore to stop with ridiculous and cringe dialogues, scenes and characterizations etc, it's time to give us some well-made and mature character models, because for several generations now, especially male models are ridiculous and too childish. $ 60 At day one for very few new pokemon and recycled assets (ALREADY RIDICULOUS IN THE PREVIOUS), and someone justify them with the addition of dlc($$$$$$), as if $ 60 for a product with zero commitment were not 'already' too much. The end that pokemon has made is one of the many demonstrations of how the video game industry has become today: games comparable to the most lousy pizzas to be put in the microwave, in short, products without a soul and respect for those who pay and give the possibility developers to bring bread home.… Expand
  40. Ge0rge_097
    Sep 30, 2020
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Cuando me compré el juego pensaba que lo iba a disfrutar como los anteriores, grave error. La historia es el mayor aberración de aborto que jamás había visto en mi vida, es super aburrida, y ademas las nuevas mecánicas no son nada originales, por favor ¿enserio me vas a quitar a las mega-evoluciones con esta estupidez de volver a los pokemones grandes? Ademas las físicas son malisimas, voy en la bici y de la nada me salta un snorlax a nivel 60 cuando apenas voy a nivel 35. Lo peor de todo son los dlc, perfectamente pudieron poner a la isla de la armadura en el juego principal en ves de ese horrible post-game tan repetitivo. Que no hayan puesto a todos los pokemon no me parecía la gran cosa, pero después de anunciar que los volverían a poner después fue una pésima jugada ya que ya se había establecido un competitivo sin necesidad de poner a los otros pokemones, yo de verdad pienso que es el peor pokemon de la saga principal.
    HORRIBLE    … Expand
  41. DolphinReviews
    Jul 20, 2022
    4
    This game is no worse than any other Pokémon game. The problem is consumers are done with constant mediocre mush. I did enjoy my time with the game but it was a very bland experience.
  42. GuruJoeyy
    Nov 27, 2020
    3
    I can't recommend enough that you skip this generation. It isn't worth it, there is nothing about this title that makes it worth purchasing. It is literally a 3DS game ported to switch yet charging a higher price and taking away many of the positives of even the worst of the old generations. Lack of pokemon variety, lack of interesting systems, you're better off replaying any olderI can't recommend enough that you skip this generation. It isn't worth it, there is nothing about this title that makes it worth purchasing. It is literally a 3DS game ported to switch yet charging a higher price and taking away many of the positives of even the worst of the old generations. Lack of pokemon variety, lack of interesting systems, you're better off replaying any older generation pokemon and guaranteed to have more fun. I would have written this review on launch but it didn't quite occur to me.… Expand
  43. saulmaza
    Dec 2, 2019
    3
    The game is the same as any other Pokemon game but disappoints on many of the promises that the higher end hardware a switch runs can deliver. The game is barely 'open-world' with dated if not completely missing animations for Pokemon. The new Pokemon are unimaginative and uninspired and could be easily named things like electric dog and sheep. The crit hit system makes the game way tooThe game is the same as any other Pokemon game but disappoints on many of the promises that the higher end hardware a switch runs can deliver. The game is barely 'open-world' with dated if not completely missing animations for Pokemon. The new Pokemon are unimaginative and uninspired and could be easily named things like electric dog and sheep. The crit hit system makes the game way too easy and thoughtless, button-mashing 'A' hoping that the fight can end sooner. The characters are uninspired and boring, showing 0 emotion.
    3/10 for nostalgia.    … Expand
  44. TheFredinator
    Jan 6, 2020
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Imagine being 6 years old. You just got Pokemon Diamond Version. It's your first Pokemon game EVER! You love it and can't wait until the next installment. You buy Platinum, HeartGold, and White version. Still, you cannot wait for when Pokemon finally makes that leap to home console. You know it's going to be a decade before then.

    Fast forward to 2019 and we finally have that home console game. The home console experience that we all dreamed of as a kid while playing on our handheld devices. Pokemon Sword had ridiculously high expectations due to it being the first true home console Pokemon Game. Gamefreak had years to prepare for this, so we were all very excited. So did they deliver?

    No. Not at all.

    Pokemon Sword and Shield is the perfect example of a lazy game and how lazy GAMEFREAK is in general. Every single thing in this game is done to cut corners and development time so that they can work on next years game.

    The first thing I am going to talk about are the animations. WOW DO THESE SUCK! GAMEFREAK actually cut out more then half of the Pokemon because "They wanted to improve animations." And it turns out, most of the animations are just recycled from the 3DS Titles that they made six years ago. They didn't just make up a fake excuse for cutting out half the Pokemon, they also lied about not importing animations! And WOW are these bad. At some points, I swear that I forgot that I was playing a full $60 Switch Game.

    The second thing that I am going to talk about is how this is the most generic Pokemon Game to date. There is absolutely nothing special about this game. 8 gyms, a friendly rival, evil team, champion battle. There are also no side areas to explore unlike in previous titles. Even Let's Go had more exploration to be done then this **** show.

    The final thing that I wanna touch on is the STORY... If that's what you call a story. This has to be the worst story in a Pokemon Game to date. Throughout 75% of the game, you're left wondering if there really is a story or if you're just collecting Gym Badges. Finally, when you get the 7th Badge, you get a "Story." There is NO build up to this story either. It's just there. The saddest part for me is that some of the characters, such as Hop, are actually very well written.

    Now, the two things I'd say that I liked about the game are the Raids and the Competitive aspect of battling. This is the most user friendly game to get into wifi battling in Pokemon. If you want to compete, Sword and Shield makes it nice and Easy. Also, the raids are very fun to do with friends and give lots of rewards to players.

    But these two reasons are NOT enough to buy a $60 cashgrab. They needed to be worked on for at least another year.

    I can go on and on about how this game is ugly and more examples of laziness, but I'd rather go to bed.

    Pokemon Sword & Shield get a solid 2/10.

    Do not go anywhere near this games and let's hope that GAMEFREAK decides to finally put the same passion that they put into Black & White into the next installment in the franchise.    … Expand
  45. CptTitforce
    Apr 12, 2020
    4
    Obviously released uncompleted, without all the other pokemon and replaced with new ones that are mostly bad designs apart from few like the starters, Wooloo and Sirfetch'd. The graphics outside the main character models are terrible, taking in consideration how large this franchise is. The animations are terrible and seem reused from the other games, though there are some new animationsObviously released uncompleted, without all the other pokemon and replaced with new ones that are mostly bad designs apart from few like the starters, Wooloo and Sirfetch'd. The graphics outside the main character models are terrible, taking in consideration how large this franchise is. The animations are terrible and seem reused from the other games, though there are some new animations atleast, but not enough to justify the amount of cut content. The new dynamax/gigantamax are totally uselesss since once you use yours, the opponent will surely use their own or vice versa, making the whole transformation conpletely pointless since the stats are again balanced out. There are still weird mechanics like having to wait for an key item to get the ability to change sound settings from the menu. The wild area looks terrible and it even discourages trying to find any special pokemon there, because even if you have the stats to get it on low hp, you can not catch it until you have progressed far enough in the game. There is still no voice acting even when we are now at the switch generation where most big nintendo games have gotten a huge do-over like Super Mario Odyssey and Breath Of The Wild. This ks just a sorry excuse to try and milk some money from a huge fanbase, and also selling it to you in parts with the approaching DLC and the outrageous pricing for pokemon bank/home which are basically cloud drives that take only about 3 megabytes IF you even have all the pokemon in there, and when services like google and microsoft offer you gigabytes of free space, there is no excuse for this in addition to the nintendo switch online membership. The only thing I can give props to, are some cool character designs, but that's about it. I would give points for the amount of customization, but even that is really a standard in most rpgs... I bought this game as a used copy for half the price and still regretted it...… Expand
  46. drosan
    Nov 21, 2019
    4
    Game feels like being made while severely rushed - lots of basic gamedesign mistakes, UI flaws, lots of low-res "temporary" assets and textures. Lots of reused models from the same game - you can have 100% identical NPCs down to clothes. Understandably GameFreak tried to keep their annual pace and release the game before Christmas but they clearly didn't care about quality that much.Game feels like being made while severely rushed - lots of basic gamedesign mistakes, UI flaws, lots of low-res "temporary" assets and textures. Lots of reused models from the same game - you can have 100% identical NPCs down to clothes. Understandably GameFreak tried to keep their annual pace and release the game before Christmas but they clearly didn't care about quality that much.
    Delayed game will eventually be good, rushed one - won't ever be good.    … Expand
  47. Kchewz
    Jan 6, 2021
    4
    $80 price tag, $20/year pokemon home subscription, two $30 DLCs. Yet the quality and functionality from the 3DS pokemon games are equal, and these games costed $40... Both Sword and Shield have its pros such as cool new pokemon, incredible music and DLCs were more memorable and enjoyable than the base game. But poor graphics, boring dynamax mechanics and dynamax raids, the mobile camp etc.$80 price tag, $20/year pokemon home subscription, two $30 DLCs. Yet the quality and functionality from the 3DS pokemon games are equal, and these games costed $40... Both Sword and Shield have its pros such as cool new pokemon, incredible music and DLCs were more memorable and enjoyable than the base game. But poor graphics, boring dynamax mechanics and dynamax raids, the mobile camp etc. were all lacklustre. For the largest franchise in the world, expectations were much higher. For someone who grew up playing Pokemon Battle Revolution in 2006, I was expecting this type of quality at the very least.… Expand
  48. Seyta
    Jan 25, 2022
    0
    Really bad game, way too easy, the wild areas are completely empty, it's just bad overall.
  49. DoctorZack
    Nov 22, 2019
    3
    Absolute disaster.

    It maintains a basic level of competency with a new idea or two, but that's literally the only thing going for it. Everything else isn't just "bad" its genuinely a painful experience.
  50. GongHawkeye
    Dec 2, 2019
    2
    Mediocre as far as you can see: except for the bso, everything else feels not polished/finished such as endgame, graphics,list of pokemons,etc. There's no excuse for Game Freak/ The Pokémon Company
  51. Federx
    Jan 30, 2022
    2
    the only good thing that can be said about this game is that it's not set in unova.
  52. jacksondawg25
    Jan 31, 2020
    1
    Game Freak has gotten either incredibly lazy or incredibly cheap. There's no other way to put it. They spared as many expenses as possible while making this game. They left out a bunch of Pokemon from previous games. The story mode is shorter than any previous game in the series. There is less post-game content than any previous game in the series. The animation quality is the worst it'sGame Freak has gotten either incredibly lazy or incredibly cheap. There's no other way to put it. They spared as many expenses as possible while making this game. They left out a bunch of Pokemon from previous games. The story mode is shorter than any previous game in the series. There is less post-game content than any previous game in the series. The animation quality is the worst it's ever been. The GTS has been removed. And the reason for all these problems? Laziness and/or greediness. Game Freak put minimal effort and resources into the making of this game and it shows. The worst part is that not only did this game disappoint me, it also got me thinking critically to the point that I realized that ever since Pokemon Black and White, this series has become just... lesser in every category. In addition to the problems listed above, anyone could look at the actual plot of recent games and see that the stories are becoming less inspired and overall more boring. Rivals seem like regular trainers that don't matter anymore, villains don't seem to be worth any concern at all, there is nothing motivating the player aside from the same old gym challenge plot. The soundtracks have also begun sounding more generic over time. Save for one or two decent songs per game, nothing has measured up to the fantastic soundtrack Black and White had.

    To add insult to injury, Game Freak's response to all this criticism was horrible. They didn't update the game to add Pokemon or fix animations, or return the GTS, or add post-game content. They did however decide to add PAID DLC. Their solution to a game almost void of content was to add some, but make players pay 30 more dollars (more for me because I'm Canadian) to turn an unfinished game into what might be a full game.

    In conclusion, don't get this game. Don't get the DLC, and don't buying anything to do with Game Freak until they get their **** together.    … Expand
  53. obi12323
    Jun 25, 2020
    4
    There is not an aspect of this game that could be considered great. The story is practically non-existent, the evil team, "Team Yell", is easily the worst of the series (which is hard to accomplish). The characters are unlikable and are just shells of characters seen in past games.

    The game is also rushed, despite the 2 previous main-line entries being Ultra Sun + Moon (same as previous    There is not an aspect of this game that could be considered great. The story is practically non-existent, the evil team, "Team Yell", is easily the worst of the series (which is hard to accomplish). The characters are unlikable and are just shells of characters seen in past games.

    The game is also rushed, despite the 2 previous main-line entries being Ultra Sun + Moon (same as previous games) and Pokemon Lets Go (remake with no content). The graphics and animations are far below average compared to other popular games on the switch (BOTW). The game also severely reduces the number of playable pokemon, which was one of the best features of previous entries.

    The music is ok, and is likely the best aspect of this game. As for the gameplay, it is extremely repetitive and has no difficulty other than very specific parts of the postgame. Speaking of postgame, it literally lasts for 1 hour.

    Do not buy this game. If you compare this game to any of the GEN 4 or GEN 5 pokemon games, it looks awful in comparison. There is absolutely no excuse for such laziness when it comes to one of the main IP's of Nintendo. Do yourself a favour and play past games or spinoffs, such as the Mystery Dungeon series.    … Expand
  54. AngryShark92
    Nov 29, 2019
    4
    It absolutely sucks to have to write this review, but the community has this spot on. 4 or 5 out of 10 is where I landed for this game as well. I have played since Pokemon Red, and I have stuck with the mainline series, picking up every game up to now, as well as TCG back on colour. I do not care about or like Pokémon GO or Let's Go because I do not believe they are truly part of theIt absolutely sucks to have to write this review, but the community has this spot on. 4 or 5 out of 10 is where I landed for this game as well. I have played since Pokemon Red, and I have stuck with the mainline series, picking up every game up to now, as well as TCG back on colour. I do not care about or like Pokémon GO or Let's Go because I do not believe they are truly part of the mainline series.

    Pokémon Sword and shield is a bit of a catastrophe, it seems as though Gamefreak has decided that people like me exist in droves and will buy every game they release regardless of innovation or consistency. They are obviously correct as shown by the sales figures, but there really is no excuse for releasing such a poorly made entry.

    This game is incredibly easy, not even remotely challenging, my team was over-powered for the entire game up to the absolute final battle with the champion where one of my six team members finally fainted. The balance between tough battles and the rewards you get from the wild area are nowhere near fair. While I did enjoy raid battles, it honestly seemed like a lazy extra mechanic to grind with.

    While we are in the area of lazy mechanics and/or gimmicks... Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing is utterly pointless. It is the same battle, but you're Pokémon are taller and have all their type-moves narrowed down to one type of "special" move that does more damage than normal... To me, this is no different from Mega Evolution, and basically functions the same way... Didn't like it then, don't like it now.

    The plot is one probably one of the worst of the series and is barely "evil", especially if you compare to what Ghetsis & Cyrus were trying to do. I had no interest in the narrative or the lore of the legendaries which is a huge disappointment. Speaking of Ghetsis, this game may very well rival Gen 5 for the ugliest new Pokémon award... at least Black/White had a great narrative.

    Also, I don't really know who my rival was, really there was nobody because the game was too easy, but in the game there was 3 of them, and they were all awful. Hop is annoying version of Barry from Platinum who has no personality and blocks your path with annoying dialogue at every turn, Marnie is an emo who runs around with an antifa fan club screaming and ree-ing with no personality, and Bede, who I really thought was an old lady for 80% of the game is actually a boy who seemed to be the only one trying to block your progress and fight you at every turn. My true rival was my will to continue playing the game.

    Difficulty-wise, this game simply has way too much hand-holding, if I want to run off an explore in a certain direction, I can't the game points you towards the current objective by blocking off pathways with Pokémon or your annoying rival Hop. It also tells you which Pokémon are weak to what if you have battled them and type information during battles, gone are the days of experimenting against new Pokémon to discover their types.

    I don't want to go on a long rant, but there are so many things that made this game a chore to complete, which I have only felt with Sun/Moon (Not ultra, I enjoyed those two) & Let's Go. As for the national dex not having every single Pokémon available, I don't really think that is a bad thing, as there would be so many similarly typed Pokémon which would just be a waste. Having said that, if their excuse for not doing so was to improve animations and details, that was a complete lie. This game could have been played on DS with the amount of graphical detail that is lacking, not to mention shameful pop-in and fps drops. Yikes.

    + City design is exceptional
    + Soundtrack is great
    + Some (emphasis on some) new Pokémon look great [Corviknight]
    + Big fan of Zacian & Zazamenta, and the starters are very cute.

    - Way too easy
    - Too much hand-holding
    - Annoying characters
    - Lazy game mechanics (Dynamax & raid battles)
    - Wild area is a barren wasteland
    - Lazy animation design
    - Awful pop-ins
    - Graphics overall are bad
    - Most of the new Pokémon are ugly (Rivals Gen 5 imo)
    - No post game content after champion and legendaries

    This is the 3rd time I have been disappointed with Pokémon in the last 4 entries, which tells me that this series is becoming stagnant and being aimed at newer players from the GO & Let's Go group. I will not be rushing out to buy the next one for sure. They even said it was aimed at the hardcore/seasoned fans, and it really isn't. This game is barely a 4/10 for me. I am afraid this series will lose its seasoned fans after these recent entries.    … Expand
  55. Miguel22
    Jun 27, 2020
    4
    Es sin duda una de las mayores decepciones que me he llevado con un videojuego:

    -Novedades: El área salvaje, idea muy buena, pero muy desaprovechada, está todo super vacío, popping excesivo, gráficos muy cutres, etc. Y la otra novedad importante es el dinamax/gigamax, que en mi punto de vista es muy inferior a las mega evoluciones/Ataques Z -Gráficos: Respecto a las rutas y a las    Es sin duda una de las mayores decepciones que me he llevado con un videojuego:

    -Novedades: El área salvaje, idea muy buena, pero muy desaprovechada, está todo super vacío, popping excesivo, gráficos muy cutres, etc. Y la otra novedad importante es el dinamax/gigamax, que en mi punto de vista es muy inferior a las mega evoluciones/Ataques Z

    -Gráficos: Respecto a las rutas y a las ciudades, está bien, sobre todo por el apartado artístico, pero los gráficos de la zona salvaje son HORRIBLES. Es embarazoso compararlo con otros juegos como Xenoblade Chronicles 2, juego más antiguo, con una empresa con menos presupuesto, e incluso con menos resolución se ve MIL veces mejor.

    -Historia y villanos: Inexistentes hasta el campeonato de Galar, el Team Yell es una porquería que solo sirve de relleno, por eso ni los cuento. El villano real del juego, el presidente Rose, es sin duda el peor villano de la saga, no hace nada interesante hasta el final del juego, su plan es estúpido, su combate es el más fácil entre todos los villanos(Usa un monotype acero, usas un Pokémon de fuego con lanzallamas y se acabó)

    -Dificultad: Excesivamente fácil, el único combate interesante es el campeón(Único combate donde hay un reto interesante, pero no llega al nivel de otros campeones como Cynthia o Iris) el resto del juego es ridículamente fácil.

    -Postgame: Basura, el Postgame real lo venden en un Dlc.

    -Puntos positivos: La música y los líderes de gimnasio(No por su dificultad, solo por su personalidad)

    -Otros datos: Las rutas son pasillos sin ningún tipo de interés. Siempre hay dos caminos, uno te lleva para una MT o un objeto, el otro sirve para continuar. El rival Paul es un Tilo 2.0, aunque se note un poco más de interés(Mejor desarrollo de personaje) resulta ser excesivamente fácil de vencer y solo molesta, los otros dos rivales están de relleno y combates pocas veces contra ellos(Igual muy baja dificultad), respecto al recorte de la Pokedex, a mi sinceramente no me importa, pero eso no quita que sea inferior a otros juegos, lo peor de todo es que dijeron que no iban a meter a los que quedaran, pero fijaos, ahora los venden en un DLC. Respecto al competitivo, está bien, pero no gastaría 60 euros para jugar con una pokedex inferior cuando lo puedes hacer en Pokemon Showdown

    -En fin, la saga de Pokémon va por el mal camino, ojalá mejore en la novena generación, pero lo dudo muchísimo con lo bien que ha vendido el juego, si no mejora de forma drástica, no volveré a comprar otro juego de la saga.    … Expand
  56. SurgeOfDurge
    Mar 24, 2020
    0
    Extremely repetitive. Lacking in customization. Pokémon don't follow you like in other games! Way too much text reading that can't be skipped/ read fast unless you keep tapping continue. Also the classic old school annoyance of having to select yes or no when doing the smallest thing. No co-op unless you pay for online. Then even it's not what could have been. A big pain when you fail, yetExtremely repetitive. Lacking in customization. Pokémon don't follow you like in other games! Way too much text reading that can't be skipped/ read fast unless you keep tapping continue. Also the classic old school annoyance of having to select yes or no when doing the smallest thing. No co-op unless you pay for online. Then even it's not what could have been. A big pain when you fail, yet way too easy most of the time. Can't have multiple save files. They want players to buy one console and copy each! I swear Nintendo is the greediest of all companies in at least the videogame industry. Every game is over normal maximum price. I'd say wait for sale on this one if you can handle the tedious mechanics and elements. No good options and customization worthy. You can't turn up/down music until you "unlock" it as a feature. The spawns are incredibly sad, as there will be many of the same, but many mons you'll miss unless hoarding/grinding. Don't get me started on shinies. The system to rarely get to fight a gigantamax and hope to catch it is a pain. Then you can't find the ones that have the special look unless you're lucky or read online. In 2030 the Pokémon game of that year will look like it came from 2012 if it keeps going like this.… Expand
  57. picnick
    Nov 19, 2019
    0
    This game has too many problems to recommend.
    No national dex, Bad Performance, Bad textures & WAY TOO MANY UNSKIPPABLE CUTSCENES. all of this could've been fixed but pokemon is too lazy. I will wait until they release a good game before I buy another pokemon game.
  58. kelvinice
    Nov 26, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Can't Play on PC.
    I think thats enough...
    ......
    ....................................................    … Expand
  59. SennaTheSenna
    Nov 20, 2019
    0
    I don't think the game is really worth a zero (I would say a 5 at best), but I'm just trying to compensate for that big green 82. If you want my honest opinion, user ChocolateCrane describes the problems I have with the game very well. If you want to read their review, which is a very good review tbh, sort by "Most helpful".
  60. Advy87
    Dec 5, 2019
    3
    Simply, this is the worst pokemon game in history. Very, very few mechanics are worthy in this game, the rest is just an insult to the world of gaming. Let's talk about the idiotic difficulty and AI, mostly in solo raids, let's talk about the framerate, graphics,, questionable pokemon design, a horrible catch rate which sometime seems totally random, pokedex cut, etc.. . Not even theSimply, this is the worst pokemon game in history. Very, very few mechanics are worthy in this game, the rest is just an insult to the world of gaming. Let's talk about the idiotic difficulty and AI, mostly in solo raids, let's talk about the framerate, graphics,, questionable pokemon design, a horrible catch rate which sometime seems totally random, pokedex cut, etc.. . Not even the story is savable, what in the world they had in mind? even a kid would find it really stupid and annoying. And they raised the price with less content, in a Switch game.… Expand
  61. KrolMyruh
    Apr 18, 2020
    0
    I'm genuinely shocked people are giving this game a 10. Everything about this game just screams lazy. There has been no innovation in this franchise at all and there are much better games on the switch you should play first. Skip this and go play a good game.
  62. Goonga
    Nov 22, 2019
    0
    I'm only rating it 0 just in hopes that GameFreak realise that their laziness is obvious.
  63. Sandbond
    Nov 22, 2019
    2
    Don't waste your money for such a shambolic implementation of an iconic game
  64. Shayneros
    Nov 21, 2019
    4
    Perspective from someone who's been playing since OG Red.
    A lot of potential but lazily wasted. First off the Wild area is a great idea and practically the only area of this game that's fun. Even then though it's super bare bones. Nothing to explore, a bland landscape, and the trees. My god the trees are ugly. Also any time it rains or snows be prepared for your FPS to drop below 20.    Perspective from someone who's been playing since OG Red.
    A lot of potential but lazily wasted. First off the Wild area is a great idea and practically the only area of this game that's fun. Even then though it's super bare bones. Nothing to explore, a bland landscape, and the trees. My god the trees are ugly. Also any time it rains or snows be prepared for your FPS to drop below 20.
    -Raids are fun but incredibly broken. They provide such a ridiculous amount of XP that if you do a couple when they introduce you to them at the beginning of the game you're going to be vastly over leveled for the whole game ruining the already bland experience.
    -XP share being non-toggleable is flat out ridiculous. Game Freak was really too lazy to spend 15 minutes coding an option to turn it off
    -Story. There is no story. Literally EVERY TIME something significant happens the "adults" take care of it and tell you to go get gym badges. That's the whole game. There literally is no story until the very end. The whole game is literally just walking gym to gym, nothing inbetween. There's nothing to do even in the routes. The routes are the worst they have EVER been in Pokemon. They're insanely short and there is absolutely NOTHING to explore. It's just a 20 second walk down a single path. The writing is atrocious and "cut scenes" feel like they're never ending. Also Hop, your rival is the worst rival yet. He's ridiculously annoying and just doesn't shut up. Be prepared to hate him with a passion.
    -No dungeons/caves which are usually the most challenging part of the games. The only cave you go through in the game only has 1 alternate path that only takes you about 5 seconds off course. No multiple dead ends. No various caverns with hidden secrets, nothing.
    -Overworld Pokemon is still great. It's grown on me and I do like it better than the OG random encounters    … Expand
  65. ChrisV89
    Feb 10, 2020
    3
    + Graphics
    + Nature Zone
    + Number of different Pokemon

    - Poor Animations
    - BORING Story
    - Far too easy
    - No Puzzles
    - Leveling is too fast
    - Appears loveless, no creativity in this
    - Stupid, long dialogues
    - Starter Pokemon are lame

    Playing Pokemon since day 1, but there are no real improvements in this series. Will be the last Pokemon I've played. Safe your money and play old ones!
  66. Rayomanaka
    Nov 20, 2019
    0
    Total disappointment. This game isn't even a shadow of past games. Lacking moves, pokemon, graphics... everything is a mix of good ideas with a horrible execution
  67. Youtin
    Feb 6, 2022
    4
    Too easy. There is no challenging difficulty.

    Artistically you can tell it was made without motivation. The soundtrack is fine. But it doesn't compare to other pokemon games. The models of many NPCs or characters are repeated. Everything is very repetitive and constant, there is nothing that stands out with originality. The world feels very poor, it feels made without any    Too easy. There is no challenging difficulty.

    Artistically you can tell it was made without motivation.

    The soundtrack is fine. But it doesn't compare to other pokemon games.

    The models of many NPCs or characters are repeated. Everything is very repetitive and constant, there is nothing that stands out with originality.

    The world feels very poor, it feels made without any essence.

    I tried to enjoy it, but there is really almost nothing that can entertain you, because you can complete the whole game without losing a fight. That's just too easy.

    And despite that, this game sold 20 million copies. Even if they develop you a piece of **** nintendo is still going to sell a lot because people still buy them.    … Expand
  68. RetroMatero
    Nov 29, 2019
    1
    Con todo lo que tenían para hacer un nuevo juego de la saga, vinieron con esto.
    Mi primo, luego de 12 horas de juego, no aguantó más, y lo iba a devolver. Yo le di una chance, porque no me parecía tan malo...
    2 horas después... Uffff... -Gráficos que no van a la altura ni de las otras franquicias que gráficamente son excepcionales, para esa consola, se ve como un port en HD de la 3DS.    Con todo lo que tenían para hacer un nuevo juego de la saga, vinieron con esto.
    Mi primo, luego de 12 horas de juego, no aguantó más, y lo iba a devolver. Yo le di una chance, porque no me parecía tan malo...
    2 horas después... Uffff...
    -Gráficos que no van a la altura ni de las otras franquicias que gráficamente son excepcionales, para esa consola, se ve como un port en HD de la 3DS.
    -Jugabilidad muy aburrida, y es poco para esta consola. Nos castigan con el mismo sistema de hace 20 años, sin mucha variedad.
    -Lo que era un RPG en el pasado, se redujo al ir de punto A a punto B, sin siquiera dar la sensación de volver al punto anterior.
    -He sabido de usuarios que en 5 horas ya eran los más fuertes, cuando en entregas de la GB me tomó casi 70 horas llegar a tener pokemons del nivel de Zapdos, Moltres, y Articuno.
    -Parece hecho para niños de 5 años, y encima con un estilo de jugabilidad muy anticuado.
    -El lore es completamente absurdo, y los personajes muy mal aprovechados. Qué se meten los guionistas para tirarnos personajes que lucen interesantes y terminan siendo más planos que una tabla, a la par de acartonados? Agárrate, Final Fantasy XIII...

    En resumen, no puedo recomendar esta entrega a alguien que quiera iniciarse en la saga, recomendaría los de GB del clásico al Advance, y los Black and White, que al menos se sienten (más o menos) como juegos frescos...

    Nintendo y Game Freak... Les duele sacarse unos millones de dólares para hacer algo de verdad, no?    … Expand
  69. Pokenight
    Sep 3, 2022
    3
    The most lazy endeavour the pokemon series has taken yet, at least in mainline. I can forgive the graphics because ultimately they don't matter but Jesus christ the game is so **** bland.
    This game is a beans on toast of pokemon.
  70. Dinglebat299
    Nov 29, 2019
    1
    This game feels cheap. The story is absolutely garbage & pretty much non existent. The areas are bland and boring. The characters are so annoying and the gameplay itself feels like this is a demo of a fan game. Easily the worst pokemon game. Gamefreak have really dropped the ball with this and shown their true colours, rush out some garbage and sell it to stupid kids.

    Pokémon has been    This game feels cheap. The story is absolutely garbage & pretty much non existent. The areas are bland and boring. The characters are so annoying and the gameplay itself feels like this is a demo of a fan game. Easily the worst pokemon game. Gamefreak have really dropped the ball with this and shown their true colours, rush out some garbage and sell it to stupid kids.

    Pokémon has been around for around 20years or so, most of its fans are between 20-30, why not make a game for an older demographic??    … Expand
  71. The-Pad
    Jun 2, 2020
    4
    This game is bad. The graphics are comparable to late PS2 releases, the plot constantly interupts you, the Wild Area is emptier than the streets during a World War. DO NOT BUY.
  72. SanelVella
    Nov 25, 2019
    4
    Una nueva generación de Pokémon en una consola cansera... En el que los precios de los juegos han incrementado, y la calidad de los mismos... No mucho. Pokémon Espada y Escudo son juegos que se sienten de la era del 3DS y no como juegos del Switch, de una nueva generación de consolas. Los puntos rescatables son el área silvestre y la música. Fuera de ello, son juegos más de la era del 3DSUna nueva generación de Pokémon en una consola cansera... En el que los precios de los juegos han incrementado, y la calidad de los mismos... No mucho. Pokémon Espada y Escudo son juegos que se sienten de la era del 3DS y no como juegos del Switch, de una nueva generación de consolas. Los puntos rescatables son el área silvestre y la música. Fuera de ello, son juegos más de la era del 3DS para Nintendo Switch, en donde posees mismo apartado gráfico (ligeramente mejorado, pero en comparación casi nulo), historia bastante predecible y aburrida, mecánicas que no aportan nada nuevo en los combates y realmente, fuera de la Battle Tower, nada de post game para un jugador seguir estando motivado en jugarlo.

    Pokémon Espada y Escudo no son un paso hacia atrás para la franquicia, pero la consola Nintendo Switch merece un paso adelante con sus franquicias... Y este, definitivamente no lo es. Pokémon merece más, los fans merecen más, la consola merece más. Pero estos juegos, son simplemente más de lo mismo que nos han dado desde la era de X/Y en el 2013... Pero a mayor precio.    … Expand
  73. AeonQuasar
    Jan 1, 2020
    2
    There are so many issues with this game that I will list up only the top 3 most noticeable and biggest problems. Not even counting Dexit that most people rattles about. 1. It's too easy. You can't turn of the xp share and every battle is so easy you can win it in without any effort. A simple hard mode would have solved that. 2. Way to linear. A game that screams for more open world styleThere are so many issues with this game that I will list up only the top 3 most noticeable and biggest problems. Not even counting Dexit that most people rattles about. 1. It's too easy. You can't turn of the xp share and every battle is so easy you can win it in without any effort. A simple hard mode would have solved that. 2. Way to linear. A game that screams for more open world style and only give you that in very small portions. Imagine pokemon in Breath of the wild world. Why not gamefreak? 3. It's not good enough improvement from the Gameboy design
    It's supposed to be the first "real" console game, but it feels like a slight improved version of the 3ds games. For a price like this it's not even close being worth it.    … Expand
  74. Alex214
    Dec 6, 2019
    1
    Nice Nintendo DS game, reused 3ds animations, gamefreak lied, Pokemon is the New Fifa, it will always sell well because of its brand, just like Fifa or COD
  75. meritum
    Dec 15, 2019
    2
    This is the first pokemon game I have played. The game is just not for everyone. It is for pokemon fans, not for every jRPG fans(I am jRPG fan). I dislike this game not because it is THE entry in the series. I dislike it because it the gameplay is not fun for me(pokemon games gameplay). The game is boring for me. Really 2/10 is my score and I am sure about this. The worst game from theThis is the first pokemon game I have played. The game is just not for everyone. It is for pokemon fans, not for every jRPG fans(I am jRPG fan). I dislike this game not because it is THE entry in the series. I dislike it because it the gameplay is not fun for me(pokemon games gameplay). The game is boring for me. Really 2/10 is my score and I am sure about this. The worst game from the quite good ones. I understand, that there are some people that like this gameplay.

    But if you like the other pokemon games, it is the best entry in series except of poedex(graphics are neat and really good). The wild area is also better than normal places in the game    … Expand
  76. Wingmanwesty
    Dec 5, 2019
    1
    Overall
    - boring routes
    - no exploration - broken online - Pokemon scaled wrong - Shallow characters - stupid AI - Limited fashion choices - Hollow cities - Missing pokemon - Missing adventure - lackluster postgame - Uninteractive shiny hunting This game had huge potential, but ultimately put half effort into each and every aspect of this game. The Raids were the biggest    Overall
    - boring routes
    - no exploration
    - broken online
    - Pokemon scaled wrong
    - Shallow characters
    - stupid AI
    - Limited fashion choices
    - Hollow cities
    - Missing pokemon
    - Missing adventure
    - lackluster postgame
    - Uninteractive shiny hunting

    This game had huge potential, but ultimately put half effort into each and every aspect of this game. The Raids were the biggest dissapointment to me. Such a cool idea. Teaming up online with friends to fight a giant pokemon you'd been hunting for. Wild. Yet actually broken online matchmaking completely ruin that experience. You can join an online raid that the game tries to matchmake you into maybe 10% of the time. Otherwise you've timed out, its no longer available, lost connection. This game may as well use link cables again. There is no friend system so its much harder to link up with my friends in game then should be for anyonline game made after 2010. There is no GTS so trading for specific pokemon isn't an option unless I go on reddit to match with someone and hopefully the 4 digit code actually works. Sometimes it just doesn't. This isn't a bad idea, your online just isn't usable. This game is not finished, this part doesn't work. Shoddy. For a game about giant pokemon it is super jarring that scaling is completely gone from the game. All pokemon are now 4 feet tall. That's so jarring. Routes are essentially boring hallways. No discovery or adventure here. One route is literally a hallway made of ice. Remember the first time you went through the whirl islands? Finding rare mons, discovering how to navigate with boulders, trying to remember the layout. In swsh you get an infinite use escape rope. i haven't had to use it yet cause galar mine 1, and galar mine 2 (super epic names fit for adventure btw) are straight lines. Just hold up to get through it. No routes reward or require exploration. The story was super bland and felt detached from gameplay. I loved the part of the story where they told me to ignore the cool action, and mystery and let an npc deal with it offscreen. What idiot put that on a storyboard. I liked the story of really pushing the gym challenge. Too bad that's really only 3 hours of story there. Leon is a terrible champion. His only character trait is that he's undefeated, spoiler alert, he gets defeated. Such a shallow charcter, with a lame signature pokemon for him and this generation, and such a poorly designed character. Seriously looks like an 8 year old picked out all the cool clothes they could think of to put on him. Hop as well was shallow, his only character trait is that he'll kiss your butt, and he's sad that you outshawn him. Actually a cool trait if only it wasn't said just as much as was leons undefeated status. Shiny hunting is just a grind now, kill 500 mons, no chains, no combos, no dexnav hunting. Just start killing everything you see. NPC's in raids actually negatively impact you as the AI are apparently missing the I part of AI. Sure bring your jolteon against the Runerigus, spam quick attack, and thunderbolt to no effect and die every other turn. Designing my own character is severely limited. why can NPC's have clothes, and hairstyles I can't, and No one on earth would ever go on a cross country adventure wearing that travesty of a bag, who backpacks with a suitcase. Get a backpack, or an over the shoulder bag, or better yet. Give players a choice. The bag isn't meant to be worn like this, yet here I am with a roller-suitcase on my back. The cities were huge to look at but ultimately empty, easily explorable in under 5 minutes, not very rewarding, and only two cities have more than 5 buildings in them. This is the worst battle tower in generations, lack of super-battles, and multi battles make it boring, and the absolutely trash reward system make it a chore to do. 2BP per win, forever, and when you reach the highest rank you get less rewards cause you can't go up a tier. Such a grind. And you need to grind because you want mints for gigantimaxers, cause only caught ones can do it. Not the Drednaw I've used for my whole playthrough. Cool guess I'll just bin him and swap him out for a new one that can do cooler tricks. This game is also missing several features that'd drastically improve the game: National Dex, Mega Evolution, All mons in the overworld, following pokemon, any sense of exploration, and overworld shinies. How did they go back on features. Why would they remove something people loved from previous games. What felt great: Stadium style gym battles, text speeds, accessible box's, Accessible tm relearners, Bede was a cool character in the main story, less so in the post game. What should just be removed: NPC AI in raids, Hop, Leon, RPG style text options that don't have any impact on the game.    … Expand
  77. PrunusTR
    Nov 26, 2019
    2
    20 years later, it is still the same game. After playing this game, my thought is that the main pokemon games should not be developed by Gamefreak anymore. New pokemons are well designed. However, hundreds of pokemons from previous games are cut out. Transfering pokemons from previous games is a game mechanic that makes pokemon game a pokemon game. Although cutting out all the pokemons20 years later, it is still the same game. After playing this game, my thought is that the main pokemon games should not be developed by Gamefreak anymore. New pokemons are well designed. However, hundreds of pokemons from previous games are cut out. Transfering pokemons from previous games is a game mechanic that makes pokemon game a pokemon game. Although cutting out all the pokemons reduced the work of developers, there is no progress in animations. The animations in this game belong to the last decade. Moreover, there is still no voice acting. That is ridiculous. I bought this game to experience a main pokemon game on a big screen TV but probably this is the last time since I do not believe gamefreak will improve the game no matter how many generations or game consoles change. This game is definitely not a 2019 game, and it should cost no more than 30 dollars.… Expand
  78. Poochingus
    Nov 20, 2019
    2
    I don't give this a low score lightly. In fact, I kept myself aloof from all spoilers. I'm sure people will make their arguments, but at the end of the day, I will say some people are just hateful, while others are foolishly defending a company because of a sense of religious zealotry. I'll give a bullet list

    Pros: -new pokemon look pretty cool(except for the trash box legendaries    I don't give this a low score lightly. In fact, I kept myself aloof from all spoilers. I'm sure people will make their arguments, but at the end of the day, I will say some people are just hateful, while others are foolishly defending a company because of a sense of religious zealotry. I'll give a bullet list

    Pros:
    -new pokemon look pretty cool(except for the trash box legendaries which are impossible to tell apart).
    -many fun new moves and abilites on the pokemon
    -galaran forms are mostly good.
    -the opening town looks pretty
    -the open wilds area was a pretty fun idea
    -mixing the old style of wild encounters with the type from Let's go was nice
    -bede and Mr.Rose were cool characters
    -There is a pokemon named fapple and it is a flying apple.
    -I enjoyed the core gameplay as much as ever.

    cons:
    -$60 price point
    -first time in series history when it jumps to new hardware and there is no graphical upgrade(outside of pokemon models, which I always expected to be the same).
    -no improved shaders or textures, in and out of battles
    -battle backdrops dropped in quality from Sun and Moon including a now static camera.
    -random fps dips despite the lightweight load this game should be putting on the Switch
    -Cutscene animations were very sloppy, and highly recycled looping animations used for non-cutscene interactions
    - I found out that I can't import my living dex(the collection of 1 of each pokemon in existence because I gotta catch 'em all). This includes half of my competitive battlers from generation 4-7
    - doesn't use pokemon bank anyway(wasn't the point to future proof transferring?)
    - Literally makes it so that you can't catch pokemon over a certain level without a badge.
    - routes and town are incredibly short and devoid of exploration.
    - exp curve is whacked out, you don't need to fight/catch wild pokemon for exp ever to beat the game.
    - No large "Celedon City" location. No Victory Road. No Elite 4(recycles gym leaders instead).
    - Character designs for gyms and gym leaders left a lot to be desired. Each gym was the same stadium just a different color and icon. The gym leaders were half good, and half bad. The champion design was also pretty bad. Dark gym leader was the only one I truly thought was actually great.
    -pop in is really really bad. Many times I'd run into pokemon that appeared right in front of me, same with characters in the more "big" towns.
    -repels are glitched and don't seem to work. Stupid little level 3 pokemon popped up after I used repels in the post game and I kept running into them. They worked in Gen7 and the let's go games.

    Overall the real crime is the price. I was expecting them to either cram in content, or really stretch into a new console that has things as breathtaking as Zelda Breath of the Wild. However they did neither. It feels like these games belong on the 3DS, and I can't help but feel like they are less impressive than sun and moon were. If they had released these on the 3DS for $40 it would have been an okay game, still a massive step back in some ways, but at least okay. I don't know where that other $20 is supposed to be going and they left a lot on the table with the Switch and the hardware's capabilities. For now I will say this is my last pokemon game despite being a fan from day 1, sticking with it even when it wasn't cool anymore. This is the first time there are objective steps backwards with core features and a lack of wow factor when jumping onto new hardware. GBA color graphics and sprite design impressed me. the 3D in DS titles impressed me, and the full jump to 3D with the 3DS blew me away knowing how much hard work that was. This was downright tepid. I don't know where all the money goes, but clearly someone at gamefreak is pocketing it and not reinvesting it in games. I wonder if they just maybe got lazy and pushed this out for the holiday rush.

    Until they bring back the ability to bring all my pokemon up I probably will stick with ultra sun and ultra moon to battle a while longer. Outside of that I'll just use online battle simulators to have access to everything old with everything new. That is fine, but I am just sad I have to give up another beloved series because it decided to do silly things.    … Expand
  79. Pizzazz
    Jan 25, 2020
    0
    I have no idea how they got everything so wrong, all they had to do was make the same thing they've been making and it would have been fine, but they somehow made it terrible.
  80. HakiSaki3
    Dec 9, 2019
    4
    This game has good ideas, but is lacking in execution. Let's start with the good.
    Good:
    Character designs and music are top-notch as always. The quality of life changes make it easier and less frustrating to get into competitive battling The wild area, while lacking in execution, was a fun idea that I hope they expand upon in the future. The bad: The most hand-holding game thus far. Now    This game has good ideas, but is lacking in execution. Let's start with the good.
    Good:
    Character designs and music are top-notch as always.
    The quality of life changes make it easier and less frustrating to get into competitive battling
    The wild area, while lacking in execution, was a fun idea that I hope they expand upon in the future.
    The bad: The most hand-holding game thus far. Now your badges determine what level you're allowed to catch
    Speaking of hand-holding, your rival Hop interrupts your adventure every five minutes or so, and there's no way to skip his dialogue. He even takes it a step further and congratulates you on getting a super effective hit, EVERY SINGLE TIME, EVEN WHEN YOU'RE BATTLING AT THE ELITE FOUR.
    The game overall feels rushed. There's a nice, steady buildup for the first four badges, but once you get the fifth badge it's basically a gauntlet to get the last 3. Routes are smaller and more linear than ever. Instead of a dungeon at the end of the game we literally get an elevator ride and three battles against the evil team. One of the town's is literally just a Pokemon center and a gym with a straight line of NOTHING in between.
    The same goes for the postgame. It's just a boss rush at every gym against dynamax pokemon you can't even catch Perhaps most egregious of all is the offscreen dynamax crisis. In an effort to either save resources or make Leon look cool (which he isn't, stop trying game freak) he has an entire adventure where he goes around the city beating the dynamax pokemon and saving everyone. Wouldnt that have been, I don't know, COOL TO HAVE ACTUALLY PLAYED? instead of reading the newspaper the next day and having everyone all over Leon's dick for saving them?
    Marnie, and ESPECIALLY Bede are criminally underused in favor of giving Hop even more screentime. But the absolute worst thing in this game is the removal of the GTS. Why take it out and replace it with a broken system where people can potentially hijack your trade? Why get rid of the PSS? It was the perfect friend list where with w few presses ofna button we could battlenorntrade at will. Why make it so that we need to enter a code that will get hijacked half of the time? This score reflects that while the QoL changes are genuinely a great addition, all these other gripes were so bothersome that I will not give this a second playthrough. Thankfully I can shiny hunt in peace now.    … Expand
  81. Meteorsmash
    Nov 19, 2019
    0
    The Short Version: Hire Genius Sonority again for 3D games. Gamefreak is incompetent.

    The Long Version: GameFreak wanted to spare efforts cutting down content as much as possible for maximum profits, their reason for doing so is: "It's Pokemon! Even if it's garbage it will sell! The consumers are kids and adults who disregard quality after all, right?" WRONG! And I think the overall    The Short Version: Hire Genius Sonority again for 3D games. Gamefreak is incompetent.

    The Long Version: GameFreak wanted to spare efforts cutting down content as much as possible for maximum profits, their reason for doing so is: "It's Pokemon! Even if it's garbage it will sell! The consumers are kids and adults who disregard quality after all, right?" WRONG! And I think the overall Metacritic score speaks volumes. Let me list the issues of the game once again...
    -The game is full of low quality environments and textures.
    -Pop-in is Awful.
    -Cutscenes that look like they were meant to have voice acting makes the game feel awkward...this is inexcusable in 2019
    -ALL FAN-FAVORITE POKEMON CUT FROM THE GAME!! There's NO starters from previous regions, NO fossil pokemon, No legendaries from previous games either, hell, they went out of their way to piss a lot of people off. What was the point of Pokemon Home then??! Greedy and lazy summarizes GameFreak's "efforts" this generation.
    -Story is the most dull and boring I've seen in any pokemon game...
    -Recycled models and animations from the 3DS, AND NO, THEY ARE NOT "NEW" MODELS, THEY ARE THEY VERY SAME! There's a pretty absurd rumor online that the models were made from the ground up, that's an obvious lie, unless you are blind.

    Overall: Gamefreak need to wake up, it's 2019, this piece of garbage is inexcusable, Switch games so far have set the bar pretty high, if you compare this game to Zelda, Mario, Xenoblade, Smash, etc. GameFreak should feel ashamed of themselves for releasing this game in its current state, shame on you...    … Expand
  82. Oshawottcabread
    Dec 11, 2019
    4
    Ahora que me pase este juego haré un critica constructiva y honesta.Daré puntos según estos criterios
    jugabilidad 2 puntos
    graficos 1,5 puntos multijugador3 puntos opciones disponibles(que tal son los pokemon)2,5 puntos cambios nuevos 1 punto jugabilidad 0,5/2 la jugabilidad no es muy buena, en primer lugar anunciaron la cámara que no esta disponible en todo el juego solo en una    Ahora que me pase este juego haré un critica constructiva y honesta.Daré puntos según estos criterios
    jugabilidad 2 puntos
    graficos 1,5 puntos
    multijugador3 puntos
    opciones disponibles(que tal son los pokemon)2,5 puntos
    cambios nuevos 1 punto

    jugabilidad 0,5/2
    la jugabilidad no es muy buena, en primer lugar anunciaron la cámara que no esta disponible en todo el juego solo en una pequeña parte de el, recomendaría usar el control de pokemon lets go por este motivo aunque en algunas áreas el juego me pide a gritos girar la cámara, en estos sitios no hay control sobre ella solo en la zona salvaje.

    gráficos 0/1,5
    Muchísimos arboles que te acercas y se ven mal los puedes traspasar incluso texturas desde algunos ángulos que se ven a puntos, animaciones de giro mal hechas desde luego este apartado no es para nada bueno y si hay algunas animaciones chulas pero lo esencial no funciona

    multijugador 2/3
    Este apartado estuvo genial las incursiones son muy buenas y jugar en linea esta guai, a pesar de que el internet es de pago (que este juego no tiene culpa de eso) renta jugarlo, lo malo es que no hay gts algo imprescindible para mi, y los encuentros no están bien si te intentas unir a una raid vas a ver un fallo en el 90 % de los casos. Esta bien pero se puede mejorar

    opciones disponibles 0,5/2,5
    La dex nacional era imprescindible en este apartado aunque he de reconocer que hay pokemon chulos. Me cabreó mucho que metieran las formas regionales y las formas normales pudiendo meter otros pokemon. Y que de iniciales antiguos este solo charizard en la pokedex me parece la idea mas estúpida jamas vista.

    cambios nuevos 1/1
    Esta muy chulo el área salvaje es muy buen cambio que pueden explotar mas en futuras entregas el dinamax tampoco lo veo mal aunque solo con el área salvaje ya este apartado debe tener la máxima puntuación

    jugabilidad 0,5/2+gráficos 0/1,5+multijugador 2/3+opciones disponibles 0,5/2,5+cambios nuevos 1/1

    0,5+0+2+0.5+1=4
    nota final 4/10
    Conclusión
    El juego no es una maravilla es uno mas, creo que no deberían sacar un juego cada año. Deberían tomarse un tiempo para desarrollarlo, y desde luego que los trabajadores las épocas de mas trabajo hagan mas de 140 horas a la semana me parece vergonzoso no lo siguiente.

    Merece la pena comprar este juego?
    Depende de tu gusto y si te importa que estén o no todos los pokemon.
    Por mi parte no lo recomiendo.    … Expand
  83. Ambimunch
    Nov 17, 2019
    3
    I'm a big Pokemon fan (bought every game since Ruby/Sapphire) and I noticed the slow deterioration of the Pokemon games' quality over the last 7-years. Each time these shortcomings would be tolerated by us, the fans, because having a new entry in our beloved franchise was reason enough to buy the games, start a new journey and go on an adventure. However, with the disaster that is Sw/Sh, iI'm a big Pokemon fan (bought every game since Ruby/Sapphire) and I noticed the slow deterioration of the Pokemon games' quality over the last 7-years. Each time these shortcomings would be tolerated by us, the fans, because having a new entry in our beloved franchise was reason enough to buy the games, start a new journey and go on an adventure. However, with the disaster that is Sw/Sh, i feel I cannot look past all the issues this time...

    The graphics are mediocre, some of the worst on the Switch compared to other 1st party games. Textures at times rival GameCube games, from 15 years ago. The animations and models are identical to the 3DS games, stiff and not expressive. There is a complete lack of voice acting for the games. The game is full of limitations, like non stop road blocks preventing you to progress without getting a mandatory tutorial forced on you, the inability to turn off exp share (making the game balance wack, you'll always be over-levelled making the game very easy), the post game is non existent, and the Pokemon themselves, the main reason to play the game - have been cut down by over 50% compared to the 3DS games. We can no longer import our collection from our older games, making all those years of collecting event pokemon/legendaries/perfectly trained pokemon/and shiny hunting pointless. What a disaster to have the 1st games on the Switch (nintendo's most powerful console to date) be worse than old DS games from 10+ years ago. Shame on you Game Freak. Never have i had less fun with Pokemon than with these games. If other "bad" entries in this series were "okay" or roughly 6/10, then Sw/Sh are half the games those are, and I cannot give them more than a 3/10. They're bad.    … Expand
  84. Bertolinha
    Dec 6, 2019
    0
    This game is just disrespectful. Gamefreak really showed us that they can do anything and still sell the game
  85. Esbelto
    Nov 17, 2019
    1
    um jogo entregue incompleto,completamente baseado só no nome da franquia,para cada mecânica, nova no jogo ,3 antigas foram retiradas,sem nem contar os pokemon retirados por pura preguiça e comodidade na game freak ,
  86. Frewsh
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Yeah, this game just feels more unfulfilling than most other Pokemon games. A lot just feels missing or uncanny in some ways, mostly with how you interact with the world and the pokemon that inhabit it which is all directly caused by the bad quality of animation and graphics. It all just feels shamelessly downgraded when compared to other Switch titles, almost like a cash grab meant forYeah, this game just feels more unfulfilling than most other Pokemon games. A lot just feels missing or uncanny in some ways, mostly with how you interact with the world and the pokemon that inhabit it which is all directly caused by the bad quality of animation and graphics. It all just feels shamelessly downgraded when compared to other Switch titles, almost like a cash grab meant for mobile devices rather than an immersive main console game. I just don't think Game Freak tried too hard here, because the love that we're seeing from Sword and Shield is mainly because of the fact that it's on the Switch.

    But let me break it down for you like this: Nintendo Switch is the fun part of Sword and Shield; Sword and Shield is not the fun part of a Pokemon experience for Switch. Simple as that.    … Expand
  87. Fabiotipow
    Nov 17, 2019
    3
    Mais do mesmo, graficamente horrível pra sua geração, as coisas pipocam na sua tela. Tirem esse grande jogo das mãos da game freak
  88. Crypt96
    Nov 18, 2019
    3
    Initially, the game is fine. The graphics seem to not have a poor resolution when you start off. For A nintendo switch game, everything should be clean. There are hiccups in FPS when entering battle while playing on the TV, but in handheld, the game runs smoothly, Ive only had a few drops in FPS. The render distance is abysmally bad. I have seen indie developed games with a larger renderInitially, the game is fine. The graphics seem to not have a poor resolution when you start off. For A nintendo switch game, everything should be clean. There are hiccups in FPS when entering battle while playing on the TV, but in handheld, the game runs smoothly, Ive only had a few drops in FPS. The render distance is abysmally bad. I have seen indie developed games with a larger render radius. The animations of the pokemon in the overworld are lifeless, and I feel they could have put more effort into make the pokemon world feel less like Pokemon GO, and more like other swtich titles (Breath of the Wild, for example, the creatures have some life and react more lively when you approach them) the animations in battle are subpar to previous titles, specifically the the attack animations. There are Nintendo 64 titles where the animations are far superior and more believable to this game. I dont mind the reused animations, what I do mind is saying you cut so many pokemon off from the game to say you were making new models and animations, when the only thing "new" are the gigamax models and the new pokemon to the Galar region. on a side note, I had high hopes for the Galar region Ponyta, because he is so cute and the Rapadash is so ugly. The same can be said with Wooloo. His evolution is so ugly. on a side side note, how can they pass the perfect opportunity to make a male and female Wooloo evo with a sheep and ram. (rant over) The companion is nice, but he is an idiot for the first battle. If I were him, I would want to be better than my friends. I would have picked the grass type to counter Sobble, but instead, he is the pathetic type who is programmed to be weak against you. he had two starting pokemon this time, thats new, but insignificant compared to the rest of the game as I progressed.

    The overworld suffers from the same fate of linear corridors, like sun and moon. the visuals are very colorful, but they distract you from the poor resolution you get from certain objects which throw your immersion off. the ground of the overworld reminds back in the PS2 days where the ground has poor resolution textures but the grass, that is thrown here and there, distract you from this. the damn trees get worse as you progress. you will find pretty trees and background props early on, but they get worse as you progress... why? why not fix all the trees, instead of the beginning few?

    I want to get back to the battling models because the pokemon are not scaled to size in the battle scene. we either grow a few sizes larger then our pokemon, or the pokemon get smaller, because every pokemon has about the same size in the battle scene. I am upset I spent money on this game after a while because my first gigamax, dynamax, whatever it is called, is awful. there is a significant performance drop in battle. the only other time I see my Switch have performance issues is in Xenobade Chronicles 2, when I am lvl 82+ in the Gormott province fighting the T rex looking monster with 8 or 9 vloffs hitting me because my AoE attacks aggroed them. In my example, there are 14+ high quality models that are animated very precisely to look as life like as possible, and the giant T-rex i am trying to kill that is larger than my camera zoomed out to max range that is also animated finely and lively. The last thing I want to point out is that only after all this, the Switch is also computing the huge amount of damage each unit is dealing to each other in a frantic race to keep the game from dropping below 26 FPS, its a mess (a fun, chaotic mess). All Pokemon sword and sheild have are 2 big models and the trainers. the models of the Pokemon are not lively or beautifully animated. they are just standing there and the game is not calculating anything, they are only in the idle pose. and the game stutters from this. How can the switch even have FPS problems when only loading 4ish models? After my first encounter with dynamax, I turned off my switch and sold my copy to some poor soul online. If the devs were not going to put their time into this game, then it is not worth my time. This is borderline "the game will sell because it is Pokemon." I feel like an idiot purchasing this game. I posted this review on Sheild as well, because they are the same game.    … Expand
  89. YeeManX
    Nov 18, 2019
    3
    Before going into this review, I'd like to clarify that before this game came out, I was heavily defending it and against those who were upset solely over the dex cut, but now that the game is out I can't really defend it anymore.

    I've played every single pokemon game since Yellow, and sure every game has its flaws, but from Yellow to Ultra Moon, I've believed that every pokemon game    Before going into this review, I'd like to clarify that before this game came out, I was heavily defending it and against those who were upset solely over the dex cut, but now that the game is out I can't really defend it anymore.

    I've played every single pokemon game since Yellow, and sure every game has its flaws, but from Yellow to Ultra Moon, I've believed that every pokemon game released was a "good game" and that they would never fall off in quality one day, but with the release of Sword and Shield, I was proven wrong.

    I was upset over the dex cut, but I believed that they wouldn't cut out over half the pokemon in existence unless they had something great up their sleeve. Pokemon Sword did not deliver on this message. The game is cutesy and fun, but there isnt much of a game itself. It kind of holds your hand and takes you through a nonexistent story that suddenly throws some "bad guy plot" at you near the end with no explanation whatsoever, and completing the game felt very empty. Once you beat the champion, there s virtually nothing to do. Nothing. No post game content like they promised. The game feels janky, and feels like a straight path with no exploration, experimentation, or soul. To think that the same company that made Soulsilver, Black and White, and X and Y made this game is extremely disappointing.

    For those who object and say "there was too many pokemon anyway" provided a weak argument. I've noticed any "fan" who has said this has been someone who only got into pokemon because of pokemon Go, so i suppose its fair for this demographic to not care as much since they could have been overwhelmed by the 809 pokemon present before sword and shield. For someone like me who has been here throughout the whole series, however, almost cannot believe they cut pokemon period, nevertheless over half of them. The problem here is those will argue that "800+ is too much for one game" which is true. No pokemon game on its own had all 800+ in it. Those that were absent could only be obtained by transferring them from games they were present int, or by trading with someone. So its not abnormal for Sword and Shield to only have 400, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon actually only had 400 in its pokedex as well. The difference is that you could still send those missing ones to Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon once you completed the game. Sword and Shield virtually wipes these pokemon from existence.

    All of the previous games I mentioned not only had the ability to have all pokemon currently present either caught or transferred to it, but they all had some post game content. There was a time where a pokemon game had MORE post game content than its story content, and this has withered down in amount after Black and White 2. Not only is Sword's story only a few hours in length, without the ability to have missing pokemon transferred to it, there is essentially nothing to do once you beat it. No legendary pokemon to catch other than the one on the cover of your game, no extra pokemon not found in the region dex to find, no secret battles or areas, all there is is a cheesy 1 hour subplot.

    The Wild Area isnt very well executed. The pokemon and other 3D assets seem to randomly pop out of nowhere or disappear, and its weather system is bizzare. One second its a sandstorm, then its sunny, and then it becomes a blizzard, in the span of maybe one minute. The routes and other areas themselves are boring hallways with no subareas to explore, and it makes me wonder if the rest of the region took a cut to prepare the Wild Area.

    The games arent terrible on their own i guess. If you are new to pokemon, I actually think they may be decent gateway games into the franchise. Id be willing to say for the sake of a newcomer, these games could be a 6 or 7, but there are much, much better pokemon games you can probably buy at GameStop, such as Black and White, their sequels, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are nice too if you dont like sprites and prefer 3D models and worlds, and the latest games Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon can support 807 pokemon in one game. For those longtime fans, however, these games are really disappointing. Extremely. It feels like GameFreak no longer caters to the longtime fans and wants to produce quick, easy games to maintain the "fans" introduced through Go who probably will forget about pokemon again in a few years like they did when Pokemania died down in the 90's.

    Yes, just like your favorite youtuber is probably exclaiming, these games have some fun moments, but there isnt depth to it, its kind of mindless, in that there is no challenge really. Id be willing to even defend these games if this was to be improved in the next game since these are the first Generation 8 games, and the first main games on the Switch, but for Gamefreak to tell us that this is how they want every game to be from now on? I think these will be my last pokemon games unless they change majorly.    … Expand
  90. brinkoflight
    Nov 18, 2019
    3
    It's about what you'd expect from the series post pokemon black and white 2. The games are shell of it's former self. However some bigger problems presents itself that the series didn't have before. The national dex is cut and pokemon are out right removed, mega evolutions and Z moves are removed, pokemon moves have been removed, mediocre textures, graphical issues like pop in, reusedIt's about what you'd expect from the series post pokemon black and white 2. The games are shell of it's former self. However some bigger problems presents itself that the series didn't have before. The national dex is cut and pokemon are out right removed, mega evolutions and Z moves are removed, pokemon moves have been removed, mediocre textures, graphical issues like pop in, reused animations like those for Hop and Hau, no post game, battle tower offers less than it did before, pokemon size scaling like Wailord, features like GTS removed and it costs more.
    There's more issues than the ones I listed here. If you want a good Pokemon game try black and white 2, Heartgold and Soul Silver, Emerald and Platinum.    … Expand
  91. Billhous
    Nov 18, 2019
    3
    Game is nearly identical to other pokemon games as per usual. Game play is great if you enjoy pokemon. Graphics aren't great for a modern colsole release. Can't speak too much to the full breadth of content as ive haven't finished both games but am at 10 hours on sheild and 1 hour on sword, and this can seems thinner than usual.
  92. Aaradorn
    Nov 18, 2019
    3
    Feels like they could do better. The graphics remind me of a 2007 rpg, the pokemon look cool but the models come from the 3DS, the battle animations, if you can call them that, are the bare minimum of an animation.

    I guess it's great for kids but not for older fans.
  93. Bechrisslol
    Nov 18, 2019
    4
    This game doesn‘t make me feel like a pokemon trainer.
    and there is no piplup.
  94. Cofran21
    Nov 18, 2019
    4
    A very ambitious project for a mediocre company. Pokémon Sword and Shield could have been a lot better, a game with wasted potential. Recycled animations, terrible easy difficulty, little entertaining and predictable history, clipped pokedex and repetitive environments are some of the factors that affect the game and make it of poor quality. Galar is a region interesting but not entertaining.
  95. winoc
    Nov 18, 2019
    4
    While I have fun playing the game, issues from dexit to short main story, lack of post-game activity to the absolute zero improvement on graphic and animation makes me couldn't give it a passing mark. The wild area is refreshing but far from perfect. I hope that Game Freak understands that fans are not satisfied with this game and they will improve on the next one.
  96. rvbfreak
    Nov 18, 2019
    3
    As a game by itself, it's very mediocre. As a Pokemon game, it is seriously lacking. It seems like Game Freak played it very safe and in turn made a sequel to the Let's Go series rather than a true mainline experience. I can overlook the pokedex cut, the lacking animations, and the graphics. Really, when have those ever been the staples of a Pokemon experience? However, what I can'tAs a game by itself, it's very mediocre. As a Pokemon game, it is seriously lacking. It seems like Game Freak played it very safe and in turn made a sequel to the Let's Go series rather than a true mainline experience. I can overlook the pokedex cut, the lacking animations, and the graphics. Really, when have those ever been the staples of a Pokemon experience? However, what I can't overlook is the forced hand-holding, the mandatory Exp. Share, and virtually no endgame options. I wasn't looking for a casual game; I was looking for a game I could grind for 500+ hours, training my party with specific IV/EV stats like I could with Emerald and Diamond. It's safe to say, Sword and Shield is not the game I was looking for. I'll go back to playing the classics and wait for the reviews before I buy the next game.… Expand
  97. Sdiddy98
    Nov 18, 2019
    3
    I am a long time pokemon fan and have been playing every single game even the worse ones such and let's go. This game was a huge let down. Too many things about this game stack up to give a negative taste about this game. First the routes, everything is linear one lane and no cool places to visit and absolutely no caves that you have to find yourself around. Everything is so linear thatI am a long time pokemon fan and have been playing every single game even the worse ones such and let's go. This game was a huge let down. Too many things about this game stack up to give a negative taste about this game. First the routes, everything is linear one lane and no cool places to visit and absolutely no caves that you have to find yourself around. Everything is so linear that you get healed around every corner. Wild area is a good step but graphics are absolutely atrocious for a switch title. Graphics can be good at some place but absolutely terrible in others. All pokemon models and animations are absolutely the same so why cut pokemon... this is laughable. Now modders are taking it upon themselves to make better graphics and put in the pokemon gamefreak has cut out. If next pokemon is gonna be trash then I'm done with pokemon… Expand
  98. Camilohey
    Nov 18, 2019
    1
    El juego esta mal optimizado tiende a tener bajonazos de frames, las animaciones podrían mejorarse mucho más y el tiempo de juego es muy reducido con respecto a las anteriores entregas
  99. Ziromatt
    Nov 18, 2019
    1
    Un videojuego mediocre, quitaron cosas que pokémon a tenido desde siempre, resiclaje de modelos del 3ds,no puedes completar la dex nacional ni transferir tus pokémon
  100. spellskeet
    Nov 18, 2019
    2
    Love the new Pokemon designs, but I really don't like how the game feels like a hallway with a half-baked plot. The rivals are very one dimensional, and pop up way too often with repetative dialogue that stops making sense partway through the game. Wish I could have played more, but while I was in the Wilds area in post game, my SD card for corrupted so I guess I'm done playing.
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Awards & Rankings

79
#79 Best Switch Game of 2019
1
#1 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 87 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 66 out of 87
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 87
  3. Negative: 0 out of 87
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Apr 30, 2020
    80
    Sword & Shield stumble in a few areas and history may not be kind to them, but they're setting up a future that I'm excited to see. [Issue #44 – January/February 2020, p. 73]
  2. GameCritics
    Feb 6, 2020
    75
    I enjoyed my time with Pokemon Sword and Shield, but I ended feeling conflicted. I appreciate many of the changes and felt that it generally respected my time, but I almost felt like a passive participant. The more complex gym challenges had a meatier role, but the narrative shouldn’t have been shoved to the side. Overall, I would recommend it to players who want to have a Pokemon experience, but this one won’t stick with me the way the older ones have.
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  3. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Jan 14, 2020
    78
    Pokemon Sword/Shield is uncharacteristically user-friendly: now there’s no need to backtrack half across the world to heal your entire team of pokemon or to get to a particular city, for example. [Issue#242, p.66]
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