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. shadowxz91
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    They promised that the cut for the pokemon was to increase the quality of the graphics and animations, but the animations and models are reused, and althought the towns look good, the new wild area looks like it came straight from the n64 or the gamecube.
  2. CallMeSenpai
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Easily the worst game of the series. Game Freak announced the cutting of Pokémon to improve graphics and animations; but the characters and Pokémon of more lifeless than ever. The mons are not scaled properly and move very poorly in the open world. EXP Share is always on, and there is no difficulty setting, making the game laughably easy. All caves/forests/puzzle zones were removed. TheEasily the worst game of the series. Game Freak announced the cutting of Pokémon to improve graphics and animations; but the characters and Pokémon of more lifeless than ever. The mons are not scaled properly and move very poorly in the open world. EXP Share is always on, and there is no difficulty setting, making the game laughably easy. All caves/forests/puzzle zones were removed. The open world aspect of the game is hardly true. Most characters and Pokémon do not render properly at all, and as stated earli, they tend to slide on the ground rather than walk ir fly normally. This game was a rushed mess. At $60 (normally $40) this is a true slap in the face. The Switch was supposed to bring more power than ever. Comparing this game to Breath of the Wild or even Super Mario Odyssey is frustrating. GameFreak had all the tools needed to make Sword and Shield a truly new, incredible game. Instead, they gave us what seems to be a 3DS Port. The graphics look the same as ever and lots of key features were cut for cute new garbage.

    #BoycottGameFreak #BuySecondhand    … Expand
  3. Zeriel000
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Wow it's so funny that the media doesn't DARE give this game a bad review. This reminds me of Bethesda when nobody dared touch them, but we have to be honest here. This game is a 3DS port with HALF the content and DOUBLE the price.

    I want to know why EVERYONE keeps buying the same game Over and Over and Over again and it's like I'm the only one that notices??? So I'm feeling like I'm    Wow it's so funny that the media doesn't DARE give this game a bad review. This reminds me of Bethesda when nobody dared touch them, but we have to be honest here. This game is a 3DS port with HALF the content and DOUBLE the price.

    I want to know why EVERYONE keeps buying the same game Over and Over and Over again and it's like I'm the only one that notices??? So I'm feeling like I'm going insane!
    This is the most valuable franchise in history, this is a BILLION dollar company and this has been going since 1995! so stop making excuses!

    This game has No graphics, No Story, Half the Pokedex GONE, Mega Evolutions thrown in the garbage, WORST STARTERS SINCE GEN 2! I don't care what anyone says! I'm so DONE!

    Don't waste money on this, if you have a 3DS you're not missing ANYTHING! buy Luigi's Mansion instead!    … Expand
  4. AshBlack
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    As a fan who's been around since day 1 it pains me to write this review but the glaring problem here hurts so much. The graphics and animations are inferior as a wild example take a look at the grass once you run into it it feels flat and made with inferior game dev knowledge. A recent example for a good looking game would be LM3 compare the two side by side and anyone praising SwSh shouldAs a fan who's been around since day 1 it pains me to write this review but the glaring problem here hurts so much. The graphics and animations are inferior as a wild example take a look at the grass once you run into it it feels flat and made with inferior game dev knowledge. A recent example for a good looking game would be LM3 compare the two side by side and anyone praising SwSh should drop their act. LM3 is a fantastic example for animation, graphic, ambience and fluid performance without framedropping issues. The switch is a powerful system nintendo has proven that, gamefreak wasn't able to optimize this game properly despite it being a rather timid game regarding the things that happen on the screen at once. which shows already how poorly this game was made. The nature zone looks the worst in that regard. Aside from petting pokemon and the battle tower in the postgame you'll find yourself unentertained unless you're seeking to be in the competitive department.
    Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing is limited to certain fights so you'll never find it usefull in pvp where you previously could chuck a mega evolution and have that as a surprise.
    EXP share can't be turned off which ruins the experience for people who wanna hunt for specific pokemon in the wild cause if they use the time at the hunt to defeat the unneeded pokemon they will overlevel without being able to prevent it.
    Customizing your trainer isn't exactly new either.
    In the older pokemon games there was more to do but past pokemon black the number of features and activity declined ever so drastically. The next entries should be called cookie and cutter so gamefreak can pack a cookie in a package and leave the other empty with the note "we couldn't be bothered to make this game so we cut it, it's just gotten too much work" I mean they release the same game 2 times just to make more money for as little effort as possible. so yea... I recommend to not buy this game it's a cookie cutter play any entry prior to lets go if you desperately need a fix. Gamefreak is just milking kids and overly loyal fans for many people this is gonna be a novelty that will soon collect dust on a shelf and for some it'll even be double the amount because they grabbed the game twice just for 5-10 pokemon that differ on a couple of roads. that's $120 for games you can very well call unfinished. of course the game appeals to many at first but what' to be expected from a generation that enjoys pokemon go?
    Once the people who bought the game get past the champ they'll move onto something else. If gamefreak doesn't fix this game or does better in the next then I won't even care about pokemon any longer and I'm sure many people will do the same and at some point pokemon main series titles will die as a whole. I hope that'll make the people happy who blindly rate pokemon 76 higher than it deserves to be.    … Expand
  5. TMR
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Too much stripped content to justify any score. Dexit aside, the game suffers from poor graphics and framerate issues, dumbed-down gameplay which is far too easy, poor animations and horrible designs of the new Pokémon.

    The game has strayed far from its roots and is a shell of its former self.
  6. rayshooter
    Nov 16, 2019
    4
    Game with good potential but left in unpolished I was able to get around national dex missing only to find I didn't need to put any effort into battles and the move animations suck.... Hoping the game gets tougher later on.... also didn't notice a night/day cycle yet.... I would say game is worth around 30 bucks
  7. Chickynator
    Nov 16, 2019
    4
    This game goes below average.
    It's utterly disappointing that this is all we get as the first title in the new gen. Finally on more powerful hardware yet barely any of that is felt in the game.
    Some areas are very aesthetically pleasing. Certain buildings and forests have great presentation. But gods above the textures and pop-in are horrid in the towns and especially the Wild Area.    This game goes below average.
    It's utterly disappointing that this is all we get as the first title in the new gen. Finally on more powerful hardware yet barely any of that is felt in the game.
    Some areas are very aesthetically pleasing. Certain buildings and forests have great presentation. But gods above the textures and pop-in are horrid in the towns and especially the Wild Area.
    Routes are abysmal, barely any better than SuMo, which is not saying much.
    No dungeons, the fights are braindead easy. No Pokemon has not always been this easy. Play gen 3 games and try to have a full team. You need to put in effort to make it work.
    Here it's just such a short and uninspired 'adventure' constantly being interrupted every few minutes with more forced npc interactions than ever.
    Forget all the external issues with the game. It's pretty goddamn bad on it's own two feet without the context of the other games in the series.    … Expand
  8. Yallmae
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Gamefreak so most laziest company in the World.

    Pokemon Sword/Shield look like early gen 3DS Games and play like Gameboy Games. The Game was outdated two decades ago and despite making billions with a **** mobile game gamefreak cant be bother to invest something in the maingames or hire some talented programmers/Designers. Animations and Pokemon Models are straight ripped out of the 3ds    Gamefreak so most laziest company in the World.

    Pokemon Sword/Shield look like early gen 3DS Games and play like Gameboy Games. The Game was outdated two decades ago and despite making billions with a **** mobile game gamefreak cant be bother to invest something in the maingames or hire some talented programmers/Designers. Animations and Pokemon Models are straight ripped out of the 3ds games. How Lazy can you be ? Gamefreak should be ashamed of themself. The Story is laughable and with 12 Hours way to short. And lets not forget the game is 20% more expensive than sun and moon.

    The Game is a disgrace and not worth the money Pokemon Sword and Shield is a Scam.    … Expand
  9. pucho
    Nov 16, 2019
    4
    Lamentablemente este debe ser sin lugar a dudas, el peor lanzamiento de gamefreak en su historia. Se esperaba mas del primer juego en sobremesa de la saga. Se nota claramente que han rehusado modelos del 3DS sin embargo han reducido la mitad de pokedex. Se siente que han apresurado la salida del juego para este año.

    Las texturas sobre todo en la zona salvaje son pésimas.

    Bajones de FPS
  10. Orangefizz
    Nov 17, 2019
    1
    Theres honestly a lot of things the game did right. It feels like a small progression. But honestly, it just feels that they failed to innovate and it's a missed opportunity. I feel gamefreak and nintendo fail to understand that the pokemon average fan's age is growing. They cannot continue to playcate to adolescents and expect that generating a new game every year with mild updates isTheres honestly a lot of things the game did right. It feels like a small progression. But honestly, it just feels that they failed to innovate and it's a missed opportunity. I feel gamefreak and nintendo fail to understand that the pokemon average fan's age is growing. They cannot continue to playcate to adolescents and expect that generating a new game every year with mild updates is going to be acceptable on a next generation console.… Expand
  11. fishforbrains
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    Seems like a huge money grab. Reused pokemon models, fixed camera (in 2019?!?!) Terrible terrible graphics, like n64/ps1 bad. WAY too easy and no way to change hardness. If this is what the pokemon series is now I'm over it. Plenty of amazing games out there that deserve a purchase over this garbage. Huge fail gamefreak.
  12. Trip02
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    The game is fun but:
    - 3Ds graphic's
    - bad framerate
    - more than half the dex gone
    - easy af
    - reused bad animations from old games
    - poor post-game content
    - Game Freak lied
  13. Brodecai
    Nov 16, 2019
    4
    Presentation: Despite not looking as robust as other first party AAA games on Switch, Sw/Sh are the best looking game in its series. I don't think the whole game looks terrible; it's just bad in some places than others. For example, some places are nicely designed and have great attention to detail. Others have very muddy looking textures and models-like in caves (some rocks/walls lookPresentation: Despite not looking as robust as other first party AAA games on Switch, Sw/Sh are the best looking game in its series. I don't think the whole game looks terrible; it's just bad in some places than others. For example, some places are nicely designed and have great attention to detail. Others have very muddy looking textures and models-like in caves (some rocks/walls look straight out of a PS2 game) and of course, the infamous "Nintendo 64 trees" of the wild area. Next, we have the user interface. To be frank, I love it. It's simple and effective. Not much more to say. Lastly, let's rip on the animations/models for the 1000th time. Nah, but seriously a lot of character/Pokemon models look like they came straight from the 3DS. Plus, they all have this shiny, plastic-y look to them. Kind of reminds me how they did Wind Waker HD's character models on Wii U. There are character animations that are re-used, as well. I'll just use Hop for the sake of time. He literally uses numerous animations from Hau. I even compared them. It's funny because they're pretty much the same character. There's a lot more cutscenes this time around. Better than the games on 3DS, but clearly dated. For example, a lot of movements look still look stiff. The render distance is pretty bad, also. Sometimes, NPCs don't pop up until you're almost near them.

    Gameplay: This game plays how you'd expect if you're a veteran. The basic formula is still catch, battle, train, whip your rival's ass, take on the bad group, beat the gym leader, and catch the legendary because you're the "chosen one" BUT with the addition of Dynamax battles (battling but with a bigger,stronger version of your 'mon) and little side features such as camping and jobs. Basically, camping lets you play with your 'mon (A la Pokemon amie in X/Y) and use ingredients to make curry (of all foods??). And jobs are basically like daycare, but your 'mon can earn much more EXP doing work. You look at job listings (which are easily accessible in the Pokemon center) and send 'mon that meet the qualifications. Later, you come back and collect your 'mon and you may even get an item that they recieved (or stole) from their job. I actually like the concept, but wish it was like the Pokeathlon in X/Y. Actually doing the little work mini-games and getting EXP or stats based on your score would be a nice break from the main adventure. Gym battles work similar to how they did in every other game besides Sun/Moon (thank Arceus). There's a little "mission" you do before taking on the gym leader. Some of which are pretty nice. Others are eh. Now, I'd like to talk about gameplay changes. I'm running out of characters, so I'll highlight the best ones. Certain NPCs like the name rater/move deleter/relearner are now conveniently placed in the Pokemon centers. Also, you can buy TMs very early on by using "Watts": A new type of currency found by investigating energy spots in wild areas. You also get a small explanation of a new item whenever you pick it up from the overworld and lastly, you don't have to step inside a daycare to deposit 'mon.

    Difficulty: If you thought Sun/Moon were easy, boy you're in for it, now. Game Freak thought it was a swell idea make EXP share a feature that you can't turn off. You know what I liked about Pokemon games early on? Switching out 'mon and giving each a turn to fight. And even when my weak ass pidgey was going against an Onix, we toughed it out, just so he could level up. It made the victory very savory, ya know? Now, that's gone. Also, you're given a PC Box link, which allows you to access your PC box from anywhere (except Gym challenges), which means fully healed 'mon are just a click away. And speaking of gym battles, you have the option to dynamax at any point in the battle. The effect wears off after 3 turns, but its still possible to sweep the gym leader's team if you D-max at the beginning. Lastly, there's a LOT of hand-holding. Hop is there to make sure you always know what to do and it's rather annoying.

    Conclusion: My final thoughts are that this game is extremely safe for Pokemon's debut on home console.No spoilers, but the story is what you'd expect from a pokemon game, with a few small shake-ups in the formula. Plus, you have the removal of over half the amount of 'mon and 100+ moves, which essentially halfs the amount of content the prior games in the series had. I knew we'd get to a point where not every 'mon would be available, but Game Freak outright said we'd be getting higher quality animations AND that models would be made from scratch in exchange for the national dex. Needless to say, what a load of Tauros crap. What bugs me is that Genius Sonority, the developers of Pokemon Battle revolution on Wii, managed to make unique animations for 450+ 'mon with a dev team of    … Expand
  14. IICapN
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Absolutely sad excuse for a game, this is quite possible the worst game from any top developer in the past decade (not just GameFreak). Nintendo should be ashamed to be associated with this garbage. A very short list of issues:
    - Graphics are OBJECTIVELY worse than Let's Go Pikachu and I would argue they're worse than Pokemon USUM. This terrible excuse for graphics is why we lost over    Absolutely sad excuse for a game, this is quite possible the worst game from any top developer in the past decade (not just GameFreak). Nintendo should be ashamed to be associated with this garbage. A very short list of issues:
    - Graphics are OBJECTIVELY worse than Let's Go Pikachu and I would argue they're worse than Pokemon USUM. This terrible excuse for graphics is why we lost over half of all Pokemon in the game? What a load of garbage.
    - We lost over half of all Pokemon in the game. Not just uncatchable, but they're not even in the game, you can't transfer into the games because they excluded excluded metadata for them and decided to exclude EXISTING Pokemon models from the game, which is what they did for other Pokemon.
    - Only 80 new Pokemon overall. They didn't even try.
    - Their new Pokemon battle concept is essentially: "Look, the Pokemon is now bigger! See how big it is? Pretty cool, huh?" No creativity, it sounds like a throwaway idea someone said jokingly during a meeting that they took as a serious comment and went with it. It's the stupidest thing I've ever heard of.
    - You'd think that Pokemon becoming bigger versions of themselves would mean Pokemon size would be an important thing to scale. Nope. They have Wailord shown as being slightly smaller as the 4'10" trainer (~150 cm). Wailord is supposed to be a 50 ft (~15m) long behemoth. But nope, huge (literally) details are no longer important.
    - Finally, the straw that broker the camel's back: the game froze when I was battling in the Ice-gym. I had auto-save on, but also kept manually saving anyway because I couldn't trust anything in the game at that point. When I restarted the game after it froze, the save point there was in Route 6, basically half the game ago.

    At that point I juts gave up on the game. I lost half the progress because this terrible-developed game couldn't bother to QA their garbage product. I'm going to try to return the game, but doubt I'll be able to. This left a bad taste in my mouth and I may never buy another Pokemon game again unless management changes and they start making respectable games again.    … Expand
  15. DaltonMata
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Unfortunately Game Freak don't listen to the fans and buyers, they insert mechanics and then remove like the Mega Evolutions that the community and I loved, I loved the Megas and is so sad that GF take from us and inserted a generic Growth repetitive mechanic instead. I bet The pkm company buyed the reviews because this game don't deserve even a a 5 is after all a Pokemon Sun and Moon HD, the cameras are free only in the desert of content that they call "wild area". And the nd the elephant in the room, in fact they had cuted half Pokemon base in this game and liead to the fans . This is a EA tatic, ththey betrayed their own fan base and consumers.… Expand
  16. Liamvida
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    In short, this game is awful for advanced players, mediocre for casual player and it's desirable that this is nobody's first Pokémon game, least they get the wrong impression. It is the worst Pokémon main duo ever released and the only positive aspects are derived from the standard Pokémon formula. Being understaffed isn't even remotely enough to explain the unacceptable low quality ofIn short, this game is awful for advanced players, mediocre for casual player and it's desirable that this is nobody's first Pokémon game, least they get the wrong impression. It is the worst Pokémon main duo ever released and the only positive aspects are derived from the standard Pokémon formula. Being understaffed isn't even remotely enough to explain the unacceptable low quality of these games; GameFreak has serious leadership issues.

    This trash heap is the result of complacency, and a lack of effort and dedication. If it had been developed with care and the consumer's satisfaction in mind, it would have been a polished title with a lot of content complementing the new features. Sadly, this is not the case.

    Bugs, no endgame, half pokedex, mediocre graphics, less features than previous games...should I keep talking? Save your money and don't but this dumpster fire of a game    … Expand
  17. lucs28
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    To put simply, I'm disappointed. I've played Pokemon my entire life, I've played all generations, all remakes, and to put it simple, this is the first time I feel a new gen is walking backwards. The cut pokemon, the claimed new animations and models being the same, the linearity, the lack of post game content, everything feels so lazy, so rushed, so soulless... The polemon concepts and theTo put simply, I'm disappointed. I've played Pokemon my entire life, I've played all generations, all remakes, and to put it simple, this is the first time I feel a new gen is walking backwards. The cut pokemon, the claimed new animations and models being the same, the linearity, the lack of post game content, everything feels so lazy, so rushed, so soulless... The polemon concepts and the region concept are still great, but it just isn't enough anymore. Up your game gamefrak, its effing 2019… Expand
  18. funkmclovin
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    TL;DR: "Been there, done that." This game offers nothing new for Pokemon fans nor RPG fans.

    As a long-time Pokemon fan, I'm disappointed that GameFreak has chosen to strip away so many features that have been beloved by fans. Many players, myself included, play Pokemon games for a specific experience that Sword and Shield simply does not offer. If you are a collector, this game does not    TL;DR: "Been there, done that." This game offers nothing new for Pokemon fans nor RPG fans.

    As a long-time Pokemon fan, I'm disappointed that GameFreak has chosen to strip away so many features that have been beloved by fans. Many players, myself included, play Pokemon games for a specific experience that Sword and Shield simply does not offer. If you are a collector, this game does not feature every Pokemon. If you are a competitive player, this game reduces the amount of Pokemon and moves available to use. If you like a story-based RPG, this is lukewarm at best. If you've played any Pokemon game that has come before this, you've played a better Pokemon game. Despite the upgrade in graphics, despite the brand-new region, I feel more at home playing an installment such as Soul Silver for the DS. If you prefer a more story-rich current-gen console experience, play the new Dragon Age. Hell, if you want a console Pokemon game, buy XD Gale Of Darkness, whose graphics are on par with this, a game released 14 years later.

    This game is good only for new Pokemon fans or those fans who are just desperate to play a new Pokemon game on the Switch console, and even to those people, there exists the Let's Go series.

    I, for one, hope that GameFreak's next foray into Pokemon is not nearly as clumsy or poorly thought out.    … Expand
  19. Fox-the-dog
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    Mal trabajo de parte de GameFreak...
    Pokémon ha sido una franquicia que he seguido desde pequeño y me he jugado todos sus títulos de la franquicia.
    Puntos Buenos: -Historia decente -Banda Sonora muy buena -Rejugabilidad Puntos Malos: -Reciclaje de animaciones de títulos de 3DS -No incluye a todos los Pokémon (siendo algo irónico ya que el slogan de la franquicia es “Atrapalos a todos”)    Mal trabajo de parte de GameFreak...
    Pokémon ha sido una franquicia que he seguido desde pequeño y me he jugado todos sus títulos de la franquicia.
    Puntos Buenos:
    -Historia decente
    -Banda Sonora muy buena
    -Rejugabilidad
    Puntos Malos:
    -Reciclaje de animaciones de títulos de 3DS
    -No incluye a todos los Pokémon (siendo algo irónico ya que el slogan de la franquicia es “Atrapalos a todos”)
    -Falta de gráficos siendo una consola más potente que una portátil como la Nintendo 3DS.
    Conclusión: Un trabajo flojo y hecho solamente para sacar otra entrega anual de Pokémon como es habituado.
    Sí es que eres Casual o un nuevo jugador de Pokémon está entrega será un juego para pasar el rato.
    Pero como seguidor y fan de la saga es una patada en el trasero.    … Expand
  20. Jesus107
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    The game is underwhelming for Nintendo Switch. It seems like it has not been through Quality Assurance. The quality of the game various if you have played it. One give away is that in some area you can find gorgeous sceneries, high definition background, but in some area it’s like a student project, character floating, Pokémon running on the spot without moving, Pokémon model disappearedThe game is underwhelming for Nintendo Switch. It seems like it has not been through Quality Assurance. The quality of the game various if you have played it. One give away is that in some area you can find gorgeous sceneries, high definition background, but in some area it’s like a student project, character floating, Pokémon running on the spot without moving, Pokémon model disappeared randomly. The wild area is supposedly the selling point of the game, but it is just boring. Lack of color compared to Pokémon Let’s go series. System lagged enough to annoyed me. Gameplay is like a slide show, I go from point A to B, have a unskipable dialogues, then move to point C. Story is nonexistent. I’ve heard that there’s a crucial bug that crushes your game and deletes your game files. It has not yet happened to me but the game do crush a lot.

    It is impossible to think that this is a main title Pokémon game. Any price would be too much for it if they don’t fix the bugs. I give 1 point only for the curry mini game.    … Expand
  21. patjakker
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    Worst pokemon game to date
    reused models, awful story, every new pokemon looks like a pile of garbage, half the pokedex is gone
  22. Hueonaldo10
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Este juego es una basura, que manera de vernos la cara Game freak. Parece juego de 3ds… Expand
  23. lucasnguyen
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    Let's go with the good: 1) The game looks decent, there are some beautiful area in the game
    2) QoL changes are amazing in this game
    3) The songs are good (I like gym leaders' and Toby Fox's one) Next up the bad (they are a lot): 1) The wild area is empty and shallow with thicker fog than foggy routes in gen 4 2) The story is like the combination between Sun and Moon and XY and work    Let's go with the good: 1) The game looks decent, there are some beautiful area in the game
    2) QoL changes are amazing in this game
    3) The songs are good (I like gym leaders' and Toby Fox's one)

    Next up the bad (they are a lot):
    1) The wild area is empty and shallow with thicker fog than foggy routes in gen 4 2) The story is like the combination between Sun and Moon and XY and work terribly: a) Hop is Hau 2.0 and Leon is Kukui 2.0 b) Marnie is like Lillie in the last island and being overhyped by Team Yell like the fans to Lillie c) Team Yell is basically Team Skull losing its charm, they both fight for recognition d) Secret bad guy is obvious like Lusamine and he has so many similarity to Lysandra, wanting to make the region a better place in their own twisted way e) The plot is rushed and makes zero sense
    3) All the new mon (to me) are bad with the exception of Wooloo's line and Corviknight's line and Yamper (just Yamper, not including its evolution)
    4) Nothing in this game justifies the national cut, moves cut
    5) Dynamaxing and Gigatanmaxing is the worst battle gimmick in these 3 gens
    6) Forced exp share (not because it makes the game easier but the removal of choice is always bad)
    7) Way too many glitches, lag and hell, people in Japan lost save files not only in SwSh but also other games

    With all of that, I give this game a 4/10, very average, nothing to write home about, especially for a game on switch and it's a step backwards from SM AND BW/B2W2 (the last good game in the series)    … Expand
  24. anstrbt
    Nov 16, 2019
    2
    TL;DR: Don't waste your money on an unfinished 3DS game.

    This game reeks of bad development and greed. I used to be able to bring my original Pokemon with me regardless of how weird or quirky they were, now it is a roulette spin to see if your Pokemon is included. If that wasn't bad, the animations in this game are unfinished. Instead of Eevee taking each paw and individually moving like    TL;DR: Don't waste your money on an unfinished 3DS game.

    This game reeks of bad development and greed. I used to be able to bring my original Pokemon with me regardless of how weird or quirky they were, now it is a roulette spin to see if your Pokemon is included. If that wasn't bad, the animations in this game are unfinished. Instead of Eevee taking each paw and individually moving like a normal four-legged in being would, It instead just literally turns around on a dime. But it isn't all bad, this game also has a couple redeeming properties. Those being the amount of detail and the textures and land environments. This has one of the best looking visuals of any 3DS Game. That's the thing though, the level and detail seem on par with a 3DS port, but nothing beyond that. It never really seems to take advantage of the Switch's hardware. Who is this game for, then? People who either care nothing about Pokemon, or people who are super fanboys.    … Expand
  25. WillfulFirefly
    Nov 17, 2019
    4
    After having finished "Pokemon: Shield" (by that, "Pokemon: Sword") in around 25 hours, I felt immediately compelled to type a review as this is the most disappointing entry into the Pokemon video game line-up that I had ever experienced. This is tragic for me - to say the least - because I went in with decent expectations and with hopes that this would succeed prior Pokemon video gamesAfter having finished "Pokemon: Shield" (by that, "Pokemon: Sword") in around 25 hours, I felt immediately compelled to type a review as this is the most disappointing entry into the Pokemon video game line-up that I had ever experienced. This is tragic for me - to say the least - because I went in with decent expectations and with hopes that this would succeed prior Pokemon video games well. Sadly, it feels more like a huge step back with some promising features that I hope future entries consider keeping and improving.

    Positives:
    (+) The new Galarian Pokemons and the Galarian Variants of past-generation Pokemons
    (+) Pokemon Camp and Curry-making: Both more charming than I thought!
    (+) In-depth Trainer Customisation
    (+) A lot of quality of life improvements in comparison to past Pokemon video games: This is going to make it more accessible for a lot of players while making it more focused for long-time players. Things like mints to change Pokemon nature type to exp share being always on making the entire game less grindy and monotonous. All very much appreciated!

    Negatives:
    (-) Inconsistent Graphic Quality: Some good textures, some REALLY out-dated textures. Some battle backgrounds look pretty cool; others, not so much and repeatedly used. Towns like Circhester look breathtaking, but then there are the open world sections that look flat and ugly. Textures may pop in-and-out at times. Stiff models.
    (-) Inconsistent Animation Quality (and Missing Animations?): Some elaborate and well-done, but - for the most part - low effort. Also, Pokemons don't have a turning animation, and NPCs seem to be are missing a couple as well? NPCs look soulless at times with barely any expressions. Pokemons headbutting with their legs look weird. Some Pokemons even use the same bad animations to attack (when using different moves).
    (-) Empty-feeling Open World sections: For today's standard of video games, even some open world indie games look more livelier than this game's open world sections. The AI for roaming Pokemons is pretty dumb and non-interactive as well and is easy to maneuver and play around. Moreover, the open world sections are relatively small in comparison to a lot of other games: even those of low-budget.
    (-) Incompetent Story: Most of the important things in the story are described by NPCs rather than shown (or - you know - involving you like a game). Also, most of it is the typical Pokemon video game story (i.e. be the very best, have a rival, meet someone with an emotional complexity, etc.). Also, Hop is more annoying than easy-to-hate.
    (-) Unpolished and Unoptimised Game: This game has glitches and oddities and even some weird exploitables. Pokemon AI in camp can be a little buggy, and the game got stuck at one point when I was playing with my Pokemons. Sometimes, my frame rate would drop below in certain areas much more in comparison to other Switch games.
    (-) My Switch crashed twice: This is the first (and second) time that my Switch had ever crashed, so - to me - this is a huge deal.
    (-) No Post-game: Other than completing your Pokemon collection and , there's nothing else. Honestly, this comes as such a shock as I never not had a post-game in a Pokemon video game.
    (-) Too much hand-holding: Every NPC treats you like an idiot even past the tutorial and reminds you constantly that you can do this and that. They make it a big deal for doing minor things like walking from point A to B. It is very annoying to be blasted by so many text boxes when you just want to play the game.

    Mediocres:
    (?) Relatively Short Game: In comparison to the other Pokemon video games, this is the shortest and I really took my time exploring everywhere. I was honestly shocked that I finished this game so fast.
    (?) Easiest Pokemon video game: With all the quality of life features, I barely needed to think while playing or battling. Personally, it's a negative for me, but - for others - this might be a saving grace.
    (?) Dynamax is a gym/raid gimmick.
    (?) Raids: I was expecting much more but it's just a longer Pokemon battle - not much strategy needed. This may vary from player to player though.

    Conclusion: My recommendation is to wait for a sale - around $40; it's not worth the full price of $60 if you're a long-time Pokemon gamer. By Pokemon video game standards, "Pokemon: Shield" is the weakest entry to the franchise. However, that's not to say that it's a bad game: it's passable and this is the problem because past Pokemon video games are not "passable". I think that - for a casual gamer - this is good to waste time in and have some fun. It was fun for me sometimes and even charming. For this case, I would give "Pokemon: Shield" a 5/10, but my current rating is to reflect actual Pokemon gamers (the ones who love battling and forming teams and staying engaged and whatnot) and - personally - this was a below average experience for me. Overall, I think that this game needed more time in the oven    … Expand
  26. Sercho
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Pokémon main line of game finally came to a home console and we couldn't be more disappointed.
    In a technical level, this game is basically still a portable console game. It doesn't take advantage of the power the switch has, I mean, we have breath of the wild and its beautiful environment and graphics. We have Mario Odyssey and its gorgeous style, we have a Master quest game rich in    Pokémon main line of game finally came to a home console and we couldn't be more disappointed.
    In a technical level, this game is basically still a portable console game. It doesn't take advantage of the power the switch has, I mean, we have breath of the wild and its beautiful environment and graphics. We have Mario Odyssey and its gorgeous style, we have a Master quest game rich in content and so many examples of good use of the hardware.
    However this game has trouble with drawn distances, the animations are so basic like in the DS games, the backgrounds are terrible being so basic in some gyms that almost feel like they come from the GBA era. The models just rotate in an artificial way and the wild area is so empty and bland. Back in the day we use to have amazing post-game content, but sword and shield fails to deliver in this area too.
    Additional to this disappointments the new Pokemon are (in most cases) horrible and bad designed. Bug heads, horrible eyes and anticlimactic final stages for the starters. So basically this is a portable Pokemon game with some HD textures glued over . Gamefreak created such a disappointment and lied about it so bad that makes me consider if the Pokemon main line needs a new developer more capable and less lazy to work on more powerful hardware.
    Finally after all the Pokemon they left out of the game they included Wailord even though they can't get its size right, are they really thinking or just making random stupid decisions?.    … Expand
  27. Mario94M
    Nov 16, 2019
    3
    Se su 3DS ci si poteva accontentare del solito gioco di Pokemon che ogni tanto introduceva qualche piccola rivoluzione su Switch hanno fallito su tutti i fronti. La storia è la solita solfa per bambini scemi, si poteva sperimentare con nuovi metodi narrativi e invece Gamefreak ha ritenuto giusto riproporre il solito teatrino con personaggi senza carisma e assolutamente dimenticabili. IlSe su 3DS ci si poteva accontentare del solito gioco di Pokemon che ogni tanto introduceva qualche piccola rivoluzione su Switch hanno fallito su tutti i fronti. La storia è la solita solfa per bambini scemi, si poteva sperimentare con nuovi metodi narrativi e invece Gamefreak ha ritenuto giusto riproporre il solito teatrino con personaggi senza carisma e assolutamente dimenticabili. Il gameplay subisce la stessa sorte, una ridondante esplorazione lineare e guidata come non mai da punto A a punto B, fatta eccezione per le terre selvagge che non sono altro che enormi distese di vuoto e desolazione utili a farmare in modo da rendere il gioco ancora più semplice e superficiale. Il lato tecnico è... assente! Gli sviluppatori dal braccino evidentemente troppo corto hanno riutilizzato gli stessi asset risalenti al 3DS, la grafica è paragonabile a quella del peggior MMORPG presente su PSP, le animazioni legnose se non assenti. L'unica gioia che il gioco ci regala è quella di poterlo finire (volendo) in meno di 20 ore, in modo di poterlo rivendere il prima possibile e rientrare nel furto dei 60€.… Expand
  28. Noobie123
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Terrible game. I have never seen animation that bad since my last roblox session and that was 4 years ago.
  29. mariioow
    Nov 17, 2019
    4
    I was extremely hyped up for this game before release, the thought of having a console Pokemon main game meant that we'd finally get a huge region and a ton of new Pokemon to play along with. Sadly I wasn't expecting that this region didn't even bring as many Pokemon compared to the fifth generation, and neither did bring a huge region like heart gold / soul silver. While taking out megasI was extremely hyped up for this game before release, the thought of having a console Pokemon main game meant that we'd finally get a huge region and a ton of new Pokemon to play along with. Sadly I wasn't expecting that this region didn't even bring as many Pokemon compared to the fifth generation, and neither did bring a huge region like heart gold / soul silver. While taking out megas and z-moves weren't the last straw that made me really disappointed in this release and just made me want to watch walkthroughs of the full game, the whole fact that the game admitted that they weren't going to include every Pokemon broke my expectations. I still gave it a chance hoping that the numbers would be close to 800 or something but sadly not even half of the pokedex made it in, not to mention that through data mining it has been found that 35 more Pokemon are getting added I don't understand what's going inside GF's head, they said that they were cutting the Pokemon because they wanted to focus on other features, the models, and animations. The only new things here are the textures that usually change with every generation and some new features that don't really add up anything new.

    I wanted to give this a fair review, I know this will be the first Pokemon to many and it's a good entrance to the franchise, after all if you didn't play the games before you don't really know the many Pokemon you're missing, but for me, someone who has caught every Pokemon multiple times to have every single one of them in my Pokemon bank, this game really doesn't make it justice at all. The whole route the game is going for disappoints me, and remembering how Iwata helped out during gen 2 while they couldn't fit every Pokemon back then reminds me of how much he was needed in there, I wonder if he was still around this would've happened, or if he would've said that since the slogan is gotta catch 'em all, you're supposed to be able to have them all together too. I don't have any hopes up anymore for Pokemon home, I don't really know what to do anymore other than voting with my wallet so hopefully someone over at Gamefreak's reads this and knows that I just want my friends to be all together, nothing else.    … Expand
  30. dooplissmagic
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    This game is a disaster. A major disappointment in literally every regard. GameFreak clearly doesn't have any love for the franchise what so ever, and should not be allowed to make anymore of these games. Complete waste of 60$ for my part...
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 87 Critic Reviews

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