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. Themossman85
    Nov 19, 2019
    10
    I love this game in spite of that blurry tree texture.
    Critical score shouldn't be based on nitpicking before release. Also, game's fun.
  2. Hansbonnar
    Nov 19, 2019
    0
    You get less than half of the pokemon for nearly twice the price. This game just reeks of laziness...Gamefreak really is the japanese version of Bethesda.
  3. sebet89
    Nov 19, 2019
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. rápido
    não tem todos pokémon (menos que a metade)
    grupo inimigo lixo
    vilão fraco
    não tem Elite Four
    não curti o campeão
    rival lixo
    muito fácil
    história lixo
    animação fraca    … Expand
  4. Flare748
    Nov 19, 2019
    10
    The flaws are so minor they really don’t matter to me. I haven’t had this much fun in a Pokémon game since XY. I would recommend this game to everybody. Gyms are so hype now thanks to the music, setup and camera angles. The wild area is so fun and full of fun and engaging max raid that you can play online and locally. Towns look amazing on the Switch and I will be playing this game forThe flaws are so minor they really don’t matter to me. I haven’t had this much fun in a Pokémon game since XY. I would recommend this game to everybody. Gyms are so hype now thanks to the music, setup and camera angles. The wild area is so fun and full of fun and engaging max raid that you can play online and locally. Towns look amazing on the Switch and I will be playing this game for hundreds of hours.… Expand
  5. Suggema93
    Nov 19, 2019
    10
    Tendrá muchas decadencias eso no lo discuto, pero esta muy bueno este juego, hasta ahora lo que e jugado me encanta y no me arrepiento de averlo comprado.
  6. ZonaManine
    Nov 19, 2019
    9
    Gráficamente se podría mejorar, pero tampoco esta tan mal: es mas estilo a Anime. No he visto bajada de fps en ningún momento, aunque como he dicho se puede mejorar.
    La Banda sonora esta muy bien currada y más cuando estamos luchando en un gimnasio. La historia deja mucho que desear, aunque bueno.... ningún juego de Pokémon ha tenido una historia muy allá.
    La duración, pues bueno, he    Gráficamente se podría mejorar, pero tampoco esta tan mal: es mas estilo a Anime. No he visto bajada de fps en ningún momento, aunque como he dicho se puede mejorar.
    La Banda sonora esta muy bien currada y más cuando estamos luchando en un gimnasio. La historia deja mucho que desear, aunque bueno.... ningún juego de Pokémon ha tenido una historia muy allá.
    La duración, pues bueno, he tardado unas 25 horas en pasármelo y todavía me queda muchas cosas por completar (pokedex, torre batalla, etc) y la jugabilidad; hay cosas viejas que ya vimos en entregas anteriores y cosas innovadoras. El juego es mas accesible al público (mas casual). Lo mas malo es la Dex (no están todos) y la historia (que podría habérselo currado mas). En mi canal Zona Manine hago un Análisis mas detallado sobre el juego.    … Expand
  7. 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
  8. Emurkulator
    Nov 17, 2019
    10

    Yes there is some flaws such as the graphics could have been a touch better and the not being able to transfer in any pokemon from the series is a bit sad. However, NOT GAME BREAKING. The story is plain but not bad the gameplay is great and the new pokemon are pretty cool.
    Would give a better score had it actually took some risk and tried to be a more epic game like zelda and mario did
    Yes there is some flaws such as the graphics could have been a touch better and the not being able to transfer in any pokemon from the series is a bit sad. However, NOT GAME BREAKING. The story is plain but not bad the gameplay is great and the new pokemon are pretty cool.
    Would give a better score had it actually took some risk and tried to be a more epic game like zelda and mario did this generation.    … Expand
  9. SK1Y101
    Nov 19, 2019
    0
    Wonderful, impeccable, outstanding, trailblazing.
    These were the promises Game Freak made to us about this game, and yet what did we receive?
    An empty shell of a game, clearly rushed and barelypolished, without a shred of any of the former games shining features, Including, but not limited to: Shiny starters Mega-evolutions having access to every move, ever item, every Pokémon, every    Wonderful, impeccable, outstanding, trailblazing.
    These were the promises Game Freak made to us about this game, and yet what did we receive?
    An empty shell of a game, clearly rushed and barelypolished, without a shred of any of the former games shining features, Including, but not limited to:
    Shiny starters
    Mega-evolutions
    having access to every move, ever item, every Pokémon, every gym.
    The elite four existing.
    Victory road existing.
    Decent graphics,
    actually getting to play the game rather than being railroaded....
    The list of features missing in SwSh goes on.

    A glorified Pokémon go, with less effort than should be physically possible to inject into a franchise this large.
    If you want to play Pokémon, pickup Gen 4, Gen 7, hey, maybe even Gen 1 if you want; Don't expect to find anything desirable in sword and shield.    … Expand
  10. bookman
    Nov 19, 2019
    2
    I've been a long time player of pokemon, and this game is a total disappointment. I've seen so many unpolished and lazy things with this game like glitchy overworld animations, lazybattle animations, the entire world around you freezing as you climb ladders... My biggest problem with this game is the extreme handholding and linearity even by pokemon standards which was already a low barI've been a long time player of pokemon, and this game is a total disappointment. I've seen so many unpolished and lazy things with this game like glitchy overworld animations, lazybattle animations, the entire world around you freezing as you climb ladders... My biggest problem with this game is the extreme handholding and linearity even by pokemon standards which was already a low bar given the recent titles. The wild area is devoid of anything to actually explore, just the new "raid" feature which brings me to my next gripe. The new Dyanamax gimmick is a terrible replacement that cut mega evolution and z moves. Instead of interesting changes to the pokemon like type changes, unique ability changes, and unique stat distributions from the base form, Dynamax inflates your pokemon like a balloon and gives straight buffs while turning all your varied moves into straight generic dynamax moves, removing all variety of the gimmick. Speaking of pokemon sizes, none of the pokemon are properly scaled either, so you end up with weird looking results like tiny tiny waillords and Tyranitars. Do not get me started on the awful dialogue and plot of the game not to mention the WORST enemy team in all of pokemon. Losing a massive amount of previous pokemon available in the game is the crowning achievement of failure for this gen. Every game I've played I always have a Magneton on my team because it was my favorite pokemon. This is the first game I cannot do that. Many other fan favorites are cut too, so your mileage may vary.

    The only improvement in this game is overworld pokemon. That's it. It's too bad it's not in a good game because that's a great feature people have wanted for years, myself included.

    Do not buy this game. There are much better games on the Switch right now to spend your money on. Play a romhack if you want to play a good modern pokemon game in 2019.    … Expand
  11. 1_M_
    Nov 19, 2019
    6
    Just finished it. Unfortunately game is pretty mediocre. I don't have a problem with lack of National Dex (maybe because I'm a lucky bastatd, and all my favs are in), but I can objectively understand all the havoc it made. Plot in this generation is extremely dissapointing, hollow and probably the worst ever, especially with it's stupid twist, faceless and unimportant team Yell, andJust finished it. Unfortunately game is pretty mediocre. I don't have a problem with lack of National Dex (maybe because I'm a lucky bastatd, and all my favs are in), but I can objectively understand all the havoc it made. Plot in this generation is extremely dissapointing, hollow and probably the worst ever, especially with it's stupid twist, faceless and unimportant team Yell, and non-sense main antagonist's motivations. Wild area is a nice idea, but it needs alot of polishing, right now it feels borring and kinda empty, I spent there about 20 minutes during my 14 hour long walkthrough, because I didn't feel the need to spend more time in a location like this. When it comes to graphics, well... I'm a kind of person, that usually don't care about such things but damn it, some textures in Sword&Shield look very bad, company with such history and experience shouldn't let this happen, I'm pretty sure game could look so much better. New Mons are obviously a matter of taste, there are some I like very much with one of them instantly becoming one of my all time favourites, and two or three that I absolutely hate, but that's always the case, this series always was all about finding your favourites to me, no matter what they are and how they look.

    Oh, and there's a Battle Tower. Cool...

    It hurts me down to the bone to say that in my opinion Sword and Shield with their story, characters, lots of bugs, and graphic issues are dissapointing titles. Creating underdeveloped games that look like they were released too soon and needed more time for polishing isn't a way I would like Game Freak to go. I hope Gamę Freak and Pokemon Company will draw conclusions and consequences from this situation, although this is very unlikely because despite all the issues these two games are selling like hotcakes.

    In general I would score SwoShi 5/10, but that one effing cute Pokemon forced me to ad one bonus point.

    One more thing. I can understand that some players, especially new to the series may subjectively like those titles, but for the love of God. How can anyone say they're the best Pokemon games ever?!

    Also sorry for my bad English.    … Expand
  12. tAugustine1992
    Nov 19, 2019
    3
    The only two good things about this game are the Wild Area and the music. New Pokemon just seem very uninspired. Just look at the Pokemon Eiscue. It's literally just a penguin with a block of ice on its head. Even it docked mode the game had issues dropping frames while doing specific activities. Crossing a bridge using the bicycle boost caused the character to flicker uncontrollably untilThe only two good things about this game are the Wild Area and the music. New Pokemon just seem very uninspired. Just look at the Pokemon Eiscue. It's literally just a penguin with a block of ice on its head. Even it docked mode the game had issues dropping frames while doing specific activities. Crossing a bridge using the bicycle boost caused the character to flicker uncontrollably until the boost was done. There is a huge lack of post game activities. There is the quest to catch the legendary which takes a hour at most, the wild area, and a battle tower. The Wild Area is the best thing about the game but if you connect to the internet it becomes a big, buggy mess, with constant frame drops, freezing, and stuttering. Obviously you have to be connected online to raid with friends. If you don't have friends then you are out of luck seeing as trying to join random raids often ends with a failure to join screen. Nobody ever joins your raids and that just turns into sitting there hoping you get lucky.

    For the first main line Pokemon game on a home console I am highly highly disappointed in this dumpster fire of a game. I didn't even mention the National Dex crisis. I HATE that they removed 490 some Pokemon from the game and made them completely unobtainable, but I wen't into the game with an open mind and was left wishing I never picked it up.    … Expand
  13. loading479
    Nov 19, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's just a very shallow game that is fun the first 3 hours but then gets repetitive with going to each gym. It gets boring the more you progress and feels rushed and incomplete. This was my first Pokemon game and it was a letdown… Expand
  14. Rui666
    Nov 19, 2019
    10
    The game is awesome, great graphics, wild area is very different, awesome
  15. silverrobot100
    Nov 19, 2019
    0
    yo le dije a mi hermanito que elija otro juego, pero no quiso. elijio este juego y le pareció mas corto que patada de chancho. y los gráficos.....sobre todo los arboles, de N64, es increíble que no tenga voces los npcs, hasta un juego de ps1 tenia voces, y el método de juego es el mismo de hace años, agregándole algunas cosas nuevas , pero es básicamente lo mismo. Esta franquicia tieneyo le dije a mi hermanito que elija otro juego, pero no quiso. elijio este juego y le pareció mas corto que patada de chancho. y los gráficos.....sobre todo los arboles, de N64, es increíble que no tenga voces los npcs, hasta un juego de ps1 tenia voces, y el método de juego es el mismo de hace años, agregándole algunas cosas nuevas , pero es básicamente lo mismo. Esta franquicia tiene que cambiar de una vez por todas. y lo de reciclar mecanicas de 3ds....bueno es en casi todo el juego. como diria un meme de uruguay: "dediquense a laburar.... manga de kokemones"… Expand
  16. Wehr_Wolff
    Nov 19, 2019
    4
    I played Pokemon since I was 7 on my DS and some of my first games was Pokemon Pearl. I played all mainline Pokemon games after those. I was really hyped when news came out for a new Pokemon game. I had kind of mixed feelings towards Lets Go Pikachu/Eevee on the Switch because of the limited Pokemon selection and removed abilites. But because it seemed really intenional to me I accepted itI played Pokemon since I was 7 on my DS and some of my first games was Pokemon Pearl. I played all mainline Pokemon games after those. I was really hyped when news came out for a new Pokemon game. I had kind of mixed feelings towards Lets Go Pikachu/Eevee on the Switch because of the limited Pokemon selection and removed abilites. But because it seemed really intenional to me I accepted it and because they probably needed time to figure out the new Hardware/Software they now work with when it comes to the Switch.

    I really liked seeing Pokemon in HD 3D, but because I also started doing a Nuzlock of Omegaruby I realized that the biggest change to battles was at best the backgrounds. The Pokemon and there attack animations seems similiar enough to not make much of a difference. At least from my perspective it might be in HD but the animations don't make the Pokemon more lively or unique.

    The one animation I need to give big credit to tough is when you pick your Starter. This one shows exactly what I hoped for and wish was more in the game. The Starters start doing there own thing when presented to you and interact with each other showing much of there personality. But in the end it felt more like a what could have been, a tease.

    I liked the detail the cities and rooms etc in buildings got. They really made your house more lively at the start. Sadly the Wild Area pretty much dissapointed me look wise, it felts more like a big plane with some trees and lakes thrown in than a proper big open area.

    When I first heared of Dynamaxing I disliked it, but after some thought I came to the conclusion that it is better than Megas in a way because every Pokemon can do it, so even weaker, less favored ones. Also it kind of brings Z-Moves with megas together. While Z-Moves were better than megas because every Pokemon could use them aswell. But also the Megas felt way more unique than most of the Dynamaxed Pokemon. And because you can only use this feature in a really limited way I didn't use it that much in my overall playthrough. So at the end a big wasted opportunity and way less enjoyable then Megas, espacially since my high hopes.

    You really start to see how many features are Online wise lacking without Pokemon Home that will only release in the start of next year, so quite a wait to enjoy all Online features and I guess that likely you need the paid Switch Online Subcription to use it to the fullest. So I also couldn't bring some of my older friends with me yet to this new region, but now not sure if I even will do so yet.

    At first you don't notice the cut national Dex because 400 Pokemon is still a lot, basically as much as when I started playing Pokemon in 2007. But you really start to notice when your fav Pokemons aren't in the game. You can't rely on some of your older friends to help you can't use your team of your top 6 fav pokemon because certain mons are missing.

    The gyms and gym leaders and challenges can be intresting but compared to Black/White and Black2/White2 the gyms and gym leaders seem to have way less purpose, influence in the story then back then. Overall it is mostly a miss in that regard compared to what kind of infrastucture/working place and saviors story wise or else the gyms and gym leaders in the older mentioned games provide.

    Some design choices still are an eye sore to me. I like the way the champ is portrayed character wise but his design is a total failure. I am always confused how you could mix so much together. Marnie on the other hand had a pretty nice combination going on that didn't feel out of place.

    After the main story the postgame content is pretty lackluster compared to older games.

    Summery: The game if viewed as a standalone game would probably be a 6-8 because it can give you an enjoyable time, has some intresting features and ideas and looks goodish. But if you compare it to other Switch games and older Pokemon games the looks are underperforming. The story and difficulty aswell as postgame content were handled way better in older games. Dynamxing might be a nice idea of a feature but the implementation is badly execute and it should be used more often, to make it worth loosing megas and Z-moves for it. With half of all Pokemon missing and Online features being really limited until the release of Pokemon Home it is an incompelte expirience. Biggest downside considering all those negatives is that arguably that the game doesn't feature as much content and featues as older games and doesn't deliver what was promised while costing 50% more than the 3DS games. So considering all that the game would be on a 2-4. I give it a 4 because people who never might have played Pokemon or many other Switch games might still enjoy the expirience and because at times I had fun with the game. But overall a big dissapointment and it feels more like a lazy cash grab that needed to be delivered half-done before christmas.    … Expand
  17. Akayomi
    Nov 19, 2019
    7
    I got Pokemon Shield but since they're pretty much the same game, I'll paste my review here as well.

    Short version: The Good: - Refreshing feeling overall - Good character designs - Good looking graphics and animations (Half of the time, more on this down on the 'bad') - Wild Area is amaizing The bad: - Lazy animations on a lot of attacks (Which makes it even worse, considering    I got Pokemon Shield but since they're pretty much the same game, I'll paste my review here as well.

    Short version:
    The Good:
    - Refreshing feeling overall
    - Good character designs
    - Good looking graphics and animations (Half of the time, more on this down on the 'bad')
    - Wild Area is amaizing

    The bad:
    - Lazy animations on a lot of attacks (Which makes it even worse, considering some attacks have beautiful animations)
    - FPS drops on the Wild Area, even in Docked mode
    - Cutting the National Dex to "include better animations". Animations that are not in the game.
    - General unpolished feel to the game. This game needed at least 3-6 more months of development, and it could've easily been the BEST pokemon game of all time. Instead, we get a half-baked, mediocre pokemon game.

    Overall: If you enjoyed pokemon games, you will have fun. The game lacks in a lot of aspects, but it's still an enjoyable experience. I wish GameFreak would've taken more time to polish it a bit more, or at the very least that they adress the issues on patches down the line.

    Long version:
    I'm glad I bought this.

    Yes, the game has issues (FPS drops, some animations are cheap as **** it's generally unpolished, unnecesary dexit) but the game really ISN'T as bad as leakers and naysayers would have you believe. It pisses me off because if they had a few more months (say, 3 months, like Animal Crossing) this game could have been the BEST pokemon game ever. Instead, we get a half-assed mediocre game, but with enough fun stuff that it guarantees a huge profit for GameFreak, therefore they will not learn, and will continue to half-ass games, most likely. That's pretty sad.
    Also, anyone saying "the game is short!!! you can beat it in 8 hours!!" is full of **** I haven't even finished the main story and check it: 26hs and ticking. And I haven't even started doing max raids or anything endgame like that.
    The XP share turned on all the time is a pain in the ass, and we SHOULD have an option to turn it off.
    The difficulty is... very low. You can just mash A and you will probably win most fights. That being said, difficulty does spike in a few battles here and there. But most of the time it's very easy.

    Is this game perfect? No, not at all. Is it bad? Not really. It's average, or mediocre, whatever word you prefer to use. But it's fun. If you walk into the game wanting to hate it, you'll nitpick and hate every part of it. If you walk into the game wishing to have fun... well, you'll have tons of fun.

    Whether or not this game is worth 60$ is up to you to decide. For me, it should be 40$ and not a cent more. But I still bent over and paid full price. Even tho I reckon it shouldn't be full price, I personally am having lots of fun, and that makes it worth my time and money.    … Expand
  18. Thatchurr
    Nov 19, 2019
    7
    Not the best Pokemon game in the series for sure but definitely loads of fun. Great new Pokemon and designs. My main issue with game is the TMs are trash. TRs are good but dont like that they are one use and you have to raids to have a chance at getting one. Also i dont care about there not being a Nat Dex. Kind of annoying with the level cap on captures but still good game
  19. fuji97
    Nov 19, 2019
    0
    I want to participate in this Review bombing because #GameFreakLied
    Clearly this game doesn't deserve 0, but this is the only way to let Game Freak knows that we are angry.
  20. taruppuru
    Nov 19, 2019
    8
    While this game has received a fair amount of criticism, I personally found the game to be one of the best. It's the most fun I've had with a Pokemon game in a while, and I've been playing since the first Generation. It has its flaws, but I don't think it deserves the hate it's been getting.

    The graphics are bright and gorgeous. I've had some framerate drops in the Wild Area if I'm    While this game has received a fair amount of criticism, I personally found the game to be one of the best. It's the most fun I've had with a Pokemon game in a while, and I've been playing since the first Generation. It has its flaws, but I don't think it deserves the hate it's been getting.

    The graphics are bright and gorgeous. I've had some framerate drops in the Wild Area if I'm playing handheld, but it isn't terribly noticeable and doesn't take away from the experience. It looks infinitely better than the games on the 3ds. The routes and cities are all interesting and well-designed.

    While, yes, they did remove a large number of older Pokemon and moves, there is a fair number of new Pokemon and variants of old Pokemon. When a new generation comes out, you should be using the new Pokemon anyways! Take this time to make some new favorites.

    The music is upbeat, catchy, and it always fits the tone of the area you're in. Gym battles feel epic, as they should, especially once your opponent has Dynamaxed their Pokemon and the massive crowd around you starts chanting! I expected Dynamaxing to feel silly and shoehorned in, but it honestly didn't.

    Playing with your Pokemon in Camp and making curry is fun. Not too notable except that it's a fun way to see your Pokemon interact with each other. They did remove the option to "pet" your Pokemon, even though the Switch has a touch screen, which doesn't make much sense to me.

    The story of the game feels a bit rushed and sparse at times. It doesn't always feel like you as the player did anything to move the story along. The characters, as individuals, are interesting with great designs and personalities, but as a part of the story don't feel like they add much for the most part.

    All in all, I really enjoyed this game! At times, you can really feel the time crunch that GameFreak/TPC is put under to pump these games out each year. I feel like the franchise could strongly benefit from a few year break in the stream before the next generation is put out.    … Expand
  21. Mermunkaman
    Nov 19, 2019
    1
    Extremely dated and overdone combat system, uninspired story with aggressive hand holding, cut pokemon, the online does not work for me, I tried at least 20 times to get into a raid in the wild area but it never worked, the new trading system does not work for me either. The new dynamax feels shoehorned in and serves to waste your time. Just wait for the next one (if they improve)
  22. Sweetpair
    Nov 19, 2019
    0
    This is a disaster! All content is cuted away! No Pokemon from previous gens! No National pokedex! It' terrible!
  23. NovaAkasha
    Nov 19, 2019
    5
    It is not a bad game, but it really shows that it is incomplete. It needs at least 6-12 months more of development. The story is very simple and short. You can pass the game in less than 20 hours, and the content is generally poor. In addition to having several failures that a game of this generation, made by one of the multi-million dollar companies, cannot be allowed. How to lack suchIt is not a bad game, but it really shows that it is incomplete. It needs at least 6-12 months more of development. The story is very simple and short. You can pass the game in less than 20 hours, and the content is generally poor. In addition to having several failures that a game of this generation, made by one of the multi-million dollar companies, cannot be allowed. How to lack such basic things that other previous games had with no problem. (Specific funds for each zone, as an example).

    The biggest problem was the expectations they created with the excuse of cutting the pokedex for more quality. A lie.

    It's a step back, Pokemon SM / USUM, in generational and console comparison, is much better, which speaks very badly about this game. It is not worth 60 dollars.
    I do not recommend, if not, that you over money and just want to live the experience of pokemon, once again, in HD without expecting anything new or better than before.
    I hope that the next release takes advantage of all the failures that it has, to be a better game, and to meet expectations.

    Summary:
    A game with great potential wasted, for the preference of releasing games annually, instead of giving its consumers quality products. It has several errors and shortcomings that can ruin the experience. Even so, you can enjoy it, but leave much to be desired.    … Expand
  24. leon12jay
    Nov 19, 2019
    3
    This pokemon game seems like it does't fully developed. Although the graphics have got an upgrade, it still suck at 2019 level. There are even no background while battling inside building or city. In addition, the story is really straight forward and lack of depth, which lead to a short story is unacceptable.Cities feel like empty while exploring them. At least the city can have moreThis pokemon game seems like it does't fully developed. Although the graphics have got an upgrade, it still suck at 2019 level. There are even no background while battling inside building or city. In addition, the story is really straight forward and lack of depth, which lead to a short story is unacceptable.Cities feel like empty while exploring them. At least the city can have more people doing different thing to interact with people and pokemon, house with different design, more characteristics or tradition in cities and so on. There are so many thing to improve.

    The online experience is also not satisfying, I always cannot connect to the raids of other people successfully. A refresh button is missing in the page cause the player cannot really find the raids they want to battle. Cancelling the GTS system is ridiculous, which brings a lot of inconvenient to the player.

    The dynamax battle is quite interesting at the beginning but it soon become boring. It cannot do the same function as the MEGA can do, which can bring a lot of strategies to PVP. I think the company can explore more on MEGA evolution in the next game since there are still a lot of room for development and it is loved by most of the player.

    Overall, the experience is not satisfying and I think there is no excuse for gamefreak to cut the pokedex as the quality of the game is like this bad. Hoping that the company can listen to our voice to make improvement in the future.    … Expand
  25. JorrisBohnson
    Nov 19, 2019
    1
    The game is an unifnished mess that has no business of being released. Everyone has talked about Dexit or the culling of 60% of the Pokedex but more than that the game has horrible graphics, unfinished animations, empty maps, barely any content with most people finishing the game in 10 hours plus no postgame to speak off. If you are an JRPG fan there are better games on the Switch likeThe game is an unifnished mess that has no business of being released. Everyone has talked about Dexit or the culling of 60% of the Pokedex but more than that the game has horrible graphics, unfinished animations, empty maps, barely any content with most people finishing the game in 10 hours plus no postgame to speak off. If you are an JRPG fan there are better games on the Switch like Dragon Quest XI S or Xenoblade 2. If you are a Pokemon fan then I feel bad but if you want the franchise to improve you should not support this game. Vote with your wallet and let Game Freak know that this type of cashgrab is not accepted. Also there have been reports of the game corrupting save and game data on the Switch, showing how unfinished this game is.

    tl;dr Do not buy, get DQ XI S instead.    … Expand
  26. theguymandude
    Nov 19, 2019
    4
    As far as Pokemon games go this one is definitely lacking on many fronts. If you've played the previous mainline title to this on (Sun and Moon or Ultra Sun and Moon) then you will notice a lot of similarity. If you enjoyed those titles immensely you will also likely enjoy this one. However for those who have been sticking with the series for a much longer period of time, and have poured aAs far as Pokemon games go this one is definitely lacking on many fronts. If you've played the previous mainline title to this on (Sun and Moon or Ultra Sun and Moon) then you will notice a lot of similarity. If you enjoyed those titles immensely you will also likely enjoy this one. However for those who have been sticking with the series for a much longer period of time, and have poured a large chunk of hours into the games then these Sword and Shield will probably disappoint you. Many missing features that should be staples of the series at this point, including the removal of the Global Trade System. Difficulty options remain gone since Black and White 2, and an EXP share system that can't be turned off. In addition to a large chunk of Pokemon being completely gone from the game there are also moves that have completely vanished. Not to mention the game's framerate is still spotty in some areas, which is kind of baffling at this point seeing as the game really doesn't look like anything special at all.
    I can't recommend this to anyone who has a large amount of passion for the series, but for those who are just casual fans the game is probably fine for a quick playthrough. It's just a shame Game Freak can't appeal to both of those groups for whatever reason.    … Expand
  27. dschelske
    Nov 19, 2019
    4
    Good ideas, bad execution. Too easy, dynamax raids boring and easy. Breeding too easy. Pvp is to simple. Game is fun for the first 20 hours, then become repetetive with a lack of depth in the content the game provides.
  28. kombatkarrot
    Nov 19, 2019
    2
    Very linear, corridor based game in the 10 hours I have played, I am already bored of the meaningless handholding, the town map now tells me where to go so I do not need a boring NPC tour guide. I had a level 37 starter before the second gym with no real effort which tells me the XP system is unbalanced and broken. The online raid system is terrible. I have been unable to join many raidsVery linear, corridor based game in the 10 hours I have played, I am already bored of the meaningless handholding, the town map now tells me where to go so I do not need a boring NPC tour guide. I had a level 37 starter before the second gym with no real effort which tells me the XP system is unbalanced and broken. The online raid system is terrible. I have been unable to join many raids and can barely get players to join mine. The 'safari zone' is near empty. filling it with other players instead of NPC's dungeons and side quests just makes it an XP pit. I can find very little positive about this game besides the camping mechanic.… Expand
  29. Malvion
    Nov 19, 2019
    6
    Story:
    Pretty common Pokèmon story, but less invasive. Not too deep and not too easygoing. Maybe some things were similar to the Sun and Moon plot...
    Graphic: Still needs a lot of work, but it's not totally bad sometimes. Features and Post-Game: too few.. except for Shiny Hunting and Competitive Breeding you have literally nothing to do. So for the ones who can't play competitive the    Story:
    Pretty common Pokèmon story, but less invasive. Not too deep and not too easygoing. Maybe some things were similar to the Sun and Moon plot...

    Graphic: Still needs a lot of work, but it's not totally bad sometimes.

    Features and Post-Game: too few.. except for Shiny Hunting and Competitive Breeding you have literally nothing to do. So for the ones who can't play competitive the game become boring really fast.    … Expand
  30. Jaeloih1911
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This game had a lot of potential, but it's fairly lackluster, boring, and choppy, especially when compared to previous games, like Black and White and HeartGold and SoulSilver. I honestly expected more out of a Switch game.
  31. elricad
    Nov 19, 2019
    10


    Personally, I've been playing for +50 hours by the time I wrote this review, and I'm next to beat the 5th gym, so I'm about halfway of the game. Yes, I'm aware of the SD error reported by some players. Yes, the game doesn't have the best graphics of the Nintendo Switch. Some animations are just ridiculous. Of course, I'm disheartened by the Dexit (my favorite Pokemon didn't make it)

    Personally, I've been playing for +50 hours by the time I wrote this review, and I'm next to beat the 5th gym, so I'm about halfway of the game. Yes, I'm aware of the SD error reported by some players. Yes, the game doesn't have the best graphics of the Nintendo Switch. Some animations are just ridiculous. Of course, I'm disheartened by the Dexit (my favorite Pokemon didn't make it) and the move scrapping. But beside all these issues, there is still a lot of good things and details that make you realize the immense amount of effort and love that it has been put into it. The music, as always, is marvelous. The sense of adventuring into the unknown, of discovering new species and saying 'Hey! I WANT THAT Pokemon in my team!" is still there. I'm HAVING FUN, and for me, that's utterly the ultimate goal of a video game.    … Expand
  32. Netti
    Nov 19, 2019
    10
    Love it so far, I'm not sure people realize it would prob taken an extra two years to code every pokemon. Not to mention the space and for people to download. There will prob be a game in two years with close to all Pokémon.
  33. OkBoomer
    Nov 19, 2019
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game was really good and I actually enjoyed it but the story was really short. Beat the game in 2 days and it really wasn't that hard. The best part about the game was probably the wild area. You can do a lot there and it shows there's more than just story… Expand
  34. Auza
    Nov 19, 2019
    0
    Game is uninspired and doesn't do anything to expand upon the same formula they've been using for 20+ years. Marketing for the game has been dishonest in general. Nicknamed my Garbodor "Gamefreak." So that was fun.
  35. himbaba78406
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    畫質差，寶可夢無心意，戰鬥背景單調
    沿用舊作模組
    吼吼鯨靠杯小
    只有人設可以看
    那我拿錢買本子就好啦
  36. RandoFoxxo
    Nov 19, 2019
    9
    I am a Player, that hasn't played any pokemon gen 3-7 game. Only gen 1,2 and now 8. Right now I'd say im half way through the game.

    However, I think the game is fantastic. It took many Features from the previous game (Let's go pikachu etc) like catching pokemons granting exp, the world design and graphics and combat UI, as well as most Features from the more traditional pokemon games.    I am a Player, that hasn't played any pokemon gen 3-7 game. Only gen 1,2 and now 8. Right now I'd say im half way through the game.

    However, I think the game is fantastic. It took many Features from the previous game (Let's go pikachu etc) like catching pokemons granting exp, the world design and graphics and combat UI, as well as most Features from the more traditional pokemon games.

    Since the beginning, it engaged me a bit in the Story and I just generally enjoyed fighting other npc's, gym leaders and wild pokemons.

    My two Cents are, that I feel like the world is a bit simple. Each City is basically only divided by one route. You go from City to route, to City, to route and so on. Sometimes there is a cave in between. In contrast to the first and second gen, they had many routes connecting at one Point. I miss that a bit, the world felt larger and more complex.

    The second Point is obvious, lack of plenty previous gen pokemons. Maybe I am optimistic, but I just want to go to the wiki, look at pokemons, find a cool one I like and add it to my Team when I am playing the currently newest gen. But sadly, I have to double check if it's in pokemon sword. I hope the future will bring more pokemons into the game, that existed previously.

    Otherwise, the game is fantastic, enjoyable and absolutely worth the Price.    … Expand
  37. SenseiScythe
    Nov 19, 2019
    8
    Pokemon Sword and Shield are great Pokemon games. Easily recommend to fans. The game has a few graphical issues like the trees and some battle animations (double kick for example), as well as very useful moves like hidden power being cut out. Overall, there are many improvements to the main formula. The wild area is a joy to explore, the gyms are harder than XY's (still not the toughest),Pokemon Sword and Shield are great Pokemon games. Easily recommend to fans. The game has a few graphical issues like the trees and some battle animations (double kick for example), as well as very useful moves like hidden power being cut out. Overall, there are many improvements to the main formula. The wild area is a joy to explore, the gyms are harder than XY's (still not the toughest), and the more anime-like league format is very fun. One minor gripe is the locked audio controls. You have to get an item for some reason.

    In conclusion, Pokemon Sword and Shield have strong points that I haven't seen being mentioned by the blind haters that call themselves "Pokemon fans". The new Pokemon have quality over quantity (coming up to 81 without counting G-max). Pokemon Sword and Shield may feel unambitious but it's a joy to play and it adds a bit more challenge than the Gen 6 and 7 games. (apart from Hop, he's easier than Hau)    … Expand
  38. DankDrank
    Nov 19, 2019
    10
    Just amazing no doubt one of the best pokemon games i have ever played amazing
  39. LemonCandle
    Nov 16, 2019
    2
    The only thing this game has to offer is teaching your three-year-old how to play. It's borderline insulting how it holds your hand throughout the journey. The animations are abysmal at times, full of glitches, no heart or interesting story, incredible features removed, post game doesn't even exist, no challenge available and no way to choose a difficulty level. That is the tip of theThe only thing this game has to offer is teaching your three-year-old how to play. It's borderline insulting how it holds your hand throughout the journey. The animations are abysmal at times, full of glitches, no heart or interesting story, incredible features removed, post game doesn't even exist, no challenge available and no way to choose a difficulty level. That is the tip of the iceberg. One of the most boring games I've ever played, the charm and excitement of Pokemon is completely gone. Would I recommend you buy it? To your young kid just learning to play video games, yes. This is a game for toddlers...… Expand
  40. pizzo
    Nov 19, 2019
    10
    I admit that I like the game a lot, the graphics, with the generational leap from 3ds to switch, have improved a lot and I haven't seen Pokémon that good for a long time, Turner got it right. The raids I'm loving them, playing in multiplayer with my friends to look for the gigamax is fantastic (I have 28 hours of play and I'm in the 5th gym). For every new city I arrive in I am amazed, allI admit that I like the game a lot, the graphics, with the generational leap from 3ds to switch, have improved a lot and I haven't seen Pokémon that good for a long time, Turner got it right. The raids I'm loving them, playing in multiplayer with my friends to look for the gigamax is fantastic (I have 28 hours of play and I'm in the 5th gym). For every new city I arrive in I am amazed, all very beautiful and cared for. Then even being a competitive player they couldn't give me nicer postgames, Breedare Pokémon has never been so simple and fun. Last thing, I don't express myself yet on the story because I didn't go far enough but in regards to cutting the dex I am in favor of it, thinking about it at a narrative level it is correct that if we go to a new region we cannot capture all the Pokémon of the world, otherwise the sense of the region's biome is lost.… Expand
  41. NaKaGaWa13
    Nov 19, 2019
    0
    Game Freak killed that game for me! No National pokedex, no starters from previous generation, no Totodile, no Croconaw, no Feralligatr...Weird leveling system...Worst Pokemon game ever..
  42. Tomethy
    Nov 19, 2019
    8
    It's honestly a great game which has its flaws - but it's never a 0-5
  43. busiu
    Nov 18, 2019
    8
    To be honest - I really like it. I miss some of my beloved Pokemon, and I don't like the new design direction when it comes to some new Pokemon, but I can live with that. Besides that, this game is a must-have for any Pokemon fan, and I'm really surprised that I'm having this much fun with it. The Wild Area, Raids, gorgeous visuals and animations - all of that brings pure joy. What I likeTo be honest - I really like it. I miss some of my beloved Pokemon, and I don't like the new design direction when it comes to some new Pokemon, but I can live with that. Besides that, this game is a must-have for any Pokemon fan, and I'm really surprised that I'm having this much fun with it. The Wild Area, Raids, gorgeous visuals and animations - all of that brings pure joy. What I like the most is how challenging the Wild Area is. Finally, I don't have the feeling that it's a game aimed for younger audience only, and I'm too old for it! Yay! PS. My favourite Pokemon games are Gold/Silver (the remake was superb as well) and XY, and I absolutely hate Let's Go Pikachu&Eevee, as well as Sun&Moon.… Expand
  44. aaronjordan2
    Nov 18, 2019
    4
    Not buying the game until I get my hands on a used copy. But from watching walkthroughs and following updates about the game contents. This deserves a 4. The positive side of this game is the new Pokemon including regional forms/evolutions. Not going to lie they look amazing.

    However not including all the Pokemon and eliminating Mega Evolutions and Z moves is almost a deal breaker for me.    Not buying the game until I get my hands on a used copy. But from watching walkthroughs and following updates about the game contents. This deserves a 4. The positive side of this game is the new Pokemon including regional forms/evolutions. Not going to lie they look amazing.

    However not including all the Pokemon and eliminating Mega Evolutions and Z moves is almost a deal breaker for me. What's worse is that large Pokemon are not set to their proper scale which is really annoying because of data entry in the Pokedex and considering when Pokemon teamed up with Genius Sonority they were scaled correctly and that was way over a decade ago. I don't like the Dynamaxing gimmick because it's unrealistic in the Pokemon anime and there was still some development left open for Mega Evolutions and Z moves. The game feels rushed and Gamefreak was caught in a lie regarding how they claimed to not use old models when they actually did. On top of that hackers are now importing cut Pokemon now and it fuels the argument Game Freak was lazy. As a long time Pokemon fan I am extremely disappointed in the effort put into this game to appeal to their loyal fans. I'm only going to buy a used copy just because I like the new Pokemon.    … Expand
  45. Sakamoto_San
    Nov 18, 2019
    2
    El juego es malo en todo sentido historia floja y corta, gráficos malos, rendimiento malisimo y empeora mas cuando estás en linea a lo que ay que agregar que para ocupar esas pocas funciones en linea de la cual solo el intercambio vale la pena ay que pagar switch online, en si una pena y desepcion grandisima lo que fue este titulo sin duda van a sacar otro juego o expancion de este conEl juego es malo en todo sentido historia floja y corta, gráficos malos, rendimiento malisimo y empeora mas cuando estás en linea a lo que ay que agregar que para ocupar esas pocas funciones en linea de la cual solo el intercambio vale la pena ay que pagar switch online, en si una pena y desepcion grandisima lo que fue este titulo sin duda van a sacar otro juego o expancion de este con todo los pokemon y la mitad de la historia que falto lo unico destacable es la jugabilidad tan buena como siempre y la musica porque ni los dinamax valen la pena al final fueron solo la excusa para ahorrarse los movimientos z y las mega evoluciones ya que solo se usan en las misiones y en las peleas de gimnacio… Expand
  46. Jakey92
    Nov 18, 2019
    10
    The best game in the series to date. The Wild Area in particular is any Pokémon lovers dream.
  47. thedstrat
    Nov 18, 2019
    4
    This game is far too easy and the world is basically a hallway. The environment in between towns is relatively nonexistent and simple. That being said, I love the character designs, it’s very polished, and I do think that some areas were a step in the right direction.
  48. Akihisa
    Nov 18, 2019
    10
    I mean im having fun and thats what its all about despite what everyones saying im not even a big pokemon fan but i bought it anyway and im having a blast
  49. MazdoTechno
    Nov 18, 2019
    4
    lacking in almost every department Pokemon Sword and Shield is the greatest disappointment from the main line Pokémon games since the painfully mediocre X and Y.
    If you are looking for a causal Pokémon experience and don’t take the franchise that seriously I would definitely recommend this game.
    If you are looking for something beyond the bare minimum in almost any aspect of the game I    lacking in almost every department Pokemon Sword and Shield is the greatest disappointment from the main line Pokémon games since the painfully mediocre X and Y.
    If you are looking for a causal Pokémon experience and don’t take the franchise that seriously I would definitely recommend this game.
    If you are looking for something beyond the bare minimum in almost any aspect of the game I would recommend giving these games the pass.
    Dynamaxing replaces the much more creative Mega Evolution mechanic in these games.
    The games get some brownie points from me because of the Dark Type gym leader which I have wanted to see for years.

    Graphics 2/5
    A slight jump from Sun and Moon but very slight. Does not meet the expectations of a main line Pokémon game on Switch. And yes, the trees really look like they are from the PS2.

    New Pokémon 1.5/5
    This is mostly personal opinion but I would say that these new Pokémon don’t look like they where designed in the “Pokémon style”
    There are exceptions but a lot of these designs look like Ultra Beasts, (which was ok with UB’s because they where literally from other dimensions) Digimon or even Super Mario enemies (looking at you Eiscue)
    Again this is mostly personal opinion but I definitely feel there is an inconsistency between the designs in this game and the rest of the franchise’s history.

    Character Design 3.25/5
    Here is the category that I feel like they actually did fairly well. There are memorable Trainers and Gym Leaders everywhere. The champion’s design is pretty weak and the two brothers in the post game look kind of ridiculous but overall this is an above average generation for Pokémon Character design

    Storyline 1.5/5
    Really really weak storyline, bare bones.
    Hop is just worse Hau from Sun and Moon.
    No emotional weight at all. Predictable and overall one of the worst storylines in any main series game. Around the level of X and Y’s weak story except maybe even worse (somehow)

    Music 2.5/5
    Some good tracks but overall just kind of mediocre, this games music once again suffers from the “too much reverb” disease that Pokémon music picked up from the jump to 3DS. The golden era of Pokémon music was definitely from Gen 3-5. I do think there is some promise in the music of these games with great tracks like the Gym battle music.    … Expand
  50. dm_punks
    Nov 18, 2019
    10
    The latest iteration is always the best and that holds true with both Pokemon Sword & Shield. Both longtime fans as well as newcomers are treated to a whole smorgasboard of new exciting features propelling Pocket Monster taming and collecting into the next gen. This is a must-have for both returning fans as well as prospective pnes coming into the franchise for the first time.

    Once again,    The latest iteration is always the best and that holds true with both Pokemon Sword & Shield. Both longtime fans as well as newcomers are treated to a whole smorgasboard of new exciting features propelling Pocket Monster taming and collecting into the next gen. This is a must-have for both returning fans as well as prospective pnes coming into the franchise for the first time.

    Once again, Gamefreak shows they are the true pokemasters, delivering an experience that improves upon all previous generations with an exciting new region.

    If you must play only one Pokemon game, this is it.    … Expand
  51. juanlobo
    Nov 18, 2019
    8
    I have played just like 15 hours or so, and yes, the game has some technical issues, but not game breaking, some pop in, some bad textures, but the game is enjoyable, love the music, the gameplay, the customization, the style is nice, the wild area is pretty cool, the raids are nice. so far, so good.

    I'm not going to give the game a 10 because is not, but for me it is an 8
  52. kiwi_tea
    Nov 18, 2019
    4
    Pokemon Sword and Shield are very strange entries in a franchise that I have loved since Red and Blue. Pokemon has gone through many changes, often taking as many steps backward as forward along the way - For example, in Generation 4 the great leap with the physical/special split was accompanied by a shift towards a more mystical time-and-space-hopping plot, a hard-to-navigate region, andPokemon Sword and Shield are very strange entries in a franchise that I have loved since Red and Blue. Pokemon has gone through many changes, often taking as many steps backward as forward along the way - For example, in Generation 4 the great leap with the physical/special split was accompanied by a shift towards a more mystical time-and-space-hopping plot, a hard-to-navigate region, and the metagame defining power creep of Garchomp.

    For all those leaps backward, the games maintained their charm. Platinum, the follow up to Generation 4's Diamond and Pearl, tried to fix at least a few of the early games' issues.

    Sword and Shield give me a similar sense of foreboding that Diamond and Pearl gave me. There are a lot of changes to the formula in these games, and very few of them seem to be changes for the better. I'll try to break down pros and cons.

    Pros:
    + The Wild Area is engaging (although it suffers immensely from the reduced Pokemon roster).
    + The new Pokemon are all pretty lovely. Polteageist makes me happier than I can express.
    + The inherently restricted meta-game caused by Dexit has the potential to be fresh and exciting.
    + No legendary bloat. A modest number of these.
    + Slurpuff made the cut.

    Cons:
    - Dynamaxing is not a balanced or enjoyable mechanic in any of the matches I have seen on simulators so far. Singles Pokemon now tend to end in predictable Dynamax sweeps. I hope this is not as big an issue in VGC.
    - Routes are all extremely short - corridors is an accurate description. There are not dungeons that compare favourably with Mt Moon, let alone various Victory Roads.
    - The Wild Area is fun now, but will get boring fast.
    - No substantive post-game content, which has become an ongoing issue with recent generations.
    - Villain's motivations are ridiculous. The best thing Pokemon could do for its plot problems is go back to basics - eg, baddies who want to steal Pokemon, corporations that want to exploit Pokemon as tools. Anything at all would be better than the plot nonsense we have seen since generation 4.
    - The battle tower is even more meaningless than in previous generations, with no restrictions against legendaries, and no higher tiers (eg, "Super Singles").
    - Severe lack of Kecleon would take this down to a 3, if I was feeling petty.

    I am having a lot of fun in the Wild Area. I am not missing Kecleon nearly as much as I expected I would (although I still want it back asap).    … Expand
  53. JMT__
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    Horrible and lazy game. I've been a diehard fan since the beginning. But this?....this is trash. The story is weak AS HELL and extremely boring. I wont harp on the animations and textures since everyone knows about that. The towns seem extremely unengaging and empty (I'm looking at you Spikemuth). Rose tower? Like...why? That draw distance is absolutely horrendous. I guess I'm trying toHorrible and lazy game. I've been a diehard fan since the beginning. But this?....this is trash. The story is weak AS HELL and extremely boring. I wont harp on the animations and textures since everyone knows about that. The towns seem extremely unengaging and empty (I'm looking at you Spikemuth). Rose tower? Like...why? That draw distance is absolutely horrendous. I guess I'm trying to say, if you have 60 bucks, do not invest in gamefreak. Support developers like monolith who actually care for their IP's. The golden days of gamefreak are numbered.… Expand
  54. drakneel95
    Nov 18, 2019
    10
    Hasta ahora lo he disfrutado mucho, hubieron muchas pequeñas mejoras y detalles en el menú y la jugabilidad además de mas libertad para decidir tu equipo en la aventura, un clásico pokemon de siempre, espero que con actualizaciones mejoren y aprovechen la Area silvestre que puede mejorar aun mas, la banda sonora que le pusieron a este juego fue totalmente un acierto !
  55. Nath_eZ
    Nov 18, 2019
    4
    Este juego parece hecho con el culo y sin mirar lo que en verdad aprecian los fans del, no movimientos z, no megaevolciones, no pokemon de otras regiones, a muchos nos gustaría un combate de Dinamax vs Movimientos Z, pero no gamefreak quiere entregar un juego cada año, Pokemon se convirtió en el Fifa de Nintendo, pero por lo menos Fifa tiene a todos los jugadores y por si no fuera poco enEste juego parece hecho con el culo y sin mirar lo que en verdad aprecian los fans del, no movimientos z, no megaevolciones, no pokemon de otras regiones, a muchos nos gustaría un combate de Dinamax vs Movimientos Z, pero no gamefreak quiere entregar un juego cada año, Pokemon se convirtió en el Fifa de Nintendo, pero por lo menos Fifa tiene a todos los jugadores y por si no fuera poco en los créditos aparece un cursor.
    Pensando seriamente en devolver el juego.

    Espero que recapaciten y vuelvan a trabajar con la filosofía de Satoru Iwata.    … Expand
  56. sonikah
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    For a $20 price increase from previous games, you would expect more features to be added. Instead, far more content was removed from previous games than actually added in this one. The supposed reason for the cut content and price increase was the increase in graphics quality, but the game runs poorly and the animations are limited. Online services are locked behind Nintendo Online'sFor a $20 price increase from previous games, you would expect more features to be added. Instead, far more content was removed from previous games than actually added in this one. The supposed reason for the cut content and price increase was the increase in graphics quality, but the game runs poorly and the animations are limited. Online services are locked behind Nintendo Online's paywall. You can't bring over all of your Pokemon from previous games, and you have to pay for another service to import the few that were included.… Expand
  57. AshBlack
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    As a fan who's been around since day 1 it pains me to write this review but the glaring problem here hurts so much. The graphics and animations are inferior as a wild example take a look at the grass once you run into it it feels flat and made with inferior game dev knowledge. A recent example for a good looking game would be LM3 compare the two side by side and anyone praising SwSh shouldAs a fan who's been around since day 1 it pains me to write this review but the glaring problem here hurts so much. The graphics and animations are inferior as a wild example take a look at the grass once you run into it it feels flat and made with inferior game dev knowledge. A recent example for a good looking game would be LM3 compare the two side by side and anyone praising SwSh should drop their act. LM3 is a fantastic example for animation, graphic, ambience and fluid performance without framedropping issues. The switch is a powerful system nintendo has proven that, gamefreak wasn't able to optimize this game properly despite it being a rather timid game regarding the things that happen on the screen at once. which shows already how poorly this game was made. The nature zone looks the worst in that regard. Aside from petting pokemon and the battle tower in the postgame you'll find yourself unentertained unless you're seeking to be in the competitive department.
    Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing is limited to certain fights so you'll never find it usefull in pvp where you previously could chuck a mega evolution and have that as a surprise.
    EXP share can't be turned off which ruins the experience for people who wanna hunt for specific pokemon in the wild cause if they use the time at the hunt to defeat the unneeded pokemon they will overlevel without being able to prevent it.
    Customizing your trainer isn't exactly new either.
    In the older pokemon games there was more to do but past pokemon black the number of features and activity declined ever so drastically. The next entries should be called cookie and cutter so gamefreak can pack a cookie in a package and leave the other empty with the note "we couldn't be bothered to make this game so we cut it, it's just gotten too much work" I mean they release the same game 2 times just to make more money for as little effort as possible. so yea... I recommend to not buy this game it's a cookie cutter play any entry prior to lets go if you desperately need a fix. Gamefreak is just milking kids and overly loyal fans for many people this is gonna be a novelty that will soon collect dust on a shelf and for some it'll even be double the amount because they grabbed the game twice just for 5-10 pokemon that differ on a couple of roads. that's $120 for games you can very well call unfinished. of course the game appeals to many at first but what' to be expected from a generation that enjoys pokemon go?
    Once the people who bought the game get past the champ they'll move onto something else. If gamefreak doesn't fix this game or does better in the next then I won't even care about pokemon any longer and I'm sure many people will do the same and at some point pokemon main series titles will die as a whole. I hope that'll make the people happy who blindly rate pokemon 76 higher than it deserves to be.    … Expand
  58. Petforces
    Nov 18, 2019
    2
    This game is a major let down, and is barley an improvement over US and UM. The graphics have improved but not nearly up to the switch's standards. The wild areas are vast and have very view Pokemon roaming them, and they do not even interact with there environment. A weather system is in place, but it seems to just throw it at you at random. Gone are the old days of gotta catch them all,This game is a major let down, and is barley an improvement over US and UM. The graphics have improved but not nearly up to the switch's standards. The wild areas are vast and have very view Pokemon roaming them, and they do not even interact with there environment. A weather system is in place, but it seems to just throw it at you at random. Gone are the old days of gotta catch them all, as the game has gone from around 800 to only 400. Yes in previous generations you could not "catch" them all however you could still transfer or trade for them, so you could still have them all. There is little in end game content which is normal for the series, and the difficulty is as easy or easier than the previous titles. Most of this would not be so bad if it were not for the fact, you can get graphics that are in the same ball park and more mons, for 20$ less on the 3ds right now. So for the first major Pokemon console release it is a massive disappointment and only die hard Pokemon fans should buy it. Then maybe just maybe, they will see they have to release quality content to last in the console market.… Expand
  59. thoughts
    Nov 18, 2019
    5
    Pokémon Sword sadly did not live up to my hopes for the franchise or the 60 euro price tag. I feel bad giving this game such a low score, due to the review bombing, but I cannot recommend this game in the slightest. The controversy surrounding the games largely passed me by, because I didn't really care about the national dex. I still don't. What I do care about however is the main story,Pokémon Sword sadly did not live up to my hopes for the franchise or the 60 euro price tag. I feel bad giving this game such a low score, due to the review bombing, but I cannot recommend this game in the slightest. The controversy surrounding the games largely passed me by, because I didn't really care about the national dex. I still don't. What I do care about however is the main story, the visual appeal of the games and the post-game content/replayability. Sadly I find Pokemon Sword to be lacking in every single one of these aspects.

    The games have never been known for their story, but since generation 3 stories have gradually gotten more and more ambitious and while not always successful there have been some engaging campaigns in past entries like Generations 4, 5, and 7. The story is almost non-existent, many character plot-lines go nowhere, and in the second half of the game you are carried from cutscene to cutscene with literally no ability to explore, none of the cities are as large as they appear and there are no secrets to discover anywhere, not even the wild area. The visual appeal of the games is also lacking.

    Certain areas are absolutely stunning and the art direction for the games is strong overall. However, most of the game feels empty and lifeless, especially the wild area. The HD graphics have also made some of the more clunky animations even more jarring to look at, something I didn't notice in the games on the 3DS. This is especially disappointing since animations were given as a reason to cut the dex, yet aside from the upgraded textures these games don't really show any improvement in that regard.

    Lastly, the replayability of the games is limited in my experience. I beat the game the day it came out (the story + postgame totalling about 16 hours for me) and I have had no desire to pick the game up since. You can complete the dex and the postgame contains a battle tower you can try your luck at, online battles are available as well, but aside from that there's not much there. With every other Pokemon entry up until this point I would spend several additional hours in the post game exploring the region, but these games are so linear and give you so little to explore that this really isn't an option. I also don't have the desire to restart the game and play through it once more. Sadly, this game offers less to do than previous entries (even compared to the barebones X and Y or some of the earliest entries in the series gold/silver)

    There are other issues with the game, SD card corruption, sound settings being locked behind an item given to you by an NPC, glitches, frame-drops and the list goes on. I personally have not had an issue with any of these other than the NPC playing these games, but it is something to be aware of when looking to buy these games. As sad as it is, I'd say save your money, buy them when they're on sale or wait until the hopefully improved third instalment will probably be released next year.    … Expand
  60. Frenish
    Nov 18, 2019
    5
    Finished the shield under 25 hours, now I’m playing sword. The game is pretty underwhelming. The design of the Pokémon are underwhelming as well. I got a eve evolved it into sylveon and got it to lvl 60 while everyone one else was 20-35 Including gyms, so pretty easy. The feature of dynamaxing is also lame.
  61. DarkDeoxys
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    me da pena que el juega sea tan malo, he jugado todos los juegos de pokemon y este por lejos es el con que menos cariño y ganas hicieron
  62. Knuckdafaq
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    Animations are bad. The dynamax and gigantimax is stupid since they can only be using on raids and gym battles. They missed to opportunity to add the z moves and mega evolutions. Hop is basically a Hau clone with the same animations. The trees’ texture look as if they belong to a Nintendo 64 game. Especially cutting certain Pokémon out for “better” animations. I really love the series butAnimations are bad. The dynamax and gigantimax is stupid since they can only be using on raids and gym battles. They missed to opportunity to add the z moves and mega evolutions. Hop is basically a Hau clone with the same animations. The trees’ texture look as if they belong to a Nintendo 64 game. Especially cutting certain Pokémon out for “better” animations. I really love the series but GameFreak messed up real hard.… Expand
  63. Deadgar
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    Gotta catch none of those lame pokemon.

    It's incredible how disappointing it is to have less pokemon than a small handheld like the 3DS can handle, on a console which is capable of running Doom, Zelda BoTW and also The Witcher 3! 1000x better looking than Pokemon SW/SH. On top of that, the game looks and plays as a small 3DS game... These game should've have never existed until they met    Gotta catch none of those lame pokemon.

    It's incredible how disappointing it is to have less pokemon than a small handheld like the 3DS can handle, on a console which is capable of running Doom, Zelda BoTW and also The Witcher 3! 1000x better looking than Pokemon SW/SH.

    On top of that, the game looks and plays as a small 3DS game... These game should've have never existed until they met the optimal quality of the switch.    … Expand
  64. Juan19892020
    Nov 18, 2019
    5
    Game freak jumped from handles to home console just to deliver a 3ds game.
    Gameplay over graphics right? But we have the same gameplay as always! All we ask is for better graphics! Game freak focus on kids but honestly no kid plays pokemon .
  65. Rainelz
    Nov 18, 2019
    6
    Still a fun game... So is the raids but the animation and the dexit along with lack of good post game still warrants the game a negative points for me... Would have scored it higher
  66. Frutch
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    Critics are blind or got brainwashed from Gamefreak itself.
    This company lied and released the worst Pokemon of the entire series.
  67. BobaSkidz
    Nov 18, 2019
    3
    THE MOST RELIABLE REVIEW LACKING MAJOR SPOILERS

    Truly Disappointed with this release, as an avid Pokemon fan it's frustrates me to see such a lack of effort endorsed into this game in comparison to its predecessors. This game was mediocre in the greater sheme of things at best within the view of my eyes aswell as what seems to be the majority outside of Gamestop and IGN. Establishments    THE MOST RELIABLE REVIEW LACKING MAJOR SPOILERS

    Truly Disappointed with this release, as an avid Pokemon fan it's frustrates me to see such a lack of effort endorsed into this game in comparison to its predecessors. This game was mediocre in the greater sheme of things at best within the view of my eyes aswell as what seems to be the majority outside of Gamestop and IGN. Establishments such as IGN claiming that this is the greatest game of the franchise is quite repulsing considering the time and effort Game Freak put into its other titles, in contrast to there modern day ethic which is highly juxtaposed to past titles and as a result this means that Game Freak will continue to construct this level of negative quality continously.

    Objective Praise
    The game is beautiful with some great visuals and locactions and captures the feel of English Culture within the Galar Region. The game also has a flourishing new roster of Pokemon which intertwine eloquently with the shortened roster of the Pokedex. The introduction of the wildlife area and new mechanics such as the Rotom Bike, Dynamax and Crowd Atmosphere enhance the games emersion, and online interaction has became a satisfying new haven for players.

    Subjective Criticism
    This game has the worst overall plot line in Pokemon history lacks any form of integrity in its formula and lacks characters of significance and their personalities remain very one dimensional and bland.
    As there is no Evil Team within the games for the first time in franchise history (with Team Yell working alongside the player and Marline co-operatively) the games story seems disfigured as it seems there is no sideplot beside the Gym Challenge and the pacing of this game seems very confusing and lacking and due to the poor region design its very lackluster.
    The limited Pokedex is also highly damning and lingers in the mind of Pokemon veterans throughout the course of the game that such a vast quantity of Pokemon are inaccessible such as some of the fan favourites in Venasaur and Blastoise aswell as others, irrespective of the fact Game Freak had already designed the models for those Pokemon in the game; aswell as the updated switch character models for the Let's Go Games for the original 151 which they refused to include. Finally there are numerous bugs and glitches which interfere with the games emersion significantly which removes it from its potential experience. Conclusion
    This game feels very rushed and a poor reminder of the significance this developer has to the gaming industry and it almost feels Game Freak is disrespecting its own creation which is frightening for future games in the franchise as the duration of time and commitment declines every single title removing the anticipation for future projects. There is incomplete texture designs, poor writing poor creativity which is highly frustrating as the potential for this game was so high and is ultimately a shame becouse the potential for this game was so high apon release. For long time fans, this game may be deemed inacceptable such as myself, however this game indicates a good outlook on the Pokemon world aided by its visual direction. This game is by no means a terrible game as the is plenty of thrill and enjoyment that can be received remains. However I am happy it is receiving the negative critism outside of IGN that I feel it deserves as hopefully it can act as as a stepping stone to improve on future projects.

    It's establishments like IGN that accept mediocrity and overpower the use of the games visuals and take priority over the other aspects of the game which is ultimately the reason why Game Freak will deem this project a success regardless of the smaller organisations as the larger organisations accept this.    … Expand
  68. oRaGaMi
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    It's not even fun anymore. Every entry up to sun and moon were great pokemon games.
    The let's go and Go iterations have made the developers lazy. Boo!!! Save your money!!
  69. spellskeet
    Nov 18, 2019
    2
    Love the new Pokemon designs, but I really don't like how the game feels like a hallway with a half-baked plot. The rivals are very one dimensional, and pop up way too often with repetative dialogue that stops making sense partway through the game. Wish I could have played more, but while I was in the Wilds area in post game, my SD card for corrupted so I guess I'm done playing.
  70. LoneBro
    Nov 18, 2019
    2
    Even by Pokemon standards this game is extremely mediocre. After I started playing I was pleasantly surprised... for about the first two hours. There are some interesting environments and I do like how it has been made easier to get into the competitive scene, but the game's flaws catch up to it really quickly. By the time I got to the first gym I was already bored. Almost no thought isEven by Pokemon standards this game is extremely mediocre. After I started playing I was pleasantly surprised... for about the first two hours. There are some interesting environments and I do like how it has been made easier to get into the competitive scene, but the game's flaws catch up to it really quickly. By the time I got to the first gym I was already bored. Almost no thought is required in building a ream. Regardless of what Pokemon you are using the forced experience share keeps you so overlevelled you will almost never run into a real challenge. The two main gimmicks this time around are extremely underwhelming. The wild area is cool at first, but after about 20 minutes you realize you have seen it all and really have no reason to go back except to fill out the pokedex and farm items. For such a large selling point of the game I expected much more to do. Dyna/gigantamaxing are just a lackluster gimmick. I am a little more than halfway through the game and have almost never found a need to dynamax. I did it once just to try it out, but after that I just predicted the dynamax and wiped the floor with them thanks to type advantages. There are a few new additions/improvements, but the things we lost in return far outweigh anything we gained from this entry to the series. Pokemon Sword and Shield are a tragic waste of potential in the jump from 3DS to Nintendo Switch. Other Switch games have proved time and time again what the Switch is truly capable of, and these games don't even come close to the bar. Coming from the highest-grossing intellectual property on the planet we should have received a lot more than we did. A clear attempt to bank off the Pokemon namesake and definitely NOT worth the $60 price point.… Expand
  71. CFrat
    Nov 18, 2019
    10
    A great game. Very fun and enjoyable. They're very good games, and I recommend them whole-heartedly.
  72. Visaith31
    Nov 18, 2019
    2
    While the core game is average they cut too many corners and lied about it. They know they have a monopoly and it shows.
  73. ButterJaffa
    Nov 18, 2019
    9
    All I really need to say is it's Pokemon but with some new stuff in and other stuff taken out... combat feels amazing as always but the game can sometimes hold your hand with somethings... it's a fun and enjoyable game and I recommend it to any Pokemon fan or someone trying to get into Pokemon.
  74. Camilohey
    Nov 18, 2019
    1
    El juego esta mal optimizado tiende a tener bajonazos de frames, las animaciones podrían mejorarse mucho más y el tiempo de juego es muy reducido con respecto a las anteriores entregas
  75. Ziromatt
    Nov 18, 2019
    1
    Un videojuego mediocre, quitaron cosas que pokémon a tenido desde siempre, resiclaje de modelos del 3ds,no puedes completar la dex nacional ni transferir tus pokémon
  76. yakub97
    Nov 18, 2019
    8
    Pokemon Shield is a good game all around. Outside of the wild area it looks pretty good. Not BotW levels of good but solid enough. The raid function is very well implemented and adds a lot of replayability when it comes to shiny hunting/HA hunting/egg move hunting. At the current rate I am going at, the amount of pokemon I'll need to transfer is at a minimum. Fly is accessible from one ofPokemon Shield is a good game all around. Outside of the wild area it looks pretty good. Not BotW levels of good but solid enough. The raid function is very well implemented and adds a lot of replayability when it comes to shiny hunting/HA hunting/egg move hunting. At the current rate I am going at, the amount of pokemon I'll need to transfer is at a minimum. Fly is accessible from one of the earlier cities, making travel reasonable.

    The only downsides to the game outside of the dex cut is the graphics decrease in the wild area (understandable, but still heavily jarring in areas with more graphics intensive weather) and the online UI. It's not easy to set up a trade or battle without bumping into other people who happen to be using the same code as you are.    … Expand
  77. noxer94
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Game left a lot to be desired. As a long time pokemon fan I was expecting so much more.
    Wild area which was supposed to be the selling point of the game looks bland with not much else to do other than catch some pokemons - there really is not much to explore, if anything at all.
    The story left a lot to be desired; it was okeish up until the 3rd gym, then it felt rushed and not very well worked on. I know it is supposed to be a story for kids, but even then, the story felt very much unispired, boring and lackluster when compared to other pokemon titles. We are introduced to game elements out of nowhere and the explanation for those - giantmaxing - is as bland as it could be.
    Speaking of game elements - a lot of game definiting elements are missing. No national dex (more than 60% of the pokemon were cut! last time we had such few pokemons it was 2006 and pokemon pearl was being released!), no mega evolutions, no z moves, more than 150 moves were cut...you get the point.
    Game looks bad for a switch release. Let's be honest here, pokemon was never about graphics, but this is the freaking switch and there were to be expected MUCH better graphics than the ones we got. Pokemon Battle Revolution from 2006 looks BETTER than this! Models are LITERALLY the same as the 3DS ones for XY released in 2013, animations are poor, and textures are horrible albeit masked by some good lighting effects.
    The sound is also not the best. There are some crucial parts where we dont even got music going on due to pure laziness. Music used to be great, but honestly it's quite bad in sword and shield.

    I beat the game in 15h, its shorter than the other titles and the postgame is pretty much non existent.    … Expand
  78. Serperion
    Nov 18, 2019
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. There are a lot of things to go over with these games that do things which are good, bad and interesting, no way to simply fit them into a 5000 character review so I'm going to have to summarize sorry.

    Positives
    - Several QoL improvements that although very minor add to the game experience (stuff like being able to buy tons of Pokeballs and getting the Premier Balls without having to explicitly buy them in sets of ten)
    - Definite improvement in terms of the Rival Character personalities
    - Hop is the first good main rival in the series since Hugh in B2W2
    - Raihan the 8th Gym Leader adds some genuine challenge to the game with his Weather orientated team

    Interesting
    - Wild Area presents an interesting concept for implementation of open-world experiences into Pokemon
    - Opal's quiz-element to her Gym makes for an thought provoking addition to battle mechanics for the series in a less gimmicky method
    - Sonia's character arc and thus the Box Legendary Plot is a nice deviation from the standard "Villain wants to take over the world" plot for previous Box Legendaries

    Negatives
    - Bede's character is just dropped for half the game and has a very abrupt heel-face turn at the end
    - While Team Yell are fun non-villain antagonists, the real villains Macro Cosmos lack any presence or build-up coming very abruptly at the end of the game
    - Gym Leaders lack personality or character development which is a significant downgrade from previous generations
    - Excluding the aforementioned Raihan battle most of the game is terribly easy due to the combination of the Exp. Share and characters having a tendency to only use a single type
    - Restrictive nature of the Gym Badges to catching Pokemon that are of a higher level
    - Lack of exploration both in terms of optional locations as well as in the Routes and Dungeons in general, excluding Route 6, Route 8, Glimwood Tangle and some of the Gym Challenges I can't really consider any of this game to actually be maze-like or challenging from a puzzle perspective which is somehow even inferior to Sun/Moon
    - Dynamaxing's functionality is incredibly niche and yet also quite broken, the three turn limit doesn't actually mean much for the game since the tactics always end up being the same for each time Dynamaxing is available
    - The Wild Area although an interesting concept falls flat in execution due to it being boring to explore and lacking methods of exploration, I would compare it to Hyrule Field from Ocarina of Time as both are vast and open and seem to be a way for each game to flex the strength of their systems yet while they are as vast as an ocean they're only as deep as a puddle in terms of content
    - Removal of numerous features from previous games, this is an issue with the series as a whole but that doesn't excuse Sword/Shield from it
    - Post-Game plot suffers from the same issues as the Delta Episode in ORAS and the post-game itself lacks much content in general especially compared to pre-Gen VI generations.

    The most disappointing thing about this game is that there is clear potential here between interesting characters, QoL improvements, interesting new concepts and a solid return to the Gym format but because of the critical errors in; plot, pacing, difficulty, exploration, puzzles and content. I cannot see this game being recommended anything higher than a 5 (6 if you ignore the graphical issues).    … Expand
  79. GSC_Dusk
    Nov 18, 2019
    4
    Pokemon Sword and Shield feel more like a 3DS game than a Switch game. There's a few decent improvements, from being able to access the PC anywhere, to having a huge "Wild Area" that feels like what a route in Pokemon should have always been. But comparing Sword and Shield to other Switch games, the graphics and music are clearly below average. The removal of the EXP Share's toggle rendersPokemon Sword and Shield feel more like a 3DS game than a Switch game. There's a few decent improvements, from being able to access the PC anywhere, to having a huge "Wild Area" that feels like what a route in Pokemon should have always been. But comparing Sword and Shield to other Switch games, the graphics and music are clearly below average. The removal of the EXP Share's toggle renders the game hilariously impossible to fail, while arbitrary catching level limits in certain areas make the game frustrating in a bad way. Most of the NPCs are unnecessarily shallow (not you Marnie, you're awesome… Expand
  80. Diii
    Nov 18, 2019
    10
    Great pokemon experience!
  81. LeoLeardi
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    Cutting the dex was stupid. Anyone who is arguing otherwise is ridiculous. There is nothing good about taking Pokémon out, let alone 400! That is over 66 different lineups if you’re only using each one once. Nonsense. I’ve always loved pokemon, and I was heartbroken at the cut. But the real reason I’m not getting this game is the reaction that the creators have had to the backlash. “ThanksCutting the dex was stupid. Anyone who is arguing otherwise is ridiculous. There is nothing good about taking Pokémon out, let alone 400! That is over 66 different lineups if you’re only using each one once. Nonsense. I’ve always loved pokemon, and I was heartbroken at the cut. But the real reason I’m not getting this game is the reaction that the creators have had to the backlash. “Thanks for loving Pokémon, keep buying, we’re going to keep making the bad choices we’ve made regardless of what our fans think”. If they haven’t realized that this decision has lost them money and fans they are intentionally ignoring their fan base.… Expand
  82. Lavaman
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    They didnt put any effort into these games it was all just a money scheme. Ive been a fan for 17 years but honestly i regret buying these game.. Going to return them
  83. Boopers
    Nov 18, 2019
    10
    Fact of the matter is this is a great pokemon game. It feels retro and new at the same time. Pokemon does everything for me as a videogame and this continues that trend. Its.perfect score.
  84. Genma920
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    A game from the past generation with price of the next one . Recicled animations, models, exp sharp op, less pokemon, moves.
  85. ShinyOtter
    Nov 18, 2019
    1
    For being the first games on the Switch, they're complete and utter disappointments. I bought this game thinking like the previous gen it would be a wonderful and incredible experience, but the game feels so hollow and lifeless compared to Generation 7. Your rival interrupts you every time something meaningful happens in the game, the animations are buggy and just clip onto your screenFor being the first games on the Switch, they're complete and utter disappointments. I bought this game thinking like the previous gen it would be a wonderful and incredible experience, but the game feels so hollow and lifeless compared to Generation 7. Your rival interrupts you every time something meaningful happens in the game, the animations are buggy and just clip onto your screen like they were teleported into existence (such as when interacting with a Gyarados in a lake and how it goes right through your trainer model), and worst of all, the lack of Pokemon makes for a boring and uninteresting journey. I missed a lot of my favorites and the new designs just didn't appeal to me.

    GF said this would appeal to longtime fans but as someone who's played it since Ruby and Sapphire I have to say this felt like more of a spinoff or a fangame than an actual new generation of Pokemon, and they cut out a lot of the things that made it enjoyable, the Pokemon themselves. The online is now a paid subscription and the GTS has been removed, so you can't trade with strangers for starters or other Pokemon to complete your National Dex unless you have friends and can trade locally.

    I hope GF can improve these games because I really wanted to see them succeed, but as they are right now I don't want to spend $60 just for one or two designs I enjoy in exchange for sacrificing the beloved Pokemon I've come to know and train over the years.    … Expand
  86. 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
  87. DuckTurtle
    Nov 18, 2019
    9
    The game has a lot to offer and is with out a doubt the most difficult modern Pokemon game especially in the second half. The animations are smooth and the frame rate didn't drop. Most of the landscapes look great. While the did cut half of the Pokemon there are still a ton of Pokemon in the game (400), and most of the new Pokemon look good. Honestly a very solid game.
  88. TorrenteBr
    Nov 18, 2019
    3
    They used the same codes off sword and shield that's unneceptable for a switch game and the graphics are from nintendo 64
  89. volkoff
    Nov 18, 2019
    1
    Longtime pokemon fan, started with pokemon red back in the day. Played every gen. last vew years gamefreak really made worse and worse pokemon games, They're not capable of making a good game anymore. The game is incredibly easy, i can't describe how easy it is. Its mind numbingly boring. Alot of pokemon are also gone. It just remind me of an RPG-esque pokemon go. But then costing 60Longtime pokemon fan, started with pokemon red back in the day. Played every gen. last vew years gamefreak really made worse and worse pokemon games, They're not capable of making a good game anymore. The game is incredibly easy, i can't describe how easy it is. Its mind numbingly boring. Alot of pokemon are also gone. It just remind me of an RPG-esque pokemon go. But then costing 60 euros.. I do have to admit that the music is good and the pokemon camling is a fun feature. But to conclude, this game should never have been released. I regret my purchase. I'm done with pokemon until either gamefreak improves their games alot OR preferably an other game dev is leading the development.… Expand
  90. ArtieEverything
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    The game wiped my entire SD card. I paid $60 to lose all my game data. I want a refund.
  91. Matiketshum
    Nov 17, 2019
    1
    ¡¡Gamefreak ponte las pilas!! Es muy triste ver como una de mis franquicias favoritas termina lanzando juegos tan mediocres como este. Por donde empiezo... Mm... Por los gráficos. Los gráficos si bien no están del todo mal en (en especial en los pueblos)hay partes donde sí se ven horrendos, como en el área silvestre.
    Otro motivo por el cual este juego me decepciona tanto es por la falta de    ¡¡Gamefreak ponte las pilas!! Es muy triste ver como una de mis franquicias favoritas termina lanzando juegos tan mediocres como este. Por donde empiezo... Mm... Por los gráficos. Los gráficos si bien no están del todo mal en (en especial en los pueblos)hay partes donde sí se ven horrendos, como en el área silvestre.
    Otro motivo por el cual este juego me decepciona tanto es por la falta de pokémons y la excusa que da Gamefreak, diciendo de que no habrían tantos pokémon porque iban a mejorar las animaciones. Además como es posible que el juego tenga menos de la mitad de pokemons que tiene un juego de 3ds.yo pense que si quitarían pokémons, solo quitarían algunos (unos 50 o 100) ¡¡¡pero quitaron como 500!! (o más).
    Además, ¿¿como se les ocurre quitar pokemons tan emblemáticos como blastoise o venusaur??
    Por otro lado.. La historia supongo que esta bien?.
    Pero odio el hecho de que el rival sea tu amigo!! Eso hace mucho más fácil el juego y hablando de dificultad, el juego es re-fácil, wn al comienzo de juego tienes 30.000 dolares en cualquier otro juego te dan con suerte 3.000 dolares . Además también puedes comprar revivir en las putas primeras tiendas!!!.
    La verdad no creo que el juego merezca una nota tan baja como la que yo le estoy dando, pero se la doy para ver si Gamefreak recapacita y nos da un pokémon de calidad para la próxima pokémon de calidad para la próxima vez    … Expand
  92. PoH_
    Nov 18, 2019
    9
    Overall with many of the controversies of this game, I still love this game. The whole experience is very beautiful abd definitely recommend it. With the whole "Dexit" fiasco for me at least it enables me to use other Pokemon that I haven't use and didn't stuck like the useful team I got from previous game. For me it can let other Pokemon to shine. But I still disappointed that one if myOverall with many of the controversies of this game, I still love this game. The whole experience is very beautiful abd definitely recommend it. With the whole "Dexit" fiasco for me at least it enables me to use other Pokemon that I haven't use and didn't stuck like the useful team I got from previous game. For me it can let other Pokemon to shine. But I still disappointed that one if my favourite Pokemon didn't make the cut but it isn't a excuse to harrased the developer for many of the death threat's simply because there removing half of the Pokédex and the graphic and stuffs. Just enjoy it! If you don't enjoy it leave your review in a good manner, not harassing or bullying the developers and the people who buy thr game. I know every human have their rights to have their opinions heard but please do it in a good manner not like a kid who screaming to their max just to have a new toy. Sorry for my bad English… Expand
  93. Dievier
    Nov 18, 2019
    10
    Es muy bueno. Horas y horas jugando, pura diversión. Muy buenas las formas Galar y los nuevos Pokémon. Muy lindo estéticamente.
  94. JuiceMan344
    Nov 18, 2019
    10
    Game is lit. It's a pokemon game, it's fun. Don't let these review bombers sway you.
  95. galazyevent
    Nov 18, 2019
    10
    I like this one better, but both are excellent. I can't put it down. Totally destroys old Pokegames
  96. DERPCOP
    Nov 18, 2019
    3
    This game is absolutely the worst Pokemon game I've ever played. I came in with an open mind but nothing can save this train wreck. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot to do in this game, and it also seems like there's less trainers to battle than any previous game in the series. The Dynamax is kind of cool, but the game just feels so empty that the negatives far outweigh the positives. IThis game is absolutely the worst Pokemon game I've ever played. I came in with an open mind but nothing can save this train wreck. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot to do in this game, and it also seems like there's less trainers to battle than any previous game in the series. The Dynamax is kind of cool, but the game just feels so empty that the negatives far outweigh the positives. I was really looking forward to this game but it's clear GameFreak don't know what they're doing anymore, stay far away from this game.… Expand
  97. cvp1
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    Es un juego divertido pero corto, no veo late game aparte del competitivo, los modelos son rehusados de juegos anteriores y no existe la pokedex nacional, para ser una consola de sobre mesa los gráficos no son los mejores pero artísticamente esta muy bien y las formas gigamax me parecen una buena introducción, pero lo peor de todo es que eliminaron la pokedex nacional.
  98. bulbasaur234
    Nov 18, 2019
    9
    i honestly really enjoy the game. I feel like game freak did an amazing job with this game and i feel like the story is one of the strongest stories in a while. i just never really enjoyed any of the story in the past games but now it is actually very interesting. One thing that is kind of upsetting is not having all of the Pokemon in the game. I get that you cant add all of them becausei honestly really enjoy the game. I feel like game freak did an amazing job with this game and i feel like the story is one of the strongest stories in a while. i just never really enjoyed any of the story in the past games but now it is actually very interesting. One thing that is kind of upsetting is not having all of the Pokemon in the game. I get that you cant add all of them because its like over 800 but they could of added a lot more into the game that are more well known. other than that I've not been able to put down the game. its really fun and i am enjoying the game a lot.… Expand
  99. Beautybrand
    Nov 18, 2019
    10
    This is the one I would recommend. It has grown to be an essential new game that blows the old crappy ones out of the water.
  100. voltopt
    Nov 18, 2019
    10
    This game is incredible. Pokemon has finally evolved to a more complete game, and something that is rewarding to come back to!
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 87 Critic Reviews

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