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. huskyandsushi
    Nov 16, 2019
    2
    I'll be honest the game makes too much money to get this kind of low production value. Music should be orchestrated, not 2002 midi instruments, performance should be polished, the wild area struggles to run. And animations should be fluid, like not having Trainers and Pokémon turn left and right like military tanks. And of course, I'm going to say it. It's a Pokémon game, it should haveI'll be honest the game makes too much money to get this kind of low production value. Music should be orchestrated, not 2002 midi instruments, performance should be polished, the wild area struggles to run. And animations should be fluid, like not having Trainers and Pokémon turn left and right like military tanks. And of course, I'm going to say it. It's a Pokémon game, it should have all the Pokémon in it. It's very obvious they limited the Pokédex only to create a necessity for people to buy subscriptions to Pokémon Home. It's just a cash grab. People are putting Pokémon that weren't suppose to work into the game like old starters and legendaries- and surprise, they just work. It baffles my mind that the Pokémon that they chose to remove even contained starters let alone fan favorites. I think the worst out of all of this is how the company chooses to not talk about it or address concerns, it just says "we don't care about our customers" and I can't trust a company that acts like that.… Expand
  2. Mi4_Slayer
    Nov 16, 2019
    4
    Painfully mediocre and lazy. The final battle was a joke. Hop is annoying. The champions theme is garbage. The game is way too easy. While it's still pokemon and you can fin enjoyment out if this. You expect more from the top grossing media franchises in the world that made the jump into console. I feel like they've just bee. Exposes in terms of skills and efforts
  3. CL4P-TP
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Too easy, Pokémon missing with no sign of coming back, next to no post game content. That's already really really bad. Dynamax is boring and Mega Evolution and Z Moves which were great are probably gone forever too.

    Last AND least the graphics are a catastrophe. Battle backgrounds are pretty much the same with no variety based on your location, many Pokemon have the same models as on    Too easy, Pokémon missing with no sign of coming back, next to no post game content. That's already really really bad. Dynamax is boring and Mega Evolution and Z Moves which were great are probably gone forever too.

    Last AND least the graphics are a catastrophe. Battle backgrounds are pretty much the same with no variety based on your location, many Pokemon have the same models as on the 3ds (sometimes with some polygons added) and attack animations weren't improved on at all. This makes me wonder why so many Pokemon were cut to begin with if they basically reskinned the last games.

    TERRIBLE, I'm a Pokemon fan for most of my life (since I'm 7 and now I'm 21) and these games are an utter disappointment.    … Expand
  4. njalsumam
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    I love the design, that is the only think I like. Yet, I still cannot give more than 0. Sorry GameFreak/Nintendo. What you miss is pokemon game was released in 1996 and mostly fans are still loyal. Those babies in 1996 who loved pokemon are now grown up! Yet your game’s plot is like tutoring babies? Like blocking road, unrealistic reason because sheeps pokemon is having conversation orI love the design, that is the only think I like. Yet, I still cannot give more than 0. Sorry GameFreak/Nintendo. What you miss is pokemon game was released in 1996 and mostly fans are still loyal. Those babies in 1996 who loved pokemon are now grown up! Yet your game’s plot is like tutoring babies? Like blocking road, unrealistic reason because sheeps pokemon is having conversation or whatever. Why? Further, when it is realesed, the newest pokemons are just absurd in design. Too strange. I can still forgive garbodor, but this? Well. Apple is now a pokemon? Lol. More and more. Even the starters are too ‘excessive’. Last but not least, it is ‘K’ if you overused pikachu since it is your mascot. But Charizard over and over again? Meh. Sorry, the design is good but the game is not creative at all. Good luck fishing newbies to like and play, old player like me is having enough. Bye.… Expand
  5. sharpfodxxxxxxx
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Animations are useless, models are in the game. Billion dollar franchise and a game theyve been working on for so long. Replace gamefreak.
  6. Tomcat8
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    A disaster, pokemon just died!
    Even let's go, which was a medium game, had undeniable qualities (nothing but the catching interaction was excellent, it's something that should have stayed on this game)
    The 800 Pokemon are not available supposedly because to redo the sprites for the switch is too long while we have the proof that they have reused the sprites of pokemon Ultra Sun and    A disaster, pokemon just died!
    Even let's go, which was a medium game, had undeniable qualities (nothing but the catching interaction was excellent, it's something that should have stayed on this game)

    The 800 Pokemon are not available supposedly because to redo the sprites for the switch is too long while we have the proof that they have reused the sprites of pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.

    Non-existent combat animations, knowing that stadium versions on N64 had animations

    Gigamax combat which is a useless feature, ugly graphics with violent aliasing and catastrophic FPS drops!
    Knowing that the console manages to turn The Witcher 3 correctly
    Besides, the open world is empty and uninteresting!

    Sell ​​50 balls a **** alike, a nice scam for a game that is a half porting 3DS games !    … Expand
  7. Tseppelin
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    The worst Pokemon game ever... Worst Pokemon and worst content, Also so much cutted off
  8. DreadPirateGill
    Nov 15, 2019
    5
    I wish I could rate it higher. I bought this game last night and have already beaten it.
  9. ILovePokem0n
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    So, for starters, I have played the game. Second of all, I'm a huge fan of this beautiful franchise ever since I first got into the series.
    That said, I have huge issues with these games. I'll list them:
    > The map is small and devoid of any meaningful content. Even compared to prior games like USUM or even XY, the map is with only ten routes and not a single real dungeon quite    So, for starters, I have played the game. Second of all, I'm a huge fan of this beautiful franchise ever since I first got into the series.
    That said, I have huge issues with these games. I'll list them:
    > The map is small and devoid of any meaningful content. Even compared to prior games like USUM or even XY, the map is with only ten routes and not a single real dungeon quite underwhelming and the hyped Wild Area is indeed almost embarrassing. The lack of any dungeon or anything to explore in this region is just sad.
    >The Wild area. It is just... so empty. Not much to do, not much to see, and those few structures that are scattered around have no or only little available interactions with the player. This is also the part of the game that looks quite awful with weird textures that could have been directly imported from Colosseum or even Stadium and some weird shaders like on the water textures where Pokémon barely look natural.
    >The plot. I see that GF at least tried to present us a villain that actually has some comprehensible intentions and motives, but the execution was a clear downgrade compared to the last four generations. Instead of building the story up with dialogues or battles, the game follows a simple 'From-A-to-B' scheme and in the end, only shoehorned the villain in. It's just sad because I actually liked the villain, but he was clearly 'dumbed' down a little bit to make it clear that he is evil. The intrusive and distracting interactions with the champ, your rival and Sonia didn't help the plot to become better.
    > The post-game. It's not existing. Seriously. After the short main quest, you only get to catch the cover legendary and an inferior version of previous battle towers. You could also do some raid battles and some rematches, but that's it. There is no new post-game route or city to visit, there is no expansive battle facility to explore, and overall, just feels bland and uninspired and a clear step back from previous games.
    > The difficulty. Like so many things of these games what you could and should expect from a game released on a home console, it is missing, the forced XP share isn't helping. Even without any raid battles, such as I did, you're usually at least two or three levels above your next gym leader and the NPCs don't use any tactics. There was only one battle where I had to seriously think about what to do next (Raihan), but overall, it's toddlers-levels of difficulty, just insulting even to children or young teens. USUM, even though also criticized for its lacking difficulty, at least had some difficult battles against Necrozma, the totems, Lusamine and the champ. So it's nothing that you can't expect from Pokémon.
    > Last but not least, the unjustified Dexcut. The game was already lacking so many things, and they've doubled-down on it by cutting out more than half of the Pokémon and some one hundred moves. They've tried to explain it with the hard work of upgrading to the animations and the models and while the former I'll mention later, the latter wasn't true and thus a lie told by GF to justify an unjustifiable offense against the very core of Pokémon: collecting.
    But there was also some good stuff!
    >The competitive scene has become more accessible and refreshing with some much-needed QoL improvements like nature mints.
    >Some of the animations look beautiful, although most of them have to fight with the bad quality of most textures used in the game.
    > It's still a mainline Pokémon game, it's very core is still fun, at least at the beginning.

    Overall, sadly, one of the worst and most controversial entries of the series, after my honest experience. The good and bad sides of the games must be honestly discussed without any toxicity or harassment of either side, and I hope GF will for once listen to its consumer base. There are other, far better games out there for the Switch, and they should be used as a Christmas present for children or those who stayed a child inside. But not this one, the negatives far outweigh the positives, and with honest corporate reviews gone, I tried my best to showcase the good and the bad of the game.    … Expand
  10. FirstMx
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Inadmissible en 2019 un véritable scandale. GameFreak Se fout de la gueule des consommateurs en proposant la version la plus feignante jamais existé dans un jeu vidéo à succès qui n’est plus que l’ombre de lui-même
  11. limefroge
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Lazy cashgrab garbage with no redeeming factors. It's objectively inferior to any game on the franchise released since Platinum and that's unacceptable for a HD high budget game.
  12. Hours
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    They cut about 400 pokemon for absolutely no reason. They first claim it's for the animations then we see the animations and they're bad. Then they claim it's because they had to make models from scratch then that's debunked. And now they just do the shrugging tom meme as to why the game is so horribly bad.
  13. BigHonDaNet
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    As a long time Pokemon fan I feel incredibly disappointed in this game and the Pokemon franchise as a whole. It’s becoming clear to me now that Gamefreak simply does not care about us, the fans any longer, just our wallets. These Pokemon games are just a quick, lazy attempt at a cash grab rather than the game long time Pokemon fans were promised. We’ve been disappointed with Pokemon gamesAs a long time Pokemon fan I feel incredibly disappointed in this game and the Pokemon franchise as a whole. It’s becoming clear to me now that Gamefreak simply does not care about us, the fans any longer, just our wallets. These Pokemon games are just a quick, lazy attempt at a cash grab rather than the game long time Pokemon fans were promised. We’ve been disappointed with Pokemon games coming out year on year now but never enough to speak up, however that’s all changed this time round with the absolute slap in the face that is sword and shield. Gamefreak have not only given us a half baked, unfinished game that feels like it’s from 2004 but they even tried pulling the rug over our eyes and lying about why the games were lacking in some rather big features. The graphics are terrible, animations and models are reused from previous games, npcs are just copied and pasted throughout the incredibly bland and boring overworld and half the time the background of the battle scene isn’t even appropriate for where you actually are. With all of these problems I find it disgusting that Pokemon have the audacity to charge over $60 for these games and what’s worse, don’t even have the courage to acknowledge all the criticism and admit their wrongdoings. This is simply unacceptable.… Expand
  14. ER_Scorpion
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    I'm a HUGE fan of the Pokémon series, have been playing since Platinum and went through all the generations. But what Game Freak did to this game is unforgivable. Cutting half of the National Dex in order to provide poor and extremely simple animations and graphics is something Pokémon players wont forget.
  15. CrunchyShadow
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Do not buy this game. GameFreak misled and took advantage of the fanbase. This game, along with its counterpart Pokémon Shield, are little more than upscaled 3DS games. Models for many Pokémon are confirmed to be identical to those in Sun/Moon. The animations are garbage. The environments are barren. The fans deserve better.
  16. Gevlyn
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    This is no longer Pokemon at it's core. The brain dead easiness of these games combined with bugs and graphical disasters left and right are insulting. From a 20+ year fan and current competitive player, this has been the biggest disappointment in my gaming career. We deserve better.
  17. Sabor1337
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    1. Over 60% of the Pokemon were removed, that means this game has fewer pokemon than Diamond and Pearl which were released in 2007
    2. 144 moves have been removed for no apparent reason
    3. The textures are low resolution comparable to that of a PS2 game, and this game is supposed to be competing with games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 4. The    1. Over 60% of the Pokemon were removed, that means this game has fewer pokemon than Diamond and Pearl which were released in 2007
    2. 144 moves have been removed for no apparent reason
    3. The textures are low resolution comparable to that of a PS2 game, and this game is supposed to be competing with games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
    4. The draw distance is very short, you can only see pokemon, characters and objects in your vicinity, if you look out over the wild area you will only see empty fields devoid of life
    5. All Mega evolutions have been removed
    6. All Z-Moves have been removed
    7. The post-game is just battling dynamax pokemon and a battle tower, but this battle tower has fewer modes than all its previous iterations
    8. The GTS was removed
    9. The entire world around you freezes in time when interacting with certain items such as a ladder
    10. Pokemon Sword and Shield cost 50% more than its predecessors

    Not recommended    … Expand
  18. McCreeSun
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    After 20 hours of playtime my review is a resounding “meh”.

    The game is alright. That’s all. Not the world ending calamity we all thought it would be. I have the same good things to say as everyone else and I have the same bad things to say about everyone else. So I’m not going to bore you with the same old. The problem I have though is “meh” is not good enough for a Pokémon game. Full    After 20 hours of playtime my review is a resounding “meh”.

    The game is alright. That’s all. Not the world ending calamity we all thought it would be. I have the same good things to say as everyone else and I have the same bad things to say about everyone else. So I’m not going to bore you with the same old. The problem I have though is “meh” is not good enough for a Pokémon game. Full stop. We’re talking about a $90 billion franchise here, not some indie studio’s passion project. If this were some no name studio I’d say it was a solid game, probably still not deserving of the high 9s and 4s we’ve seen on review sites, but still an attempt was made.

    But the fact remains that the game is still clearly unfinished. The team wasn’t allowed to iron out the wrinkles to fit holiday release and it shows in the worst way. But I digress. The one complaint I do have that I haven’t seen come trough the network is the convoluted ways some Pokémon evolve. It seems entirely inaccessible to the casual audience they’re clearly pandering to. That’s just a very specific nitpick however.

    tl;dr: SwSh is a good video game, a terrible Pokémon game.    … Expand
  19. jonathan-a
    Nov 15, 2019
    5
    The game is fun because the pokemon formula is inherently fun. That being said the games lacks any improvements and in some departments is worst than older installments of the series. That plus the fact its 50% more expensive makes for a very mediocre experience.
  20. Gravoid
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    So much wasted potential. I'm really sad about the future of the game. It's worst then the handheld games.
  21. sweetbrown
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. So, I always saturate myself in spoilers before I get a game. The thrill of surprise is once & done and cheap, at best. A full purchase digital download on launch day is forever.

    The controversy surrounding these games isn’t undue and will be a massive **** for actual consumers and the rabid fan base.

    I’m so glad that I’ve watched all the streams of early leakers. I’m so glad that I’ve gotten the game 2 days early (Tue night in PST America.)

    I’ve been playing Sword (specifically this version) nonstop. And it starts out charming, but becomes increasingly disappointing as the game goes on and the new game luster wears off. It becomes disappointing and empty. But the background animations and many cutscenes are actually done quite well, so I have to give it that.

    The massive dex changes, the loss of GTS, the removal of many other features is absolutely unforgivable, this generation. There is no good excuse for severely limiting a region as part of “policy change,” for any other reason than pure developer laziness AND / OR parent company pressure & greed.

    Story completed as of this morning. You can skip this one. The mons are cool, and there’s something found for most people, but with a lack of endgame, dexit cutting out most of the mons from previous generations, there is only one redemption: making a Third Version which DOES allow all previous mons to battle in it, PLUS a discount for anyone who has a cartridge or digital purchase. If they simply add back all the features they removed, their rabid fans will sing praise and forget that it happened, at all.

    But until then, GF & TPCI owe their fans — their consumers, a severe apology.    … Expand
  22. AvalonBunny
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    A behemoth of a franchise given the Indie treatment by their developer. Easier than ever, no endgame content, no real story, or challenge... Just buy used.
  23. Ralet
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Worst pokemon ever. No full pokemon transfer. No online global pokemon trade. Short and boring story. Has the worst graphic as a switch game.
  24. SSZ
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Not the best Pokemon games out there, several features such as the national dex have been removed, the game is extremely easy and short and there are some things in this game that no one really asked for like the exp share being on at all times. Hopefully the next games are good though.
  25. Sylhfer
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    I was a bit disappointed when they announced the Pokedex cut of over half the Pokemon for improved graphics and better animations. But even that was a lie by Game Freak to save themselves from launching a game riddled with bugs and otherwise unfinished product. This game will go down in history as the worst they've produced and the backlash of the fans is justly deserved.
  26. Pomiculteur
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    I was already a bit disappointed by the removed feature, but now the game f*cked up my micro SD card.
  27. mariofenix
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    The series I once loved is now ran by people who think they can lie to the fans. MORE THAN HALF of the National Pokedex was cut in order to "make the models from scratch" and work on "high quality animations", but the datamine exposed GameFreak's lies because models and animations are reused from the 3DS games.
  28. Lorek
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Horrible graphics, gameplay is too easy, no dex national. If someone thinks this game is fun, that person might be an iddiot.… Expand
  29. fenix19851234
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Pokemon Sword (and by extension, Shield) is the newest mainline entry in the Pokémon franchise. The first console mainline pokemon game on a console, expectations are high and rightly so but does the game deliver? Simply: No, it doesn't.

    You are transported into the colourful world of Galar, brimming with new Pokemon and offering a challenge much familiar to any seasoned pokemon trainer    Pokemon Sword (and by extension, Shield) is the newest mainline entry in the Pokémon franchise. The first console mainline pokemon game on a console, expectations are high and rightly so but does the game deliver? Simply: No, it doesn't.

    You are transported into the colourful world of Galar, brimming with new Pokemon and offering a challenge much familiar to any seasoned pokemon trainer to become the most powerful pokemon master of the region. A big part of pokemon charm is its extensive world building which isn't really present in Sword. The large open seeming cities only contain a handful of places you can explore with buildings and areas deceptively giving the appearance of much more. It advertised a wild area, with over world sprites and new Pokemon encounters but for the most part is completely barren with graphical issues and only a limited range of pokemon to catch. Gone is the dream of catching 'em all with over half of the current Pokémon being cut from the series for the first time.

    Stories in pokemon mainline games have never been praised for their brilliant writing but Sword and Shield pales in comparison to even the series' weakest points. The characters archetypes are painfully already overdone with previous games, with the rival being a direct copy in terms of personality and animations to the last. Characters such as Bede and Marnie although seem promising at start, don't really have story development and don't give the time for the player to relate or to grow attached to them. The evil team is also painfully irrelevant with them only appearing at the end briefly and Team Yell being more of an annoying backstop than anything.    … Expand
  30. JirenLaboMX
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Not all pokémon are in the game
    Ps2 graphics
    Ps1 animation
    Handholding for the intere game
    The game feels rushed for be aveliabe before christmas
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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 »