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
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. DaigoDaigo
    Sep 16, 2021
    7
    I like the game. I really do. The graphic look nice, the music sound nice, and the battle are epic.....one problem though. The game is short as ****

    Gameplay: First, it a pokemon game. So it play like a pokemon game. You beat up trainers, catch and train pokemon. Simple, right? Except there less pokemon now, and even less trainers. So expecting plenty of battle from random trainers    I like the game. I really do. The graphic look nice, the music sound nice, and the battle are epic.....one problem though. The game is short as ****

    Gameplay: First, it a pokemon game. So it play like a pokemon game. You beat up trainers, catch and train pokemon. Simple, right? Except there less pokemon now, and even less trainers. So expecting plenty of battle from random trainers isn't good since each route is super short. We even lose access to mega. But hey, at least we got dynamaxing and gigamaxing.

    Music: Oh I love the music. Music is neat. But I don't think music will save this game.

    Graphic: Let me be honest. The graphic is awesome. In fact, I think it one of the greatest thing for pokemon. Exceeeeeept the way gamefreak made it....it really super messy. The draw distance is terrible, and there are some game asset model look super low resolution.

    Story: It a pokemon game. Story should be somewhat the same.....except it even worse! Even Team Skull and the Aether Foundation make more sense than this game story evil villain team. I'm not gonna spoil it, but it just really lack luster and make me go "The hell is this!?"

    Thing pisses me off: The pokemon cut, the move cuts, and the mega being cut out really pisses me off. But there been word circling around that not only is most of these gone for the sake of "Muh graphic." There also a game breaking bug that hurt the sd card which delete your entire SD card and also has the possibility to brick the Switch. Now I'm not sure whether or not it will brick, but there are a few reports.

    If I was forgiving, I would give this game a 6 outta 10. But I'm kinda mad at Gamefreak so it get a 4 outta 10. But since that gamebreaking bug show up and giving me the scare, I'm giving it a 3 outta 10.

    I love Pokemon, I want it to do better. I would give sun and moon a 10 outta 10 just because I'm a pokemon fanatic. But this game. Holy **** This game make me super mad.

    Edit: I might have to change the score once the Expansion is release, Until June come around, this shall remain a 3.

    Edit Part 2: I brought it up to a 5. Mostly because of the isle of armor dlc convince me to raise it. It still bad, but the fact my favorite pokemon is back in made me raise my user score.

    Update in 2021: It has been awhile since this game first release. And I can understand why it would have a low score. Now that the heat is off. And we have a majority of the Pokemon in due to dlc, I want to say this game isn't really as bad. But at the same time, it not truly good either. The story and game play is good. The graphic look fine as it is. If I have to say what my biggest gripe about this game is due to the missing pokemon, and mega evolution.    … Expand
  2. YT123
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    This game gets too much hate. It's not a bad game, but it definitely lacks ambition.

    + Some QoL improvements - The (3)DS Pokémon games have more Pokémon in the game - Very poor pacing in the second half of the campaign - Graphics and animations are subpar compared to other Switch games - No GTS - Forced exp share, extremely linear routes and frequent auto-healing further simplify    This game gets too much hate. It's not a bad game, but it definitely lacks ambition.

    + Some QoL improvements
    - The (3)DS Pokémon games have more Pokémon in the game
    - Very poor pacing in the second half of the campaign
    - Graphics and animations are subpar compared to other Switch games
    - No GTS
    - Forced exp share, extremely linear routes and frequent auto-healing further simplify the game (which was not necessary at all)
    - The game feels unfinished/unpolished

    It's still a pretty fun game though, most Pokémon fans will probably enjoy it. But it could have been so much more..    … Expand
  3. Bibboi54
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    The game is by no means a perfect or great great game but it's really not as bad as people say it is. An average game deserves and average score most of the negative reviews are just people who are salty that it isn't as good as the other games in the series. But if you take away the other games and just focus on this one, it's an average game. Nothing else to really elaborate on otherThe game is by no means a perfect or great great game but it's really not as bad as people say it is. An average game deserves and average score most of the negative reviews are just people who are salty that it isn't as good as the other games in the series. But if you take away the other games and just focus on this one, it's an average game. Nothing else to really elaborate on other than if I could give it a 5.5 i would because it's not quite deserving of a 6. I rounded up to be nice.… Expand
  4. DeadLink
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. O jogo apresenta muitos problemas como o corte de movimentos e Pokémon, além de uma render distance que não condiz com o tamanho do mapa, porém o jogo assim como os demais é muito divertido e tem um dos melhores começos de jogo (senão o melhor) da franquia em que você pode pular a maioria dos tutoriais maçantes e encontra com o lendário logo de cara. Por favor gente, não precisa das a mesma nota que eu , mas, não de zero, o metacritic vai apagar essas notas de hate então de a nota que o jogo realmente merece (e só de nota se jogou).… Expand
  5. KingOfRock
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    I have to start off by saying, I'm only being honest here. This game has lots of flaws, and I will not ignore them. But I can see the forest for the trees. Overall this isn't a terrible game, just an okay game. But one with some serious flaws that keep it from being better than it could be.

    I'm going to start with the positives here: I do like the Galar region. I love the British    I have to start off by saying, I'm only being honest here. This game has lots of flaws, and I will not ignore them. But I can see the forest for the trees. Overall this isn't a terrible game, just an okay game. But one with some serious flaws that keep it from being better than it could be.

    I'm going to start with the positives here:

    I do like the Galar region. I love the British setting and I find it very charming and colorful. I like a lot of the new Pokemon designs. I actually think I like more than I hate, the first time I've felt this way in several generations. Also it's a return to form after Sun and Moon. Really, there's some good stuff here.

    And there's some bad stuff:

    The EXP Share. I'm starting with this because I hate it the most. I get people dislike or even hate other things about this game (I'm getting to it), but this bugs me the most. It isn't even an optional thing. It's stuck on. It doesn't make sense. The reason this bugs me so much isn't just because it makes it waaaaay too easy, even by Pokemon standards. I also hate how it robs me of my way of training my Pokemon. I always used to play by trying to balance out my Pokemon and keep them at equal levels. This robs me of a convenient way to do that. Also, because everyone can gain EXP even without going into battle it's given me less incentive to switch Pokemon. I've not changed from my starter at all in the beginning because there wasn't much of a need to. It wasn't a conscious thing. I just didn't noticed I did it. Seriously, that EXP Share is a fun-sucker. And like most people, I'm not a fan of the graphics. They're colorful, like I said, but they're dated. Game Freak could have done a better job updating the graphics while still keeping the cartoony charm. And everyone's said enough about the National Dex removal and the missing Pokemon. I don't like it either.

    I don't think the good and bad balance out so well, but really the rest is just average. It doesn't do anything unique or special with the battle system. Dynamaxing is an awesome concept. It isn't used to its full potential from what I've seen anyways.

    I don't get why this game was rushed. There was potential here. This needed more time in the oven. I would have rather waited another year and just got something that felt more complete than what we got. I know a lot of people feel this way. I can't even call this a "bad" game because, in all fairness, even bad games can be memorable. This is just so bland and average it kind of hurts.    … Expand
  6. rongCH
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    As someone who started playing since Red and have been seeing a steady decline of quality after BW (the last true decent pokemon games imao) I am sad to say that I am not surprised, I can tell those developers are old and trapped in time as they could only produce decent games for the 2d handheld generations. I felt the game lazy, with lots of recycled asset, uninspired music, poorly madeAs someone who started playing since Red and have been seeing a steady decline of quality after BW (the last true decent pokemon games imao) I am sad to say that I am not surprised, I can tell those developers are old and trapped in time as they could only produce decent games for the 2d handheld generations. I felt the game lazy, with lots of recycled asset, uninspired music, poorly made pokemon designs, empty uninteresting towns, also the new gimmick introduced (Dinamax) is absolutely terrible, I cant tell yet for sure but I am hoping it can't be used in competitive, if feels lazy, broken and unappealing to me, the games are also incredibly easy and having a mandatory exp share on does not help at all, removing mega evolution, more than half of the pokedex and several staple moves was a huge hit for me, this game will hit the shelf sooner than any other pokemon game i can't wait to return to Ultra Sun since that game was way more appealing and better made than this horrible excuse of a main line series pokemon game… Expand
  7. PointingGaming
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I think the game is extremely good so far, as someone who has played Pokémon since Gen 1 I am quite happy, there are some features they did remove, some with obvious reasons some without. Such as global trade, in the previous games they were flooded with cheated in shinys and legendaries. It adds more challenge to the game so you can’t just trade a garbage Pokémon for one super high leveled, and they made it so you can’t catch a Pokémon higher level than what your gym badge allows.

    I enjoy the wide open areas and being able to see other players in the wild areas. I think the dynamaxing is cool, and a lot better than the mega evolutions and the special moves and other gimmicks they have had in the previous games in the main storyline.

    In terms of new pokemon it was a hit and a miss, they have some good ones and some terrible ones. It’s about the same as gen 5 where they had some great ideas, and they also had some absolutely retarded ones.

    So far I am happy with this game, and I am about half way through it I have to say it was money well spent. A lot of people may hate on this game but I believe that it deserves more credit than it is givin considering this is the first main story game that has come out for the Pokémon franchise that isn’t completely pixelated.    … Expand
  8. SirEpicPigeon
    Nov 16, 2019
    6
    Played a couple of hours. I am enjoying the game but man, it has some problems:

    - It feels like an upscaled 3DS game, including the framedrops. Try walking in the wild area when connected to the internet, it will dip a lot. - Trading with friends still uses the old code system from lets go (we have a friends list, use it). I connected to other people with the same code several    Played a couple of hours. I am enjoying the game but man, it has some problems:

    - It feels like an upscaled 3DS game, including the framedrops. Try walking in the wild area when connected to the internet, it will dip a lot.

    - Trading with friends still uses the old code system from lets go (we have a friends list, use it). I connected to other people with the same code several times..

    - It feels like spending time in the wild area will make you overleveled but I still have to see for myself.

    - Beginning was boring to me, but that is a gripe I have with every Pokemon game

    - A lot of pop in, including "online players" because I'm pretty sure the trainers you see aren't real trainers walking around.

    Positives:

    - I LOVE the new Pokemon designs are super cute and awesome.

    - Music is great and energetic.

    - Wild area, while visually unimpressive, is awesome with all of the pokemon wandering around and sometimes chasing you

    Overal enjoying my purchase but could have been so much more. The game should not have been 60 imo. Does the game deserve all of the hate it gets? I think so, because #GameFreakLied is a thing. It does not deserve the current 3.7 userscore but it does deserve some criticism to serve as a wake up call for GameFreak and Nintendo. What is there is fun but the game could have been so much more sadly enough. 6/10 for me, might change my review after beating the game.    … Expand
  9. Gohax
    Dec 5, 2019
    6
    Pokemon sword is the new installment of the Pokemon games made by game freak and all i have to say about this long awaited new generation game is its a good 3ds game here's why

    the story is your typical i wanna be the very best gonna catch them all and get all the gym badges kind of thing all over again pros: the new approach they did with the gyms which are now stadiums and you    Pokemon sword is the new installment of the Pokemon games made by game freak and all i have to say about this long awaited new generation game is its a good 3ds game here's why

    the story is your typical i wanna be the very best gonna catch them all and get all the gym badges kind of thing all over again

    pros:
    the new approach they did with the gyms which are now stadiums and you fight in front of a huge crowd is awesome and i really dig it

    also the addition of gym challenges is a good way to build up to the final fight

    the open area and the addition of raids really adds more content to game and really drives you to want to play with your friends more

    the new generation Pokemon although few they are really cool and i caught all of them just because of how cool they are and the awesome ways you can evolve them

    they evolution sequence was cut by half and now the Pokemon takes less time to evolve THANK YOU FOR THAT

    the games music is cute and a little melodic and really represents some moments very well

    cons:

    animation is total trash compared to what game freak promised

    the game is really short i finished the game including endgame after 21 hours which is nothing compared to the previous games that took me 30 hours at least including endgame and if not more

    the fact that there are some Pokemon missing is just totally absurd

    the game really feels like its not finished and it had more to offer

    the end boss which is not the legendary Pokemon you are supposed to catch is disappointing and even more horrible is the fact that only after the endgame you can catch the legendary Pokemon

    i know the games story is weak but some how in this one they managed to make the story even worse and your rival friend is so annoying and really cant do anything by himself making him kind of useless

    the game felt really easy as if they made it that way so it'll be easier for kids although they do know that most of the Pokemon fan base are grown ups but yea whatever

    the new dynamax mode which makes your Pokemon big and gives him ultimate moves depending on the elements is just awful and it gets old and boring really fast not counting the fact that you cant always use it and you can only do it when the game allows you to

    in conclusion although i had some fun with the game it felt as if I am playing a little better looking 3ds Pokemon game i am really disappointed with game freak because they kind of slacked off with this game which leads me to the final score which is a 6.5 out of 10    … Expand
  10. eroenR8knight
    Feb 28, 2022
    5
    This game is overhated. Yeah it sucks that the national dex is gone and that Game Freak ''lied''. But the game is not bad, in some areas it could be improved but it is fine. Review bombing a game is super dumb to do, play the game and then form your opinion please. Still not better then a 5 tho
  11. ByTutuquita
    Nov 16, 2019
    5
    Muy desepcionado, esperaba un gran salto en la saga Pokémon como tuvimos con zelda breath of the wild, y me quede con un sabor bastante agridulce, tenía todos los recursos necesarios para ser un gran juego y ser un punto y aparte en la saga, sin embargo se quedo en un simple intento, una verdadera lastima bajo mi punto de vista.
  12. Flareon
    Nov 16, 2019
    6
    A lot of drop frames in wild area, to much programming errors. The game is nice but don't worth the price
  13. QuAc
    Nov 21, 2019
    6
    This game is the definition of mediocre. As a lifelong Pokemon fan I still don't give 2 flying **** about the national dex, most people complaining about it wont get even close to 100. The game does lack polish with my game crashing once during the 20 or so hours I have put into the game. it feel like a 40 dollar 3ds Pokemon game rather than a home console 60 dollar upgrade. But this isThis game is the definition of mediocre. As a lifelong Pokemon fan I still don't give 2 flying **** about the national dex, most people complaining about it wont get even close to 100. The game does lack polish with my game crashing once during the 20 or so hours I have put into the game. it feel like a 40 dollar 3ds Pokemon game rather than a home console 60 dollar upgrade. But this is still a fun Pokemon game, I went from town to town collecting Pokemon, battling other trainers and going to gyms which is the only part that makes this feel like a polished home console game. Going to a gym and after doing a mini game and maybe some story stuff, feel amazing. You walk into what looks like a sports arena and battle against the leader. which leads me to dynamax, which shows up just the right amount of time. you will only see them in gyms or in raid battles. the game shows so much charm with not only if you spin doing a jojo's pose, or the cool characters in gym with the pokeball on their head.overall an average game with some big technical flaws. I would give a 6.5 with them in and 7 if they patch them out.(also they got so many waifus god damn game freak). thank you for coming to my ted talk… Expand
  14. CeilYurei
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    Too many features cut, including moves and features, pokemon with movesets not matching stats, and all sorts of frame rate drops and even slowdown and lag on the start screen. It also completely destroyed other's entire data on their sd cards through a glitch. The game is generally too easy, with tons of hand holding and free heals, catching pokemon is hardly a challenge, even compared toToo many features cut, including moves and features, pokemon with movesets not matching stats, and all sorts of frame rate drops and even slowdown and lag on the start screen. It also completely destroyed other's entire data on their sd cards through a glitch. The game is generally too easy, with tons of hand holding and free heals, catching pokemon is hardly a challenge, even compared to other entries. Worse, everything is recycled from gen7, even the plot. The animations are definitely subpar compared to comparable titles, No way can I give it much higher than this. It is generally a disappointment, even when i did not expect much. 50% price increase for less than half the content, and less than 80 new pokemon. All the promises were lies and just fake excuses.
    Best thing to come out of it is SOME of the new pokemon,and new trainer designs, luckily the community is full of good artists to give us quality r34 and other fanart.    … Expand
  15. WhiteWolf_965
    Nov 16, 2019
    7
    it's a good game but the graphics are not good in dock mode it's looks like a 3ds game graphics with a bit of improvement. and the game became so easy that i used one pokemon for most of my battles most of the time with a one hit kill.
  16. gdmatt
    Nov 25, 2019
    5
    By far the weakest mainline entry into a series which is well and truly starting to show its age.
    400+ cut Pokemon from previous games due to a reported "lack of resources" and in order to focus on improving the game elsewhere. Pokemon Sword and Shield lack any meaningful innovation and any additions feel like an afterthought and incomplete - the Wild Area being the biggest example of    By far the weakest mainline entry into a series which is well and truly starting to show its age.
    400+ cut Pokemon from previous games due to a reported "lack of resources" and in order to focus on improving the game elsewhere. Pokemon Sword and Shield lack any meaningful innovation and any additions feel like an afterthought and incomplete - the Wild Area being the biggest example of incomplete and unfinished.

    The 60 odd new Pokemon mostly try to fill the void of the 400+ cut Pokemon, by reusing previous ideas and repackaging them as "new".

    The story is about 15-20 hours, depending on your approach - most of which is filled with busywork, cut scenes and an overabundance of dialogue. The forced EXP share ensures once you have a team of 6 Pokemon, that they will all level up together. Gone are the days of having to train each Pokemon individually and as such, you don't get the opportunity to form a bond with any of them.

    Overall really disappointing and I can only recommend to the fans who play each entry into the series religiously upon release.    … Expand
  17. Instable
    Nov 15, 2021
    7
    Dynamax mechanics is pretty lame. Lack of national dex is also extremely dissapointing.
  18. frederik1478
    Apr 18, 2021
    7
    Fun Pokémon game that I would recommend Permadeath , Looks good sound good mechanics are very nice , It is mean how much luck it is to get the Pokémon you want in the wild area,
    front I would recommended if you lose a Pokémon don't revive it posted in the box because the game becomes much more fun when there are some steaks to the Battle because of the party experience it is easy enough    Fun Pokémon game that I would recommend Permadeath , Looks good sound good mechanics are very nice , It is mean how much luck it is to get the Pokémon you want in the wild area,
    front I would recommended if you lose a Pokémon don't revive it posted in the box because the game becomes much more fun when there are some steaks to the Battle because of the party experience it is easy enough to Recruit new Pokémon so I would recommend it    … Expand
  19. dr0nzer
    Nov 17, 2019
    6
    I haven't played Pokemon since yellow and I had fond memories of the title and so was looking forward to jumping back in, the game is interesting and i can see some vast improvements, good story, progression, and the battle mechanics are improving. Customization is king and there is some freedom/openworld to the title which is great.

    I hated the inventory management, no sort by name??!    I haven't played Pokemon since yellow and I had fond memories of the title and so was looking forward to jumping back in, the game is interesting and i can see some vast improvements, good story, progression, and the battle mechanics are improving. Customization is king and there is some freedom/openworld to the title which is great.

    I hated the inventory management, no sort by name??! some of the battles take too long even with the animations turned off, it's not as fluid.. very laggy in the wild when you're "online". The trading system is weird and the "surprise trade" is junk as you often get low lvl stuff in return so it's pointless to use, too many button clicks to get where you need and no fast key to the world button is a pain in the ass.    … Expand
  20. ZeroGemini
    Nov 29, 2019
    6
    Pokemon Sword/Shield was a journey through mediocrity for me. I grew up with pokemon and haven't played one since Ruby/Sapphire and hearing it was coming to the switch excited me. I saw they had a wild area and I thought my dreams of a non-linear pokemon game were going to become a reality. Given the advancements all other first party Nintendo games have gone through (Zelda, Mario, FirePokemon Sword/Shield was a journey through mediocrity for me. I grew up with pokemon and haven't played one since Ruby/Sapphire and hearing it was coming to the switch excited me. I saw they had a wild area and I thought my dreams of a non-linear pokemon game were going to become a reality. Given the advancements all other first party Nintendo games have gone through (Zelda, Mario, Fire Emblem, Luigi's Mansion, Xenoblade 2, Smash, and so on) I had no reason to believe this game wouldn't be any different. Boy, was I wrong. I completed the game and the entire pokedex in about 30 hours and was left wanting something more, something better to do. The wild area was small and generally unnecessary for a majority of the game. It felt like an upgraded safari zone, both in size and usefulness. Most pokemon could be caught within the routes, which were devoid of branching paths like previous games - they were literally 2 circles with 4 gyms on each path. A majority of the pokemon battle animations were hops and twists, they could have at least copied the animations from the gamecube games. The particle effects were pretty to look at, but the lack of animations used to initiate the attack was disappointing. Dynamax and Gigantamax forms are not all that interesting and the raid battles got extremely repetitive and boring after a few battles. I thought they'd have move past this rock-paper-scissors mechanic of super effective attacks by now. The gym challenges were fun to do, but type-based gym leaders shouldn't exist anymore. I solo swept every gym with a single pokemon. The game could stand to have a normal and hard mode where the gym leaders all had between 4-6 pokemon all either scaled to your level +5 or a much higher starting point with team composition in mind to create a more challenging experience for the older player base, which is probably the majority anyways. It really bothered me that characters had moving mouth flaps during cutscenes and zero voice acting took place. It's kind of insulting that pokemon cries are still screeches when we have the pokemon cartoon to pull from.

    Overall, it was the same game I remembered playing back in the late 90s early 2000s and had no problem pushing through the game. 8 gyms, a good amount of monsters to find, and an elite 4 challenge. However, I'm not reviewing every pokemon game entry as a whole I'm reviewing Sword/Shield specifically and this one was bad. It may have followed the general formula of a pokemon game, but that is not enough to be a great game. Compared to what Nintendo has done recently, this was a poor entry to add to Nintendo Switch's stellar lineup. I probably won't buy the next game unless they have significantly improved their product, and even then I may wait for YouTuber reviews because gaming sites like IGN and Polygon really oversold the experience.    … Expand
  21. LebowskiRams
    Nov 17, 2019
    7
    The graphics deserve all of the hate. Really disappointing in that aspect.

    Everything else, though, is pretty darn good. Excellent new pokemon designs, the only problem with the wild area is that it isn't larger, the cities and towns are good. Another point of contention was the cutting of the national dex. But with 400 pokemon in the regional dex, it's nt as big of a deal as it's    The graphics deserve all of the hate. Really disappointing in that aspect.

    Everything else, though, is pretty darn good. Excellent new pokemon designs, the only problem with the wild area is that it isn't larger, the cities and towns are good.

    Another point of contention was the cutting of the national dex. But with 400 pokemon in the regional dex, it's nt as big of a deal as it's made out to be.

    The biggest issue when playing Sword and Shield is that dreaded feeling that this could have been better, but it is an improvement upon the previous two generations.    … Expand
  22. Yourebiasedasfk
    Nov 22, 2019
    5
    The game is mediocre at best. The graphics are lazy and the game lacks conplexity. It lacks the exploration the older games brought to the table.
  23. Aciel85
    Nov 17, 2019
    6
    Pros
    - Slightly new gfx
    - Interesting new experience from the pokemon running around/new gfx - New pokemon Cons - Game is too short. Does feel like a rush job after u realise there is nothing much to do after completing the game. - Pokedex has been cut to half - Linked to first con, virtually no post game.. in the past games there were at least 10 legendaries to catch, this game..    Pros
    - Slightly new gfx
    - Interesting new experience from the pokemon running around/new gfx
    - New pokemon

    Cons
    - Game is too short. Does feel like a rush job after u realise there is nothing much to do after completing the game.
    - Pokedex has been cut to half
    - Linked to first con, virtually no post game.. in the past games there were at least 10 legendaries to catch, this game.. i dont even want to mention the #.. u can count it with a single hand?
    - pricey for the content

    As someone who played every single generation of the pokemon game from start, its an exciting experience to see new pokemon n new UI/new pokemon chasing you. But yet it is underwhelming as this is probably the most pricey pokemon game in terms of content. There is literally almost 0 post game content.

    I would give it a fair 5/6. but in actual sense it is just a 3 or 4 when you compare to the previous pokemon games.

    I was kind of shocked at what i was supposed to expect post game, there was literally almost 0 post game. which was really disappointing. . I am fine with what ever was being recycled or re-used. but i think this time gamefreak or whichever company who made the pokemon game really rushed it too much. it could have at least had global trade and a proper post game...

    i believe they are trying to sell a DLC or an expansion for this... meh    … Expand
  24. Kafkan
    Nov 17, 2019
    7
    A pesa de todo lo malo que se ha dicho del juego que me voy a ahorrar el repetirlo, es una obra maestra de pokemon? Está claro que no pero es un buen juego de pokemon? Para mi lo es con una base asentada de lo que puede llegar a ser esta saga en Nintendo Switch.
    Personalmente me lo estoy pasando como hace mucho que no me lo pasaba en un pokemon.
  25. MCSorcerer
    Nov 26, 2019
    7
    Looking at this game for what it is itself, it's decent. The gameplay, the story, the music, the visuals, are all OK. But nothing better. For the money the Pokemon Company and Game Freak make, the general level of quality this game contains is nothing other than disappointing. I still had fun playing the game for sure, but I can't help but thnk about what the game could have been if it allLooking at this game for what it is itself, it's decent. The gameplay, the story, the music, the visuals, are all OK. But nothing better. For the money the Pokemon Company and Game Freak make, the general level of quality this game contains is nothing other than disappointing. I still had fun playing the game for sure, but I can't help but thnk about what the game could have been if it all the executive decisions had been made by people who clearly care about video games and the consumers that buy them.
    Looking at the game in the context of the past games, however, the game falls even further. The game removed several large chunks of content from over half of the older Pokemon to the smaller gameplay gimmicks like Mega Evolution and Z-Moves. This would all be fine if the reasons as to why they removed such content were valid. The general quality of the Pokemon's models and animations are the same, having been ported in from previous generations, and the replacement mechanic for Mega Evolution and Z-Moves is just a lazy combination of the two.
    Honestly, it makes me sad to see just how great the game could have been compared to what it is now. Everyone thought we were going to get all the Pokemon, in full HD at a consistent framerate, but we got none of that. Instead we got a half-baked game that resembles more of a half-hearted 3DS port. All I can do is just hope the next installment gets better.
    Overall, I would say to buy this game if you generally like Pokemon. It doesn't do too many new things, but if you are really frusturated about all of the short-comings this game has had, you can just skip. It is a good experience, but not one I would consider worth its price tag.    … Expand
  26. Joxl
    Nov 25, 2019
    6
    Not a bad Pokemon game, but it's basically the same game i have played since childhood. I expected more of an open world game and a better, more complex, story. The fact that the game still doesn't have any voice acting is infuriating.
  27. chronogaming8
    Dec 15, 2019
    7
    Pokémon Sword is a good game, nothing more. It has everything that any player expects to find in a Pokémon game: a lot of creatures to catch and train, beautiful graphics but not spectacular, an acceptable story, many different environments to go, a soundtrack quite good but not spectacular ...

    And that is the big problem of this game. Being the first Pokémon game on Nintendo Switch,    Pokémon Sword is a good game, nothing more. It has everything that any player expects to find in a Pokémon game: a lot of creatures to catch and train, beautiful graphics but not spectacular, an acceptable story, many different environments to go, a soundtrack quite good but not spectacular ...

    And that is the big problem of this game. Being the first Pokémon game on Nintendo Switch, developers should have risked a little more. Playing Pokémon Sword feels like a good experience, but nothing innovative. The Dynamax Pokémon are an interesting addition, but they do not compensate for the things that have been left behind: the Mega-evolutions, the Z-Moves, about 500 Pokémon that do not appear in the game, the simplification of many mechanics ...

    I spent hundreds of hours playing each of the previous games in this franchise, including Sun and Moon. In 35 hours I have finished Pokémon Sword, post-game included, and I am not hooked enough to continue dedicating hours.    … Expand
  28. Cafe_8bits
    Dec 26, 2019
    5
    Pokémon SwSh really did surprised me. I thought it would be another forgetful and unpolished adventure, like every title since XY. But hey, they really tried to put some nice things at the table here. Many new mechanics are very nice, and the plot and themes of the game are the best ones in the series so far, but... The game is really unbalanced, and inconsistent. Many gym battles werePokémon SwSh really did surprised me. I thought it would be another forgetful and unpolished adventure, like every title since XY. But hey, they really tried to put some nice things at the table here. Many new mechanics are very nice, and the plot and themes of the game are the best ones in the series so far, but... The game is really unbalanced, and inconsistent. Many gym battles were challenging, but other important fights were a piece of cake by nature. Galar its a nice region, ton of mons to catch and places to explore, but the wild area kinda sucks. But in the end its surely better than its 2 predecessors, i think if they had just ONE more year to finish this games, they could be oneof the best Pokémon games. Too bad Masuda´s team can´t do it because they are busy with next year´s game, because that´s what Pokémon became.
    This game made me sad, because my once favorite franchise is stuck in a cycle of mediocrity in its main line games, and it does not seems that will stop soon. But yeah, kinda fun game. I made nice memories with it, but don´t buy it, your money deserves better.    … Expand
  29. Litten92
    Nov 16, 2019
    6
    This is what you get when you develop something in a hurry. There are problems and limitations in this game that are unacceptable from GameFreak. This game is mediocre in many different ways that are already well known. I really hope GameFreak will change its current strategy and fix things out.
  30. kannalo
    Nov 15, 2019
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Good
    - Still has the standard pokemon feel
    - Cutscenes are not as annoying as in sumo
    - Bede as a character is a good rival
    - Some of the new pokemon are designed well
    - Customization
    The customization is really good I like the variety of clothes and haircuts you can get for your character
    Bad
    -Animations
    Some of the new animations do look really good but they are overshadowed by other animations which dont fit right like still using the static jump animation for moves. This is confusing for cinderace especially he uses the jump anims for double kick but has a kick animation
    - bad pacing
    - exp share
    I wish they would have kept the toggle to turn exp share on/off or give it to a single pokemon as it would be the equivalent of being able to select a difficulty. It causes over levelling which makes the game easy. I found the 1st and 2nd gym extremely easy because i was levelled quite a lot higher than the trainers and leaders so after that I skipped a lot of the trainer battles and wild pokemon battles I was only a few levels under in the rest of the game but it added a bit of challenge. I'm sure if i went around catching all the mon and doing every single battle like i would normally do the game would have been too easy

    -Plot
    I know the pokemon games have never really had extremely in depth plots but this game doesn't really have one you get vague hints of the legendary pokemon and then not much else happens until near the end of the game when the chairmans plan happens. Team yell add nothing story wise other than a bit of back story for marnie. It makes the game feel a bit aimless like yes you have the gyms as your opbjective but you dont have another objective like with the bad team coming in and messing things up in places/ doing bad things every once in a while where you need to go and stop them. There isn't really any buildup to the chairmans plan and it just happens.

    Overall it is still enjoyable but it feels like a huge step back in a lot of places. I was expecting a lot more from this game and I think many others were to
    - Wild area/raid battles
    while a big area is good I cant help but feel like it was just pushed into the game as a marketing tactic to make sales. It feels like they needed them to make up for a lack of content in the rest of the game

    - Dex cut

    - Hop
    He is hau

    -Maps/Routes
    The routes in this game are extremely short    … Expand
  31. ssammyblue
    Nov 16, 2019
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I've played over 50 hours. IMO the game overall does not FEEL like a $60 console game: maybe it could be a considered 10/10 if it was a launch title for the Dreamcast back in 1999, but not in 2019, when compared to other more fleshed out titles like the Witcher 3 running on the same hardware.

    I had fun and enjoyed the QOL improvements like the air taxis, XP system, and being able to change pokemon anytime from the menu, but the game felt rushed towards the end ( Spikemuth City just felt like a long hallway with nothing to see or do and I always expected there would be more places to catch pokemon; there area handful of routes, but only two large expanses of wild areas where you're expected to catch 75% of all pokemon (the one between wedgehurst and motostoke, and the one between motostoke and hammerlocke). I love pokemon so I could have bumped my score up all the way to 8/10 if there was a second Island, but overall the game feels lazy and past games have offered more content    … Expand
  32. Matiija
    Nov 16, 2019
    5
    This game is a very mixed generation for me, I've been a Pokemon Fan for as long as I can remember. Pokemon Sword and Shield was a very exciting game for me at first, but as I learned more about the game I discovered flaw after flaw. There is good in this game, but I feel like a lot that has been taken out such as more than half of the total pokedex is not something I wanted to happen to aThis game is a very mixed generation for me, I've been a Pokemon Fan for as long as I can remember. Pokemon Sword and Shield was a very exciting game for me at first, but as I learned more about the game I discovered flaw after flaw. There is good in this game, but I feel like a lot that has been taken out such as more than half of the total pokedex is not something I wanted to happen to a Pokemon game. This game also comes with lies, stating that they removed all those Pokemon for better, improved animations when in the end they only copy and pasted from the previous generation on the 3DS. The game feels pretty empty, not sure if its due to the lack of FOV but it certainly doesn't feel lively enough. It feels a lot was rushed, and doesn't feel like a complete Pokemon game to me, once again there are positives in this game, but the bad just out weighs it for me.… Expand
  33. Sunmellows
    Nov 16, 2019
    5
    I really wanted to like this game. But the piss poor optimization with the constant slowdown, frame drops, and pop in absolutely kill the immersion constantly. The game is even more hand holdy than the first part of Sun and moon, and Hop won't ever leave you the hell alone. The routes are extremely linear,and the game is extremely short, being beatable within 16ish hours. Not helping isI really wanted to like this game. But the piss poor optimization with the constant slowdown, frame drops, and pop in absolutely kill the immersion constantly. The game is even more hand holdy than the first part of Sun and moon, and Hop won't ever leave you the hell alone. The routes are extremely linear,and the game is extremely short, being beatable within 16ish hours. Not helping is the fact that the game is insultingly easy. I never once lost a battle, and my team was constantly around 5 levels over most trainers. I wasn't too big on the music either. I despise the gym leader theme, and everything else besides Marnies theme is meh to me. Overall, this game definitely is not worth $60 in the slightest. I like some of the new Pokemon but the amount of things holding it back is too much to bare. I was willing to go softer on XY since it was the series first true jump to 3d and at least tried some new things, but this game is absolutely bare bones, and I find that inexcusable after Sun and Moon… Expand
  34. MechKatana
    Nov 18, 2019
    7
    Hideo kojima has clearly outdone himself with the latest beyblade game. Sonic makes for an extremely lovable protagonist with intense emotions and ambition to be the greatest Jedi like no one ever was. The game truly makes improvement on the previously loved nemesis system, and shows us why gamefreak is truly the greatest developer currently in existence. Without a doubt, this has beenHideo kojima has clearly outdone himself with the latest beyblade game. Sonic makes for an extremely lovable protagonist with intense emotions and ambition to be the greatest Jedi like no one ever was. The game truly makes improvement on the previously loved nemesis system, and shows us why gamefreak is truly the greatest developer currently in existence. Without a doubt, this has been one of the best stealth horror games to come out for a while ( after all it takes a considerable amount of stealth to lie about animations and get away with them for a while about having made models from scratch and investing time in animations, meanwhile the horror part is realizing the PR disaster you have awoken and not knowing how to make up for them)
    graphics: 7/10
    sound:7/10
    gameplay: 6/10
    content: 7/10
    story: 7/ 10
    verdict : too much water.    … Expand
  35. Miraage31
    Nov 18, 2019
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I disagree mostly with the people defending the game and attacking the game. I consider myself as one of those fans who played the 1st gen games when it was out. Personally, I do not feel like the game deserves a 10 or a 0.

    I will discuss the good things about the game. First is that the wild area is a breath of fresh air and I really like seeing the Pokemons walking around it. What I enjoyed the most about the game was the soundtrack. I really love the music of the game and surprisingly, Toby Fox (creator of Undertale and Deltarune) composed one song for the game. Designs of the new Pokemons are unique in it's own way like Galarian Zigzagoon getting a 3rd evolution or Ponyta becoming a psychic type. Farfetch'd getting it's own evolution (FINALLY!). We also have gyms back and they all have puzzles or challenges we must perform before facing the gym leader which I quite find enjoyable. The characters are likeable which I have to admit. They all look wonderful and are memorable. Last, which some people may not like but I quite like the difficulty, wild Pokemons tend to have higher levels than your Pokemons when you first step in the wild area like that one Onix that is level 28. Now for the things I really dislike about the game, first is the cut Pokemon, this is quite controversial since some people hated it when Gamefreak announced it at e3 and some agreed with Gamefreak. For me I really dislike it because I have a lot of Pokemons who are raised competitively in my old games and I cannot transfer them to my game. Also take note that you are paying 20 dollars more for a game that currently has 400 Pokemons (35 Pokemons have models but they are somehow unobtainable in game) while a 40 dollars game has more than 500 Pokemons in it. Another thing I really disliked were the visuals and animations, they felt lazy and the trees in the wild area looks like one of the trees in a very low graphic setting. They mentioned in the interview about cutting Pokemons for high quality animations but all I get to see is a copy and paste animation from a 40 dollars game. I notice a frame rate drop during the beginning of a battle or when I walk in the wild area and also there are pop ins. The story is predictable, this was my complaint with X and Y which is why I find it disappointing. I was expecting something new and fresh. Funny thing is that almost everyone knew who the antagonist was during his/her reveal. Dynamax as a concept is good on paper but the way it was executed is terrible since it only last for 3 turns. I honestly prefer to have mega evolutions in than having dynamax. Dynamaxing feels like you just mega evolved your Pokemons and you get to use Z-moves for 3 turns. Next is the post game, I find it funny how the director says players have "a lot" to do in the post game which I highly disagree. The post game is lacking compared to the previous entry which had a lot to do. The problem with this game is that much to do except for battling in the battle tower or do raids with other people. This has been a problem with X and Y. The game feels like it was a step back compared to the previous title. I could see myself playing Pokemon Ultra Sun right after I finish the game. The game is not entirely bad or perfect. The appropriate rating I can give for this game is a 7/10 (Ultra Sun is a 8/10). Hopefully the technical issues can be fixed in future patches. I will still look forward to the next game.    … Expand
  36. Shadowlandzero
    Nov 18, 2019
    7
    Un juego de pokemon con muchas virtudes pero también carencias, aun queda al debe en el sentido de exploración que tenían anteriores entregas para ser un juego de nintendo switch, las batallas siguen siendo el fuerte de pokemon sin duda pero se esperaba más para un juego triple a d Nintendo como lo han sido luigi's mansion 3 o zelda botw
  37. RCKatz
    Nov 20, 2019
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Pokemon Sword and Shield are the best Pokemon experiences since generation 4. With the story taking a back seat during the adventure, the player is focused on competing with their rivals to complete the gym challenge earning a spot in the championship series. Each gym offers some pretty interesting challenges that range from herding Wooloo to answering questions and maneuvering around pitfalls. The atmosphere of the battles was quite stimulating as the stands were filled with fans cheering and shouting making it feel like a much bigger deal than past generations. The game gets a lot of grief for not having much of a post game, but between working to complete your Pokedex, raising Pokemon and participating in Raid Battles/Battle Tower, the player will find many more hours of content in the games! The battle tower format has changed and it is now easier to jump into after becoming the champion with the ability to rent teams. This game follows the Pokemon formula well but aside from Dynamaxing, does little to improve upon it.It also offers the easiest version of the Pokemon League in the series history as your team is fully healed between battles. My biggest gripe with the game is the inability to capitalize upon the rare trainer cards in raid battles. Being able to choose a teammate among the group of trainers you journeyed through the game with would only improve the raid experience. Many times you get stuck with first evolution Pokemon against 5 star raid bosses and spam moves that don't benefit the progression of the battle. Of we could change this with trainer cards and recruit members based on the battle we are preparing for, it would cut out a majority of the luck dependency and the player could focus more on actual strategies.… Expand
  38. eikku89
    Nov 21, 2019
    7
    It´s middle of road pokemon game.

    +Pokemons look good +Towns look good +New pokemon looks great +Calm lands are big and great +/- Story is same old pokemon story nothing new +/- Some battle animations looks amazing, but there too little of them -Pokemon looks good but lack animation -You can see rushed/lazy grapichs -too easy - lack of internet optimation in trades and    It´s middle of road pokemon game.

    +Pokemons look good
    +Towns look good
    +New pokemon looks great
    +Calm lands are big and great

    +/- Story is same old pokemon story nothing new
    +/- Some battle animations looks amazing, but there too little of them

    -Pokemon looks good but lack animation
    -You can see rushed/lazy grapichs
    -too easy
    - lack of internet optimation in trades and dynamax battles
    -need more routes and bigger routes especially in the before
    -lags in game when online

    I had fun playing this but it could to more time in devoloping.
    I have no problem with nat dex, but they´re better make colosseum game with all pokemon for competite pleyers.
    I liked how they did league battle, but it really needed more people to battle.
    Exp. candies make game too easy, i wished usage of them were limited somehow and i wished
    i could turn of exp.share. It would better game if it were at least harder to play, enemy trainers lvl were lower than wild pokemons and it annoys me.
    So its playable but not for hardcore pokemon players who wants decent challenge, i hope next one they make is more balanced in diffuculty.    … Expand
  39. 17max08
    Nov 22, 2019
    7
    Not so bad as you all say. It's a neat game that's very fun to play for the majority of the userbase.
  40. Turdnuggz
    Nov 23, 2019
    7
    Pros:
    1. Some surprisingly good new pokemon
    2. Gym battles were fun 3. Brought back the Exp. Gain based on level relevance system 4. Beautiful scenery 5. Replaced Elite Four with a tournament 6. Sonia, Marnie, Bea, and Nessa are all wife material 7. Raid battles and dynamaxing are a decently fun new addition 8. Great soundtrack, as expected of Pokemon. 9. Decent amount of character    Pros:
    1. Some surprisingly good new pokemon
    2. Gym battles were fun
    3. Brought back the Exp. Gain based on level relevance system
    4. Beautiful scenery
    5. Replaced Elite Four with a tournament
    6. Sonia, Marnie, Bea, and Nessa are all wife material
    7. Raid battles and dynamaxing are a decently fun new addition
    8. Great soundtrack, as expected of Pokemon.
    9. Decent amount of character customization.

    Cons:
    1. Small postgame
    2. Less than 100 new pokemon
    3. Some textures were bad
    4. Some animations were reused and/or terrible
    5. Rivals were once again underwhelming. I miss the Gens 1-5 rivals.
    6. Villains were lacking. They weren't that threatening and their story/motivations were poorly explained and very rushed.
    7. Terrible legendary boss battle.

    Summary: The game was actually good overall. It wasn't nearly as good as some of the other core games in Pokemon, and definitely had it's problems, but it was good enough for me to enjoy quite a bit. It does not deserve most of the hate it has received, but Gamefreak could have done alot more and alot better. Still far better than the Let's Go abominations. I give it a solid 7/10.    … Expand
  41. izumi
    Dec 9, 2019
    6
    Pokemon Sword and Shield are difficult games to discuss. There is an established orthodoxy that these games are not worth the time, mostly rooted in recent controversy which require no introduction. I wish to distance myself from the politics of these games, and study them from a neutral viewpoint.

    I've been a fan of the Pokemon franchise since 2007 with the release of Diamond and    Pokemon Sword and Shield are difficult games to discuss. There is an established orthodoxy that these games are not worth the time, mostly rooted in recent controversy which require no introduction. I wish to distance myself from the politics of these games, and study them from a neutral viewpoint.

    I've been a fan of the Pokemon franchise since 2007 with the release of Diamond and Pearl. Since then I have fallen in and out of love with the franchise. Perhaps my low point was Sun and Moon, before falling in love with the franchise again by playing Ultra Sun and Lets Go Pikachu last year. Needless to say, I came into Sword and Shield with perhaps a naive optimism.

    The strongest aspect of these games should come as no surprise, the battles. The Battling System in Sword and Shield feels as refined and polished as it ever has. As someone who was heavily invested in Competitive Battling in the Sixth Generation, I feel as though Sword and Shield continue to make this aspect of the franchise feeling engaging and fun. I particularly enjoyed grinding out Max Raid battles of varying difficulties. Having the chance to score big rewards and powerful Pokemon made grinding feel much more interesting than any other generation of Pokemon. On a more general note, Dynamaxing is quite a fun mechanic. It adds a new layer of strategy to battles different to that of previous Pokemon gimmicks. Yet, I still found myself missing Mega Evolution even though I found Dynamaxing to be a fun replacement.

    Sword and Shield are also particularly strong when it comes to their character designs. There was not a single character who stood out to me as having a poor design. All of the character models were well made, with good art direction to follow. The same can be said for the new Pokemon of this generation. There are a few misses (*cough* fossil Pokemon), but more times than not I found myself really enjoying using the new Pokemon of Galar. I especially enjoyed the new evolutions to Galar forms. I do hope that this is something they look into more in the future, as my only complaint with these evolutions is that there are not a great many of them.

    However, Sword and Shield are far from perfect games. The story is particularly lacking in my opinion. Sword and Shield seem to act as though they are telling a story on the level of Generation 5, Generation 7, or the Delta Episode. Flashy cutscenes and the such makes it seem as though Sword and Shield want you to believe it is telling a meaningful story. Yet, I found this to be its most lacking area. I failed to connect with most of the events taking place. Sometimes I was left confused, both wondering why certain events had happened or why certain events were even in the game to begin with. This is not Pokemon story telling at its peak. In fact, I'd argue that this is one of the worst story telling Pokemon games since the 3D transition 6 years ago. For 3D Pokemon games, it feels as though we should have been given more. And yet, I must also acknowledge that story telling has never truly been the focus of any past Pokemon game, at least from my perspective.

    It is hard for me to put into words my next criticism, but perhaps it links to the lacking nature of the story. Sword and Shield have a feeling of barebonesness (if that's a word?). The world feels small, the story is small, characters are not developed to an extent they deserve to be. It almost feels as though Game Freak were on the verge of something special, but they simply weren't able to flesh it out enough to make it feel whole. There are towns and cities which feel smaller in scope than Sun and Moon, almost similar to the scope given in Generation 4 games. I don't know why this is the case, but it takes away from the special feeling often found in Pokemon games.

    My feelings on these games are mixed. I found myself truly enjoying my 37 hour play-through of Sword (along side an incomplete 20 hour play-through on Shield). But something felt missing from these games. I do hope that these issues are addressed in a sequel or definitive version game. Galar is a region I enjoyed exploring, the Pokemon were great and I wanted to know more about the game's cast. But ultimately Sword and Shield left me wanting more in perhaps the most unfulfilling way possible. I will watch the future of Pokemon with caution, and optimism.

    EDIT 09/12/19 - After reflecting on my review and the games more generally, along with some added playtime, I have decided to amend my original score (from 7 to 6 for those who are wondering). I feel as though this more accurately reflects how I feel about these games after putting more thought into them.    … Expand
  42. Pomosanto
    Dec 6, 2019
    7
    Good but too similar to old games. Game Freak should find a way to get more people on working on these titles in order to use the Switch at its full potential.
  43. JohnCapala
    Jan 2, 2020
    6
    Not as bad as haters say, but still a big step back for the franchise. Story is bad, characters are bad (saying this after coming from the Sun & Moon great characters), routes are bland, region is linear, there's almost no postgame compared to previous games... And a big etc

    On the other hand, gyms are amazing, dynamax is not bad and music is amazing.
  44. B0rk4
    Jan 10, 2020
    6
    Positive:
    + Cousy gameplay
    + Addictive
    + Semi-interesting story
    Negative:
    - Way to easy (made for 7 y old toddlers) - Wild area is vey limited and should have been under development for at least another year.
    - Terrible fps when playing online, and bad online-features in general.
  45. DullahansXMark
    Feb 16, 2020
    5
    The game has half of the Pokemon, so I'm giving it half of a perfect score.

    Jokes aside (not that it's really a joke), there's lots of other problems with this game. I don't feel like doing a full review, so I'll just list the problems and leave it at that. -graphically, the game is a joke. You'd never guess this is the highest-grossing media franchise in the world judging by the    The game has half of the Pokemon, so I'm giving it half of a perfect score.

    Jokes aside (not that it's really a joke), there's lots of other problems with this game. I don't feel like doing a full review, so I'll just list the problems and leave it at that.

    -graphically, the game is a joke. You'd never guess this is the highest-grossing media franchise in the world judging by the visuals. I find the more recent Star Wars films questionable in general quality, but I can at least tell a lot went into making them all.
    -h i g h q u a l i t y a n i m a t i o n s
    -the game plays straight out of the PS1 era of JRPGs. It's 2020, why does the game need to slow down and display "It's super effective!" in a separate text box? Go look up some Persona 5 gameplay and see how quickly and cleanly the game tells you that you hit a weak point. It's actually embarrassing that Pokemon can't match that.
    -do I even need to say that Dynamax is stupid?
    -fun fact: a single Pokemon takes up about 136 bytes of data. That means that 10 Pokemon is 1.36 KB, 100 Pokemon is 13.6 KB, and 1000 Pokemon is 136 KB, which makes 10,000 Pokemon fit into 1.36 MB of data. That's three times smaller than your average .mp3 file. Pokemon Home doesn't need to exist and it doesn't need to cost $16 a year.
    -I hope you're not tired of Charizard yet
    -the music is mostly garbage
    -the new Pokemon designs are mostly garbage. Whoever green-lit Arctozolt should be demoted to janitor.
    -those two guys (you know which ones, but I can't "spoil" anything) have stupid hair. Yes, I really felt this needed to be an actual bullet point.
    -the plot literally happens without you. I understand I've made some subjective points, but this isn't one of them.

    I could go on and on about this, but I'm getting bored, so let's just leave it at that. Don't be proud that you bought this nonsense of a game, please. Game Freak scammed the world with this one.    … Expand
  46. Danbearz3
    Feb 11, 2021
    6
    Man ... this isn’t a bad game ... by any means ... but as far as a Pokémon game goes .. it’s just too damn easy !! Come on Nintendo like ... Pokémon is already easy ... stop making it easier . Stop taking out cool **** . Stop with the bull**** dlc ... idk ... I’ll still play it cus it’s the newest Pokémon game and it’s where most of my Pokémon are ... but there needs to be more of anMan ... this isn’t a bad game ... by any means ... but as far as a Pokémon game goes .. it’s just too damn easy !! Come on Nintendo like ... Pokémon is already easy ... stop making it easier . Stop taking out cool **** . Stop with the bull**** dlc ... idk ... I’ll still play it cus it’s the newest Pokémon game and it’s where most of my Pokémon are ... but there needs to be more of an endgame / postgame ... more like x and y or gold and silver ... I want more of a challenge . Also the music in this one is just not that great .. kinda annoying . And the graphics could be wayyyyy better .... like Pokémon colosseum had more impressive graphics ... for the time it came out .. and then the fact all the Pokémon aren’t even in it I mean come on ... next Pokémon game needs to be better . Way better… Expand
  47. GameBoyAdv4002
    Aug 26, 2021
    5
    This game was inevitable. A franchise whose growth is this this independent from its quality was destined get a game that squanders its potential and sells its soul to the infants. I am not a Pokemon fan. Judging by this game, I never will be. That might have had something to do with the fact that if you don't get into Pokemon between the ages of 9 and 14, you almost never will. But IThis game was inevitable. A franchise whose growth is this this independent from its quality was destined get a game that squanders its potential and sells its soul to the infants. I am not a Pokemon fan. Judging by this game, I never will be. That might have had something to do with the fact that if you don't get into Pokemon between the ages of 9 and 14, you almost never will. But I think it might have been due to the fact that a game like this was doomed to have happened ever since gen IV. Most of Pokemon's revenue comes from merchandise. Theoretically, all the Pokemon company needs to do is released a half-assed game every four years with a batch of new Pokemon designs. Can you tell where I am going with this? This game is not bad. But it is clear that Pokemon is now too big for quality. When the company can tell bald-faced lies and fail to update on a 20 year old formula and still create a best seller, it is clear that any hopes for this series are in the gutter.… Expand
  48. danlol483
    May 9, 2021
    5
    Este juego se carga un poco la saga de Pokémon por obvias razones:
    ¡Hay muchos DLCs!
    Y lo mas importante...
    ¡La historia es demasiado sosa y estupida!
    No recomiendo mucho la compra de este juego.
  49. Axomarine
    Aug 25, 2021
    5
    While Pokemon Sword and Shield share their version of an open-world game in the form of the Wild Area, it makes for the most forgettable characters and moments in the main series games.
  50. TSNintendogamer
    Sep 27, 2021
    7
    I say it's a good Pokemon game with some missed potential. The story isn't that great because it's trying to be a journey with a little bit of an intense moment at the end but it also misses the mark but it does have some good characters like your rivals. Also the new game mechanics are cool. I like the gigantamaxing and it's cool how the gym leaders can do it too as opposed to the gymI say it's a good Pokemon game with some missed potential. The story isn't that great because it's trying to be a journey with a little bit of an intense moment at the end but it also misses the mark but it does have some good characters like your rivals. Also the new game mechanics are cool. I like the gigantamaxing and it's cool how the gym leaders can do it too as opposed to the gym leaders in x and y with just regular pokemon. I also liked the different forms the pokemon have and the post game with the dlc is great. They nailed the dlc with the second pack filled with legendries. Lastly the wild area is fun but to battle your friends is a little complicated. It's also too bad that the game doesn't improve too much unlike sun and moon version and if you all thought x and y were easy, this game can be really easy if you use candies to level up your pokemon found in the area. It's a good thing game freak is trying to step it up with the legends games but it may not work out. We will see.… Expand
  51. YourLocalChonke
    Oct 3, 2021
    5
    One of the most mediocre, rushed games on the switch so far. The game looks like a 3DS port to the switch, and it plays on 30fps, which may sound good for the switch, however, when compared to a game like BOTW, which also runs on 30fps, you can see that the lack of polish starts to seep through the cracks. The game constantly hand holds you the entire time, every other minute, you'll beOne of the most mediocre, rushed games on the switch so far. The game looks like a 3DS port to the switch, and it plays on 30fps, which may sound good for the switch, however, when compared to a game like BOTW, which also runs on 30fps, you can see that the lack of polish starts to seep through the cracks. The game constantly hand holds you the entire time, every other minute, you'll be stopped by an NPC and told where to go, which would be less if a problem if the game wasn't so linear. There is no exploration in this game, every where is a straight line excluding the occasional second path that is just the same thing as the other path, except it gives you an item. The animations of the pokemon are stiff, and lifeless, and half of them were cut. The reason for this was that they were working on new and improved animations and graphics, which was completely false, as 90 percent of the animations and textures were taken from the 7 year old games which were X and Y. Along with this, the game was horrendously easy and the story was garbage. The biggest and most cheap cash-grab of the century. However, despite it's flaws, it's still pokemon, it's still the exact same formula as 25 years ago, which is why it will always be enjoyable to some extent. I just wish they stopped treating pokemon as a game for 5 year olds. Heck even 5 year olds were able to play older pokemon games, they really don't know who they're target demographic is.… Expand
  52. teddyeloso
    Nov 17, 2021
    7
    Historia mala, gráficos maso menos, en jugabilidad es como siempre fueron los Pokémon, y se siente raro que no tengan actuación de voz en algunas partes y los subtitulos esta muy españolizado ósea que no hay latino
  53. RJD2
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    For reference I gave Let's Go Pikachu a generous 2/10. SWSH is a great improvement but lacks polish, graphics and animations are very underwhelming for a home console game. Despite the short comings it feels like any other pokemon game which is good and bad, they have evolved just enough for me to enjoy the game as a new experience but there's so much lost potential, the wild area is aFor reference I gave Let's Go Pikachu a generous 2/10. SWSH is a great improvement but lacks polish, graphics and animations are very underwhelming for a home console game. Despite the short comings it feels like any other pokemon game which is good and bad, they have evolved just enough for me to enjoy the game as a new experience but there's so much lost potential, the wild area is a huge step in the right direction but Gamefreak really needs to step their game up in Gen 9 and take risks. I'm just hoping all this criticism will finally give TPCi and Gamfreak reason to put all the resources they can in the next game.… Expand
  54. Skum
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    It’s the usual Pokémon experience, something I was greatly looking forward to. Although the graphics aren’t as polished as one would hope for today’s standards, the gameplay holds up. Unfortunately, there’s a large and angry community spreading a combination of false and negative-only reviews. Not to suggest the game is perfect, it could certainly have “more”. More story content, and yes,It’s the usual Pokémon experience, something I was greatly looking forward to. Although the graphics aren’t as polished as one would hope for today’s standards, the gameplay holds up. Unfortunately, there’s a large and angry community spreading a combination of false and negative-only reviews. Not to suggest the game is perfect, it could certainly have “more”. More story content, and yes, the entire Pokedex.
    Fun new characters, cool new Pokémon designs, and a beautiful new region.    … Expand
  55. BenjaminBM
    Nov 16, 2019
    7
    It's a good game, but the technical issues, not up to date graphics and Animations and cut pokemon/moves makes the game worse, than it is.
  56. Critex13
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    I really love the music, my favort tracks so far and the new pokemon designs are excellent, but Everthing else feels really lifeless. So many thinks felt as if the devs sinply didnt care. I expected to see reused pokemon animations and iam fine with that but reused cut scene animations from previous games!?
  57. S0urceC0de
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    You know, I typically go into a long lengthy review but given the circumstances (ie the reviews on this site that obviously aren't very accurate) I will say that it looks better than previous entries, it plays like Pokemon it just has LESS Pokemon. Dynamax is just this game's iteration of the "awesome power to obtain" like recent previous entries had. Don't listen to the butt hurt, selfYou know, I typically go into a long lengthy review but given the circumstances (ie the reviews on this site that obviously aren't very accurate) I will say that it looks better than previous entries, it plays like Pokemon it just has LESS Pokemon. Dynamax is just this game's iteration of the "awesome power to obtain" like recent previous entries had. Don't listen to the butt hurt, self entitled lunatics; if you like Pokemon get it. This game is a solid 7. Could have been better, yes but it is still Pokemon at it's core. … Expand
  58. Liiriko
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    Siendo sinceros llevaba un tiempo desconectado de la saga Pokémon y si veo el recorte enorme en la Pokedex y fallos técnicos pero he podido disfrutar del juego por supuesto se que no es perfecto ni mucho menos y está limitado pero no es un mal juego
  59. doczeroone
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    preview: Well, the graphics look shockingly bad at first for a game of this generation. But I got used to them very fast. It´s Pokemon, if you played 1st or 2nd gen or Pokemon go, you´ll feel right at home. I would recommend this game for beginners or kids. I did have some fun or kinda addicted to catching the little creatures, the designs of some are unmemorable but others were cute.
  60. NicholasPayet
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    It's a good, fun game. But part of that is because it's a Pokemon game and the pokemon formula will always be fun. It feels rushed, I feel like it could have been one of the best games ever if it was just less rushed. There's a whole town with only two openable doors being the gym and the pokemon centre, which is frankly unacceptable. That said I still enjoyed it and reccomend it toIt's a good, fun game. But part of that is because it's a Pokemon game and the pokemon formula will always be fun. It feels rushed, I feel like it could have been one of the best games ever if it was just less rushed. There's a whole town with only two openable doors being the gym and the pokemon centre, which is frankly unacceptable. That said I still enjoyed it and reccomend it to Pokemon fans, but is it on the same level as emerald, hgss, platinum or BW2? Hell no.… Expand
  61. Edu1717
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    Es entretenido para jugadores casuales, no presenta dificultad, las animaciones en ciertos puntos son buenas, en algunas le falta pulir la calidad, el juego no debe ser considerado como triple A, no es de la mejor calidad, por su proceso de creación y tiempo que se envierta en pasarlo debe ser un juego que no sobrepase los 40$
  62. mashedtatter
    Nov 18, 2019
    6


    I like this game. I don't LOVE it. But it's not bad. If I had to rank this generation against the rest, I can say it's at least better than every Pokemon game that isn't Heart Gold/Soul Silver, Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, or Black/White/2. I don't really miss any of the old Pokemon, and even though I having a Living Pokedex on my copy of Ultra Sun, I don't mind not being able to

    I like this game. I don't LOVE it. But it's not bad. If I had to rank this generation against the rest, I can say it's at least better than every Pokemon game that isn't Heart Gold/Soul Silver, Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, or Black/White/2.

    I don't really miss any of the old Pokemon, and even though I having a Living Pokedex on my copy of Ultra Sun, I don't mind not being able to bring them all over to this game. That said, I get why people are upset, but also think they're blowing it out of proportion. Anyone with half a brain would realize they couldn't just keep throwing the same 800+ Pokemon into each game forever. You call it "laziness", I call it realizing a lot of the Pokedex is useless filler.

    The story thus far (I've only gotten up to fourth gym as of this review, currently 15 hours in and I'm taking my time exploring the wild area) isn't really much to write home about, sure. But you don't REALLY play these games for story, do you? I don't. I play to catch cute creatures.

    The music is some of the best Masuda had done yet. All the battle themes just might end up being my favorites of the whole series.

    The graphics/art are much improved over the last gen, though I will always miss the sprite art.

    Overall, I'd say this game is worth your time if you're not horribly attached to old Pokemon and don't mind that a bunch of moves were cut as well. It's not bad. It's just not great either. Middle of the road, I guess.    … Expand
  63. MrKiwaVGC
    Nov 16, 2019
    7
    This version of Pokemon is only fun by the Pokemon formula, if it weren't for that, it would go unnoticed by people. Although it should also be mentioned that the game has enough mechanics without risking anything because they are improvements of old mechanics but well implemented to be very enjoyed. The graphics are better than what they showed in the reviews, but the technical problemsThis version of Pokemon is only fun by the Pokemon formula, if it weren't for that, it would go unnoticed by people. Although it should also be mentioned that the game has enough mechanics without risking anything because they are improvements of old mechanics but well implemented to be very enjoyed. The graphics are better than what they showed in the reviews, but the technical problems are there. The gameplay is the same as always, there is nothing to highlight. The music, is the always classic Pokemon's music but with the regional arrangements. They miss many game mechanics and the Online game options are very complicated the first time (make a raid with friends isnt intuitive). The story and characters, this is the best and the worst, the good thing is that the game has many new and very good characters, your rival are again Hau and Silvio, these characters, and other more, help you develop a story, although it is not at all Interesting, it does the function. The trouble is that all people are Lillie to make your life impossible and stop for a conversation every 5 steps, because the game is a rail progression game, you can only go where they let you go, as in previous installments, it is something that happens a lot, before going you will have to watch a long conversation or cinematics. The difficulty ... It's very easy, in my case I am playing the Let's GO style game, I only capture the wild Pokemon that I have not seen (although I have captured several times for their ability, for the first Gym you would have already passed for the wild area and that's why I had already completed 1 and a half boxes) and I have faced all those who challenge me, the first Gym has its strongest Pokemon at Level 20 and my strongest Pokemon at level 22.… Expand
  64. Maurog21
    Nov 16, 2019
    7
    No me gusta la dirección que esta tomando la saga, el juego esta bastante limitado y técnicamente podían haberse trabajado mejor algunas texturas, la generación es bastante mediocre y hay cosas que realmente no comprendo, por otro lado, el juego tiene bastantes cosas innovadoras pero sin destacar demasiado, recomiendo el juego si eres muy fan de Pokemon o si es tu primer juego de Pokemon
  65. BrunoFaria
    Nov 15, 2019
    5
    Jogo incrível, fazia muito tempo q não sentia tanta diversão ao jogar um jogo de Pokémon. Joguei todas as gerações
  66. RollEXE
    Nov 16, 2019
    6
    Pokémon Sword and Shield is an enjoyable game. I enjoyed the music, the battles but found the graphics lacking for a Switch game and I felt with all the datamining that the National Dex could've be completed and there are sometimes glitches (sure they will patch them out). The games doesn't either deserve 9/10 nor 1/10, it's a fun enough game to pass your time.
  67. Lololo809
    Nov 17, 2019
    7
    Im having fun, catching and leveling pokemon is fun and not grindy.
    The gym challenges are a bit lacking but some innovate on the mechanics of the pre-existing games.
    I don’t get the people saying that Dynamax is a stupid mechanic, you can dynamax any pokemon and not like mega-evolution that was only for some. It’s sad that not all pokemon are in the game but this opens a little more    Im having fun, catching and leveling pokemon is fun and not grindy.
    The gym challenges are a bit lacking but some innovate on the mechanics of the pre-existing games.
    I don’t get the people saying that Dynamax is a stupid mechanic, you can dynamax any pokemon and not like mega-evolution that was only for some.
    It’s sad that not all pokemon are in the game but this opens a little more variety in the competitive battling which I find it great in comparison with some last installments that had a very broken and centered metagame.
    Talking about competitive pokemon, the changes they made to quality of life -like the ability to give egg moves, change natures, vitamins- are excellent and it will greatly improve the health of the player base.
    The story is fun and engaging while still being simple enough for children to play. If it wasn’t for the pokedex fiasco I would give it a solid 9/10 but the cut did disappoint since my favorite pokemon -Klefki- was cut from the game.    … Expand
  68. da_one23
    Jun 26, 2022
    6
    On the one hand, this game is an embarrassment. It has terrible graphics, story and difficulty, especiallyconsidering it's the biggest media franchise of all time. On the other hand, it's pokemon
  69. DustyT33
    Feb 18, 2021
    7
    It's not the best Pokémon game, but it's not the worst, and is definitely not as bad as a lot of people say it is. Mediocre and average is the best way to describe it, but it doesn't deserve the 0 and under 5 review bombing by people that probably haven't even played the game. Now, to the good and bad parts of this game.

    The good: The cities and towns are beautiful. The graphics are only    It's not the best Pokémon game, but it's not the worst, and is definitely not as bad as a lot of people say it is. Mediocre and average is the best way to describe it, but it doesn't deserve the 0 and under 5 review bombing by people that probably haven't even played the game. Now, to the good and bad parts of this game.

    The good:
    The cities and towns are beautiful. The graphics are only really "bad" in the wild area, with the muddy textures and weird weather transitions. Speaking of the wild are, despite the muddy textures, it is still very fun. One of the most fun parts of the game. Seeing all those Pokémon and trying to catch them is very cool, and it's epic early game to see and getting attacked by Pokémon too strong for you to catch. I like the new Pokémon, and even in the grass Pokémon show up in the overworld, like let's go Pikachu and Eevee, which is also cool. Pokémon camp is very cute, and a great replacement for Pokémon amie and refresh. The post game is meh, but the DLC, especially the crown tundra adds a lot of content, with the roaming legendaries, relatively interesting plot, and fun dynamax adventures, which are probably more fun if you have friends. I played it solo and online with strangers though.

    The bad:
    Main story is mediocre and linear. There are no branching paths like the old 2d Pokémon games, and you are handguided and constantly told where to go in the game. It's starting to be a trend with the recent 3ds games. Maybe great for kids that doesn't know what to do, but very boring and annoying for veteran fans and players. Speaking of "it's for kids", it's also very easy. Much easier than the old Pokémon games, which is also another trend in the newer 3ds games. You can easily overlevel, especially with the exp share that you are unable to turn off, which is incredibly stupid, and underleveled npcs and broken exp candies. A lot of the animations are kinda lazy, for example, the animation of double kick is literally just the Pokémon jumping in place, with no actual kicking animation. And the old Pokémon models are reused from the previous games, just re-textured, which makes the dex cut at the launch of the game stupid.

    But other than that, it's still a Pokémon game, so it's core gameplay is still fun. So is it worth it? I don't know, for sure, but I think it's overpriced. So if you want to skip this entry it's fine, but if you're fine with the price and likes Pokémon, why not. So if you just want to try the game, maybe wait for a discount. The physical copy DLC bundle seems ok right now and it has more resale value if it turns out you don't like it than buying the DLC separately.    … Expand
  70. The3DPenguin
    Dec 25, 2019
    7
    Pokemon Sword and Shield are good, not great and not bad either.
    When I played Pokemon Sword I had fun, I couldn't stop playing it. However the game is on the shorter side around 20 hours long.
    When I played it I noticed that it felt quite rushed, it felt like it came out before Sun & Moon. What I mean by this is that some areas look amazing - best in the series so far, while other    Pokemon Sword and Shield are good, not great and not bad either.
    When I played Pokemon Sword I had fun, I couldn't stop playing it. However the game is on the shorter side around 20 hours long.

    When I played it I noticed that it felt quite rushed, it felt like it came out before Sun & Moon.
    What I mean by this is that some areas look amazing - best in the series so far, while other areas have N64 graphics - notably the Wild Area. Some of the new attacks are spectacular while most of the multi-hitting moves are honestly lazy. But most of the move have been updated atleast a little bit.

    All Pokemon still have only one animation for Special and Physical attacks and some moves - Like Flamethrower barley line up with the mouth of the Pokemon - but it's been like that since X/Y.
    The models are also the same as in the 3DS games, just refined a bit.

    But if you have played the game the end of the story felt incredibly rushed - while it was still good, I had a hard time understanding motives and actually what was happening.

    But some reasons why you should play the game. The music is 100% the best in the series, I actually had to stop fighting so that I could listen to it. The Wild area is incredibly fun to explore. The rivals in this game actually have personalities and are great characters. The new Pokemon have really good designs. The Trainer Card maker and so on.

    The games difficulty is: Easy. The exp share is always on and Dynamaxing allowes you to one-shot pokemon.

    All in all. The game is good, but don't expect a switch game. Expect a upgraded 3DS game.    … Expand
  71. Jmv0ex
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    Alright, as I see there is review bombing going on. Here is my take, played about 7hrs and and liking the game, I like it's easy enough for any new commer to come in and learn to play also like it has its challenges for the hardcore fan base. I personally dont think the graphics are horrible but would like to see better images in future games. I would of liked some voice acting and betterAlright, as I see there is review bombing going on. Here is my take, played about 7hrs and and liking the game, I like it's easy enough for any new commer to come in and learn to play also like it has its challenges for the hardcore fan base. I personally dont think the graphics are horrible but would like to see better images in future games. I would of liked some voice acting and better animations for the Pokemon, but for there 1st game on Switch they did a ok job. I think the game maybe have been rushed to meet deadlines but most games have them. Enjoy the game, and just have a good time and game on!… Expand
  72. kiaxxl
    Nov 24, 2019
    7
    This is a good Pokemon game that could've been greater with some more months of dev time. Small things like no voice acting in cut scenes and bad pop-in will wish this game was a bit more ambitious. However the game itself is fun, with good atmosphere, a lot of great Pokemon, a ton of QOL improvements that make it streamlined in a good way. You can spend a lot of time in the Wild Area.This is a good Pokemon game that could've been greater with some more months of dev time. Small things like no voice acting in cut scenes and bad pop-in will wish this game was a bit more ambitious. However the game itself is fun, with good atmosphere, a lot of great Pokemon, a ton of QOL improvements that make it streamlined in a good way. You can spend a lot of time in the Wild Area. Post-game offers quite a few multiplayer things to do.

    I'd like to note that a ton of these negative reviews popped up literally the hour the game released, and are not completely accurate.    … Expand
  73. Geralt92
    Nov 20, 2019
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Gioco vecchio di 10 anni tecnicamente, open world imbarazzante, con pop up continuo, npc che sono fermi come statue, i Pokemon che girano su se stessi nella zona selvaggia, solo i fanboy possono difendere questa spazzatura.
    Per giunta il gioco è molto facile anche per gli standard di Pokemon.    … Expand
  74. Phantom372
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    While the graphics aren't top notch and the frame rate drops at times. I think it's a very good game plays well and the pokemon look good it's not what I was hoping for. But at the end of the day I can enjoy it and it works great. Also the open area feels huge been playing for about 5 hours now and still feel like there's so much more to do. Although I do miss the rest of the pokemon I canWhile the graphics aren't top notch and the frame rate drops at times. I think it's a very good game plays well and the pokemon look good it's not what I was hoping for. But at the end of the day I can enjoy it and it works great. Also the open area feels huge been playing for about 5 hours now and still feel like there's so much more to do. Although I do miss the rest of the pokemon I can live with this for now cant wait to get further into it.… Expand
  75. Aaaaaahhhhhhh
    Nov 16, 2019
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game isn't perfect. I bought the double pack because I've played Pokemon for a while now (since ruby and sapphire). I was really excited for this game. It's fun because it's pokemon but the graph8cs look for the 3ds at
    times. I was okay with the graphics of the 3ds but on a HD system it's not great at all. Some of the new Pokemon are great eternus is a great Pokemon and i really like it i just wish there was more Pokemon in the pokedex considering Pokemon x and y had an entire national sex over 700 Pokemon.    … Expand
  76. iHaikou
    Nov 16, 2019
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game by itself isn't bad, its a fun game with the pokemon charm we all love, there are some great new features and the graphics are mostly beautiful, nothing like BOTW but still good. There are some good animations, but most of them are really bad, something i would expect from a jrpg from 2011, the online is bugged and some mechanics are clunky, the animations on the camping are absolutely awful. The story is good, i mean, is the same story from every single Pokemon game, the villain team is awful tho, completely unnecessary, the game would be better without them, the Rival, Hau, i mean, Hop, is annoying, at least Hau was original and charming, Leon is the worst Champion in the franchise, hes also annoying.… Expand
  77. Edirath
    Oct 30, 2021
    7
    This is honestly my favorite Pokemon game so far. The core gameplay is as great as it's ever been And the additions to it are excellent. The national dex and textures are a bit lacking, but I don't have a problem with them. Overall it's a very solid and fun entry in the series. Edit: this is really lazy but its still fun.
  78. kakungun
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    If you don't want to read my nonsense, this can resume it : Pokemon Sword and Shield are an 8/10 pokemon game, and a 6/10 videogame

    the begining is boring, like every pokemon game. I've been playing pokemon since gen 2 , and i hate how every single game starts, it's boring, i know this game is aimed to kids, but kids watch the anime , they are not that stupid, at least allow us to skip    If you don't want to read my nonsense, this can resume it : Pokemon Sword and Shield are an 8/10 pokemon game, and a 6/10 videogame

    the begining is boring, like every pokemon game. I've been playing pokemon since gen 2 , and i hate how every single game starts, it's boring, i know this game is aimed to kids, but kids watch the anime , they are not that stupid, at least allow us to skip after the part they teach us how to catch pokemon

    The graphics are better than other pokemon games If you compare it to other pokemon games, the graphics have improved quite a lot , just do yourself a favor and don't compare it to other games

    the best part of pokemon ... are the pokemon. Really fun designs and the galar forms are my favorite, i like them better than the alola ones, not much to say about this

    Gigantamax is not that bad just think about them as mega-evolutions... but inflated. The pokemon change to more interesting designs and there is good variety. I still don't know the impact on competitive though

    I would like to say that the difficulty is easy but that would imply there is difficulty to begin with. Thanks to forced Exp share is really hard to handicap yourself, you probabbly can beat the game with only the starter. Type advantage? who needs that when your pokemon is higher level than the enemy without even trying. Seriously, if feels like the NPCs are underleveled.

    Best feature, pokemon appear on the grass. PLS keep this, it's just great, i can avoid and fight the pokemon i want, it makes filling the pokedex more fun, like a safari.

    Max Raid Battles work really well. didn't though about having a cooperative mode in pokemon like this, but it works, is fun and gives you the oportunity to meet people, but becouse dynamax is the "thing" of this generation, i have doubts about gamefreak keeping it

    High levels pokemon on the wild early... why? New players can't fight them (so they will avoid them) , Old players won't fight them becouse you can't catch them (so they will avoid them) But adventurous players who want a challenge can fight them ... except they will over level their pokemon (so they will avoid them)

    Conclusion, the best part about the game is that you can catch a basculin early, but the worst part would be that he only has 2% chance of appearing, i know this can be a deal breaker for a lot of us , but it will only take some hours to get it    … Expand
  79. LuigiCuau
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    Soy fan de Pokémon desde el Yellow, cuando su principal objetivo era "ATRAPALOS A TODOS" pero la saga agarro mucha fuerza con las Batallas Competitivas y en base a lo mencionado fue cambiando para bien, lamentablemente este juego es una decepción, y decepción por que es el primer juego de la saga original en consola de mesa y tiene muchos puntos negativos, se nota que el juego fue hecho aSoy fan de Pokémon desde el Yellow, cuando su principal objetivo era "ATRAPALOS A TODOS" pero la saga agarro mucha fuerza con las Batallas Competitivas y en base a lo mencionado fue cambiando para bien, lamentablemente este juego es una decepción, y decepción por que es el primer juego de la saga original en consola de mesa y tiene muchos puntos negativos, se nota que el juego fue hecho a las prisas para lanzarlo en este año y dejaron muchas colas sin pulir.

    No queremos gráficos como DOOM o The Watcher, pero es una consola de sobremesa capaz de correr los juegos mencionados y no es posible que juegos de Wii y de GC de PKM se vean mejores, mientras que en Battle Revolition las batallas son increíbles con grandes animaciones, aquí simplemente no se tomaron la molestia en que se vean bien las animaciones de batalla, incluso en los juegos de 3DS hay buenas animaciones y ni se tomaron la molestia de reciclar esos aspectos, le tomaron más importancia a recetas de Churry que nadie pidió y muchos olvidará, en poner guantes a tu personaje, que en pulir el juego y agregar la pokedex completa, hay caídas grandes de frames en las batallas, el juego es muy corto, el más corto de todos en historia principal y no hay batallas triples, en 3DS las quitaron en SUN and MOON por que no podía correr esas batallas, pero en SWITCH como es posible que no aparezcan esas batallas, solo imaginen batallas triples con amigos, hasta 6 personas podrían participar en una misma batalla, es una tristeza, si no le doy peor calificación es que no deja de ser divertido pese a ser lo mismo de siempre (escoge tu inicial, gana a los líderes de gimnasios, se campeón y acaba con el equipo malvado en turno) y por que tiene grandes diseños de los nuevos PKM. Nintendo por favor pule bien el juego y agrega todo lo que falta por que se nota como un juego terminado a un 80%    … Expand
  80. Louissmroy
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    Ok... So I really wanted to give that game a 1.. But 5h in and I'm still having fun.. I'm pissed about dexit and graphique, but the game is fun. I hate the rival, camp is boring, wild area is meh.. But its a pokemon game.. And i think i could enjoy one no mater what..
  81. Ozero
    Jan 11, 2020
    6
    A pesar de ser un fan de la franquicia considero que hay cosas que no se pueden aceptar.
    Pokémon Espada y Escudo tienen una excelente música como cualquier otro juego, buena ambientación, colorido y escenarios pero eso es opacado bajo el mínimo esfuerzo que Gamefreak puso en en estos juegos. A mi no me importaría si se reciclan animaciones de los juegos de 3DS o que hayan eliminado las    A pesar de ser un fan de la franquicia considero que hay cosas que no se pueden aceptar.
    Pokémon Espada y Escudo tienen una excelente música como cualquier otro juego, buena ambientación, colorido y escenarios pero eso es opacado bajo el mínimo esfuerzo que Gamefreak puso en en estos juegos. A mi no me importaría si se reciclan animaciones de los juegos de 3DS o que hayan eliminado las mega evoluciones o MovZ e introducir nuevas mecánicas de combate como el Gigamax, pero ese mínimo esfuerzo en el desarrollo afecto a los juegos. Desde animaciones de muy mala calidad, gráficos malos, una resolución de baja calidad y demás errores que se cometieron. Tengo miedo de que GameFreak no evolucione como debe o que siga haciendo esto para hacer dinero fácil con solo el nombre de Pokémon. Es muy bueno el juego, a nivel de otros títulos de la franquicia pero desepciona como fue trabajado y que aun asi no hayan mentido no solo con la PokeDex si no también por todo el demás contenido que se elimino sin haberlo dicho y esperar a que se filtrara el juego y saber la verdad. Y bueno, siendo Pokémon conformes o no seguiremos comprando sus juegos y como tal vender millonadas.    … Expand
  82. Potasticpunda
    Nov 21, 2019
    7
    So... let's begin with the good things of Pokemon SS:
    It has a good OST, loved the changes in the battle theme when you dynamax your pokemon. And it has a track from Toby Fox so... yeah, great. :)
    The Wild area is a good change but I kinda feel like... it's not that big and the weather is very unrealistic, it totally breaks the inmersion. The visuals are quite good, I loved the grass,    So... let's begin with the good things of Pokemon SS:
    It has a good OST, loved the changes in the battle theme when you dynamax your pokemon. And it has a track from Toby Fox so... yeah, great. :)
    The Wild area is a good change but I kinda feel like... it's not that big and the weather is very unrealistic, it totally breaks the inmersion.
    The visuals are quite good, I loved the grass, characters and overall the cities I think they really nailed that UK thing but didn't lose the fantasy part. The wild area still has the blurry tree of death that everyone hates tho.
    Totally hate that the characters and pokemon kinda pop up out of nowhere from time to time.
    And totally loved that you can change the skin color of the character and that the character's mom will have the same skin tone. Kudos to Game Freak for that.
    Another great thing about the game is the character customization, it has so many hairstyles and clothes to pick up for and that is something that helps the game feel a little bit more immersive.
    The story is not that great, it's the same old portable pokemon story. Would love to see something different like with Pokemon Colosseum.

    I can totally understand why everyone is so pissed off with Game Freak, they lied. Reused models and... for being one of the greatest IPs the game just feels kinda disappointing and I would rather have to wait a little bit more for a better product. But as a person that hasn't played a pokemon game since 2010 I truly had fun. You should totally give it a try. : )    … Expand
  83. ebarboas10
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    Como jugador de toda la vida de Pokémon, he de decir que la expectativa para el primer juego en consola casera era muy alta. No he dejado variar mi valoración por la reducción de la Pokédex, ya que esto resulta ser ampliamente justificado, a mi parecer. Sin embargo, es menester comentar que el hilo argumental del juego es demasiado básico, quedando por detrás de entregas pasadas. A ello seComo jugador de toda la vida de Pokémon, he de decir que la expectativa para el primer juego en consola casera era muy alta. No he dejado variar mi valoración por la reducción de la Pokédex, ya que esto resulta ser ampliamente justificado, a mi parecer. Sin embargo, es menester comentar que el hilo argumental del juego es demasiado básico, quedando por detrás de entregas pasadas. A ello se suma un nivel de dificultad que sigue sin reconocer la existencia de jugadores experimentados. El area salvaje, si bien demuestra tener un gran potencial para el futuro de la saga, y aún cuando es de lo más llamativo del juego, deja con la sensación de que pudo dar más.

    Las gráficas, sobre todo a nivel portátil, no distan demasiado de las observadas en consolas de antaño, como la 3ds. Es recomendable jugar en la version de sobremesa para notar una variación tacita. Las animaciones no justifican la consola en la que corre el juego. Al final, si bien el juego cumple en cuanto al diseño de los Pokémon, ofreciendo dinámicas de combate nuevas y entretenidas, favoreciendo el competitivo, y con un apartado musical excepcional, es claro que no alcanza las expectativas, y tristemente se convierte en un titulo sin mayor valor diferencial.    … Expand
  84. BigDragon
    Nov 25, 2019
    6
    I wanted Pokemon Breath of the Wild. What I got was some sort of incremental upgrade from the 3DS era of Pokemon games with the same old story, several QOL improvements, an entertaining new camping system, almost no after-story content, and special forms that are impossible to get if playing the way the developers intended. Overall, I'm disappointed.

    I hope that the next Pokemon game    I wanted Pokemon Breath of the Wild. What I got was some sort of incremental upgrade from the 3DS era of Pokemon games with the same old story, several QOL improvements, an entertaining new camping system, almost no after-story content, and special forms that are impossible to get if playing the way the developers intended. Overall, I'm disappointed.

    I hope that the next Pokemon game for Switch focuses on an actual story. Have the player tracking down Team Rocket and thwarting them, searching for a lost relative, or trying to track a legendary Pokemon that goes on a destructive rampage across the region -- give me a story that is more complex than "complete gyms" and has side quests. Give me a way to get the Pokemon I want and be able to use them before it's too late and the story is over. Give me more things to do after the story is over. Integrate the open world section such that it connects to every town and route. Stop creating new monsters and instead improve the ones we have by adding evolutionary trees, alternate forms, or integrating the Mega Evolutions as permanent forms -- no more temporary Dynamax or Z-Moves or other gimmicks.

    I really hope that the next Pokemon game is a step up. I think re-releasing Sword and Shield or making a "Bow and Arrow" third edition would be a huge mistake.

    Pros:
    + New camping system is great! I love seeing Pokemon out and about, interacting with each other, and playing.
    + Wild area is a great break from linear routes.
    + Balance seems improved from previous games. Some gyms were actually challenging this time around. Game will allow you to pick fights with Pokemon significantly above your level. Exp share feels balanced and great for integrating lower level Pokemon in your team.
    + Pokeshops and Pokemon Centers are integrated. Boxes are always available even when wandering the wild area or routes. Huge QOL improvement!!!
    + Fast travel between important locations speeds up map navigation.
    + Dynamax battles change up the usual gym leader battles. Gym leader battles are definitely spectacles now.
    + Very good music.
    + Wild Pokemon are visible walking around or within tall grass.
    + You get access to breeding rather early on.

    Cons:
    - Same gym crawl we've all played before. Same rival interaction we've experienced before. Basic story. The Pokemon game formula is stale. I want more motivation rather than "gotta catch them all, gotta battle them all." Been there, done that. Give me something FRESH.
    - Existence of a Gigantamax form for a Pokemon does not mean the Pokemon in your party can use it. I got a Charmander via trading. It was unable to use the new Charizard Gigantamax form that was heavily advertised. Getting Gigantamax Pokemon is grindy and utilizes too much RNG.
    - Too many Pokemon are not included. A lot of my favorites are not present.
    - Wild area is not well integrated with much of the map. There are very few entry/exit points. Wild area would function better as a hub connecting different locations.
    - Limited trading capabilities. You need to arrange link code trades outside of the game or hope for something good in the surprise trade.
    - Limited number of things to do after beating the main story.
    - You must use exploits and minmax strategies to acquire Pokemon you need to play competitively. The RNG is obnoxious.
    - Cooperative play is limited to Dynamax battles. Not enough PvE content.
    - You get access to Ditto too late in the story.    … Expand
  85. beettlestew
    Nov 21, 2019
    7
    Ive mostly played with enjoyment , though niche game this time around with what developers did to change gameplay ,it's very easy , but I like this game
  86. Rikoyasha
    Jan 4, 2022
    5
    its pretty good better than any other 3d pokemon game for which all have been disappointing for me though the story is pretty small and basic with no areas cut off or leave any room for a real postgame without an extra $30 for something that should've been in the game.
    the 3d pokemon games are lacking in a lot of places compared to the 2d games
  87. chronofantasy
    Nov 19, 2019
    7
    Played about 30 hours, I would say 77 out of 100. But I think I've outgrown it, so started to feel bored of it 10 hours in, and i usually only pick up a pokemon game every 5 to 10 years to see what changes there are. I miss having all the HM stuff you can teach your pokemon to do, instead it seems to go on your bike or some other mode of transportation. Being gigantic is odd to me at timesPlayed about 30 hours, I would say 77 out of 100. But I think I've outgrown it, so started to feel bored of it 10 hours in, and i usually only pick up a pokemon game every 5 to 10 years to see what changes there are. I miss having all the HM stuff you can teach your pokemon to do, instead it seems to go on your bike or some other mode of transportation. Being gigantic is odd to me at times when you can. I don't care if every single pokemon is in there or not, 500 or almost that amount is still a lot to me, when I'm still used to old school pokemon with 300 or less. I just got my last badge last night. So I'm on my way to the champion road I guess they call it, and not pokemon league. Team Yell seems dumb to me, but I guess they ran out of ideas for bad guys. Other than that, I kinda like the lore behind the sword and shield, and it's somewhat nostalgic for me, but then it also feels a little too new and fresh to have very much nostalgia.… Expand
  88. JosYGHT
    Nov 25, 2019
    6
    Después de completar el juego puedo decir que el juego no me ha depecionado, pero para ser un juego de una consola de última generación deja mucho que desear, sobre todo en aspectos tecnicos.
    En cuanto al contenido todo el revuelo que se ha armado tiene toda la razón de existir debido a las razones expuestas por la comunidad sobre el recorte de la pokédex y eliminación de antiguas    Después de completar el juego puedo decir que el juego no me ha depecionado, pero para ser un juego de una consola de última generación deja mucho que desear, sobre todo en aspectos tecnicos.
    En cuanto al contenido todo el revuelo que se ha armado tiene toda la razón de existir debido a las razones expuestas por la comunidad sobre el recorte de la pokédex y eliminación de antiguas mecanicas que darían mucho juego en la actualidad, pero este tema ha sido hablado hasta la saciedad.
    La historia es muy escasa y su duración es infima, una de las peores historias de la saga diría yo. El post-game es bastante escaso solo con la torre de batalla y la meta de todos los juegos, completar la pokédex.
    El sistema de gimnasios sin duda ha sido un gran acierto, haciendolo más acogedor y no tan solitario, con más entrenadores con el mismo objetivo que tú, los diseños de los entrenadores de gimnasio es espectacular y las pruebas de gimnasio era algo que se necesitaba en este sistema desde hace mucho.
    Los diseños de los nuevos Pokémon son muy bonitos y cada uno con su personalidad bien marcada, las formas Galar se ven espectaculares y denotan bien lo que es Reino Unido junto con las ciudades y pueblos.
    Siento que la dificultad debería ser más alta, la mayoria de combates a excepcion del combate del campeón fueron demasiado sencillos, con los Pokémon de los rivales 5 0 10 niveles por debajo de mi media.

    Pokémon necesita un nuevo inicio como BOTW fue a Zelda, GameFreak necesita trabajar más duro y dejar de llevarse por los billetes, porque sí, solo por llevar el nombre de Pokémon vende, y mientras siga vendiendo se seguirá dando el mínimo esfuerzo por parte de la compañia. Esperemos que esto se detenga en el futuro y lanzen un juego que sea insuperable.    … Expand
  89. Drawnimo
    Nov 24, 2019
    6
    Pokemon Sword is not the game I was expecting. Normally, I say that in a good context. Mario, Zelda, Fire Emblem, Smash - these series' debuts on the Nintendo Switch pleasantly surprised me with just how good they turned out. I wasn't expecting those games to be so polished, so filled with love and passion... and so it pains me to say that Pokemon doesn't stack up. I'm incrediblyPokemon Sword is not the game I was expecting. Normally, I say that in a good context. Mario, Zelda, Fire Emblem, Smash - these series' debuts on the Nintendo Switch pleasantly surprised me with just how good they turned out. I wasn't expecting those games to be so polished, so filled with love and passion... and so it pains me to say that Pokemon doesn't stack up. I'm incredibly disappointed.
    There is so much to like about this game: the sleekness of the GUI and overall aesthetic, the eye-candy special effects on Dynamax moves, the new interesting Pokemon designs, the charming and expressive trainer animations, and the FIRE soundtrack, just to name a few. But with every good thing that this game does right, there is a slew of problems that follow.
    Constantly throughout my playthrough, I asked myself the same questions. Why is my Wooloo jumping in place for Double Kick, and kicking when I use Headbutt? Why are some moves animated while others just have the Pokemon's model spin in place? Why does the Wild Area feel so empty? What am I supposed to like about this forgettable story? Why are half the Pokemon just absent? Why is this game so easy, even though my first playthrough was a Nuzlocke challenge? Why can't I turn XP share off? Why do I need an item to change my volume settings? Are future Pokemon games going to be this hollow, this unapologetically rushed?
    For the first time in my life, I feel horrible for buying this game and giving Gamefreak money for such a lackluster product. But, I would be lying if I said I wasn't having fun. At the end of the day, I suppose that is what matters. This game doesn't deserve anything over a 7, but it also doesn't deserve anything below a 5, and I think that's important to understand. How much you like this game will just depend on what you want out of a Pokemon game: If you want a fun 20-hour campaign and many more hours battling your friends, I'd say this is a good buy. But if none of your friends have this game and you don't want to support Gamefreak, I completely understand.
    I want Gamefreak to improve in the future. Hopefully, in the future, I will be able to honestly give a console Pokemon game an 8, a 9, or even a 10. But that time has not yet come, and all I can do is try to enjoy what we have now with my friends. :)    … Expand
  90. riverkev95
    Jun 17, 2020
    5
    Es un juego con muchas ideas interesantes pero ejecutadas de una forma cuestionable.
    Muchas decisiones del juego son polémicas y definitivamente se nota que le hicieron muchas horas de desarrollo para obtener una experiencia decente.
    El juego brilla por sus mecánicas clásicas, accesibilidad a nuevos miembros y curiosas innovaciones, pero falla terriblemente en quitar cosas de    Es un juego con muchas ideas interesantes pero ejecutadas de una forma cuestionable.
    Muchas decisiones del juego son polémicas y definitivamente se nota que le hicieron muchas horas de desarrollo para obtener una experiencia decente.

    El juego brilla por sus mecánicas clásicas, accesibilidad a nuevos miembros y curiosas innovaciones, pero falla terriblemente en quitar cosas de generaciones anteriores que ya estaban muy bien recibidas por los jugadores.
    Un gran error fue recortar casi la mitad de los pokémon y carecer de un post-Game decente. Este contenido faltante se venderá en un pase de expansión de $30.00 que contendrá más de 200 pokémon y el post-game que le hizo falta, aún así no se completará la pokedex nacional.

    En conclusión, Pokémon Sword/Shield no es un pésimo juego, pero está lejos de ser un buen juego. Es un juego entretenido, pero mediocre. Los más fanáticos, aquellos que compraban ambas versiones desembolsarán mucho dinero ya que pasarán de gastar $80.00 a $180.00 ya que el pase de expansión es ligeramente diferente para cada juego y se vende de esa manera.    … Expand
  91. GutiCR
    Nov 17, 2019
    6
    Es buen juego de Pokemon, pero no hay avance en la saga, la verdad siguen siendo las mismas animaciones, graficamente no explota la capacidad de la consola, en ciertas zonas hay demasiado popping y texturas pobres, la verdad siento que no valio la pena sacrificar la mitad de la pokedex por un juego que no se siente terminado mas con los pretextos que dieron, la verdad no hay cambios en lasEs buen juego de Pokemon, pero no hay avance en la saga, la verdad siguen siendo las mismas animaciones, graficamente no explota la capacidad de la consola, en ciertas zonas hay demasiado popping y texturas pobres, la verdad siento que no valio la pena sacrificar la mitad de la pokedex por un juego que no se siente terminado mas con los pretextos que dieron, la verdad no hay cambios en las animaciones de combates. Pero en fin un juego entretenido en lo que cabe.… Expand
  92. Stirnadler
    Nov 21, 2019
    6
    Es macht Spaß ist aber für mich definitiv zu einfach ! Die Grafik stört mich nicht, finde sie vor allem in den Städten sehr stimmungsvoll und hübsch!
  93. kaelmato
    Dec 1, 2019
    7
    First off, I really wanted to give the game a 7,5 but since that isn't an option I leaned more heavily on the 7 side.

    So lets get the good things out of the way first. The gameplay is fun. The new raid system is suprisingly fun (when it actually works). The wild area is actually a neat idea. The entry for competitive battling has been streamlined a great deal, which is great for people    First off, I really wanted to give the game a 7,5 but since that isn't an option I leaned more heavily on the 7 side.

    So lets get the good things out of the way first. The gameplay is fun. The new raid system is suprisingly fun (when it actually works). The wild area is actually a neat idea. The entry for competitive battling has been streamlined a great deal, which is great for people like me who don't have all day to breed and ev train those perfect pokemon. The music is really good and I absolutely love most of the new designs.

    So why a 7? This game has... Issues. a lot of them.

    I'm not going to touch on the graphics issues as this game in my opinion has passable graphics for a switch game. They're not great, but they're not horrible, it's a switch game.

    So lets start actually with missing features: Over half of the entire national dex have been cut from the game, and while I can live with this decision, I know a lot of others cant.
    The GTS has also been cut, this allowed people to easily trade pokemon around the world without the hassle of going to online forums looking for trades. In fact the online features of the game have been turned to an absolute nightmare. You go online, and you see bunch of people... doing stuff, but there's absolutely no way to interact with any of them in any way. Jacob is searching for a double battle? Well too bad, I can't join him. Nessie wants to trade? Well good luck with that. The only relevant information that shows up is people seeking for raids and even those rarely show up, and when they do show up, the joining window has most likely passed already.

    Moving on,

    The story in this game is actually so bad it would've been better if there wasn't one. Now pokemon games have never had that good stories going on (With the exception of black and white), but this one was especially bad. The lack of any kind of decent post game (with the exception of copy-paste battle tower and version legendary catch) doesn't really help either.

    This game is also incredibly easy, but this has been a trend for years so I cant really pin it on this games faults.

    And last but not least, the fps in wild area when connected to the internet tanks hard. I'm not just talking about few frames here, for instance when you're breeding in the wild area, sometimes it's lagging so bad that when your egg starts to hatch, your character stops in their tracks a few SECONDS before the text box "oh" pops up.

    In conclusion, the game is OK, not great, but it's not bad either. It is actually super fun to play and battling online still feels mostly the same, however the game is plagued with crippling issues that may or may not hinder your enjoyment of the game.    … Expand
  94. MistakenHero
    Dec 6, 2019
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Here is my honest review of the game. First, I'll be starting with the positives. Pokémon Sword and Shield have updated graphics (compared to other entries), it has in my opinion, probably the best soundtrack in the entire franchise, amazing characters such as Bede, Marnie, and Sonia. I also enjoyed the Hop's arc. I understand and agree with everyone who has said that Hop gets too much screentime compared to others like the aforementioned Bede and Marnie but I loved how Hop had to struggle to find a unique style that fit him as well as the post-game where he was unsure of what he wanted to do in the future. I truly found that to be a fantastic arc. Also, a new concept I liked was the way you faced the champion and how you have to go through a tournament-style setting like the PWT back in Black and White 2 and I hope they continue to do this style. I also enjoyed how everyone had a happy ending something we haven't seen in Pokémon since Black & White where Bede and Marnie become Gym Leaders, Sonia becomes the Pokémon professor, and Hop becomes her assistant. Finally, although it was brief, I enjoyed the premise of the Wild Area, where you were able to go anywhere in that area and fight Pokémon that were way beyond your capabilities. Now, time for the negatives. As previously stated, I feel like the Wild Area was very short. I felt that the Wild Area should've in the entire game where you would fight Pokémon that were at a ludicrously high level. I was surprised at how short the game was, I only clocked in 20 hours which was a huge letdown because the game was on the Nintendo Switch and not the 3DS line where those limitations would have been acceptable. Another big letdown was the post-game, by this I mean the length. Although I did enjoy the story of the post-game, it was way too short, clocking for me at only 1 and a half hours. Furthermore, I am not a huge fan of getting rid of the GTS system. In my opinion, the GTS system was by far one of the easiest ways to complete the Pokédex and with this out of the way you would either hope you get the desired Pokémon by Suprise Trading or get the Pokémon through Link Trading. In addition, the game was far too easy because of the fact that you were not able to turn off the EXP Share which replaces the aspect of the game being challenging. Lastly, I just want to point out that there is a massive lag issue in the Wild Area. This only occurs if you are connected to the Internet and it is at times that lag spike can be unbearable. All in all, while with all those negatives hindering my experience of the game by a decent amount, I still found the game to be like most newer Pokémon entries which would be described as ok but could be better.… Expand
  95. Paradise2000
    Nov 25, 2019
    6
    Best Pokémon game I have ever played. Fans have absolutely unrealistic expectations for this game, but it’s the best Gamefreak has ever made.
  96. lanchoo
    Nov 16, 2019
    7
    The game is not NEARLY as bad as people are making it out to be. There are minor problems here and there, and yes, the lack of all 890 Pokemon is a bit frustrating. but it still doesn't make the game any less fun than the average Pokemon game. Of course, the average Pokemon game isn't too fantastic to begin with, but a more than enjoyable experience is provided through and through.
  97. Speedie
    Nov 24, 2019
    7
    If you're looking to compare this game to the rest of the Pokemon series, don't bother. Game Freak is taking their world famous series in a different direction, and as a life long Pokemon fan, I'm not upset at all. There are new introductions to the series between battle functions and main quest direction that keep things interesting at all times. There is of course room for improvement,If you're looking to compare this game to the rest of the Pokemon series, don't bother. Game Freak is taking their world famous series in a different direction, and as a life long Pokemon fan, I'm not upset at all. There are new introductions to the series between battle functions and main quest direction that keep things interesting at all times. There is of course room for improvement, as with any video game produced, but it's plenty of fun, and a welcome introduction to my lineup of Pokemon game cases.

    When the game was first announced, and we were told that the National Pokedex was gone (meaning not every existing Pokemon would be in the game) I was quite upset to say the least. I had a feeling some of my favorite Pokemon would be cut, and I was correct. Looking back on it, I was an idiot. The 400 Pokemon included in the game fit so perfectly into the world, being spread out not too thin, but also not having an overwhelming variety in each area. The game feels balanced on the combat side of things due to the limit on specific Pokemon and abilities. Cutting Pokemon from the final project wasn't a split second decision of laziness, it was a decision made to ensure the world feels expansive enough without being crowded, it it works like a charm.

    The story driven content in the game isn't very deep. Not in the slightest. The sad excuse for the "Team" of this generation is something to be disappointed over for sure. The climax has very little build up at all, and a majority of the game is just the protagonist children talking about how they'll be the best trainers there ever was. The post game content is a bit better. More witty, funny, and overall entertaining, but short. I do wish there was deeper lore in the game, or really any significant lore at all to make me excited about the world, but sadly there is no hope. The one slight upside, is that some of the character development is very fun to follow, and caused a few smiles and laughs from me watching the characters change, or chose not to.

    The online features work a bit better than I expected. A bit laggy in the Wild Area sometimes, but otherwise very smooth and reliable. The servers had some issues at the start, but that has nothing to do with the actual experience I had while they were active. The new Raid addition to the game, as well as Trades and Battles are very smooth and work like a regular online game server, which is more than is usually expected from Nintendo.

    In conclusion, this generation is very fun, without a doubt. If compared to the rest of the Pokemon games, sure, it's towards the bottom of the list. As a standalone Switch game though, it truly is a great experience! If you can will yourself to simply get excited about a new video game, and jump into it with a positive, or even neutral mindset, you truly will enjoy yourself. The game is worth a full play through, and deserves praise for the things it does well.    … Expand
  98. Shadowdrives
    Nov 19, 2019
    7
    The raid battles with friends are fun, the fps is fine other then going to the wild area online the story is okay, didn't like the rival at all.
  99. Yeet_It
    Nov 19, 2019
    7
    Tbh I only got this game becuase I beat all the fire emblem routes and I wanted another RPG to play and it was okay but it could have been a lot better in some aspects.
  100. DetectiveDonut
    Feb 18, 2020
    7
    Definitely not the best Pokemon game, but there's some value here. It's a good entry point for the series, but you'd be better served with one of the DS' main series games.
Page:

Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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.
    Read full review
  3. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Jan 14, 2020
    78
    Pokemon Sword/Shield is uncharacteristically user-friendly: now there’s no need to backtrack half across the world to heal your entire team of pokemon or to get to a particular city, for example. [Issue#242, p.66]
See all critic reviews »