Pokemon Sword

 Switch
User Score
4.7

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 5909 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,997 out of 5909
  2. Mixed: 852 out of 5909
  3. Negative: 3,060 out of 5909
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  1. Danikyo-Inverso
    May 13, 2023
    10
    De lo mejor en toda la franquicia, y aunque no es tan bueno como la gloriosa 7ma generación, este juego supone un gran paso adelante en el aspecto gráfico y competitivo, con mas de 400 pokémon capturables, uno esta servido en cuanto a contenido se refiere, y aunque muchos digan lo contrario, las animaciones son de lo mejor en la saga
    Artísticamente hermoso.
  2. UnionJack0714
    Nov 15, 2019
    9
    This game is very bitter sweet. The game itself, is as good as 'pokemon' games get, at the expense of missing favourites... but honestly the designs of the new Pokemon are so good, it's forgivable... to an extent. Obviously I want my old favourites back, but at the same time I'm finding some new favourites. The wild area is great, even if it's not the best looking area in the game and isThis game is very bitter sweet. The game itself, is as good as 'pokemon' games get, at the expense of missing favourites... but honestly the designs of the new Pokemon are so good, it's forgivable... to an extent. Obviously I want my old favourites back, but at the same time I'm finding some new favourites. The wild area is great, even if it's not the best looking area in the game and is very bare bones in terms of decoration, offering a unique take on Pokemon encounters, and playing with other players is brilliant too. The story and characters definitely aren't bad, but are predictable if you've played Sun and Moon... very obvious inspiration there. The music ranges from the best in the series to this doesn't fit at all, thankfully more good than bad songs. Dynamax and Gigamax forms aren't the silly gimmicks I thought they would be, they offer up some great battles, especially towards the end of the game. And most importantly, unlike Sun and Moon, the game doesn't have a long unnecessary tutorial. Overall, if you want a good Pokemon game, this is for you. If you wanted a massive leap forward in the series, maybe wait for Gen 9 instead and safe yourself the anger and hate towards this game.… Expand
  3. paidshill
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    BEST. POKEMON. GAME. EVER!!!!!!!!!!

    Very few things in life can make me as happy as a great Pokemon RPG, and Sword and Shield repeatedly left me in a state of pure, child-like joy. The elated surprise of not knowing what’s coming is something this series does extremely well if you can manage to play it relatively unspoiled (fear not, this review won’t deprive you of that), and I’m glad    BEST. POKEMON. GAME. EVER!!!!!!!!!!

    Very few things in life can make me as happy as a great Pokemon RPG, and Sword and Shield repeatedly left me in a state of pure, child-like joy. The elated surprise of not knowing what’s coming is something this series does extremely well if you can manage to play it relatively unspoiled (fear not, this review won’t deprive you of that), and I’m glad that sense of wonder is still alive and kicking in Sword and Shield. With every new game in this 23-year-old series, changes big and small are always made, but I’ve never been willing to declare the latest entry the new gold standard for Pokemon because they’ve consistently been a balance of better and worse. But the first mainline game on the Switch has changed that: though there is still no “perfect Pokemon game,” the 40-plus hours I’ve spent with Sword and Shield have left me comfortable with calling them the best Pokemon games I have ever played – and I’ve played ‘em all.

    WHEN I SAW CHARIZARD I CLAPPED!!!!!!!!!!!    … Expand
  4. Vanbeef
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    After several Hours of Gameplay I really can say: It's the best Pokemon Game ive ever played.
    Started my Journey with Pokemon Red & Blue and came all my Way to Sword new.

    The Game looks amazing
    Smooth Gameplay
    Cute Pokemon Style
    Over 350 different Pokemon... thats just amazing!!
  5. Andmyaxe90
    Nov 15, 2019
    9
    Yes, it's a bit rough around the edges, but the points made by the negative people don't stand. The dex cut was needed. Balancing 890 Pokémon is an impossible task. The animations are fine. But most importantly: the game is fun.
  6. TheGrave999
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    It’s a great Pokémon game. You got your Pokémon on switch and it came out great. Buy it or don’t, it’s your cash.
  7. ThankUGamefreak
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    This is the most important review you will ever read on metacritic. These are the best games ever made. The criticisms are unfounded and dumbfounded. Why are you complaining about only having 400 pokemon to play as? Other RPGs like final fantasy and xenoblade and persona typically only have 7ish characters to play as. Yet people are upset about 400? Bad argument. Bad graphics? That's notThis is the most important review you will ever read on metacritic. These are the best games ever made. The criticisms are unfounded and dumbfounded. Why are you complaining about only having 400 pokemon to play as? Other RPGs like final fantasy and xenoblade and persona typically only have 7ish characters to play as. Yet people are upset about 400? Bad argument. Bad graphics? That's not true. These games are cartoony beautiful appealing graphics. They'retimeless. I think the Thanos snap of pokemon is the best thing to happen to the series. It exposes the fake fans and shows who really cares about pokemon. If you dislike these games then you need to purchase them again and try again. And if you don'tbuy them then dont talk.… Expand
  8. Akuryo90
    Nov 18, 2019
    10
    Great game, cool new Pokémon, music awesome... I love that game. And the designer of trainers and leaders are the best
  9. nemnel
    Feb 11, 2021
    10
    Ignore the haters this game was one of the best pokemon games. Every single character was realistic and wonderful. Hop was the best rival since Blue. I had more fun playing this game than almost any of the others. I know why people didn't love it, but I think the criticisms are overblown and boring.
  10. Shhana
    Mar 25, 2022
    10
    This game is so fun!! The Dynamax features were smartly implemented. It has a lot of replay value. I have played it for more than 300 hours! Would recommend
  11. piscesperiod
    Apr 30, 2021
    8
    Pokemon sword is not a fantastic game, it's a good game. A few new gimmicks, but the essence of the franchise remains untouched - catch and trade pokemon. The story is not all that impressive, but the fights are fun and the music is nice too.
  12. A-Kratonos
    May 3, 2021
    10
    Un juego sumamente infravalorado y cuyas virtudes han sido invisibilizadas por un fandom furioso, únicamente por razones externas al juego, así como completamente ajenas a su calidad.
    Galar es una región simplemente hermosa que representa una cara idealizada del Reino Unido, los personajes son carismáticos, la historia es bastante decente, y el combate es divino en cada sentido.
    El    Un juego sumamente infravalorado y cuyas virtudes han sido invisibilizadas por un fandom furioso, únicamente por razones externas al juego, así como completamente ajenas a su calidad.
    Galar es una región simplemente hermosa que representa una cara idealizada del Reino Unido, los personajes son carismáticos, la historia es bastante decente, y el combate es divino en cada sentido.

    El Gigamax es la mecánica estrella del juego y donde se cimenta todo combate importante, y la forma de representar las batallas de liga como estadios de futbol es un gran acierto.
    Musicalmente es precioso, artísticamente ni se diga. Y explorar las llanuras de Galar para atrapar pokémon es de las mejores experiencias que he tenido con un juego de la saga principal.    … Expand
  13. jhchoe
    Apr 8, 2021
    8
    It is good game, but it had low grafic than other nintendo game.Like Zelda...
  14. Mangrove
    Mar 6, 2022
    8
    I'm now playing this game, 5 years later, after also having played Brilliant Diamond and now seeing Legends Arceus. I'm quite a big Pokemon fan and I did agree on some factual criticism the game got in it's early stages (removing parts of the Pokedex to be released as DLC later and some lack of graphical effort). But honestly, when I play Pokemon these are not even things I care about. TheI'm now playing this game, 5 years later, after also having played Brilliant Diamond and now seeing Legends Arceus. I'm quite a big Pokemon fan and I did agree on some factual criticism the game got in it's early stages (removing parts of the Pokedex to be released as DLC later and some lack of graphical effort). But honestly, when I play Pokemon these are not even things I care about. The things that make pokemon fun are all there. Fun Gym challenges, creating and training your own team (tons of replayability there because you can catch so many different Pokemon in the wild area after just a couple badges). The wild area is just wonderful. No more needing to trade to get a Gengar or a Dusknoir, just get enough badges and find one flying around. The move relearner being in every Pokemon Center, amazing change. I think BDSP, which I did enjoy but had some pretty big flaws as well, put these games back into perspective for me. I thoroughly enjoyed my playthrough and with how addicting the wild area is I will definitely be catching them all before moving on to Legends Arceus… Expand
  15. Lamabunnyvile
    Nov 23, 2019
    10
    This game has been incredible despite my original concerns with problems like the national dex turned out to not really be much of an issue to me.
  16. SuperO
    Dec 10, 2019
    10
    Pokémon Espada y Escudo pueden presumir de contar con unas funciones de lo más interesantes y unas novedades fascinantes, aunque en multitud de momentos hemos tenido la sensación de que los juegos todavía podían aspirar más alto. Esto no tiene por qué ser necesariamente algo negativo, porque los dos juegos nos han parecido excelentes y un primer paso a lo que puede llegar a ser Pokémon dePokémon Espada y Escudo pueden presumir de contar con unas funciones de lo más interesantes y unas novedades fascinantes, aunque en multitud de momentos hemos tenido la sensación de que los juegos todavía podían aspirar más alto. Esto no tiene por qué ser necesariamente algo negativo, porque los dos juegos nos han parecido excelentes y un primer paso a lo que puede llegar a ser Pokémon de cara al futuro. Con un Área Silvestre mejor, una Pokédex más completa y otros detalles, tiene pinta de que a la serie le queda mucha vida por delante y estamos deseando de ver hasta dónde puede llegar.… Expand
  17. Daitya
    Dec 8, 2019
    10
    Como todo juego de la saga Pokémon es un buen juego. Nuevas criaturas, batallas, la magia de empezar de nuevo en una nueva región, una nueva cultura regional y personajes, una banda sonora impresionante... Pero también nos encontraremos con numerosos fallos como... Ciudades un poco monótonas, el recorte de Pokémon(que espero que metan un DLC para compensar), la falta de libertad delComo todo juego de la saga Pokémon es un buen juego. Nuevas criaturas, batallas, la magia de empezar de nuevo en una nueva región, una nueva cultura regional y personajes, una banda sonora impresionante... Pero también nos encontraremos con numerosos fallos como... Ciudades un poco monótonas, el recorte de Pokémon(que espero que metan un DLC para compensar), la falta de libertad del principio o la escasez de postgame.

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

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

    Conclusión para ambas opiniones de ardidos y amargados: Disfrutad del juego y pasad de vuestro "Orgullo Pokémon" parecéis una secta. Es un juego y ya está, no han matado a vuestros padres. Como cada juego tiene sus puntos fuertes y sus puntos débiles. Eso sí, estáis en vuestro derecho a decir que el juego está "incompleto" o que podrían haber hecho algo mejor... Pero hacedlo sin insultar y con un punto de vista neutral, que hay cada crítica destructiva que no tiene sentido.    … Expand
  18. gecowarrior
    May 11, 2021
    8
    the game could have a bit more content and story, but the pokemon basic was still there plus some innovation with the open-world part. I really enjoyed the game in basics and I think if you like pokemon or want to start getting into the series then buy the game (it's not sure worth the price)
    ist DLC is also good and many even better than the basic game.
  19. DaHomeaSimpzon
    Oct 28, 2020
    8
    Before I stated my thoughts on the game, I don't condone review bombing as they may have never played it before. The reason why I am making this is because the review bombing of the game on Metcritic just bothered everyone. I want to let you know I had played the game (Yes, I had both versions) and let me tell you the designs of the characters and the new Pokemon are great. If there thingsBefore I stated my thoughts on the game, I don't condone review bombing as they may have never played it before. The reason why I am making this is because the review bombing of the game on Metcritic just bothered everyone. I want to let you know I had played the game (Yes, I had both versions) and let me tell you the designs of the characters and the new Pokemon are great. If there things that Game Freak needs improve on is the National Dex (which they already did with the DLCs), the graphics, the storyline and other issues. Maybe an update would be perfect to improve the games. Even though I am bothered with the price of the game and the DLCs, it still hadn't stop me from liking Pokemon. Even though the games had some bad moments, Game Freak was trying their best as they can.… Expand
  20. sjc9495
    Mar 4, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I know there are a lot of mixed reviews for this game, but I personally love it. I love all the different pokemon from different regions, dynamaxing, etc. I loved it so much that I have 365 hours spent on this game. I love cooking and bonding with my pokemon, and the battles. The only problem I have with it is unless you have nintendo switch online, some of the dynamaxing battles because of bad AI take several times sometimes to beat. My pokemon that I use have good stat, good moves, and are really powerful, but I get teamed with AI's that use moves like follow me or just weak. I have to admit my least favorite pokemon to get teamed up with is wobbuffet. He is psychic, yet doesn't know any powerful moves unless he gets hit like counter& that's a fighting type move. I think the AI's should use better pokemon/ moves. I have had many occasions where I'm the only one standing and my "helpers," have died a lot on 5 star battles. If I was to personally tell the creators how to improve the game, it would be get smarter AI to help a little with five star battles.… Expand
  21. HappySylveon
    May 2, 2021
    10
    My favorite Pokemon game up to date, I did play the previous games but this one is just better overall, it's not amazing, just good, and the best main series Pokemon game in terms of features and the core aspect of pokemon gameplay, so it gets a 10/10.
    The only thing missing is a good story, but I'll let that slide as the DLC provides that, which you should totally get, especially crown tundra.
  22. gotas
    Jul 16, 2021
    8
    The game is very fun the region design and the music are amazing. The new Pokemons are not that good but are ok. The only thing i dont like is the vagueness of the developers for including such a small amount of Pokemons and the bad textures and animations.
  23. Gameryxa
    Sep 22, 2021
    8
    Очередные покемоны! Не плохие галарские покемошки, новые открытые зоны и функция Диномакс—все это отлично. Такой же примитивный сюжет как и раньше, но все равно неплохой. Из проблем могу отметить легкость игры и противную музыку которая быстро начинает бесить. В целом это все те же покемоны. Ни чем не лучше или хуже предшественников.Очередные покемоны! Не плохие галарские покемошки, новые открытые зоны и функция Диномакс—все это отлично. Такой же примитивный сюжет как и раньше, но все равно неплохой. Из проблем могу отметить легкость игры и противную музыку которая быстро начинает бесить. В целом это все те же покемоны. Ни чем не лучше или хуже предшественников.
  24. Suitwo
    Nov 24, 2019
    8
    Okay the first thing I am going to say is don't bother reading reviews which say "I chose not to play the game" or something to that extent, unfortunately there are a lot of reviews which feature that and lower the overall review as you can see.

    With that out of the way let me give you my unbiased opinion, something you rarely see nowadays. Disclaimer, I have not finished the game yet,    Okay the first thing I am going to say is don't bother reading reviews which say "I chose not to play the game" or something to that extent, unfortunately there are a lot of reviews which feature that and lower the overall review as you can see.

    With that out of the way let me give you my unbiased opinion, something you rarely see nowadays.
    Disclaimer, I have not finished the game yet, in fact I am only just about to challenge the third gym. I wanted to get this in now though, I will add or edit this after I have finished but my schedule is going to get more demanding so that may be a long while away.

    Onto the review, I have liked what I have seen so far, the game feels different from those before and the graphics are beautiful from previous games, if you are playing the game just take a moment to appreciate the scenery of towns, cities and every route, cave and wild area. Dynamaxing so far has been limited to raid battles and gym leaders but it doesn't disappoint, it's not the same as mega evolving as you get a choice of what you dynamax so you can vary every time you fight. The 3 turn limitation means you have to get the fight done quick but against gym leaders you don't want them to get an early dynamax while you spend a turn switching. The battles themselves are as fun as ever and the gym battles are something else entirely, with the audience in the background cheering when a move hits or when a Pokemon dynamaxes, you can't help but get hyped. Another thing worth noting is the game length, I mentioned I am about to fight the third gym leader, well I have played Shield for 6 hours now and that entire time I have being moving forward or exploring new areas, there is a lot of content to this one compared to say Ultra Sun or Alpha Sapphire, some of the more recent released and both those games I finished well under 24 hours.

    I'll address the issues I have seen around, starting with animations; yes not all of them are perfect, Scorbunny using double kick is a meme at this point and there will be a few others like that, does it take away from the gameplay? Not in the slightest and not every animation is like that. Second the National dex cut; I don't know about you but I never have once caught every single Pokemon and I can tell you for fact most people never will due to event Pokemon like Manaphy, Mew and Jirachi being super rare these days, I like using the new Pokemon, if I wanted to use old ones I would play old games, there is no reason whatsoever to use an Eeveelution for the hundredth time when there are 90 new choices. These next few are a small concern but I am sure are fixable by Nintento in future patches, connection issues and frame drops, I have not experienced the issues myself but I still think the possibility of save files being deleted or something to that extent just for trying to connect online is a serious concern, like I said though, I am sure Nintendo will resolve and and as I don't use it, it is no worry for me or anyone else who doesn't use it. Framedrops can occur and will happen say when going up a ladder or some moves are being used, or maybe nothing happens after you input a move, again nothing that I haven't seen before so if it is such a big thing now, why was it not a big issue before? Answer; people being nit-picky.
    A small issue which I know can put people off and bothered me a bit was the permanent exp share feature, I much prefered the item that you could only give to 1and I didn't use it to complete the main story, what Nintendo did this time however was make the battles tougher so the boss battles Pokemon are slighly higher than your party of 6 if you just progress with the story.

    I overall really like the game, it feels much more refreshing than the last few Pokemon releases, the small issues which people are trying to make out like they are a big thing really aren't a concern for casuals like myself, I have no problems playing the game the way it is meant to be an neither should anyone else. It was not worth £60 let me just say that but that's why I waited and got it for £45, a much better deal and totally worth the buy.    … Expand
  25. Tidus88
    Jan 2, 2020
    8
    Game Freak can improve some parts (for example graphics, animations, storytelling) in further games, but I like the first console Pokémon. The world is full of beautiful places and lovely details and I still love the gameplay. I enjoyed my 35-40 hours trip trough Galar and will continue my journey.
  26. FlamingWaffels
    Dec 1, 2019
    8
    Pokemon Sword and Shield are a step in the right direction in some ways, and a step back in others. The game is the most fun I have had with Pokemon since Heartgold and Soulsilver. The hands-off approach to the story makes for a refreshing change after Sun and Moon, although I find the story to not be as good as say, Black and White's or X and Y's- and the Usual 60-80hr playthroughs ofPokemon Sword and Shield are a step in the right direction in some ways, and a step back in others. The game is the most fun I have had with Pokemon since Heartgold and Soulsilver. The hands-off approach to the story makes for a refreshing change after Sun and Moon, although I find the story to not be as good as say, Black and White's or X and Y's- and the Usual 60-80hr playthroughs of Pokemon I was accustomed to had been cut to about 39hrs for me. However, the balancing adjustments, combined with the brilliant map design and lovable characters- and especially the Wild Area, makes the games feel polished and like a lot of genuine creativity went into them. I played the game much slower than many others did, beating the Champion at around 39 hours- but there is a decent post-game and much to do in a both competitive and casual manner! Of course there is a little less content here than some of the other games, (Namely the cut Pokemon and shorter story), but I feel as if there was much less filler content and jammed full of enjoyable areas, bosses, and gimmicks. While old games had entire sections of the map I dreaded going through, I felt excited to explore every inch of the Galar Region and loved Catching as many Pokemon as I could! I hope that Game Freak will add back more of the Pokemon and increase the length of the Story in the next entry while keeping up their great pacing and balance.

    Time logged into the game at the time of this review: 55 hrs.    … Expand
  27. Bruiser4000
    Feb 2, 2020
    8
    Quite possibly my favorite Pokemon game to date. To be fair, the graphics aren't as good as promised and it doesn't try too much to innovate, but the core gameplay is still the same turn based style we come to know and love, the new Pokemon certainly make up for the Pokemon cut, and the Galar region is one of my favorite designs of any regions. In the end, I don't see the cutting of theQuite possibly my favorite Pokemon game to date. To be fair, the graphics aren't as good as promised and it doesn't try too much to innovate, but the core gameplay is still the same turn based style we come to know and love, the new Pokemon certainly make up for the Pokemon cut, and the Galar region is one of my favorite designs of any regions. In the end, I don't see the cutting of the National Dex as a problem and can still enjoy the game regardless of its absence.… Expand
  28. kaijuking
    Nov 17, 2019
    8
    It's good overall I enjoyed the game but if I have one complaint I don't like that you can't shut off the exp share I accidentally overleveled my Pokemon in the beginning and it made it really easy to beat the first three gyms
  29. Sunikusu
    Nov 17, 2019
    8
    I have not finished the game, but I'll tell you this -- the fact I can make an account, post an influential review to a game that took 2+ years to make is absurd.

    The gameplay, graphics and music are on-point. Dont believe the hype that game freak lied, or cut corners. Thia game stays true to the original pokemon games while adding in a bit of flare with dynamax and other great additions.    I have not finished the game, but I'll tell you this -- the fact I can make an account, post an influential review to a game that took 2+ years to make is absurd.

    The gameplay, graphics and music are on-point. Dont believe the hype that game freak lied, or cut corners. Thia game stays true to the original pokemon games while adding in a bit of flare with dynamax and other great additions. So what if theres only 400 pokemon?    … Expand
  30. BlindFox
    Nov 17, 2019
    8
    Quitando todo los lloriqueos de la gente, yo de verdad disfruto el juego, tiene buenas mecánicas que han vuelto de otros juegos y muy buena rejugabilidad, y eso de poder encontrarte a gente cercana jugando, un toque muy bonito, me gusta mucho la verdad.
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 87 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 66 out of 87
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 87
  3. Negative: 0 out of 87
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Apr 30, 2020
    80
    Sword & Shield stumble in a few areas and history may not be kind to them, but they're setting up a future that I'm excited to see. [Issue #44 – January/February 2020, p. 73]
  2. GameCritics
    Feb 6, 2020
    75
    I enjoyed my time with Pokemon Sword and Shield, but I ended feeling conflicted. I appreciate many of the changes and felt that it generally respected my time, but I almost felt like a passive participant. The more complex gym challenges had a meatier role, but the narrative shouldn’t have been shoved to the side. Overall, I would recommend it to players who want to have a Pokemon experience, but this one won’t stick with me the way the older ones have.
    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 »