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. Faildedrum
    Nov 17, 2019
    8
    Para mi, hasta lo que llevo jugado, es un juego de Pokémon que no se merezca las notas tan negativas que está recibiendo. La comunidad de Pokémon es demasiado tóxica. Este juego recupera cierto nivel de dificultad que se había perdido en entregas anteriores desde X Y. Para tener un competitivo “saludable” y equilibrado, veo normal que no estén incluidos todos los Pokémon, además de lo quePara mi, hasta lo que llevo jugado, es un juego de Pokémon que no se merezca las notas tan negativas que está recibiendo. La comunidad de Pokémon es demasiado tóxica. Este juego recupera cierto nivel de dificultad que se había perdido en entregas anteriores desde X Y. Para tener un competitivo “saludable” y equilibrado, veo normal que no estén incluidos todos los Pokémon, además de lo que supondría crear animaciones para todos y que después cupiese en el juego para que todo funcione fluido. Yo a un juego de Pokémon tampoco le pido gráficos Fotorealistas, está claro que cuanto mejores sean, mejor la experiencia de juego, pero no los veo para nada malos. No se pueden juzgar los gráficos acorde a expectativas personales infundadas.… Expand
  2. andersonwide
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Never in my entire live, i imagine this, me giving rate 0 to a pokemon game ...

    Don't buy this crap
  3. Pandyman
    Nov 17, 2019
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. There are a few glaring issues with this game that I particularly have an issue with:

    1. With them hyping up the current champion throughout the story, he ends up handling most of the common problems you'd end up handling as the protagonist. While this kinda makes sense, it'd be nice if they occasionally had multiple problems of varying difficulty just to feel like you're doing more than bum rushing the gym challenge. This feels like the primary reason the story is so short, the current champion literally does everything.

    2. Camping and interacting with your pokemon could have been a lot more involved, as it is there isn't much reason to do it many times. As it is, it's kind of a bare bones feature.

    3. Customization options are plentiful in most areas, but the male character has so much less customization in the ways of hair and such. I kept paying 3000 pokedollars just to see if I'd unlock more hair styles, but the hair styles never came. A lot of the npc's walking around had styles i liked more than the in-game options.

    Overall though, the things people have issues with such as 400 pokemon, fewer moves, loss of mega evolutions, and the relative strength of dynamaxing weren't really a huge deal to me. Sure mega's were cool, but i actually like a feature that can empower any pokemon more as it can add power to any pokemon.

    Despite all these negatives, I still really enjoyed the game, the new pokemon were great, and I really enjoyed a lot of the npc's that i met throughout the game. My score is entirely subjective to how much fun I had personally, and I'm a simple person. I liked some of the small story road bumps and twists that felt a little different I also definitely plan on raiding more once i build up my friend's list.    … Expand
  4. Avery5283
    Nov 17, 2019
    7
    Pokemon Sword and Shield is a decent RPG, although slightly lack luster. The gameplay is as fun as it's always been and the new dynamax forms are just as charming as the mega forms and z moves of old. The graphics and animations are where the game is very rough around the edges. The textures can be muddy, and the battle animations can be very stiff. However, if you are going in to battlePokemon Sword and Shield is a decent RPG, although slightly lack luster. The gameplay is as fun as it's always been and the new dynamax forms are just as charming as the mega forms and z moves of old. The graphics and animations are where the game is very rough around the edges. The textures can be muddy, and the battle animations can be very stiff. However, if you are going in to battle pokemon and catch pokemon, you're going to have a decent time.… Expand
  5. poppinfresh
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Nintendo was just being lazy and pulling a fast one on the fans. Don't mess with the pokemon gang.
    Pros
    -Better UI
    -New Pokemon

    Cons
    -$60 for a $30 effort
    -Poor graphics for a switch title
    -Poor animations for a modern game
    -Limited Pokémon included
    -Uninspired environments
    -Short playthrough
    -Lack of post-game options
    -Excessive handholding
  6. kaijuking
    Nov 17, 2019
    8
    It's good overall I enjoyed the game but if I have one complaint I don't like that you can't shut off the exp share I accidentally overleveled my Pokemon in the beginning and it made it really easy to beat the first three gyms
  7. Hereforthefood
    Nov 17, 2019
    2
    I had high hopes for this game, but playing it was very uncomfortable. Pokemon are scaled incorrectly in battle (Pokemon Let's go had proper scaling),Pokemon still don't flap their wings, frame-rate issues and the draw distance is pitiful. Mega evolution was cut, the national dex was cut and several moves are no longer usable, shooting competitive players in the foot. The overall gameplayI had high hopes for this game, but playing it was very uncomfortable. Pokemon are scaled incorrectly in battle (Pokemon Let's go had proper scaling),Pokemon still don't flap their wings, frame-rate issues and the draw distance is pitiful. Mega evolution was cut, the national dex was cut and several moves are no longer usable, shooting competitive players in the foot. The overall gameplay itself would be fine if we hadn't had any better before. So many good ideas are present, but all fall short. When Pokemon Camp is more entertaining than the base game, you've definitely messed up. There's a large disconnect between Camping and battling, in Camp the Pokemon are very lively and show that they are alive. In battles, the Pokemon more resemble some sort of action figure. Other than the developers blatant lying about the game, there are a myriad of smaller details missing. Things like Pokemon producing a ripple effect in the water and team Yell being about as interesting as a sack of potatoes.
    This i not a game for dedicated fans, this is a game for people who came from Let's go. The Pokemon series has always been directed toward children, but has always been at least accessible to those who have been dedicated to the series.

    In summary: Players of Let's go and a new generation of kids will find this game acceptable, experienced players dedicated to the franchise shouldn't buy this, you will be disappointed.    … Expand
  8. Theflash2319
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Pokémon games used to so much heart and soul (no pun intended) put into them. They were full of life and to an extent depth where there were tons of secrets to discover within the game, throughout the main story and the post game. The replay ability was high and remakes made the game still feel fresh while retaining what made their original games outstanding. Graphics and animations arePokémon games used to so much heart and soul (no pun intended) put into them. They were full of life and to an extent depth where there were tons of secrets to discover within the game, throughout the main story and the post game. The replay ability was high and remakes made the game still feel fresh while retaining what made their original games outstanding. Graphics and animations are honestly excusable but lately game freaks philosophy of believing they shouldn’t add post game content or even lengthy main campaign due people having short attention spans/ wanting linear one and done games isn’t the right direction to be taking the series. Yes, a lot of younger kids play the games but a lot of younger kids played the originals when they released 20 years ago and they completed the game just fine. In today’s age it honestly should be a reason to increase the challenge and amount of content due to always being able to check a walk through or guide if a player is stuck. The national dex is also a huge disappointment and main turn off for the game as well. Very sad… Expand
  9. pennybazinga911
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    And I thought the 3DS games were the worst in the series...

    You are paying $60 for... 8 hours of gameplay Frame drops NPC Flickering Boring battle gimmick, make your pokemon BIG. (what) Easy peasy lemon squeezy gameplay Majority of the pokedex cut (I'm not mad because my pokemon didn't get in... cause he did.) Short draw distance Low res textures Reused assets from a game    And I thought the 3DS games were the worst in the series...

    You are paying $60 for...
    8 hours of gameplay
    Frame drops
    NPC Flickering
    Boring battle gimmick, make your pokemon BIG. (what)
    Easy peasy lemon squeezy gameplay
    Majority of the pokedex cut (I'm not mad because my pokemon didn't get in... cause he did.)
    Short draw distance
    Low res textures
    Reused assets from a game that's nearly a decade old
    Time stopping ladders
    Save corruption
    Jesus christ is this a boring game

    Buy Gen V instead.    … Expand
  10. Ambimunch
    Nov 17, 2019
    3
    I'm a big Pokemon fan (bought every game since Ruby/Sapphire) and I noticed the slow deterioration of the Pokemon games' quality over the last 7-years. Each time these shortcomings would be tolerated by us, the fans, because having a new entry in our beloved franchise was reason enough to buy the games, start a new journey and go on an adventure. However, with the disaster that is Sw/Sh, iI'm a big Pokemon fan (bought every game since Ruby/Sapphire) and I noticed the slow deterioration of the Pokemon games' quality over the last 7-years. Each time these shortcomings would be tolerated by us, the fans, because having a new entry in our beloved franchise was reason enough to buy the games, start a new journey and go on an adventure. However, with the disaster that is Sw/Sh, i feel I cannot look past all the issues this time...

    The graphics are mediocre, some of the worst on the Switch compared to other 1st party games. Textures at times rival GameCube games, from 15 years ago. The animations and models are identical to the 3DS games, stiff and not expressive. There is a complete lack of voice acting for the games. The game is full of limitations, like non stop road blocks preventing you to progress without getting a mandatory tutorial forced on you, the inability to turn off exp share (making the game balance wack, you'll always be over-levelled making the game very easy), the post game is non existent, and the Pokemon themselves, the main reason to play the game - have been cut down by over 50% compared to the 3DS games. We can no longer import our collection from our older games, making all those years of collecting event pokemon/legendaries/perfectly trained pokemon/and shiny hunting pointless. What a disaster to have the 1st games on the Switch (nintendo's most powerful console to date) be worse than old DS games from 10+ years ago. Shame on you Game Freak. Never have i had less fun with Pokemon than with these games. If other "bad" entries in this series were "okay" or roughly 6/10, then Sw/Sh are half the games those are, and I cannot give them more than a 3/10. They're bad.    … Expand
  11. Zenol31
    Nov 17, 2019
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Estaba muy entusiasmado con este juego, pero resulta que es menos incluso los juegos 3DS y aún así que te costarán 20 euros adicionales, en comparación con las entregas anteriores de Pokémon...Sufre en gran medida de una historia torpe y de ritmo pobre que no le da suficiente tiempo para que su elenco brille y se desarrolle. La historia en sí misma está reutilizando muchas animaciones de la última entrega, aunque el juego comienza con fuerza, se siente apresurada y superficial hacia el final. Tan superficial como su historia es el mundo del juego, la región de Galar, que presenta solo 10 rutas, bastante cortas que tienen poca o ninguna exploración.El juego no cuenta con mazmorras tradicionales, y casi nunca tienen más de dos caminos de ramificación. La característica más anunciada del juego, Wild Area, es un desastre decepcionante que muestra la mayoría de los problemas técnicos, opciones de diseño de juego cuestionables y textos de baja resolución y velocidad de fotogramas inestable, junto con el mundo del juego estéril, que carece de detalles o contenido. Pero desafortunadamente, los problemas no terminan ahí. Se eliminaron más de 100 movimientos del juego, de pokedex deja fuera más del 50% de los Pokémon de generaciones pasadas, el postjuego es increíblemente decepcionante. El nuevo truco de esta generación, Dynamax, tiene un tema prometedor: luchas Pokémon gigantes inspirados en Kaiju, que, lamentablemente, no está a la altura. Los nuevos diseños y personajes de Pokémon son encantadores y creativos, pero no justifican una compra de 60 Euros… Expand
  12. DarkUA
    Nov 17, 2019
    8
    It's not perfect but it's fun, handheld mode looks much better than on the big screen TV. I have to admit it's easier to catch the Pokemon the first 4 hours than previous games I've played. The twist on it is fun too.
  13. Darkfruit64
    Nov 17, 2019
    1
    This game had huge ambition, but was executed terribly. The animations which were promised to be of a high quality, still consist primarily of hops and a model rotating on it's axis. (including turn animations) The draw distance and pop in of characters and Pokemon is horrendous and was very hard to overlook as it happens constantly. Even during battles! Considering this was the reason forThis game had huge ambition, but was executed terribly. The animations which were promised to be of a high quality, still consist primarily of hops and a model rotating on it's axis. (including turn animations) The draw distance and pop in of characters and Pokemon is horrendous and was very hard to overlook as it happens constantly. Even during battles! Considering this was the reason for numerous cuts in existing Pokemon and features it's inexcusable. I personally would not have minded the cuts if Pokemon actually attacked each other and didn't look like lifeless statues 80% of the time, but unfortunately this failed to come to fruition.

    The game is short and insanely easy. in earlier games each battle was intense and make or break after a long trek through a cave or forest, and it felt like there were actual stakes. in this game that's not a problem due to forced EXP share and being healed very frequently between battles, therefore rendering losing a battle something you'd probably have to go out of your way to achieve. This no doubt assisted in the game's incredibly short play time. The game also holds your hand and won't let it go.

    The world feels small, far smaller than prior entries. For a next gen console game this is very disappointing, as admittedly some of the areas and towns looked great until you immediately realise you can't access any of it. (In one town you can literally only enter the Pokemon centre)

    The Wild Area was bland and where the poor graphics and animations really took centre stage. This feature was fantastic in scope but like many other features, executed poorly.

    Dynamaxing/Gigantamaxing. Feels cool the first few times you do it but then the novelty swiftly wears off when you realise it's just another one off gimmick, which is far less impressive than what came prior.

    As a lifetime fan of the series I'm thoroughly upset and disappointed in what these games turned out to be. I wanted to believe it wasn't as bad as people had been saying and that I'd have a rewarding experience, however this sadly was not the case.

    I'm giving it a 1, which is more than fair in it's current state, as these games could have been true spectacles had gamefreak been allocated more time to work on them. The 1 point stems from the games UI, the new Pokemon designs/regional variants, the streamlined approach to assembling a competitive team and some of the backgrounds and environments and the music is still great.

    I'm hoping that features can be restored in future updates and patches, but due to the current stance that gamefreak have taken, I doubt this will come to pass.

    I hope others don't make the same mistake I did. I was guided along by nostalgia, and blind to the criticism, I assure you it's well founded and accurate. Do yourself a favour and play a past entry, you'll have a much better time.    … Expand
  14. whitenight2013
    Nov 17, 2019
    9
    I'm going to have to take a good look at replayability, but as of right now, this is my favorite Pokemon game. In some ways, this game is just like every other entry. Catch Pokemon, beat the gym leaders, rinse and repeat. The game has a similar art style to Sun and Moon, so the game is taking a more stylized aesthetic rather than anything groundbreaking. You can see some Pokemon appear inI'm going to have to take a good look at replayability, but as of right now, this is my favorite Pokemon game. In some ways, this game is just like every other entry. Catch Pokemon, beat the gym leaders, rinse and repeat. The game has a similar art style to Sun and Moon, so the game is taking a more stylized aesthetic rather than anything groundbreaking. You can see some Pokemon appear in the grass which can cause a little lag, but I've only ever had that happen once in a certain wide open area of the game. It is a little sad that since the Switch gave us fantastical new experiences with Zelda and Mario Odyssey that the same didn't happen with Pokemon, but holding that against this game is a little unfair. There's also no national dex in this game, but that's something that was going to happen eventually no matter what. Overall what this game did was give you a past Pokemon game and then improved on everything you could complain about that game.
    Grinding for instance. This game gave two huge changes for this by making the EXP share on no matter what and making it so that catching Pokemon gives you exp too. As a result, I never once had to stop and grind out any levels. I caught a Pokemon every time I ran into one I didn't have yet, and beat every trainer. Doing that my party stayed at about the same level as the gyms as I fought them. People complain about how short this game is, but I honestly think it's the same length as others without all the grinding bloating up your time. Now this does cause a problem because it means you don't want to search through the grass a lot. Most of the new Pokemon don't appear in the overworld; you have to get on your hands and knees and really look for them which you want to avoid for the most part or else risk leveling up your Pokemon too much and making the game too easy.
    The game also developed a real sports theme for the game, and I love it. Really brings some energy to the game, and it works thematically. Of course Pokemon battles would be this world's main sport. It also makes good sense for why you have to challenge the gyms in a certain order. Most importantly for me is the fact that it gives you actual tension with your rivals. You actually have a reason to compete against them because only one person can challenge the champion. In past games there was never a reason why you and your rivals couldn't challenge the elite four. They just didn't because you beat them. And as for the rivals, they tried making them a little more interesting. They gave your main rival an actual ark which was cool, and another one, Marnie, was an actually endearing character. I think she might be the first rival who wasn't annoying, hot-blooded, a jerk, or some combination of the three.
    The music is fantastic. Every Pokemon game I've played, I've usually played with the volume off. Each game had one ost song in the background I actually liked listening too, but this one went all out. I refuse to go against a gym in this game with the sound off. It has a nice beat to it, and really brings the blood-pumping. It's the same for towns, routes, and regular battles. Also, they finally got rid of the stupid bike music.
    Storywise, there is one. Pokemon has never been known for their great storytelling. Usually it amounts to, bad guy shows up a couple times, you beat them, finally you find their main base, beat them up, and catch a legendary. This game does change things up a bit, and I did enjoy the story, but it's not as enticing as say gen 5 and 7.
    Overall the thing about this Pokemon game is that it's fun, and you get what you put into it. If you purposely grind away levels or play the game as a more complicated game of rock, paper, scissors--then there's not much here for you. It's no longer a game where you can just kill time on without thinking about anything as you spend a couple of hours grinding out levels in preparation for that next gym leader. Whether this game is for you is all down to a question in my opinion. Are you the type of person who has your water Pokemon take down the fire gym on its own, or are you the type of person who sends out their electric Pokemon first to make things a little more interesting.    … Expand
  15. Kafkan
    Nov 17, 2019
    7
    A pesa de todo lo malo que se ha dicho del juego que me voy a ahorrar el repetirlo, es una obra maestra de pokemon? Está claro que no pero es un buen juego de pokemon? Para mi lo es con una base asentada de lo que puede llegar a ser esta saga en Nintendo Switch.
    Personalmente me lo estoy pasando como hace mucho que no me lo pasaba en un pokemon.
  16. Toutong
    Nov 17, 2019
    3
    The Pokemon franchise suffers the same problem as FIFA (verdict at the end).
    The core game will always be a good experience therefor you will ALWAYS have fun with the games and devs knows that therefor they go for the way that makes them the most money, aka releasing a game per year.
    Releasing a game per year comes at the cost of improvement, the problem does not come from Sw&Sh it    The Pokemon franchise suffers the same problem as FIFA (verdict at the end).
    The core game will always be a good experience therefor you will ALWAYS have fun with the games and devs knows that therefor they go for the way that makes them the most money, aka releasing a game per year.
    Releasing a game per year comes at the cost of improvement, the problem does not come from Sw&Sh it comes from every Pokemon games, why did it explode on that game? Because it's a switch to a new console therefor you expect those improvement the most at that moment.
    National dex controversy: It would be ok if they actually did why they said they removed it but they didn't.
    Animations: With a switch game that can handle a ton of things (perf wise) you'd hope for better animations, if an attack uses a Pokemon's feet it should be shown, not asking for a special animation for every move but like 5 standard animations + a few specific animations for iconic moves, I don't think that asking a lot.
    Game optimization: Considering the graphics of the game it should run at 60 fps constantly, it runs at 30 fps drops at 20 FPS in some places in the wild area while offline.
    Online: Complete mess, dropping to 10 fps constantly, some freezes, Nintendo makes people pay an extra for that, it should be way better than that.
    Graphics: Compared to other Switch games it's not up to the standard and it's absolutely should be compared to other Switch games on graphics that's completely fair, it's of course not the only thing that matters.
    Map: Way too linear design with only 10 roads in the game, the wild area is a nice addition but in reality with the capacity of the Switch the game should be a total open world not just one wild area and a smaller map.
    Post game content: Barely anything and what we have is not good, spamming dynamax raid fight at the end is not good content.
    Improvements over main title games: Wild area, Pokemon popups, Fixed some things for competitive.

    Verdict: If the game was the first Pokemon game ever created it would be a 7 or a 8 but it's not and should be judged based on the actual improvements especially at a generational change , the fact that there is not a lot of improvements and actually worse in a lot of things compared to older Pokemon games, it's a 3 for me.    … Expand
  17. Gfsucks
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Gf lied im not buying this game unless they update. Its a buggy overhyped mess and i hope it flops
  18. adversebeast
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Creo que este juego nunca va a evolucionar, así como Mario y Zelda se han reinventado siempre, Pokémon sigue siendo lo mismo cada juego, mecánica estática, tuve la primera game boy, jugué cada generación... que mal camino ha tomado esta franquicia. Pensaba que con el salto a consola grande el juego iba a mejorar, pero no, un juego fácil (cada generación mas fácil y aburrida), ni jugarCreo que este juego nunca va a evolucionar, así como Mario y Zelda se han reinventado siempre, Pokémon sigue siendo lo mismo cada juego, mecánica estática, tuve la primera game boy, jugué cada generación... que mal camino ha tomado esta franquicia. Pensaba que con el salto a consola grande el juego iba a mejorar, pero no, un juego fácil (cada generación mas fácil y aburrida), ni jugar nuzlocke es un desafio. Adiós, me voy a jugar Pokémon Esmeralda.… Expand
  19. Populus
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    Gran salto a la sobremesa, excelente juego. Me lo estoy pasando en grande con este juego. Mi 10.
  20. Dg18reen
    Nov 17, 2019
    8
    Don't play a lot of Pokemon but this game looks good. I think u should give it a try.
  21. scoub
    Nov 17, 2019
    2
    This is the most linear game to date. There is zero room for exploration and no dungeons whatsoever. Aside from an optional area, every single route and town is a small hallway where all you have to do is press forward and the game essentially plays itself until you get interrupted by another cutscene.
    The graphics are also extremely subpar compared to other Switch games. It looks like it    This is the most linear game to date. There is zero room for exploration and no dungeons whatsoever. Aside from an optional area, every single route and town is a small hallway where all you have to do is press forward and the game essentially plays itself until you get interrupted by another cutscene.
    The graphics are also extremely subpar compared to other Switch games. It looks like it was directly ported from the 3DS and most parts of the game look rough or straight up unfinished.
    Do not play this game. It's not worth your time.    … Expand
  22. yumguy
    Nov 17, 2019
    1
    -Pokemon and moves cut -Uneventful, barren routes and landscapes
    -Cities with little to nothing to do, corridors with doors you can’t go in
    -Barren backgrounds during battles (in some areas) -Little to no rewards for exploration -Little to no postgame content -Poor, low quality animation. Everything freezes when you are on ladders. Turning animations do not exist -Poor loading and    -Pokemon and moves cut -Uneventful, barren routes and landscapes
    -Cities with little to nothing to do, corridors with doors you can’t go in
    -Barren backgrounds during battles (in some areas)
    -Little to no rewards for exploration
    -Little to no postgame content
    -Poor, low quality animation. Everything freezes when you are on ladders. Turning animations do not exist
    -Poor loading and rendering of the world. Trees and people (and wild Pokemon that can jump at you) appear and disappear as you run through
    -Linear and handheld story for what little story actually exists
    -Restricted gameplay. Cannot catch wild Pokemon a higher level than you. Cannot catch wild Pokemon that require the next gym badge. EXP share cannot be turned off. These are literal blocks to how you can enjoy the game -Small bugs
    -Game breaking bugs. One due to a specific format in the SD card, which can corrupt other files

    After a year of no new Pokemon games, some may find this fun to play through. In a way, it still is. But finish it (with an incredibly low 15 hour mark to complete it) and you will see just how little the game has to offer. No replay value. No love. There are 9 designs total of the Pokemon that I like. About 2 characters that I like. The medieval theme is always interesting to me. Shame it’s in such a bad game.

    This is a review from watching my friends and videos online. I refuse to support Gamefreak for this and so should you. If it gets the same sales as other games, it will just let Gamefreak confirm that they no longer have to put effort into their games.    … Expand
  23. yukidalemania
    Nov 17, 2019
    5
    Impresionante. Gráficos y diseños preciosos. Una evolución a la altura que como fan de la saga te llena de emoción.
  24. MQ116
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Cutting the National Dex, so that they could completely remake new models, was a disappointment already. When it turns out that it was all a lie anyway, we are left with bad/reused animations, absolutely identical models, and distrust in a developer who has consistently been lazy and unimaginative for years. That alone, the lie about the models, is enough for me to rate this game asCutting the National Dex, so that they could completely remake new models, was a disappointment already. When it turns out that it was all a lie anyway, we are left with bad/reused animations, absolutely identical models, and distrust in a developer who has consistently been lazy and unimaginative for years. That alone, the lie about the models, is enough for me to rate this game as terribly as I can.
    However, the one thing that I will say about this game in the positive side is that if they hadn't lied, I would've been content with it as it is. The Wild Area is fresh, tho definitely feels buggy and could've looked MUCH better. Online features are so far incredibly limited and also buggy. This game plays like every other pokemon game does, so it's base gameplay is still decent, but for the move to Switch absolutely nothing is improved from previous titles.
    This game is ridiculously easy so far, in that the forced EXP share makes all of your pokemon almost ten lvls higher than any trainer you face, and you will constantly get free items and healed. This would be fine, as SW/SH are supposed to be accessible to the people who played Let's GO and mix traditional gameplay with that, except that this was marketed as a game for longtime fans.

    All in all, if you truly love pokemon, it still plays well, but it is hardly a step forward in any way. I truly hope pokemon games will be given to a competent team who actually care (cuz gamefreak seems to care more about Town, which I think we should boycott). This isn't Nintendo's fault, it is Gamefreak for lying and consistently cutting corners, and I am now sick of it. Animating every single Pokémon for every single move would be possible, but we aren't even asking for that, we are asking for mediocre animations, reused models (that were future-proofed? Why lie?), and more than 48% of the pokemon to be included. There is no story btw, just Gyms and a terrible, boring "rival."    … Expand
  25. Nerusomen
    Nov 17, 2019
    3
    Habiendo comprado las entregas de ultra luna y el mismo juego de luna, entre ambos cultivé un total de casi 500 horas de juego, este juego me parece una copia por casi todos los lados (exceptuando la historia, añadido de pojemon y actividades cortas) en general es aburrido ver las mismas animaciones desde X&Y y de paso una calidad de gráficos no muy buena llevados de la mano de unaHabiendo comprado las entregas de ultra luna y el mismo juego de luna, entre ambos cultivé un total de casi 500 horas de juego, este juego me parece una copia por casi todos los lados (exceptuando la historia, añadido de pojemon y actividades cortas) en general es aburrido ver las mismas animaciones desde X&Y y de paso una calidad de gráficos no muy buena llevados de la mano de una historia y juego muy cortos, este juego no vale 60 dolares.… Expand
  26. ji-0
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Delete the most terrible this life story, Pokemon 60 percent compared to a hell of a quality such as graphics and motion, and even motion by a rehash. Pokémon and things that appears unnatural, a terrible design of the new Pokemon.
  27. Suspect_Danny
    Nov 17, 2019
    8
    Quite good, no where near as bad as most of the reviews suggest. Still fun to play and can be a real time sink
  28. DaveyJones2142
    Nov 17, 2019
    4
    Pokemon Sword is not a bad game. There are great moments within the game, and some parts can be very fun. However, the main attraction of the game, catching and battling with Pokemon, is severely lacking in terms of difficulty and aesthetic. The game is laughably easy. I was able to beat the entire game with little struggle, often being several levels above my rival and gym leaders. IPokemon Sword is not a bad game. There are great moments within the game, and some parts can be very fun. However, the main attraction of the game, catching and battling with Pokemon, is severely lacking in terms of difficulty and aesthetic. The game is laughably easy. I was able to beat the entire game with little struggle, often being several levels above my rival and gym leaders. I often rarely used multiple Pokemon, only using them in main battles (gym leaders and such) because they leveled automatically due to the automatic exp share. As a game supposedly designed for long-time fans (of which I count myself as one), this game does not live up to what I came to expect. The animations were extremely disappointing. While the Pokemon themselves were very nice to look at and had very nice shading, the attack and battle animations felt very familiar after playing the 3D games. There were rarely any actual animations, with most moves either being a physical attack animation, a special attack animation, or, to my disappointment, a simple turning of the model accompanied by a paltry move effect. This already felt stale in XY and Sun and Moon, and I had hoped a game on the Switch would be more expressive, especially on such a crucial and major part of the game. The main gimmick, Dynamaxing, is fair enough on its own merits, and it is very entertaining and adds a great effect to the battle. However, when comparing this to Z-moves, and especially Mega-evolution, it seems lacking, especially when most of the Dynamaxing is simply a Pokemon becoming larger than usual. The writing is still sub-par, unsurprising, yet the story became somehow worse than previous titles. Since XY, the main story has became somewhat... odd, but not lacking. All in all, the games were not designed from the ground up to be on the Switch, and would seem much more at home on the 3DS. Framerate issues and simply awful PR by Game Freak has left an extremely bad taste in my mouth, and despite what good moments the game had it is simply not up to standards with what a Pokemon game should, and could, be.… Expand
  29. Captain_Zoots
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm playing a mainline Pokemon game on my TV, wow! While I'm playing my single player game side by side with my gf playing sword an icon pops up. I jump into a raid battle real quick. Then go immediately back to what I was doing in the single player story. Amazing!!… Expand
  30. IndyGameFan
    Nov 17, 2019
    5
    I felt really let down by this game. This is a really expensive (and highly anticipated) title, and I'm left wondering if I should just trade it in.
    Not sure where exactly pokemon started to go off the rails, but this one is not worth the money. Maybe buy it used or something.
  31. Impossibro
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    It's quite amazing that for 60$ a 2019 can cut so much content that past games had. Not even just Pokemon, but animations, gameplay and overall content. Definitely one of the worst Pokemon games.
  32. Lucashomem
    Nov 17, 2019
    4
    Lazy design, feels like a port from the 3DS, story is boring and rushed, characters are not charismatic.
  33. Aniki-rin
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    This is a unfinished, unpolished game for the full price. Lies were told about removing mechanics and Pokémon for the sake of game quality and yet the final product is worst than the handheld games. Not worth the price or the critic bought reviews.
  34. j0hn4devils
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    I’ve been playing Pokémon for all my life, and I appreciate the Quality of life improvements and the risks they took. The game is balanced really well and I was never over leveled.
  35. t3tr1s99
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    As a casual Pokemon fan, more of the games I realized the makers have done nothing to make this experience on the switch nothing new but only the same stale port we the fans have already experience many many times over. No it's not a port but it feels like one underneath all the bells and whistles.
  36. Sigils
    Nov 17, 2019
    1
    EDIT: Having to downgrade this for the time being to a 1/10 which is my classification for a heavily flawed and broken game due to players finding mass bugs that are variously bricking their system, boot looping certain TV brands, and deleting mSD card data.

    And yes, this is Game Freak's fault even if the Switch has issues with it that are the ultimate reason for the issues in a couple    EDIT: Having to downgrade this for the time being to a 1/10 which is my classification for a heavily flawed and broken game due to players finding mass bugs that are variously bricking their system, boot looping certain TV brands, and deleting mSD card data.

    And yes, this is Game Freak's fault even if the Switch has issues with it that are the ultimate reason for the issues in a couple cases.

    Other game devs knew to avoid it and you don't attack the platform creator for the mistakes of software devs.

    Appropriately in this case, was Microsoft to blame for Toby Fox's Deltarune uninstaller deleting the entire folder that contained it? No, they weren't it was the dev's fault for not taking his time and testing everything correctly just as this is Game Freak's fault for not taking their time even if the platform allowed for it.

    If you must buy this game then you should wait for a patch so as to not lose your system or have your child lose theirs. Especially in this case since system failures take the save files with it because one of many asinine decisions on the part of Game Freak is to not utilize cloud saves.

    Original: For the first time since 1998 I will not be purchasing my usual 4 copies of a new Gen and if you love Pokémon I would advise you follow suit. Looks like hurting their bank account is the only way to get through to the devs if you want to better the series. Complaints won't cut it.

    A comprehensive list of issues with this game would be far more than 5,000 characters but suffice it to say that for the start of the 4th Generation in a row they have removed and dumbed down even more of the hundreds of hours of content AND removed over half of the only characters who matter on top of it.

    Characters that actually have an effect on the rest of content despite what others would like you to believe. Less Pokémon to use means less Pokémon to fight meaning the games would still be worse even if all of that other content were back. Even if you don't personally transfer Pokémon you were still able to face them down in postgame via in-game facilities or online. Now you can't meaning your experience is lesser whether one wants to accept that fact or not.

    The are quality of life boosts so it's not a completely utterly worse experience in every regard but the QoL boosts this time can't come close to negating the negatives.

    We do not need yearly rushed games despite what the producer demands. We've been telling them this for a decade and he still used "us" as an excuse for making the games worse. No.

    And just to be clear, I don't care about graphics or animations. This is not a movie, it's a game. Animations waste time and nothing more. What can be turned off gets turned off because I want to just play the game. So even if they were good (which would be entirely subjective) they would not negate the utter lack of content (which is objective) compared to the DS games 10 years ago.

    You shouldn't want a new game after even 40 hours in a series that has 300+ hours of content at their disposal without even considering adding anything new.

    Also, no, it being for kids isn't an excuse. Part of your job as a parent or someone who generally cares about them is to teach them how to not be abused by others. Like by companies who don't care about them and just want their money. Most of us were children when we started playing. Would you like your parents if they got you attached to it knowing the company didn't care about producing something worth the money despite constantly marketing to you in a way that would see you become attached to them emotionally? I have a feeling not.    … Expand
  37. Eddy702
    Nov 17, 2019
    4
    The game is regular, some scenarios are fine, but, it feels like if game freak did the game fast. The story... meh.
    There's no GTS, i couldn't even have a trade whith a friend. We couldn't understand the interface of the "y connection"" I uses yo love Pokemon ganes, but, i can't love this:(
  38. xXDank_HillXx
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    I've become jaded to the pokemon games, I've played these games so much that I've realized that its the same thing over and over, walk from point a to b, fight pokemon with or without talking to someone first (I have never lost a pokemon match in the newer generations btw If I have its one or two times at most), and dialogue, Saints row 4 constantly has 10 things I can do at the same time,I've become jaded to the pokemon games, I've played these games so much that I've realized that its the same thing over and over, walk from point a to b, fight pokemon with or without talking to someone first (I have never lost a pokemon match in the newer generations btw If I have its one or two times at most), and dialogue, Saints row 4 constantly has 10 things I can do at the same time, So much in fact that within 8 hours of playing it I have only completed side missions, which have added up to over 20% of the game, theres just so little to do in pokemon for an adult, and to be honest, I don't think it's fair for an adult to review the game, nostalgia doesn't actually represent how good a game is, it was just extremely addictive as a kid, Thats it. They would like it if you gotta catch em all.. some kid has cried over the fact they gotta catch em all and their parents caved in, companies making childrens games actually want that, why woulden't they?… Expand
  39. alaval
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    Un gran juego, intenta dar una nueva experiencia a través de nuevos personajes, gráficas geniales
  40. Xolam
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    Started the game with low expectations because of criticism.

    I played every pokémon game and I think this one might be my favourite, just on route 2 alone I never had so much fun, it's insane. The NPCs are walking in cities, the pokemon have different movement outside of the grass depending of their species etc.. the world is SO LIVEFULL. The multiplayer experience is fantastic    Started the game with low expectations because of criticism.

    I played every pokémon game and I think this one might be my favourite, just on route 2 alone I never had so much fun, it's insane.

    The NPCs are walking in cities, the pokemon have different movement outside of the grass depending of their species etc.. the world is SO LIVEFULL.

    The multiplayer experience is fantastic since I'm playing it with friends, there's so much stuff we can do together.    … Expand
  41. Vordx
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    An awesome improvement over previous titles. The changes to the random encounters as well as online functionality made the world feel much more alive. I've never caught so many Pokémon during the main storyline
  42. Renzokuken
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    How did we go from the graphical zenith that was Xenoblade Chronicles 2, to this?

    Pokemon Sword and Shield are not worth your money, here's why: - The game is poorly optimized and features some of the most obvious texture popping I've ever seen. - The game is buggy, digital versions have been reported to corrupt your SD card, online functionality has been reported to interfere with    How did we go from the graphical zenith that was Xenoblade Chronicles 2, to this?

    Pokemon Sword and Shield are not worth your money, here's why:

    - The game is poorly optimized and features some of the most obvious texture popping I've ever seen.
    - The game is buggy, digital versions have been reported to corrupt your SD card, online functionality has been reported to interfere with other home Wi-Fi devices
    - Numerous new mechanics are never explained, for example there's now a huge penalty to capture rates if your highest level pokemon is a lower level than the pokemon you're trying to capture.
    - Your ability to capture at all, is tied to gym badges, if you see a pokemon you could capture but you lack the badge for that level range, tough luck.
    - Trading is now gone, with the exception of random trades and trades with a friend code, no more GTS.
    - All online functionality is locked behind Nintendo's online service which offers very poor value for money.
    - The music is really bad.
    - The new pokemon are alright, but they're few and far between.
    - While some of the animations have been improved, some of them are really, really bad.
    - The game is super short, and incredibly easy even by pokemon standards.
    - There is no real enemy until right at the end of the game, and their entire section consists of 5 battles.
    - The endgame is completely bereft of content.

    tl;dr - This version sucks, but I'm sure nintendo will be along in a few months time to sell us a new and improved "ultra" version of the same thing we already paid for.    … Expand
  43. Maynardewm
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    I’ve never rated a game before, but for this I had to. I couldn’t get past the first 10 minutes the game was so bad. I started to worry with the first step, where my character flew across the screen at lightning speed inside a tiny house. I could seriously move from one side of the house to the other in less than a second. It’s like they set the character run speed for a much much largerI’ve never rated a game before, but for this I had to. I couldn’t get past the first 10 minutes the game was so bad. I started to worry with the first step, where my character flew across the screen at lightning speed inside a tiny house. I could seriously move from one side of the house to the other in less than a second. It’s like they set the character run speed for a much much larger and open environment, and kept it the same for the indoor spaces. The dialogue had so many grammar mistakes and was so childish. I had to keep reading sentences over and over, and often I was just like “this sentence is so poorly worded it doesn’t make any sense”.

    The constant blank loading screens!!! You take three steps and it’s another loading screen. One dialogue scene and another loading screen. What the heck???

    The music is horrendous... I couldn’t believe it. It is like terrible MIDI music from the 90s. The menus and UI are jittery and insanely poorly animated. The characters are poorly animated. What is this mega gigantic Pokémon form? Huh??? Why... how... for what purpose? I literally yelled out loud in laughter when your rival says to the sheep to stop tackling the gate, says “that’s better”, and then the sheep keeps just tackling the gate. “I thought it was done!” I yelled. If within the first ten minutes of the game you present to the user poor graphics, poor character movement, bad grammar, bad music, bugs, half of the time you’re in a loading screen, and a completely nonsensical storyline, all I wanted to do was return it.    … Expand
  44. BrownKnight
    Nov 15, 2019
    5
    This game is just a disappointment, I'm genuinely sad this is the direction Pokémon is going. This game had so much potential on a much more powerful consolle but it's all wasted. The cause can be summed up just with one concept: laziness. Most of the things they put in was rushed, half-finished, it looks like they don't even care anymore. This game should cost 30 $ AT BEST, it's surelyThis game is just a disappointment, I'm genuinely sad this is the direction Pokémon is going. This game had so much potential on a much more powerful consolle but it's all wasted. The cause can be summed up just with one concept: laziness. Most of the things they put in was rushed, half-finished, it looks like they don't even care anymore. This game should cost 30 $ AT BEST, it's surely not worth 60. Too bad, if they go on like this the franchise is doomed.… Expand
  45. scooby64
    Nov 17, 2019
    4
    The new Pokemon game did add a few nice things to the series like dynamexing and the wild area and some of the animations but in overall the game feels really rushed and not finished.
    -Trees copyd over from a 1998 game
    -1 of the enemies you face many times in the game only have 2 models and with how frequent they come they would really benefit from some variety - Most trainers in the    The new Pokemon game did add a few nice things to the series like dynamexing and the wild area and some of the animations but in overall the game feels really rushed and not finished.
    -Trees copyd over from a 1998 game
    -1 of the enemies you face many times in the game only have 2 models and with how frequent they come they would really benefit from some variety
    - Most trainers in the wild seem to have simple character models
    - The game holds your hand way to much sometimes you're forced out or into an area when you're not done exploring yet, this system would work amazing for kids it's very hard to get lost in the story i never really had to look at my map or check what my mission was some players like this and others dislike it
    - I personally am not to impressed by most of the Pokemon some of them look they are pokemon from older gens with very minor tweaks to it while there are some really good looking new pokemon i had higher expectation of the franchise main series
    - Some great animations but also some cheap animations as said before it feels unfinished
    - Frequent fps drops when there is a lot going on sometimes down to 10-15 fps (it feels like) in raid battles and when there is a weather effect involved
    - 1 other small critique is that we can't see a Pokemon is shiny until battle, they implemented this in Pokemon lets go and that was such a amazing feature IMO and really made you go crazy when you spot 1 while not even looking for it    … Expand
  46. Franlord1500
    Nov 17, 2019
    4
    Tengo el Pokemon Sol y luna en mi repisa y no se porque disfrute mal este, quizá porque ese fue hecho con amor, con pasion, se esforzaron (quiza) en lograr que este videojuego sea uno de mis favoritos, no se porque tengo que tolerar las mentiras, no me importa los recortes (aunque me duelan que existan en una consola como la Switch con SMB Ultimate y Breath of The Wild), a mi me molestaTengo el Pokemon Sol y luna en mi repisa y no se porque disfrute mal este, quizá porque ese fue hecho con amor, con pasion, se esforzaron (quiza) en lograr que este videojuego sea uno de mis favoritos, no se porque tengo que tolerar las mentiras, no me importa los recortes (aunque me duelan que existan en una consola como la Switch con SMB Ultimate y Breath of The Wild), a mi me molesta que se me mienta, que se me diga que este videojuego sea la hostia y se me llame toxico, porque este juego cuesta lo mismo que SMB Ultimate, Mario Odyssey, TLOZ BOTW y Three Houses, videojuegos que fueron hechos con amor… Expand
  47. scotty61591
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    Excellent game! this is by far my favorite Pokemon game so far. The map is HUGE and the cities and towns are gigantic as well. There are so many new excellent Pokemon but like every other entry, there are a few duds. This is an excellent evolution of the franchise. I experiences no bugs or glitches whatsoever and I didn't miss any of the Pokemon that were cut from the Pokedex because ofExcellent game! this is by far my favorite Pokemon game so far. The map is HUGE and the cities and towns are gigantic as well. There are so many new excellent Pokemon but like every other entry, there are a few duds. This is an excellent evolution of the franchise. I experiences no bugs or glitches whatsoever and I didn't miss any of the Pokemon that were cut from the Pokedex because of the huge variety of new (and returning old) ones. I'm 13 hours in and only at the third gym so far, there is so much to do!… Expand
  48. Greg_pontes
    Nov 17, 2019
    3
    Bad story writing, HOP is a mess in the game, too simple, only good thing is gyms. Game looks rushed
  49. MaNiAlJoWo
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    Great game, great improvements, interesting and exciting Story, very nice graphics, charming characters and a lot of quality of life features.
  50. YhuSel
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Un juego aburrido, lineal, con errores gráficos fatales, sin doblaje, texturas de los años 1995 e historia y dificultad demasiado fácil "para niños" prácticamente es un juego que no merece el precio y el tiempo que se espero por el.
  51. Toastymanny
    Nov 17, 2019
    9
    This game was amazing, the gym battles are handled much better and the ending was awesome. All these reviews from people who want a bloated rehashed experience (and haven't even played the game) really dull what people look at in this game. Highly recommend.
  52. Theze
    Nov 17, 2019
    1
    The game is waaayyyy to short. It looks straight off of a 3ds. To much cut content leaves the postgame with much to be desired. One of the worst games in the series in my opinion. Pretty much Sun and Moon 3. There are some fun moments in the game which is saving it from getting a zero but way to lackluster for being on a home console
  53. Lawner
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    A bad joke from a big company, please, pay for it! Defend GameFreak while they spit on all of the fans, buy the games and talk about them. Pokémon is dying and that's OUR fault, we are allowing GameFreak to do this because no matter what they do, if it has "Pokémon" on the title, we will pay.
    They know how to do it (We have seen it before) the problem is that they don't want.
  54. rykuo
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    PURE GARBAGE.

    Please HELP POKEMON: DO NOT BUY THIS GAME!

    SHORTEST POKEMON GAME EVER and $60!! DISASTER!!
  55. Simoncino
    Nov 17, 2019
    1
    We all know the truth. Use your brain. Vote with your wallet.
    Don't settle for less.
    Fight for more.
  56. Sunikusu
    Nov 17, 2019
    8
    I have not finished the game, but I'll tell you this -- the fact I can make an account, post an influential review to a game that took 2+ years to make is absurd.

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

    The gameplay, graphics and music are on-point. Dont believe the hype that game freak lied, or cut corners. Thia game stays true to the original pokemon games while adding in a bit of flare with dynamax and other great additions. So what if theres only 400 pokemon?    … Expand
  57. mightgal
    Nov 17, 2019
    4
    This game is completely mediocre. There are a lot of bugs and the price is very high. The good parts do not outweigh the bad parts. You might even have fun with it, but you will still be throwing your money in the trash, and next year GF releases a full version of this game for the same amount. By the way, no cuts you made for this game are justifiable.
  58. mimicc
    Nov 17, 2019
    9
    I would say that this is probably one of the better Pokémon games/generations.
    Most of the new Pokémon are pretty good, and the region is good, too.
    I don't know why people are giving this game such negative reviews. After finishing the game, I came to realize that the removal of some Pokémon barely affected the experience, especially not in a negative way. All of the new features most    I would say that this is probably one of the better Pokémon games/generations.
    Most of the new Pokémon are pretty good, and the region is good, too.

    I don't know why people are giving this game such negative reviews. After finishing the game, I came to realize that the removal of some Pokémon barely affected the experience, especially not in a negative way. All of the new features most definitely cancel out the negative aspects of this game.

    Sure, it has a few bugs here and there, but that, too, has no effect on the gameplay.
    The graphics are pretty good, too. This is most prominent when you're in a town- All of the major cities in this game look great.

    Overall, this game's pretty good. If you're a Pokémon fan, you should probably play it. It's probably one of the best games in the series.    … Expand
  59. JaxTorn
    Nov 17, 2019
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I admit Going into the game I was 100% biased and only reason I bought it to give it a chance was due to GameStops 48hr Guarantee. Another thing to note is I’ve been not a fan of recent Pokémon games going as far as back as X and Y . I think sun and moon was the one that maybe really hesitant to buy this. I’ve played through the story which is easy to accomplish in 48 hours. One of my gripes of the story Besides the game holding your hand throughout the whole game is there’s missed opportunities with the storyline . For example with the Dynamaxing outbreak I feel like that would’ve been used in previous games to get you involved with the region. I do feel like the region design especially when it comes to the towns and cities feels like cardboard cut outs I wish there was more stuff to interact with and hidden goodies. As far as the difficulty of the game this is the easiest Pokémon ever in my opinion it’s easier than Pokémon let’s go. The game hands you out revives like they grow on trees and it hands out money like crazy I’ve never had that much money that quickly in a Pokémon game before. The new Pokémon do you I think it was worth the controversy of the national dex making cuts just so they can add more Pokémon I don’t think so. My final thoughts without getting into the graphics which could be better is it’s a PR nightmare and it feels like a botched entry to the switch and no offense to game freak here but it doesn’t feel like the quality of other first party games that have been on the Nintendo switc.h… Expand
  60. sarethums
    Nov 17, 2019
    1
    The game seems very aged or unfinished. My main problem is the 30 frames per second. This makes it look unpolished. If mario odyssey can run at 60 then im sure this could have too.
  61. Ultimagara
    Nov 17, 2019
    5
    I think my sentiments have been more or less echoed here among the other mixed reviews. I never cared about the "controversy" frankly, but the game fails on a lot more than that. I had fun for a time, but the game is just lacking in too many departments.

    I felt that the story started strong and got weaker as it went along. There isn't too much hand holding in the early game, which is    I think my sentiments have been more or less echoed here among the other mixed reviews. I never cared about the "controversy" frankly, but the game fails on a lot more than that. I had fun for a time, but the game is just lacking in too many departments.

    I felt that the story started strong and got weaker as it went along. There isn't too much hand holding in the early game, which is good. For example, you start out with Pokeballs right away and if you get to the tutorial section having already caught something, then you can skip it. There are a but too many cutscenes and breaks in the first 2 hours or so for my liking, but that kind of levels out once ou start doing gyms. I can say, however, that the characters are pretty decent here for the most part, but your rival, Hop, just **** everything up. The game feels more like a story about this loggerhead than it does anyone else, but he's just too persistent and annoying to have much charm. He just doesn't shut up, and you're always chasing down this brat to keep him from getting into trouble. The best part of the game is when he stops showing up every time you walk 2 feet for a while.

    I think what I hated most about this game, beyond how pathetically easy it is (I'l get to that in a second), was the structure of the ending, of which there are actually 2 (in succession). As I mentioned, everything gets lazier the later into the story you go. The gyms get less creative in time, to the point where in the last gym all you do is walk into a room and fight 3 people, and after those are done, the entirety of the equivalent of the Pokemon League takes place in a single arena. But the climax feels really, really rushed. There's no dungeon, you just go to one place, get a thing, go back to a place, do one battle, and then it's the boss. The boss, mind you, is actually pretty epic, but it was over far too quickly. The real trouble in the second ending, which feels tacked on. Two random characters show up from out of nowhere, spout nonsense, and then proceed with an incredibly boring plan that has you do what is effectively the same easy fight 8 times before you catch the legendary and the game ends. It's so anticlimactic, so much less worse than the rest of the story, that I think the game might have actually been BETTER if this part were not in it.

    Also, 30 hours, like some of the reviews said? Tough fights? One review even said tricky puzzles? Nope, nope, and what? Regarding the latter, there was like 1 puzzle in the whole game, and a 2-year old could have solved it. As for fights, I lost one match due to recklessness. It really feels like your Pokemon have this mystical quality of being stronger than everything else, even when it's the same Pokemon at the same level. The AI is brain-dead. You will only ever lose in the top-level raid battles because your AI team will bring a full team of Magikarp to a fight with an electric type and use only moves that do literally nothing. Why not team up online? Because the whole thing works by an obtuse invite system and completely lacks matchmaking, you you have to closely monitor the Y-link channel for other people's LFGs to pop up, but it's strangely selective and doesn't update in real time, and then the AI that fill the gaps in the battles will throw, failing he whole thing. If you win, it's because the bosses are dumb easy. If you lose, it's because your AI team is utterly incompetent and drains all of your lives. And when you do win, the rewards you get are so absurd that I you can level up a 'mon from 5 to 70 in about 2 hours. What? XP share can't be turned off? No options for main game difficulty, as always? The incessant yammering of NPCs about how they're unbeatable, and you proceed to crush them without taking a single hit, because numerous basic strategies can wipe entire teams without fail?

    Bad.
    Bad.
    Bad.

    Also, everything is the post-game is trivial. The only redeeming quality about all this is that a lot of good changes have been made for competitive, but who the **** cares about competitive? Even the primary endgame activity, the Battle Tower, rewards primarily single use items that are utterly useless.

    I beat everything in the game in 22 hours, and that includes a lot of dilly dallying and camping, which, while cute, feels half baked, much like the rest of the game. The weak magic that makes the game enjoyable and interesting in any capacity wears off about halfway through the game, and comes back only temporarily during the first ending simply because the visual effects are sick, and Toby Fox worked on this game's score.

    Not worth $60, maybe 40, though I don't entirely regret my purchase. The real problem here is not the "Dexit" crap, but the increasing disregard for balance, post-game content, and serious players that Game Freak continues to show.    … Expand
  62. Theco
    Nov 17, 2019
    1
    Jogo inacabado, cortaram metade da dex, modelos de Sun and moon, animações horríveis
  63. Volsyden
    Nov 17, 2019
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The pokemon games have been really cool when growing up, but i gotta say the plot was just.... meh, (Spoilers) the end is where the villian comes in. so it was a basic game play all the way till the end.. the end where you fight the champ was really annoying too... i kept thinking i was going to finally challenge the champ and it kept making me do something else. i know this is a kids game but jesus this was targeted to 5 year olds and the dialog was REALLY CHEESY. they didnt even put in voice acting but i can see why, its because the dialog was so cheesy no one wanted to do it. everyone is just so fkin happy and i hated it, they can say "sorry you mom died" and they would be like "its OKAY because she wanted me to become a great trainer" or something fkin stupid like that. only thing i liked about this game was the actual pokemon could have left everything else out including the story. and btw GOOD luck getting 100 percent, because you have to buy this stupid ball to get a mew for 50 bucks and they cut the dex in half anyways so that kinda killed the game in that aspect too.. i mean wtf i want my money back for this crap game
    Also, if you want to catch them all... well you cant because unless you buy a retarded pokeball plus you cant get a mew a long with other pokemon that are not in the game because you will probably have to buy those too, not worth buying wait till it comes on sale for like 10 bucks    … Expand
  64. Adrian97R
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    Verdaderamente se merece un ocho y medio. Pero estoy en contra de criticar así el juego sin siquiera haberlo probado sinceramente pese a los cambios el juego va a agradar a los que siempre hemos jugado Pokémon ,pruébalo antes de puntuarlo.
  65. bensedgwickrwyl
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    i downloaded pokemon sword on the eshop earlier and the graphics are terrible. Those graphics belong on the 3ds not a switch. Its fun but easy, felt like it was aimed for 7 year olds.
  66. MMangia
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    The game is amazing, the gameplay is brilliant and the social functions are excellent.
  67. Jose12
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    Im having a lot of fun with this game, I love the new pokemon, I love the gym leader mechanics, the music is awesome, the wild area is the future of the gamem, Im very aware that the graphics arent the expected for a console like switch but thats why I give it a fair 8, but in my heart is really a ten, cause Im faving fun like no other pokemon game ever, if gamefreak fix the graphicsIm having a lot of fun with this game, I love the new pokemon, I love the gym leader mechanics, the music is awesome, the wild area is the future of the gamem, Im very aware that the graphics arent the expected for a console like switch but thats why I give it a fair 8, but in my heart is really a ten, cause Im faving fun like no other pokemon game ever, if gamefreak fix the graphics issues and some npcs mechanics we will be talking about a game of the year in future presentations, maybe adding actors to some dialogues would be awesome two, besides that is awesome… Expand
  68. WerDNA-
    Nov 17, 2019
    8
    No esta mal para ser un juego a carreras...
    Pero, es un hecho que pudo ser mejor.
  69. MokaAkay
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Absolutely underwhelming, animations are trash and we lost so many pokemon for them to make these "animations" so many more things wrong with this game
  70. Striderblack01
    Nov 17, 2019
    5
    This game proves that the Pokemon basics, the tried-and-true mechanics of the franchise, still works. It makes it easy to get excited and play for hours while overlooking it's flaws. That is, at first.

    Pokemon Raids are fantastic, and the wild area is a ton of fun! I also enjoy the new crop of Pokemon. Very appealing with lots of personality. (Scorbunny rules!) Dynamax is ok. I    This game proves that the Pokemon basics, the tried-and-true mechanics of the franchise, still works. It makes it easy to get excited and play for hours while overlooking it's flaws. That is, at first.

    Pokemon Raids are fantastic, and the wild area is a ton of fun! I also enjoy the new crop of Pokemon. Very appealing with lots of personality. (Scorbunny rules!)

    Dynamax is ok. I couldn't help feeling like it would just be another gimmick to be cut in the next game. So I didn't get too attached the way that I did with Megas and Z-moves.

    Graphics and Animation are a mixed bag. The effect animations are fantastic! Truly. But the character & Pokemon animations are a bit dated and lackluster.

    And then, there's the National Dex. Hoo-boy.
    I'm a long-time fan of the franchise. I spent hours studying the underlying mechanics of the games, hours strategizing to build the best teams that I could using my favorites, hours breeding and training them in previous games, and more hours still battling and having fun. And now, I can't use them.

    And that makes me legitimately sad.
    (which is weird thing for an old man to admit)

    Overall, this is a good game - just incomplete. It feels uneven and rushed. It's also a bit pricey for the amount of content. With a little more time and care, it could've been the very best.    … Expand
  71. Galenmereth
    Nov 17, 2019
    4
    I never bother leaving reviews, but I just can't help myself. I just finished the main story and champion fight, and this was such a letdown. Never been this disappointed in a Pokemon game, and I've played all of them -- from Red on my monochrome Game Boy as a little kid.

    I didn't watch any pre-release footage and kept away from the media (and apparent drama) before release. I went into    I never bother leaving reviews, but I just can't help myself. I just finished the main story and champion fight, and this was such a letdown. Never been this disappointed in a Pokemon game, and I've played all of them -- from Red on my monochrome Game Boy as a little kid.

    I didn't watch any pre-release footage and kept away from the media (and apparent drama) before release. I went into the game blind. At first, it seemed good. It was prettier than ever, and everything was promising. The wild area, when I first got to it, seemed amazing. Such potential!

    As the hours went by, it became more and more clear how rushed this game was. From the poor texture work in so many places that just sprang out at you, to the baffling low draw distance on pokemon and characters everywhere -- they just pop out of the ground a few meters from you, removing any sense of immersion.

    Then there's the odd story which honestly feels like they had to cut a ton of content. It's disjointed, and has no clear arc at all. It ends the very moment it picks up.

    I could honestly go on and on, but you've probably read most of it around already. I just wanted to throw in my 2 cents. I've played for 22 hours and I'm so disappointed, I don't really know what to say.    … Expand
  72. Caim-Horus
    Nov 17, 2019
    4
    Too little game content for $ 60 2019.
    Graphics even for the switch is outdated. Online chips do not work correctly, and in fact battles and raids that are essentially not really needed.
  73. Arcayon
    Nov 17, 2019
    3
    This game falls extremely short of expectations from fans in terms of content, price, and graphics. However, it is still pokemon which is one of the best selling IPs in history. This game will always sell well to those seeking nostalgia. However, it marks a drastic step back in quality which has been an ever-growing trend in the series.
  74. zzzelkova
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    I ignored the controversy and gave this game the benefit of the doubt and boy did I pay for that blind ignorance this game bricked our Roku because it is so poorly optimized, I have to put my switch on airplane mode while playing Pokemon specifically so my family can watch TV. Nintendo should pass this game to a different developer in the future
  75. Larry_Danger
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Cut Pokemon, gutted mechanics, N64 visuals. Last good Pokemon Games were Black & White. Miss me with this ****
  76. MrJPGames
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Terrible thing to dare call this a game. While it is clear this could become a game with a lot more development it simply isn't there yet. Do not buy something that is not even a game yet. Wait until GameFreak decides they want to finish their work before making people pay for it.
  77. heartceed
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    My second favorite pokemon yet.
  78. TerranceBogard
    Nov 17, 2019
    6
    These games have admittedly garnered quite a bit of controversy, and due to some of the questionable decisions made in these games, it's understandable why. That said, these are not the worst games ever made. Far from it, in fact; I've had a good time playing my copy of Pokémon Shield. There are missteps here & there, but it's overall enjoyable. The TL;DR version of my review is that theseThese games have admittedly garnered quite a bit of controversy, and due to some of the questionable decisions made in these games, it's understandable why. That said, these are not the worst games ever made. Far from it, in fact; I've had a good time playing my copy of Pokémon Shield. There are missteps here & there, but it's overall enjoyable. The TL;DR version of my review is that these are fun games—about on par with X&Y in my opinion, but not as good as Sun & Moon for a reference point—that do miss the mark in terms of potential. Good games, but could've been a lot better. In an objective sense, these games are probably a 7/10. However, I'm reviewing it as a 6/10 here, simply because of the missed potential as for what these games *could* have been. As the highest grossing media franchise EVER and Pokémon's first mainline console game, these should've been a huge step forward for the franchise, the same way that Breath of the Wild was for Zelda and Odyssey was for Mario. Still, if you're on the fence about buying these games (and aren't boycotting it), I think you'll have a good time. Whether or not it's worth $60, however, is a different question—maybe wait until you can buy a used copy.… Expand
  79. Eggtron
    Nov 17, 2019
    8
    Pokemon Shield has been a fun return to the series despite the inclusion of all pokemon before it. Some more attention to frame rate and other polish would have been appreciated. Great designs on new pokemon and the wild area is amazing. Dynamax is...ok but leaves much to be desired.
  80. 2Jaki
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    It has got good graphics. The battles are now more epic and great characters
  81. Lord_Daishi
    Nov 17, 2019
    9
    I’m down with the cuts. We get a fresh metagame. All the old major players in the Singles and VGC formats change. This gives us something new! Instead of us just bringing in, or grinding up our old sweepers and walls that we’ve known inside and out for yearssss, and hoping that either the new mons shake it up enough; or that game freak re-balanced everything... Again!

    Sure we will    I’m down with the cuts. We get a fresh metagame. All the old major players in the Singles and VGC formats change. This gives us something new! Instead of us just bringing in, or grinding up our old sweepers and walls that we’ve known inside and out for yearssss, and hoping that either the new mons shake it up enough; or that game freak re-balanced everything... Again!

    Sure we will always have bans and useless mons per generation . (rip guzzlord; no one cared. And Bye bye pheromosa; have fun stuck in Ubers.) But when was Gengar not OU??? When he got nerfed; and was less relevant in the meta! Which I don’t know about you all, but I don’t want that for my mons.

    Which is a good reason why we have Pokémon bank! This allows game freak to preserve the Pokémon as they are. Maintaining their strengths and weaknesses as much as possible, and letting us keep and store them for future use; whenever game freak thinks they makes sense, for the balance of future games.

    Sure..., now some people can’t play with their favorites. I am actually particularly lucky I get to keep some of my favorites. But I’d have given them all up and let them chill in bank for all eternity if it meant more depth to online play. (We have co-op raids with real Pokémon mechanics now [rip pokemon go] and a much more interactive online than 3DS’ “ppl randomly showing up in your glorified lobby; Say Hi!”.)

    I whole heartedly accept this "no national Dex" and was actually more hype because it’s not there.

    Also, regarding the animations: Everyone looks at combat. However, no one mentions out of battle environments like Pokemon Camp which have some new animations something they probably couldn’t feasibly replicate for the whole roster. Sure; for many this is likely fluff, but It's clear they want to bring pokemon closer and closer to a pet simulator with every iteration.

    I bet majoirty of the people mad are salty they can't dunk on the competitive scene with pre-built OU threats and it's now impossible to hack anything outside the selected roster in. No more Azumarills, no more sleep Smergals, no more Chansey or Blissey, no more Grenninja, and no more megas like Lopunny. **This is a good thing This is a healthy thing!**

    We have not had such a refined metagame since Gen 1 and Gen 2. It's the difference between playing MTG in Standard compared to Legacy and Vintage.

    Which, at least to me makes this the BEST pokemon game in the series since they introduced online play.    … Expand
  82. Sourbrownpoop
    Nov 17, 2019
    3
    I regret buying this game. It’s not worth 60$. You can obviously tell that it was something the Pokemon Team was planing for the 3ds, but decided to put it onto the switch. You can see the npcs come into view while walking down a street just like the 3ds. The graphics are on the same level as OoT on the 64 at some areas. And the story is just not good. It just feels like your child hoodI regret buying this game. It’s not worth 60$. You can obviously tell that it was something the Pokemon Team was planing for the 3ds, but decided to put it onto the switch. You can see the npcs come into view while walking down a street just like the 3ds. The graphics are on the same level as OoT on the 64 at some areas. And the story is just not good. It just feels like your child hood bud is walking from town to town with you. I wouldn't be so upset about buying it if it wasn’t the full price of 60$. So many more companies are doing so much more and asking for the same price or even less. Look at BoTW or Xenoblade 2 for example. Its just annoying how the pokemon company will put out anything good or bad as long as they can make a buck. I used to be a huge pokemon fan, but I refuse to buy another pokemon game after this one. That is my opinion over the new game. If you wanna play it and have a good time with it that’s fine by me. It’s just not for me.… Expand
  83. thiago__vascon
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    Though it has been so criticized by players, what i had playing pokemon sword was fun and enjoyment. I believe it to be the first step towards a more complex game in the series. I only wish it was bigger and had a more complex map, but that's all. If i may, i would suggest to create some kind of puzzles or dungeons in the game, so it gets harder.
  84. kotaru
    Nov 17, 2019
    2
    Lo vendí a las 2 días de comprarlo. Gráficos de Wii, nivel artístico pobre, ralentizaciones brutales en la zona salvaje, bugs varios, escenarios vacios, demasiado lineal para un supuesto RPG, historia que no motiva a seguir. Se han aprovechado del nombre de la saga Pokémon y nos la han colado con el marketing.
  85. Ijidrillo
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    A Game Freak le ha quedado grande la nintendo switch para una nueva entrega de pokémon de nueva generación. Ustedes saben los por qué.
  86. jldriver02
    Nov 17, 2019
    3
    The new art direction is bad but that can be forgiven. What can't be forgiven is what GF continues to get away with. Removing good features has been a series staple since HGSS, but removing an ACTUAL series staple like the Pokemon is too far. They have no excuse as every pokemon and their animations have been done and SM on the 3DS had up to 800+. Each cartridge on the switch has up to 32The new art direction is bad but that can be forgiven. What can't be forgiven is what GF continues to get away with. Removing good features has been a series staple since HGSS, but removing an ACTUAL series staple like the Pokemon is too far. They have no excuse as every pokemon and their animations have been done and SM on the 3DS had up to 800+. Each cartridge on the switch has up to 32 GB and SwSh only uses 12-15, so there is no excuse other than pure laziness.
    I would be fine with the NatDex removal if the game had something to offer but that is 100% zilch. Exp. Share makes the game a snoozefest with Cinderace spamming Pyroball. Dynamax/Gigantamax is a joke because I've been able to one-shot just about every gym leader's ace pokemon. The wild area doesn't offer much to the game as its just another way to get pokemon. The 10 routes in the games are all hallways with very limited exploration. The final battle with Eternatus was extremely underwhelming as you can just sit there and the Uber-tier box legends and Hop will just knock it out for you.
    Graphics-wise the game is very unpolished. The wild areas look awful and you can tell they only put development time into the towns which do look pretty nice. The animations of the new pokemon while SLIGHTLY better is not justification for removing features fans have loved and grown accustomed to.
    The story is better than SM which itself is a very low bar but not as good as Pokemon BW which doesn't hold a candle to many modern RPG's.
    There comes a point when "it's just a kid's game" isn't a valid excuse when a game is marketed towards longtime fans.    … Expand
  87. QuestIDK
    Nov 17, 2019
    9
    It is something unfair what this game is doing for many sub-normals who do not even have the game and dare to criticize it, it is necessary to have a face like cement to criticize a game that they have not even played. From the moment you say I do not have the game, but I have played it huh, that I have played it and my opinion counts, nooo, from that moment you can no longer criticizeIt is something unfair what this game is doing for many sub-normals who do not even have the game and dare to criticize it, it is necessary to have a face like cement to criticize a game that they have not even played. From the moment you say I do not have the game, but I have played it huh, that I have played it and my opinion counts, nooo, from that moment you can no longer criticize something that you have not even complete Fortunately, I do have it and it deserves a minimum of 9.2, so don't think about something you've never played and something you'll never play, please… Expand
  88. Trey1616
    Nov 17, 2019
    3
    Honestly disappointing.
    Here’s to hoping they listen to their community for the next game....though I doubt it.
  89. rebuzzi_
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    This game is amazing, one of the best this year! People are mad for nothing...
  90. VultureMovie
    Nov 17, 2019
    1
    Pretty terrible gameplay tbh. If you’re a fan of the classic Pokémon formula, I suggest buying something like Platinum or Omega Ruby. They won’t cost 60 bucks and are actually made with love and care
  91. Commiekiller
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Half-assed game with below 3DS graphics, awful in-game campaign, no post-game content, the animations are so bad not even a beginner would commit such gaffes. The national Dex was wrongfully cut in more than half of what it should be in the name of "quality" and "balance", but the game lacks either of them. This deserves a nice 0.
  92. nochillpatrick
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Very Short game. Animations are bad, glitchy everywhere. The open world is boring when there’s not many NPCs and they just orb magically when you reach them. Be honest this is literally a 3DS unfinished game to the Switch. I don’t want to make curry, it’s dumb.
  93. ZacharyMe
    Nov 17, 2019
    3
    As a lifelong Pokemon fan, I can not say I am fan of where this series is going. The #1 highest grossing multimedia franchise shouldn't have to lie to their consumers based on important details. The cutting of over half of the current pokedex is a big deal, no other way to spin that.
  94. Aok_
    Nov 17, 2019
    8
    A ver, ¿cual fue el punto con los haters?, no lo entiendo, se supone que hicieron el juego "sin ganas" y
    "para ganar dinero", pero yo veo un juego de pokemon bastante bueno, entonces, ¿que pasó?, simple,
    -¿No esta mi pokemon favorito?, Basura- o -¿No están los Mov. Z/Megaevoluciones?, Basura, verdaderos fans de pokemon, no hagan caso, Game Freak ha hecho un buen trabajo, la elimicióm de    A ver, ¿cual fue el punto con los haters?, no lo entiendo, se supone que hicieron el juego "sin ganas" y
    "para ganar dinero", pero yo veo un juego de pokemon bastante bueno, entonces, ¿que pasó?, simple,
    -¿No esta mi pokemon favorito?, Basura- o -¿No están los Mov. Z/Megaevoluciones?, Basura, verdaderos fans de pokemon, no hagan caso, Game Freak ha hecho un buen trabajo, la elimicióm de pokemons hace mas variado el competitivo y los nuevos pokemons y formas Galar no decepcionan, no es perfecto, la historia dura poco y en la zona silvestre hay varios errores, pero es un paso a delante para la saga, juéguenlo.    … Expand
  95. Lololo809
    Nov 17, 2019
    7
    Im having fun, catching and leveling pokemon is fun and not grindy.
    The gym challenges are a bit lacking but some innovate on the mechanics of the pre-existing games.
    I don’t get the people saying that Dynamax is a stupid mechanic, you can dynamax any pokemon and not like mega-evolution that was only for some. It’s sad that not all pokemon are in the game but this opens a little more    Im having fun, catching and leveling pokemon is fun and not grindy.
    The gym challenges are a bit lacking but some innovate on the mechanics of the pre-existing games.
    I don’t get the people saying that Dynamax is a stupid mechanic, you can dynamax any pokemon and not like mega-evolution that was only for some.
    It’s sad that not all pokemon are in the game but this opens a little more variety in the competitive battling which I find it great in comparison with some last installments that had a very broken and centered metagame.
    Talking about competitive pokemon, the changes they made to quality of life -like the ability to give egg moves, change natures, vitamins- are excellent and it will greatly improve the health of the player base.
    The story is fun and engaging while still being simple enough for children to play. If it wasn’t for the pokedex fiasco I would give it a solid 9/10 but the cut did disappoint since my favorite pokemon -Klefki- was cut from the game.    … Expand
  96. JIN2344
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Really? Waiting for 3 years? Nintendo you just blow my mind:( that might be the worst Pokemon series ever.
  97. Maxrtg
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    People are so bitter. This game is amazing, the new Pokémon are some of the best. The new wild area is a great step forward for Pokémon
  98. DorFleX
    Nov 16, 2019
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. There's no perfect pokemon game to date. So this game has reached a great 9 because it's so much fun and has upgraded A LOT of quality of life gameplay that is amazing how much rage has been given to it without proper knowledge. So far, 8hours played and just cleaned at first try the first gym, enjoying the trip, scenario, lots of pokemons and great non battle stuff to do besides pure grinding. Awesome choice for children and to adults that like pokemon despite fanatism.… Expand
  99. PlayerTu
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    Best Pokémon game in years. Yes, GF pulled many Pokémons from the game by not including the national dex, but you get a bigger and more alive world than ever seen before.
  100. Cannon9
    Nov 17, 2019
    2
    The game is such a dissapointment. Gamefreak straight out deceived the customers.

    They were supposed to work in brand new animations and models of Pokemon to try to justify cutting the National Pokedex but they failed. They recycled assets. The game difficulty is a joke. I finished the game in less than 20 hours. Barebones endgame content. The "Wild Area" is an embarresment for    The game is such a dissapointment. Gamefreak straight out deceived the customers.

    They were supposed to work in brand new animations and models of Pokemon to try to justify cutting the National Pokedex but they failed. They recycled assets.

    The game difficulty is a joke. I finished the game in less than 20 hours.

    Barebones endgame content.

    The "Wild Area" is an embarresment for a supposed AAA game (too tiny).

    They even have the nerve of charging $60 for this.

    Avoid it all costs.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 87 Critic Reviews

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