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
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. SWandSHsucks
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    • Main pokémon games are low effort waifubait. • Main anime will be again Ash silly comic relief adventures. • Other spin offs will not be about Mystery dungeon or etc anymore, just mobile gacha bait. It's time to move on..
  2. saucyham
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    They cut a ton of Pokémon and the excuse they used was “we made new models and animations” that was a lie, the models and animations are recycled. Over bad performance and the game is so easy it’s boring. Don’t buy
  3. HollyS
    Nov 20, 2019
    2
    Very short, bland and low quality Pokemon game. It is definitely not worth $60. It uses graphics from the 3DS and has many bugs in gameplay, it can even fry your Switch and all other games save files. It only has about 40% of existing Pokemon available. It is very tutorial and baby proofed feeling the entire game. Too easy. Characters are annoying and constantly i interrupt gameplay
  4. Insightonic
    Jan 4, 2020
    2
    Mediocre Pokemon game. Barely 18 hours play time, no open world as promised but 1 **** tiny area where you can slightly control the camera running around in a boring environment for 30 minutes because after that you've seen and done everything there is. The animations are ridiculous sometimes and the areas in general are like tubes. No exploring, no hidden paths or anything like it, itemsMediocre Pokemon game. Barely 18 hours play time, no open world as promised but 1 **** tiny area where you can slightly control the camera running around in a boring environment for 30 minutes because after that you've seen and done everything there is. The animations are ridiculous sometimes and the areas in general are like tubes. No exploring, no hidden paths or anything like it, items are "hidden" in plain sight. This is a game made by 10 year olds for 6 year olds. No effort put into. Charging 60€ feels like a crime.… Expand
  5. The64thShadow
    Nov 16, 2019
    3
    Honestly just very mediocre. It's not entirely awful as some might lead you to believe, and honestly would have gotten a 4 or 5 if not for the entire context surrounding the game, how it fails to live up to previous Pokemon titles, and how it can actually damage your switch hardware and SD card. The world just seems so empty, and while it does have moments where it looks impressive, thoseHonestly just very mediocre. It's not entirely awful as some might lead you to believe, and honestly would have gotten a 4 or 5 if not for the entire context surrounding the game, how it fails to live up to previous Pokemon titles, and how it can actually damage your switch hardware and SD card. The world just seems so empty, and while it does have moments where it looks impressive, those moments are few and far between. It's the bare minimum of what can be counted as a Pokemon game. You catch, you train, you battle. The gym challenges do offer a bit of side questing and replayability but not enough to hold my attention. It is nowhere near comparable to say, the Battle Frontier from Pokemon Emerald, a game released 14 years prior. Many of the textures look as though they have been lifted straight from a Unity game made by a highschooler, and the animations lack any sort of uniqueness or soul. Compare the Double Kick animation from this game with Pokemon Stadium, released on Nintendo 64 and the lack of anything interesting becomes clear.

    Simply put, it's boring, it's bland, it doesn't look good, and if that wasn't enough it launched with numerous bugs that can brick your Switch and corrupt your SD card. There are much better Switch games you can spend your money on.    … Expand
  6. Pipistrele
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    Not great, not terrible, and generally way better than I expected it to be. Good things (such as music and overall presentation) are pretty damn good, and less-than-good things (underutilized wild area and silly plot) are mostly fine and don't distract from player experience too much. A lot of things may feel more glaring in context of the whole Dexit situation, or TGC's poor attempts atNot great, not terrible, and generally way better than I expected it to be. Good things (such as music and overall presentation) are pretty damn good, and less-than-good things (underutilized wild area and silly plot) are mostly fine and don't distract from player experience too much. A lot of things may feel more glaring in context of the whole Dexit situation, or TGC's poor attempts at damage control, but as its own game, it's still and solid Pokemon title that has the same warm atmosphere and enjoyable core gameplay. All in all, I recommend avoiding the hate/hype train and watch some professional reviews for better judgment - especially with a lot of claims on its "awfulness" being exaggerated by public outlash at the moment.… Expand
  7. Basednredpilled
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Bad graphics. Bad animations. Even bad music. Extremely short. No postgame content. No national dex. Bad story. Bad characters. Permanent exp share. Do i have to continue? I gave it a 2 instead of 0 just because some of the new pokemon have good designs. Nobody should buy this game.
  8. DaigoDaigo
    Sep 16, 2021
    7
    I like the game. I really do. The graphic look nice, the music sound nice, and the battle are epic.....one problem though. The game is short as ****

    Gameplay: First, it a pokemon game. So it play like a pokemon game. You beat up trainers, catch and train pokemon. Simple, right? Except there less pokemon now, and even less trainers. So expecting plenty of battle from random trainers    I like the game. I really do. The graphic look nice, the music sound nice, and the battle are epic.....one problem though. The game is short as ****

    Gameplay: First, it a pokemon game. So it play like a pokemon game. You beat up trainers, catch and train pokemon. Simple, right? Except there less pokemon now, and even less trainers. So expecting plenty of battle from random trainers isn't good since each route is super short. We even lose access to mega. But hey, at least we got dynamaxing and gigamaxing.

    Music: Oh I love the music. Music is neat. But I don't think music will save this game.

    Graphic: Let me be honest. The graphic is awesome. In fact, I think it one of the greatest thing for pokemon. Exceeeeeept the way gamefreak made it....it really super messy. The draw distance is terrible, and there are some game asset model look super low resolution.

    Story: It a pokemon game. Story should be somewhat the same.....except it even worse! Even Team Skull and the Aether Foundation make more sense than this game story evil villain team. I'm not gonna spoil it, but it just really lack luster and make me go "The hell is this!?"

    Thing pisses me off: The pokemon cut, the move cuts, and the mega being cut out really pisses me off. But there been word circling around that not only is most of these gone for the sake of "Muh graphic." There also a game breaking bug that hurt the sd card which delete your entire SD card and also has the possibility to brick the Switch. Now I'm not sure whether or not it will brick, but there are a few reports.

    If I was forgiving, I would give this game a 6 outta 10. But I'm kinda mad at Gamefreak so it get a 4 outta 10. But since that gamebreaking bug show up and giving me the scare, I'm giving it a 3 outta 10.

    I love Pokemon, I want it to do better. I would give sun and moon a 10 outta 10 just because I'm a pokemon fanatic. But this game. Holy **** This game make me super mad.

    Edit: I might have to change the score once the Expansion is release, Until June come around, this shall remain a 3.

    Edit Part 2: I brought it up to a 5. Mostly because of the isle of armor dlc convince me to raise it. It still bad, but the fact my favorite pokemon is back in made me raise my user score.

    Update in 2021: It has been awhile since this game first release. And I can understand why it would have a low score. Now that the heat is off. And we have a majority of the Pokemon in due to dlc, I want to say this game isn't really as bad. But at the same time, it not truly good either. The story and game play is good. The graphic look fine as it is. If I have to say what my biggest gripe about this game is due to the missing pokemon, and mega evolution.    … Expand
  9. Kazukii
    Nov 16, 2019
    3
    There is really no excuse for a half baked experience like this from the same creators of masterful titles in the past, are we really not able to shift up the pokemon formula for it's first ever main series console iteration, not only is this a rehash of past games with slightly enhanced graphics that do not even optimize well on the Switch with exact model duplicates from Sun and Moon itThere is really no excuse for a half baked experience like this from the same creators of masterful titles in the past, are we really not able to shift up the pokemon formula for it's first ever main series console iteration, not only is this a rehash of past games with slightly enhanced graphics that do not even optimize well on the Switch with exact model duplicates from Sun and Moon it has most of the regular content you expect slashed, story is none existent, end game is purely pvp focused, the famous Dexit, and on top of that it's painfully easy to play, you would think an ageing audience would allow you to increase difficulty instead each game is feeling lazier than the last without any thought or reason to actually play anymore other than a few new interesting creatures added. And that, at least for me, is not worth dropping 60$.… Expand
  10. Fresh972
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    400 pokemon...
    The new pokemon are not beautiful. The game is too simple. The worst pokemon.
  11. LapisLazuli
    Nov 25, 2019
    2
    I was pretty bummed with the pokémon cut at first but I got over it after some time, I thought the game could be good even with the cut. I was utterly and absolutely wrong. I don't care about graphics but if you do, I want you to know that what you saw on trailers is exactly how it is in the final game. The story left a bad taste in my mouth, it seemed rushed, incomplete even. The gameI was pretty bummed with the pokémon cut at first but I got over it after some time, I thought the game could be good even with the cut. I was utterly and absolutely wrong. I don't care about graphics but if you do, I want you to know that what you saw on trailers is exactly how it is in the final game. The story left a bad taste in my mouth, it seemed rushed, incomplete even. The game play received a new mechanic called dynamax, it is cool at first but it adds little to the battles considering it is very similar to Z moves, the raids are broken, also the online infrastructure is barebones and prone to a multitude of errors, you need to use an archaic 4 digit password to connect with your friends online instead of having a convenient friend list. The wild area is a cool addition but you better play it offline or else be prepared to experience 00s MMO lag. The new pokémon and new galar forms are great though, it's the only reason I'm not giving this "game" a 0.… Expand
  12. YT123
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    This game gets too much hate. It's not a bad game, but it definitely lacks ambition.

    + Some QoL improvements - The (3)DS Pokémon games have more Pokémon in the game - Very poor pacing in the second half of the campaign - Graphics and animations are subpar compared to other Switch games - No GTS - Forced exp share, extremely linear routes and frequent auto-healing further simplify    This game gets too much hate. It's not a bad game, but it definitely lacks ambition.

    + Some QoL improvements
    - The (3)DS Pokémon games have more Pokémon in the game
    - Very poor pacing in the second half of the campaign
    - Graphics and animations are subpar compared to other Switch games
    - No GTS
    - Forced exp share, extremely linear routes and frequent auto-healing further simplify the game (which was not necessary at all)
    - The game feels unfinished/unpolished

    It's still a pretty fun game though, most Pokémon fans will probably enjoy it. But it could have been so much more..    … Expand
  13. Skyblue98
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Pokémon Sword and Shield (Sw/Sh) are not bad when it comes to the meta aspect. Many new mechanics were introduced to make team building easier and the new mons are interesting. Design wise that could be argued, but that's not the point. I think the Wild Area, while not nearly perfect, is a good starting point for what there is to come. However, how can we get excited for that when GF andPokémon Sword and Shield (Sw/Sh) are not bad when it comes to the meta aspect. Many new mechanics were introduced to make team building easier and the new mons are interesting. Design wise that could be argued, but that's not the point. I think the Wild Area, while not nearly perfect, is a good starting point for what there is to come. However, how can we get excited for that when GF and TPC have been more and more lazy over the years? From a graphical standpoint the game is inadmissible. Textures are really sub-par and pop-in is a real problem. Animations and models are reused, and they weren't even high quality back in the 3DS Era. Pokémon are not expressive and these animations don't help. Battle backgrounds are are not present in multiple ocassions, which is a huge letdown. This happens more often than I would like to recognize being a massive fan myself. The funny part is that some media related to Nintendo stated that these problems were only present in illegal versions of the game but that has been proven wrong already by the horrendous state of the game. The human models are no better and they are animated like a PS2 game. The scene of the legendaries is tragic when it comes to the animation. The performance of the game is also lacking, which is unexpected due to the huge content cut that we suffered. It's hard to believe that this is the same platform where BoTW and Odyssey were released. Finally, the length of the game does not compensate, being around 12 hours. It is tragic and sad, but we can not let GF go away with it… Expand
  14. Sourbrownpoop
    Nov 17, 2019
    3
    I regret buying this game. It’s not worth 60$. You can obviously tell that it was something the Pokemon Team was planing for the 3ds, but decided to put it onto the switch. You can see the npcs come into view while walking down a street just like the 3ds. The graphics are on the same level as OoT on the 64 at some areas. And the story is just not good. It just feels like your child hoodI regret buying this game. It’s not worth 60$. You can obviously tell that it was something the Pokemon Team was planing for the 3ds, but decided to put it onto the switch. You can see the npcs come into view while walking down a street just like the 3ds. The graphics are on the same level as OoT on the 64 at some areas. And the story is just not good. It just feels like your child hood bud is walking from town to town with you. I wouldn't be so upset about buying it if it wasn’t the full price of 60$. So many more companies are doing so much more and asking for the same price or even less. Look at BoTW or Xenoblade 2 for example. Its just annoying how the pokemon company will put out anything good or bad as long as they can make a buck. I used to be a huge pokemon fan, but I refuse to buy another pokemon game after this one. That is my opinion over the new game. If you wanna play it and have a good time with it that’s fine by me. It’s just not for me.… Expand
  15. Bibboi54
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    The game is by no means a perfect or great great game but it's really not as bad as people say it is. An average game deserves and average score most of the negative reviews are just people who are salty that it isn't as good as the other games in the series. But if you take away the other games and just focus on this one, it's an average game. Nothing else to really elaborate on otherThe game is by no means a perfect or great great game but it's really not as bad as people say it is. An average game deserves and average score most of the negative reviews are just people who are salty that it isn't as good as the other games in the series. But if you take away the other games and just focus on this one, it's an average game. Nothing else to really elaborate on other than if I could give it a 5.5 i would because it's not quite deserving of a 6. I rounded up to be nice.… Expand
  16. DeadLink
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. O jogo apresenta muitos problemas como o corte de movimentos e Pokémon, além de uma render distance que não condiz com o tamanho do mapa, porém o jogo assim como os demais é muito divertido e tem um dos melhores começos de jogo (senão o melhor) da franquia em que você pode pular a maioria dos tutoriais maçantes e encontra com o lendário logo de cara. Por favor gente, não precisa das a mesma nota que eu , mas, não de zero, o metacritic vai apagar essas notas de hate então de a nota que o jogo realmente merece (e só de nota se jogou).… Expand
  17. zdk00
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Could care less about the lack of NAT dex. That's not the problem here. Game felt outrageously rushed. Was a solid 5.5/10 for me until i reached the last 80% of the game and then it just flopped COMPLETELY. it really was a drag and i regret spending the $60 on this. I love pokemon and have always been a fan but it hurts me to say, I could never recommend this game to anyone. Just feelsCould care less about the lack of NAT dex. That's not the problem here. Game felt outrageously rushed. Was a solid 5.5/10 for me until i reached the last 80% of the game and then it just flopped COMPLETELY. it really was a drag and i regret spending the $60 on this. I love pokemon and have always been a fan but it hurts me to say, I could never recommend this game to anyone. Just feels like the devs no longer care and the rushed launch makes it seem like they are only in it for the money.… Expand
  18. LavenderVix
    Nov 21, 2019
    2
    Here's an Honest review of Pokémon sword as a long time fan:
    The graphics are pretty well, the Pokémon are cute and lovely however I felt some battle animations were lacking. The game suffered from lag and slow down in some areas, especially in the wild area. The wild area was extremely fun, however. It's easy to get distracted and lost for hours exploring and doing max raid battles.    Here's an Honest review of Pokémon sword as a long time fan:
    The graphics are pretty well, the Pokémon are cute and lovely however I felt some battle animations were lacking. The game suffered from lag and slow down in some areas, especially in the wild area. The wild area was extremely fun, however. It's easy to get distracted and lost for hours exploring and doing max raid battles. Dynamax didn't feel overly gimmicky as it was mainly reserved for raids and gym battles. Speaking of gym battles the music was arguably the best part of the game. The story felt lacking. It's suddenly just thrust at you near the end of the game and there's no real explanation as to why the events are happening, the final battle is less of a struggle and more of letting the two cover legendaries do all the work. As for the rest of the game, it's slightly challenging at the start but once you have access to the wild area it's extremely easy to become over leveled and I spent the entire game from that point on 20 to 30 levels ahead of the trainers on the routes and gym leaders. The tournament at the end was a nice change, and some of the characters actually did feel a little more developed than the last few games. There's a small bit of post game story but once that's over the game begins to feel dull and repetitive. Not having the entire Pokédex did not effect the main game however it feels like the post game is lacking and missing something that adding a few more pokémon into the wild to track down could very well fix. Online interaction feels a little bare bones. There is no GTS, and no way to communicate to a person you may be trading with what pokémon you are offering or looking for, making getting specific version exclusives pokémon difficult. Over all, it was a fun experience but the game feels rushed, unpolished, and as if something more was intended but never fully realized.    … Expand
  19. KingOfRock
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    I have to start off by saying, I'm only being honest here. This game has lots of flaws, and I will not ignore them. But I can see the forest for the trees. Overall this isn't a terrible game, just an okay game. But one with some serious flaws that keep it from being better than it could be.

    I'm going to start with the positives here: I do like the Galar region. I love the British    I have to start off by saying, I'm only being honest here. This game has lots of flaws, and I will not ignore them. But I can see the forest for the trees. Overall this isn't a terrible game, just an okay game. But one with some serious flaws that keep it from being better than it could be.

    I'm going to start with the positives here:

    I do like the Galar region. I love the British setting and I find it very charming and colorful. I like a lot of the new Pokemon designs. I actually think I like more than I hate, the first time I've felt this way in several generations. Also it's a return to form after Sun and Moon. Really, there's some good stuff here.

    And there's some bad stuff:

    The EXP Share. I'm starting with this because I hate it the most. I get people dislike or even hate other things about this game (I'm getting to it), but this bugs me the most. It isn't even an optional thing. It's stuck on. It doesn't make sense. The reason this bugs me so much isn't just because it makes it waaaaay too easy, even by Pokemon standards. I also hate how it robs me of my way of training my Pokemon. I always used to play by trying to balance out my Pokemon and keep them at equal levels. This robs me of a convenient way to do that. Also, because everyone can gain EXP even without going into battle it's given me less incentive to switch Pokemon. I've not changed from my starter at all in the beginning because there wasn't much of a need to. It wasn't a conscious thing. I just didn't noticed I did it. Seriously, that EXP Share is a fun-sucker. And like most people, I'm not a fan of the graphics. They're colorful, like I said, but they're dated. Game Freak could have done a better job updating the graphics while still keeping the cartoony charm. And everyone's said enough about the National Dex removal and the missing Pokemon. I don't like it either.

    I don't think the good and bad balance out so well, but really the rest is just average. It doesn't do anything unique or special with the battle system. Dynamaxing is an awesome concept. It isn't used to its full potential from what I've seen anyways.

    I don't get why this game was rushed. There was potential here. This needed more time in the oven. I would have rather waited another year and just got something that felt more complete than what we got. I know a lot of people feel this way. I can't even call this a "bad" game because, in all fairness, even bad games can be memorable. This is just so bland and average it kind of hurts.    … Expand
  20. KinMonteste
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    The main problem with this game is not only the pokemon cut away but the lies of the company, if too expensive to make a pokemon game? litterally there is hundreds if not thousands of pro games developer that would done a better job free, you know why i know that? because every year fans make games from 0, new animations, new pokemon desings, attacks, textures and everything for free, butThe main problem with this game is not only the pokemon cut away but the lies of the company, if too expensive to make a pokemon game? litterally there is hundreds if not thousands of pro games developer that would done a better job free, you know why i know that? because every year fans make games from 0, new animations, new pokemon desings, attacks, textures and everything for free, but of course pokemon and nintendo do not like those people to exist and shut the game down, theres a lot of problems with this game, shiny locks, competitive change, bad meta, unbalanced pokemon, deleted attacks really used on competitive, cut of megas but mawile, sableye and abomasnow that depended on their megas, are still on the game so those pokemon again wont be used at all, mega is a fan favourite, this game was marketed as a "game for fans" ... man, we fans love this game, thats why this game hurt us so much, this is no a 0-10 because i hate this game, is the opposite, i really love this game.… Expand
  21. rongCH
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    As someone who started playing since Red and have been seeing a steady decline of quality after BW (the last true decent pokemon games imao) I am sad to say that I am not surprised, I can tell those developers are old and trapped in time as they could only produce decent games for the 2d handheld generations. I felt the game lazy, with lots of recycled asset, uninspired music, poorly madeAs someone who started playing since Red and have been seeing a steady decline of quality after BW (the last true decent pokemon games imao) I am sad to say that I am not surprised, I can tell those developers are old and trapped in time as they could only produce decent games for the 2d handheld generations. I felt the game lazy, with lots of recycled asset, uninspired music, poorly made pokemon designs, empty uninteresting towns, also the new gimmick introduced (Dinamax) is absolutely terrible, I cant tell yet for sure but I am hoping it can't be used in competitive, if feels lazy, broken and unappealing to me, the games are also incredibly easy and having a mandatory exp share on does not help at all, removing mega evolution, more than half of the pokedex and several staple moves was a huge hit for me, this game will hit the shelf sooner than any other pokemon game i can't wait to return to Ultra Sun since that game was way more appealing and better made than this horrible excuse of a main line series pokemon game… Expand
  22. koopabros128
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    crap game.
    garbage story.
    Wii graphics.
    400/800 pokemon.
    Linear game.
    0/10
  23. emotionside
    Nov 16, 2019
    3
    O pior game da franquia com folga, game não empolga em nada e a wild area é uma porcaria sem sentido, para que ter vários pokemon de alto nível se não pode captura sem falar as outras cagadas, eu não recomendo não comprem até eles fazer um jogo descente e completo "Gotta Catch 'Em All" e o jogo ta muito fácil meu Deus vão a merda
  24. PointingGaming
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I think the game is extremely good so far, as someone who has played Pokémon since Gen 1 I am quite happy, there are some features they did remove, some with obvious reasons some without. Such as global trade, in the previous games they were flooded with cheated in shinys and legendaries. It adds more challenge to the game so you can’t just trade a garbage Pokémon for one super high leveled, and they made it so you can’t catch a Pokémon higher level than what your gym badge allows.

    I enjoy the wide open areas and being able to see other players in the wild areas. I think the dynamaxing is cool, and a lot better than the mega evolutions and the special moves and other gimmicks they have had in the previous games in the main storyline.

    In terms of new pokemon it was a hit and a miss, they have some good ones and some terrible ones. It’s about the same as gen 5 where they had some great ideas, and they also had some absolutely retarded ones.

    So far I am happy with this game, and I am about half way through it I have to say it was money well spent. A lot of people may hate on this game but I believe that it deserves more credit than it is givin considering this is the first main story game that has come out for the Pokémon franchise that isn’t completely pixelated.    … Expand
  25. ryguyreiser
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    F in the chat for Gamefreak and the Pokemon Company. Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon made me lose hope in the series, but now it is clear to see just how far low this series has come to.
    Yikes.

    Please do not support this game or you are actively telling the pokemon company to keep putting out bad, lazily made, poor quality games.
  26. BugsyNanusu
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    A bug filled mess with less Pokemon than Diamond/Pearl. Non-existent difficulty. Graphics that look worse than the Pokemon games on the Gamecube. Do not support this cash grab!
  27. WahjahEater
    Nov 17, 2019
    4
    Just stopped by to chuck a stone at Gamefreak. It's more of the same old baby a** gameplay. Not sure who gamefreak is targeting with these titles. My guess is that Japanese audience loves their grind-fest.
  28. ZeroArmada
    Nov 16, 2019
    4
    The worst game in the series. I just cannot recommend anyone to buy this game at full price. As a genuine Pokémon fan I still cought myself genuinely enjoying the game, simply because it's Pokémon. However by the time it was over, I was left sad about what it could have been. Since 3D graphics the regions have progressively become shallower and emptier. The illusion of a big region isThe worst game in the series. I just cannot recommend anyone to buy this game at full price. As a genuine Pokémon fan I still cought myself genuinely enjoying the game, simply because it's Pokémon. However by the time it was over, I was left sad about what it could have been. Since 3D graphics the regions have progressively become shallower and emptier. The illusion of a big region is there, however you can't actually properly explore any of it. The fact they put a lot of effort into the new dynamaxing system actually makes me sadder, because aparrently a completely new uneccesary mechanic was higher on the priority list then polishing the overall game, and this while they already had a completely fine mechanic called mega evolution that they just decided to drop. The new trainer customization options are really nice, yet for the truly important battles you're forced into this incredibly ugly football uniform, for just no reason. On top of it all for the firt time in the series I hated every starter design so much I just decided to release my starter at the beginning, and just picked another Pokémon instead. This is on top of all the glaring issues that have already been pointed out by many others. For the first time ever I had a Pokémon game randomly crash on me. Gamefreak just seems incapable of taking steps forward in one area without taking several steps backwards in another. To top it all off, this is the most expensive Pokémon game released to date. With nothing to justify the increased price tag, there is just no way I can recommend this game to anyone at full price. I just hope the amount of negativity and backlash will serve to finally wake gamefreak up.… Expand
  29. SirEpicPigeon
    Nov 16, 2019
    6
    Played a couple of hours. I am enjoying the game but man, it has some problems:

    - It feels like an upscaled 3DS game, including the framedrops. Try walking in the wild area when connected to the internet, it will dip a lot. - Trading with friends still uses the old code system from lets go (we have a friends list, use it). I connected to other people with the same code several    Played a couple of hours. I am enjoying the game but man, it has some problems:

    - It feels like an upscaled 3DS game, including the framedrops. Try walking in the wild area when connected to the internet, it will dip a lot.

    - Trading with friends still uses the old code system from lets go (we have a friends list, use it). I connected to other people with the same code several times..

    - It feels like spending time in the wild area will make you overleveled but I still have to see for myself.

    - Beginning was boring to me, but that is a gripe I have with every Pokemon game

    - A lot of pop in, including "online players" because I'm pretty sure the trainers you see aren't real trainers walking around.

    Positives:

    - I LOVE the new Pokemon designs are super cute and awesome.

    - Music is great and energetic.

    - Wild area, while visually unimpressive, is awesome with all of the pokemon wandering around and sometimes chasing you

    Overal enjoying my purchase but could have been so much more. The game should not have been 60 imo. Does the game deserve all of the hate it gets? I think so, because #GameFreakLied is a thing. It does not deserve the current 3.7 userscore but it does deserve some criticism to serve as a wake up call for GameFreak and Nintendo. What is there is fun but the game could have been so much more sadly enough. 6/10 for me, might change my review after beating the game.    … Expand
  30. Gohax
    Dec 5, 2019
    6
    Pokemon sword is the new installment of the Pokemon games made by game freak and all i have to say about this long awaited new generation game is its a good 3ds game here's why

    the story is your typical i wanna be the very best gonna catch them all and get all the gym badges kind of thing all over again pros: the new approach they did with the gyms which are now stadiums and you    Pokemon sword is the new installment of the Pokemon games made by game freak and all i have to say about this long awaited new generation game is its a good 3ds game here's why

    the story is your typical i wanna be the very best gonna catch them all and get all the gym badges kind of thing all over again

    pros:
    the new approach they did with the gyms which are now stadiums and you fight in front of a huge crowd is awesome and i really dig it

    also the addition of gym challenges is a good way to build up to the final fight

    the open area and the addition of raids really adds more content to game and really drives you to want to play with your friends more

    the new generation Pokemon although few they are really cool and i caught all of them just because of how cool they are and the awesome ways you can evolve them

    they evolution sequence was cut by half and now the Pokemon takes less time to evolve THANK YOU FOR THAT

    the games music is cute and a little melodic and really represents some moments very well

    cons:

    animation is total trash compared to what game freak promised

    the game is really short i finished the game including endgame after 21 hours which is nothing compared to the previous games that took me 30 hours at least including endgame and if not more

    the fact that there are some Pokemon missing is just totally absurd

    the game really feels like its not finished and it had more to offer

    the end boss which is not the legendary Pokemon you are supposed to catch is disappointing and even more horrible is the fact that only after the endgame you can catch the legendary Pokemon

    i know the games story is weak but some how in this one they managed to make the story even worse and your rival friend is so annoying and really cant do anything by himself making him kind of useless

    the game felt really easy as if they made it that way so it'll be easier for kids although they do know that most of the Pokemon fan base are grown ups but yea whatever

    the new dynamax mode which makes your Pokemon big and gives him ultimate moves depending on the elements is just awful and it gets old and boring really fast not counting the fact that you cant always use it and you can only do it when the game allows you to

    in conclusion although i had some fun with the game it felt as if I am playing a little better looking 3ds Pokemon game i am really disappointed with game freak because they kind of slacked off with this game which leads me to the final score which is a 6.5 out of 10    … Expand
Page:

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 »