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. GarchompGang
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Simply a rushed incomplete mess. The game feels like it should have premiered on the original wii since the graphics are so lackluster for a AAA console game. I do not recommend.
  2. Palomero3000
    Nov 17, 2019
    4
    Este juego fue apresurado y solo se hizo en mente para sacar dinero de manera facil sabiendo que su fan base pagarian por cualquier cosa sin importar la calidad del producto.
  3. kopaka
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    This game is a disaster. A major disappointment in literally every regard. Even if it was suspected, somehow, GameFreak outdid themselves, making their games even worse.
  4. IcyLucario
    Nov 21, 2019
    0
    Released with serious SD card formatting bugs, immensely disappointing content cuts, mediocre graphics, poor animation and outright lies to the fanbase.

    I have never been so disappointed with not only Game Freak, Pokémon, but also Nintendo themselves. The only reason this game isn't being treated worse is the favoritism Nintendo and Pokémon gets; and that's coming from a big fan of    Released with serious SD card formatting bugs, immensely disappointing content cuts, mediocre graphics, poor animation and outright lies to the fanbase.

    I have never been so disappointed with not only Game Freak, Pokémon, but also Nintendo themselves.

    The only reason this game isn't being treated worse is the favoritism Nintendo and Pokémon gets; and that's coming from a big fan of both no less.    … Expand
  5. thvbh
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    After "it all comes together" and "ultra changes", generation 8 adds more lies to GameFreak's pile of shame. They promise a lot, and they again fail to deliver in almost every single aspect. This time, however, the technical shortcomings, lack of polish, and shortage of ambition is covered up by a veil of scam-level dishonesty from the developers themselves and a blanket of praise fromAfter "it all comes together" and "ultra changes", generation 8 adds more lies to GameFreak's pile of shame. They promise a lot, and they again fail to deliver in almost every single aspect. This time, however, the technical shortcomings, lack of polish, and shortage of ambition is covered up by a veil of scam-level dishonesty from the developers themselves and a blanket of praise from "unbiased" game critics, whose reviews sound more like advertisements than genuine reviews.

    The decision to cut over half the existing Pokémon from the game under the pretense of filling the game with content and quality animations wouldn't be so bad if the results could be seen in the game. However, the games are just as hollow as their predecessors, if not even more. Complete lack of difficulty, constant hand-holding, horrible plot, insufferable cutscenes and barely anything to do post-game is something that seems we will have to get used to, as it's apparently the new standard from now on, and any future games will probably be evaluated with regards to the bar set this laughably low.

    Pokémon is finally dead. As an avid fan since red and blue, I say it with a heavy heart. What started six years ago, with the release of Pokémon X and Y, finally came to fruition - a game so hollow and dumbed down, that even the awful past two generations look full of content compared to it. What was once a flawed, but ultimately fun franchise with a mediocre, but really passionate team of developers behind it, finally succumbed to the disease of brand-loyalty blinded fanbase that can see no wrong in the games as long as they have the Pokemon logo stamped on. This tremendous fall in quality is entirely their fault and no one else's - this is the best time for GameFreak to implement egregious monetization schemes in their next games, as not only will they evade any criticism from game critics, but will be largely praised for it by a large group of fans, which is truly asinine.

    What's left is to hope that a team of talented developers will see the growing disenchantment with the series and decide to step in, fill the void and dethrone the corrupted king of the monster catching genre.    … Expand
  6. Ryuseii
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Problems with Sword and Shield:
    Digital versions have had occurences of all saves on the switch being deleted.
    They removed 66% of the pokemon. They removed moves. The main game is very short. 8 gyms beaten within 12 hours, post game short as well. Catching pokemon restrictions based on badges. Many towns being literal hallways Especially the 7th one. Villain team is an afterthought    Problems with Sword and Shield:
    Digital versions have had occurences of all saves on the switch being deleted.
    They removed 66% of the pokemon.
    They removed moves.
    The main game is very short. 8 gyms beaten within 12 hours, post game short as well.
    Catching pokemon restrictions based on badges.
    Many towns being literal hallways Especially the 7th one.
    Villain team is an afterthought not even villains.
    No shinies on the overworld which even a game like Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee can do.

    Positives about Sword and Shield

    It has Joltik, and Joltik is adorable.    … Expand
  7. Tarasios
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    This game is like an uncooked unseasoned potato: Bland and simple.

    It lacks the depth of any other game, being a straight line through. No hidden paths or secrets. And once you finish the main story that's it, you are done. You unlock the "battle tower" which has even less features than any prior simple "battle tower" and absolutely nothing else. The only positives are some good new    This game is like an uncooked unseasoned potato: Bland and simple.

    It lacks the depth of any other game, being a straight line through. No hidden paths or secrets. And once you finish the main story that's it, you are done. You unlock the "battle tower" which has even less features than any prior simple "battle tower" and absolutely nothing else.

    The only positives are some good new Pokemon designs, but the excitement over new Pokemon is dulled thanks to the National Dex cut meaning that I can't even be sure that I can keep them with me.

    Dynamaxing is fine but ultimately hollow. It combines mega evolution and z moves and manages to capture the worst of both. Even those who enjoy it can look forward to it being cut from the next game.

    Curry and Camping are barely even relevant to gameplay, and serve no purpose aside from being something they can add to the games "features list". As though they were added to meet a quota.

    This is a disgrace to the franchise, and it saddens me to see my favourite brand doing so poorly.    … Expand
  8. MrJohns
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Another rushed, disappointing mess for longtime fans of the series. Its a short, buggy and way to easy Game. They cutted and removed a lot (Dexit, Mega Evolutions, Z-Moves). Graphics are bad, and there are several Technical Issues. And then they Reused a lot and added boring Gimmicks like Dynamaxing. Don't support this kind of Greedy Garbage!
  9. ChicoGamer
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Esta es la nueva experiencia RPG Pokémon de la que se hablaba? Sigue siendo la misma fórmula de siempre que a estos vagos de GameFreak les encanta, sólo que con menos Pokémons, con un apartado técnico LAMENTABLE para ser una Switch y unas animaciones recicladas de otros juegos y ya no hablemos de la duración del juego y el Lategame, una decepción total y dinero tirado a la basura.
  10. cruzathor89
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    ¿Pero esto que es? no hay ciclo día noche, se han gastado más en personalizar al personaje con ropa que en los detalles del juego.

    Mapeado de botones totalmente vacío. En 2019. Skins repetidas... El tercer entrenador que te encuentras es el mismo que el primero... Vamos a ver... Que no estamos en 1998 por dios. Pokémon totalmente reciclados de generaciones anteriores.,simple, sobre    ¿Pero esto que es? no hay ciclo día noche, se han gastado más en personalizar al personaje con ropa que en los detalles del juego.

    Mapeado de botones totalmente vacío. En 2019.

    Skins repetidas... El tercer entrenador que te encuentras es el mismo que el primero... Vamos a ver... Que no estamos en 1998 por dios. Pokémon totalmente reciclados de generaciones anteriores.,simple, sobre explicado, creo que el equipo de Game freak necesita unas vacaciones después de esto. De verdad, soy seguidor de la saga desde la game boy. Y aunque la banda sonora y se salve... Por dios la cámara fija, el mapa totalmente lineal... Vamos que es el equivalente a final fantasy XIII pero para la saga pokémon. Un auténtico despropósito. 1/10    … Expand
  11. SomaKurusu
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Este juego sin dudas es un paso atrás en la saga. Fácilmente puede pasar por un juego de 3ds con mejor resolución. Graficos regulares con animaciones pésimas, Pokedex recortada sin justificación alguna para der un juego de 2019. Mismas mecánicas de hace 20 años sin innovar en nada, historia muy cutre y una banda sonora que cumple y ya. Una decepción para una de las compañías que más dineroEste juego sin dudas es un paso atrás en la saga. Fácilmente puede pasar por un juego de 3ds con mejor resolución. Graficos regulares con animaciones pésimas, Pokedex recortada sin justificación alguna para der un juego de 2019. Mismas mecánicas de hace 20 años sin innovar en nada, historia muy cutre y una banda sonora que cumple y ya. Una decepción para una de las compañías que más dinero recauda al año. Pokemon se ha convertido en el nuevo Call of Duty.… Expand
  12. Ruandro
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    too pricy for such an unpolished game. seen some improvement but far far away than enough improvement. Gamefreak should sell this IP to better company
  13. Wiki
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    La mitad de Pokémon, 100 ataques menos, no Z-moves, no megaevolución, no postgame, mecanicas para niños de 7 años, repartir experiencia por defecto, modelados de 3DS... sigo? Tiene casi los mismos bugs que tipos de curry. JUEGO PARA CASUALS
  14. lejou123
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    gamefrik are liars and thieves.

    le jeux le plus facil de la seri / des graphisme de gamcube / pokemon+ attaque suprimer avec une excuse bison / animation a chié / les starter horrible / pas mal de bug .

    the worst pokemon console games
  15. Pablo92
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    A really rushed game, not worth the time or the money. poor quality models, textures, animation an cuts everywhere, in the pokedex, in the features, etc. please gamefreack this series deserves better.
  16. Faber1996
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    You can complete the WHOLE game in less than 15 hours (Without speedrunning) which is really not enough for a GDR like Pokémon. There's not even post-game content. The graphics are terrible, It looks like an upscaled 3ds game. Models and animations are trash and they are the same of the previous 3ds games. They cut almost 500 Pokémon a and over 100 moves. The new addictions are bad too:You can complete the WHOLE game in less than 15 hours (Without speedrunning) which is really not enough for a GDR like Pokémon. There's not even post-game content. The graphics are terrible, It looks like an upscaled 3ds game. Models and animations are trash and they are the same of the previous 3ds games. They cut almost 500 Pokémon a and over 100 moves. The new addictions are bad too: Dynamaxing is just annoying, raids are boring and the wild area Is almost empty. Moreover you can't turn off the exp. share, so your pokemons are alwais overleveled and the game Is TOO Easy. This Is not worth 60€...not even 30… Expand
  17. naashinashi
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    Aside from the most polarizing controversial decision ever made in the Pokemon History in not allowing to transfer many pokemons you've caught by only permitting the ones seen in Galar region in, there are several other flaws on this game that just makes it really frustrating and not worthy only playing for people expecting a more robust pokemon adventure. The game feels at many timesAside from the most polarizing controversial decision ever made in the Pokemon History in not allowing to transfer many pokemons you've caught by only permitting the ones seen in Galar region in, there are several other flaws on this game that just makes it really frustrating and not worthy only playing for people expecting a more robust pokemon adventure. The game feels at many times incomplete, lacking in many areas as seen from many of the buildings and specially large landmarks such as a church not being able to enter, cities being just large corridors with its really usefulness being the pokemon center and the gym.

    The change into a very linear game and the large amount almost empty cities hurts the charm of it. Your rival interrupts you several times and the amount of cutscenes is comparable to Sun and Moon if not larger. You can skip movies, but cutscenes are not skippable(except the tutorial one). The linearity increases when you realize routes are just corridors and there are essentially NO dungeons in the game. There are caves but nothing with a more or equal complexity like Mt. Moon, Rock Tunnel, Silph Co. Mt. Coronet etc. There is not even a Victory Road in the game.

    Another point I want to touch is the Wild Area, which is the biggest main feature in the game. The Wild Area just as the trailers showed and I have experienced; is a large slob of terrain with open camera and its own weather system (that tends to change quite abruptly). You can meet several pokemons in there (many of them are very high level, which you cannot catch until you have a gym badge for its equivalent level). The problem with wild area is that it's rather barren, with not much to do besides catching some pokemon and doing max raid battles. While going around the wild area, at times it laggy just as if there were some frame drops( and even worse if you go online with your friends there) the pop up distance for pokemon is very short, so a lot of times pokemons and berry trees can pop at a point blank distance or extremely close from your location which is pretty jarring and it can have you unwillingly bump into them.

    There are many other aspects I've disliked on this game, but in overall it's just your normal pokemon experience, a new region, new pokemon to find except there is much less to do than previous entries and there is not much to do post game. I just wished that there was more investment and ambition put in this game, because as it is right now, it's not worth $60.    … Expand
  18. Rumin
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    They've gutted the national dex, some pokemon moves, items and reused the 3ds models, removed Mega evolutions, and many other features. And for what? Pokemon needing a 30s animation to become gigantic only to faint to one super effective move, rendering the process needless, textures that look like they have been directly copied from N64's OOT, the gameworld freezing when using anyThey've gutted the national dex, some pokemon moves, items and reused the 3ds models, removed Mega evolutions, and many other features. And for what? Pokemon needing a 30s animation to become gigantic only to faint to one super effective move, rendering the process needless, textures that look like they have been directly copied from N64's OOT, the gameworld freezing when using any ladders, save files deleted upon crashing, models of trees and other gameworld object popping up in front of you, rather than in a more illicit manner as you would expect from a multi-billion dollar franchise, I cannot even begin to fathom what sort of thinking process goes through their incompetent developers while making this game, did they skip their Object Oriented Programming classes? Laziness? Indifference?
    Absolutely shameful display. Apply yourself, Gamefreak.    … Expand
  19. Tatertodd
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    It's very clear Gamefreak did not even try when making this game. its really sad because ive always been a huge pokemon fan, I played 2 hours of this game and dont think I'll be playing any more of it.
  20. Ayaan
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Unfinished 3DS game on the switch that offers less value that previous 40$ installments
  21. frkmark
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I can't believe Game Freak can develope this type of garbage. The vast of adult public that was waiting for this game can't be more frustrated. Poor story, poor graphics, bad animations, and the worst draw distance I've seen in a long time.… Expand
  22. Orodur
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Easiest game I've ever played. Unnecesary cut of main content from previous games. N64 graphics. Programming issues and bugs. Overall laziness
  23. Atmoslink
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    A shadow of it’s former self, Game Freak continues to demonstrate that they have no idea what makes a game fun and run well too. Large features were removed from past generations and in return we see a price increase. Everything from the graphics to the gameplay points and Sword and Shield being a lazy port of a terrible 3DS game.
  24. Nikox96
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Deja mucho que desear. Historia lenta y mala, gráficos muy poco pulidos, animaciones y modelos reciclados de 3DS, se siente poco natural y vacío.
  25. Noctis_Strife
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    The First Pokemon I wont buy. First, what negative: - Over 400 Pokemon were cut, so much less variation in battles against other players - several technical issues like spawning and despawning NPCs, Trees and Pokemon right in front of your eyes all the time, framerate issues in the wild area, the whole game world is freezing when u climb ladders .. etc. - the highly praised new feature theThe First Pokemon I wont buy. First, what negative: - Over 400 Pokemon were cut, so much less variation in battles against other players - several technical issues like spawning and despawning NPCs, Trees and Pokemon right in front of your eyes all the time, framerate issues in the wild area, the whole game world is freezing when u climb ladders .. etc. - the highly praised new feature the wild area is empty af, much smaller than trailers suggest and a graphical and technical mess - the post game is extremly blunt and not much to do - the "story" of this game is the worst and thinnest in the franchise - the game is easy af, Game Freak really doesn't care about long time fans - Exp share among the whole team should be optional - some of the music tracks are really annoying and not enjoyable - the pokemon franchise is stagnating, you really see no revolution at all, on the other site there is Zelda and Mario who tried sth new and the games were amazing
    Whats postive: some cool pokemon designs, that's all
    Can't recommend this mess of a game, Go and buy the 3DS Pokemon games, whenn you haven't played theam already, much more content much more everything    … Expand
  26. AzazelSC
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This is an insult to fans and video games alike. Please do not fall in this trap, don't give into the hype. This game feels like an incomplete mess, everything is restricted and the world feels absolutely empty.
  27. Calibur-X
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    La generacion pokemon mas mediocre hasta la fecha, un insulto para los fans de pokemon y los usuarios de switch, una estafa perpretada por una compañia que obviamente le queda demasiado grande lo de programar juegos de ultima generacion. El boom de pokemon go ya presagiaba este futuro donde game freak es la nueva square enix/ubisoft
  28. besf0rt
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    I never really cared too much about the Pokedex controversy, but I could always understand why others did. However:

    Let us assume that all Pokemon were included. THIS GAME IS STILL A HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT. Seriously: Pokemon is probably the biggest Nintendo franchise in the world now. How come all other Switch titles have better graphics and overall higher visual/technical standards?    I never really cared too much about the Pokedex controversy, but I could always understand why others did. However:

    Let us assume that all Pokemon were included. THIS GAME IS STILL A HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT.

    Seriously: Pokemon is probably the biggest Nintendo franchise in the world now. How come all other Switch titles have better graphics and overall higher visual/technical standards?

    Game Design students in the future will look at this game to draw lessons on listening to users and how to prevent doing sloppy work not in their service.

    Guys, XXL Pokemon? (Why not include new Mega Evolutions instead?)

    Come back to earth GameFreak. It's not that difficult to please most Pokemon fans, here is one little tip:

    LISTEN. TO. US.    … Expand
  29. burntlime
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    cut content with no improvements to justify it. i’ve been a hardcore pokémon fan for as long as i can remember and this is the first pokémon game (including spinoffs) i can say i genuinely hate the existence of. if it wasn’t for the greed of gamefreak wanting the game out by christmas, they wouldn’t have needed to change their policy, and we could still have all the pokémon. also thecut content with no improvements to justify it. i’ve been a hardcore pokémon fan for as long as i can remember and this is the first pokémon game (including spinoffs) i can say i genuinely hate the existence of. if it wasn’t for the greed of gamefreak wanting the game out by christmas, they wouldn’t have needed to change their policy, and we could still have all the pokémon. also the animations look like **** sans just a few, and i’m an animator myself. don’t support gamefreak’s absolute greed. spend your money on something gorgeous and fun like luigi’s mansion 3.… Expand
  30. Gyeasty
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    The newest mainline Pokemon game we've all been waiting for is in fact a disaster for the series. While only adding 81 new pokemon to the series, these new games managed to remove 490 (yeah, 490) pokemon from previous games, possibly forever. You won't be able to bring back your favorite pokemon that have been with you for years. Pokemon like Lucario, Dragonite, Greninja, and Sceptile areThe newest mainline Pokemon game we've all been waiting for is in fact a disaster for the series. While only adding 81 new pokemon to the series, these new games managed to remove 490 (yeah, 490) pokemon from previous games, possibly forever. You won't be able to bring back your favorite pokemon that have been with you for years. Pokemon like Lucario, Dragonite, Greninja, and Sceptile are gone forever, erased from these future games along with all mega evolutions. You would think that after erasing so many pokemon, Game Freak would add quality new pokemon to the series. But alas, and of course, no they did not. Grookey is the only starter that has a final evolution with a reasonably good design and none of the starters gain a dual type. There are only a few pokemon released in these games that are even usable in competitive play. Pokemon like Dragapult and Grimmsnarl are few and far between within the absolute pile of trash these new pokemon offer. Dynamax is a stupid gimmick that should have never been introduced and I feel like Game Freak is only hyping it up because they even realize it was a huge mistake. "Ooh, big pokemon, me like big pokemon." The only reason I'm giving this a 1 and not a 0 is because there were some decent functionality improvements to the game, but that in no way accounts for the absolute lack of content in these mainline games. I've been a lifelong Pokemon fan - from the first games that came out on gamboy, Red and Blue, and it hurts for me to say that this is the first major step backwards I've seen the company make in that time. What these games present for players is a purgatory of dreams deferred, a useful, connected space void of quality content and the hope that anything great will follow.… 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]
See all critic reviews »