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. Sqeewee
    Nov 17, 2019
    9
    Honestly, this is a very good game. The graphics are very good and charming, the world around is fun just to walk around, and the controls are satisfying. The new Pokemon are actually pretty well designed. The national Dex cut isn't actually too noticeable and I didn't mind having less Pokemon. The wild areas are fun to explore, and it is so cool to be able to see Pokemon roaming theHonestly, this is a very good game. The graphics are very good and charming, the world around is fun just to walk around, and the controls are satisfying. The new Pokemon are actually pretty well designed. The national Dex cut isn't actually too noticeable and I didn't mind having less Pokemon. The wild areas are fun to explore, and it is so cool to be able to see Pokemon roaming the world. The gyms are very unique, and very fun. I could honestly go on and on. My only real complaint is a few characters are a bit annoying. This game is getting a lot of unnecessary hate, so I urge you to try the game out for yourself, and have an open mind. Thank you.… Expand
  2. SOUNDWAVEMAN
    Nov 17, 2019
    7
    I have played Pokémon Sword for about 6 hours now and I would describe my self as a causal fan of the franchise including the games, TCG, Figures etc I particularly enjoy the games though. Now unfortunately this game has some major issues and I very much understand the frustrations of the Pokémon Fan Community who dislike this game(s). I personally feel this game was rushed, it isn’tI have played Pokémon Sword for about 6 hours now and I would describe my self as a causal fan of the franchise including the games, TCG, Figures etc I particularly enjoy the games though. Now unfortunately this game has some major issues and I very much understand the frustrations of the Pokémon Fan Community who dislike this game(s). I personally feel this game was rushed, it isn’t pushing the switch and ultimately feel that it’s like a game for the a 3DS successor console if such a thing were to exist which it doesn’t and I doubt it ever will. The graphics are a bit better than 3DS games. But should be much better than they are considering they are on the Switch. I’ve given a score of 7 because I feel that is a fair score. The game plays and you can catch Pokémon, Battle and have some fun with it. It’s not a bad game it’s just a bit of a disappointing one. To be honest personally I prefer Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee as they are supposed to be different and be their own thing and have a unique experience. But yes ultimately Sword and Shield are a bit of a let down. My advice is to find as much information about these games as possible and if you don’t like what you see then don’t buy it. Hope this review helps and thank you for reading.… Expand
  3. rob778899
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Game Freak needs to get their act together. The sheer lack of effort that was inputted into these games is absurdly palpable. Pokemon Sword and Shield in no way amount to the quality expected of a true home console Pokemon game. Us Pokemon fans deserve better than this. I sincerely hope Pokemon Sword and Shield flop, and that Game Freak learns their lesson from this whole debacle. The Pokemon community will not tolerate laziness on behalf of Game Freak. We demand quality. Otherwise, Pokemon may as well have no future.… Expand
  4. Swordt
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Very disappointing game for a home console. Pokemon have so much potential, but Gamefreak is overwhelmed. Thats it for me. X and Y were not bad, but then the games are getting worse and worse. For me its only a RIP Off. :(
  5. Speedwagon55
    Nov 17, 2019
    3
    Playing Pokemon Sword and Shield was a refreshing experience tbh. I liked the region, the new pokemon, the refreshing arena challenge system, the idea behind the wild area and the new characters. And u also dont even notice the dex being cut. Nonetheless, this doesnt change the fact that this game is a technical MESS. I won't complain about the underwhelming graphics, but running throughPlaying Pokemon Sword and Shield was a refreshing experience tbh. I liked the region, the new pokemon, the refreshing arena challenge system, the idea behind the wild area and the new characters. And u also dont even notice the dex being cut. Nonetheless, this doesnt change the fact that this game is a technical MESS. I won't complain about the underwhelming graphics, but running through the wild areas with stormy or snowy weather feels like watching a power point presentation, thanks to permanent lags and short freezes. Its so bad, that it literally HURTS MY EYES after a while. Permanent input lags and bugs make the controlls really annoying, exspecially after leaving the loading screen or fights. (i tried it out with multiple controllers) Those thing will be exspecially annoying after you finished the game. I really try to keep having fun completing the pokedex, but those technical issues make it impossible. I simply have no motivation to keep searching for the left pokemon, because running through the wild areas for hours is simply a simply unbearable experience. And completing the dex by trading pokemons online is NOT an option. The online functionalitys are partially unuseable, exspecially the like trading funtion. You'll just get matched with a random stranger and have no way of communicating with each other. You cant even express which pokemon you would like to have. You'll simply randomly offer pokemon that aren't even equal in rarity or strenght until someone quits the process. And if you are lucky enough to find someone who is actually willing to trade pokemon that are beyond lvl 5, you'll never be able to trade od fight with him ever again. Simply because you cant add strangers as a friend. There is no option to add friends ingame or to your nintendo account.

    I don't like the hate this game is getting, because its mostly directed towards the #dexit or the graphics and not towards the ACTUAL problems the game has.
    Nonetheless, this game is trash, a disgrace for the whole franchise and an insult towards the fanbase. That's simply my unbiased opinion.    … Expand
  6. Gary1408
    Nov 17, 2019
    1
    Conheço essa serie há mais de 20 anos, minha infância foi marcada por ela, deixei muitas vezes de sair com amigos pra ficar no sofá anoite com o Game Boy nas mãos, mas infelizmente depois de todos esses anos eu não posso dizer que a franquia está tomando bons rumos, tirar Mega Evolução que foi um acerto muito preciso em XY pra colocar essa mecânica Gigantamax bizarra que foge totalmente doConheço essa serie há mais de 20 anos, minha infância foi marcada por ela, deixei muitas vezes de sair com amigos pra ficar no sofá anoite com o Game Boy nas mãos, mas infelizmente depois de todos esses anos eu não posso dizer que a franquia está tomando bons rumos, tirar Mega Evolução que foi um acerto muito preciso em XY pra colocar essa mecânica Gigantamax bizarra que foge totalmente do aceitável, da minima coerência do que se conheceu do universo até hoje é piada, design dos Pokemons totalmente relaxado, absurdo e genérico plagiando personagens de animações infantis, My Little Poney, Scooby Doo, gráficos que são uma mistura de Android, Nintendo 64 e 3DS com texturas borradas e opacas, sem o minimo de qualidade do que se espera de um console seja ele qual for em pleno 2019, ainda mais na maior franquia do mundo, não recomendo esse jogo de forma alguma e acho que chegou a hora da serie sair das mãos da Game Freak e ser entregue para um estudio terceirizado que saiba fazer jogos para consoles de mesa, por que claramente a Game Freak não tem essa capacidade...… Expand
  7. Zycron
    Nov 17, 2019
    9
    Awesome game, some lag in wild area online but still pretty difficult. Would recommend to returning fans as you can blaze through or even skip some tutorials
  8. Phillyundead
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Absolutely insulting. Extremely half assed. I could have gotten over it if they hadn't ouyright lied to us. Just disrespectful of Gamefreak. Nintendo has been pulling **** like this for over a decade now and no one cares. Imagine if EA, Bethesda or Activision locked game content behind the purchase of an action figure. Amiibos are what I'm talking about. Don't be surprised if they startAbsolutely insulting. Extremely half assed. I could have gotten over it if they hadn't ouyright lied to us. Just disrespectful of Gamefreak. Nintendo has been pulling **** like this for over a decade now and no one cares. Imagine if EA, Bethesda or Activision locked game content behind the purchase of an action figure. Amiibos are what I'm talking about. Don't be surprised if they start selling pokeballs with better catch rates as MTX.… Expand
  9. LycanLiam
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    Pokemon Sword and Shield are the best Pokemon games in the series! I play the game every day! They are fun, exciting, and easy to play. I hope to see more Pokemon games that focus on story, character development, and gameplay! I recommend these games to everyone! I have played every Pokemon game in the series so far. This game is the best one so far. It is also really easy to learn and getPokemon Sword and Shield are the best Pokemon games in the series! I play the game every day! They are fun, exciting, and easy to play. I hope to see more Pokemon games that focus on story, character development, and gameplay! I recommend these games to everyone! I have played every Pokemon game in the series so far. This game is the best one so far. It is also really easy to learn and get the hang of. The graphics are great and the storyline is fun and engaging. I like how you can customize your character, and what types of new Pokemon are available, and it adds an additional depth to the gameplay. It is my favorite game in the Pokemon series. The storyline is very well thought out and is always interesting.… Expand
  10. BaconPancakes
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Shield has an advantage with tyranitar, but trading is super easy. I hope they continue this direction and fix the small problems (They are small). I would like another difficulty.… Expand
  11. Lahvos
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    Best game in series, beautiful visuals, great soundtrack, some much needed quality of life improvements, have everything Pokemon game should have!
  12. feschiquetti
    Nov 17, 2019
    4
    For a 2019 game, this joke should be 19.99. very disappointed with this buy.. Their player base are adults, its time for them to recognize that! Kids don't care about pokemon, they want cod and Minecraft. So stop with this dumb story and hand holding please! And I will not talk about technical stuff, enough people already proved that a student can do in 30 minutes a better job than theyFor a 2019 game, this joke should be 19.99. very disappointed with this buy.. Their player base are adults, its time for them to recognize that! Kids don't care about pokemon, they want cod and Minecraft. So stop with this dumb story and hand holding please! And I will not talk about technical stuff, enough people already proved that a student can do in 30 minutes a better job than they did.. oh, and the user interface is also slow and lazy... I wonder if they actually play it... Last pokemon game for me.. they really need to fail to learn. I just wish another big company could give a spin on monster catching… Expand
  13. Asger
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    The dynamax mechanics are a little dumb because they get free shields and each of the trainers can only damage the shield once unless their dynamaxed which hits for 2 so the 'boss pokemon' can just keep hitting you for a lot of damage and once you've finally broken the shield it spawns a new won and you run out of rounds and you need to start again and lose again in an endless loop whichThe dynamax mechanics are a little dumb because they get free shields and each of the trainers can only damage the shield once unless their dynamaxed which hits for 2 so the 'boss pokemon' can just keep hitting you for a lot of damage and once you've finally broken the shield it spawns a new won and you run out of rounds and you need to start again and lose again in an endless loop which makes leveling up really hard and time consuming… Expand
  14. Plansh
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    O jogo é o pior da franquia pelo simples fato da pokémon Company ter tido preguiça em colocar a National dex, removendo mais de quatrocentos pokémon e mais de 100 golpes
  15. KingArthur7
    Nov 17, 2019
    9
    Pokémon Espada & Escudo es un juego al que le cuesta la nueva generación. Presenta problemas gráficos aquí y allá, pero en el núcleo sigue siendo el juego divertido y encantador que sienpre nos conquista entrega a entrega.
  16. ShadowMderp
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    Loooooved this game so far, while it certaintly has some minor issues, it makes uo for it with fun characters and interesting new pokemon. This game has the best graphics in the series
  17. Aman144
    Nov 17, 2019
    9
    After playing this game for over 25 hours beating the main story and postgame story, I can easily say this is my favorite Pokémon game and it’s hard to go back to older ones with all the improvements sword and shield has to offer. Animations are amazing especially Dynamax moves and starter signature moves. The art style goes so well with this region that in some areas it just looksAfter playing this game for over 25 hours beating the main story and postgame story, I can easily say this is my favorite Pokémon game and it’s hard to go back to older ones with all the improvements sword and shield has to offer. Animations are amazing especially Dynamax moves and starter signature moves. The art style goes so well with this region that in some areas it just looks gorgeous. Depending on how you build your team the game can be very difficult as some trainers have really good AI. The league battles were incredible being in the stadium knowing everyone is watching you and hearing them cheer for you truly is a great feeling. The cities are big and there were many secrets to find. The game just felt ambitious and with some more time I know this game would have been even better but still I’m happy with what we got. The hate on this game is overblown more people need to play it and most importantly play it with an open mind or you’ll never like it. Definitely a 9/10 game for me and the most fun I’ve had ever playing Pokémon

    Also to address the National dex controversy I believe that is overblown as well, when you are playing the game and seeing all the new Pokémon you forget all about the Pokémon that aren’t there. If a game is bad to you because of frame rate drops and pop ins which in a technical sense in the wild area keeps the game from being unplayable then I don’t know what to tell you. It’s barely noticeable and if it bothers you that much I don’t know how you play many other games. Lastly I just want to talk about how great the music in this game is my lord definitely my new favorite Pokémon soundtrack you got to listen to it with headphones it’s so incredible    … Expand
  18. UMP45
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    It was fun for 2 hours and I got bored the graphics looks bad and the game does feel like a 3ds game but charged you for more money. I just traded my copy of pokemon sword for Dragon Quest XI
  19. newgamessuck
    Nov 17, 2019
    4
    As a father who's seen many people make bad life choices based on pop culture advice, I take away one point for the old guy on Route 3 telling kids to "live how you want" I have known a lot of people who would still be here or would be much happier if they hadn't listened to bad advice like that. As a gamer I take away one point for Hop, the most obnoxious game character since Cait Sith.As a father who's seen many people make bad life choices based on pop culture advice, I take away one point for the old guy on Route 3 telling kids to "live how you want" I have known a lot of people who would still be here or would be much happier if they hadn't listened to bad advice like that. As a gamer I take away one point for Hop, the most obnoxious game character since Cait Sith. Minus one point for atrocious and clunky pacing and all around bad storytelling. Minus one point for hideous art-design choices, in particular, the weird, solid yet bouncy gelatin hair. I have to take one more point for hiding the earbuds on a random N.P.C. in Motostoke rather than being allowed to turn off Pokemon voices in options from the beginning. I would like to take a point for choosing the skip movies option not skipping completely unnecessary in game exposition sequences that tell people thing even younger kids could tell through inference but I won't because I don't know if skipping in-game sequences was possible.
    I do like the max raid battles in the wild area, even though I would have liked to have seen another wild area in a different sort of environment I can understand technical limitations preventing that from happening, considering how bad the draw distances are and and how confusing the layout of just one area is(minus another point). While I don't particularly like or even remember any of it after playing(other than one riff from Hop's theme which reminds me strongly of "Kaze Wo Tsukinukete" and Michael Jackson's famous "Black or White") it isn't bad enough to lose any points from me.
    On the good side; in addition to having a nice local co-op endgame, in the form of Max Raid Battles that I can enjoy with my whole family, I do also appreciate the option to change clothes and hairstyles to make our character appearances more tolerable than they could have been.
    I also like the camping and curry making.
    In conclusion (T.L.D.R:):
    The game is too bad to recommend buying or opening, if still unopened, but not so bad that, having opened it, I would trade it in for what little I would get for it versus doing the max raid battles whenever a new Pokemon shows up on the schedule.    … Expand
  20. Kdavis8234
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    Made an account just to be able to review this game! I understand people are upset about the cut in Pokémon, but giving this game an overall of 4 is ridiculous! This game is amazing! As far as the cut in Pokémon, quality of quantity! Not everything always works out as planned, but if you skip either Pokémon title, you’re missing out!
  21. Georgemuller052
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    Es el mejor Pokémon que jamás se haya creado, un excelente juego adictivo, los que le ponen mala nota son piperos.
  22. Pio3d
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Corners were cut, pokèmons were removed, dumb gimmicks were added... seriously, go replay sum and moon, they are awkwardly better, don’t waste your money on that corner cutter trash
  23. PC_Master_Race
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Reused models, poor graphics and textures, this Pokemon release every year has to end to have quality games like Mario oddysey
  24. Lukasheg
    Nov 17, 2019
    1
    The game is the pinnacle of Pokémon games that feel just unfinished since X and Y. I stayed open minded during the Dex controversy and wanted to try the games and make my own opinion. Unfortunately it has been just disappointing. Wether you care about the Dex or not is up to you. Gamewise specially for being the first main console game it just doesn’t live up to nowadays standard. In myThe game is the pinnacle of Pokémon games that feel just unfinished since X and Y. I stayed open minded during the Dex controversy and wanted to try the games and make my own opinion. Unfortunately it has been just disappointing. Wether you care about the Dex or not is up to you. Gamewise specially for being the first main console game it just doesn’t live up to nowadays standard. In my opinion it is clear that Game Freak will continue to half a** games and push them out as soon as possible.… Expand
  25. IAMNOBODY
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Heavily disapppointed with this game. Considering how much GAMEFREAK hyped this entry as the title meant for long-time fans, it's quite shocking to see how many corners were cut and how half baked some ideas are. For example:

    -Graphics haven't improved that much outside having a bigger poly count and better resolution compared to the 3DS games. -Dungeons and routes are still (for the    Heavily disapppointed with this game. Considering how much GAMEFREAK hyped this entry as the title meant for long-time fans, it's quite shocking to see how many corners were cut and how half baked some ideas are. For example:

    -Graphics haven't improved that much outside having a bigger poly count and better resolution compared to the 3DS games.
    -Dungeons and routes are still (for the most part) a straight line. While weaker hardware could excuse such scenario with Sun and Moon, on stronger hardware it's inexcusable.
    -The quality of towns and cities are all over the place. Some have quite a bit to discover while others are just a glorified hallway.
    -The game is very laggy in the wild area while connected online.
    -Speaking about said area, there isn't much secrets to be found there. It's just simply huge.
    -Pokemon are still not rendered on-scale during battle (despite Pokemon Let's Go having fixed that).
    -There's no longer the GTS, which was a fairly useful feature in past games to complete the pokedex.
    -Speaking about the pokedex, the game somehow has a smaller pokemon roster than the DS games.
    -Just like in Let's Go, the EXP share is always on and can't be removed. This means anyone looking for a challenge in the game (like me) is out of luck.
    -Sound settings for the game have to be unlocked via talking to a very specific NPC that's easily missable.
    -Compared to Sun/Moon and previous games, the plot barely exist. The bad guy executes their master plan at the very end of the game and much of it's consequences happen offscreen.
    -There's little to no postgame compared to the 3DS games, which is quite a feat considering how little those games had to begin with. Once you've finished the game, catched all 400 pokemon and beaten 5 battles at the batte tower, you will have done everything the game offers to you.

    What happened to this game man? I really wanted to enjoy it, but there are so many questionable design choices here that I just can't bring myself to pretend otherwise.

    Please don't let your kid have these games as their first pokemon experience. It says a lot there's far more enjoyment to be had with the older titles like Ultra Sun/Moon, Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, Black 2 and White 2, Heart Gold/Soul Silver and, hell, even Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee for a more old-school-modern hybrid experience.    … Expand
  26. foolishdog7
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Gamefreak should be ashamed. This game is a joke and is a slap in the face to all pokemon fans,
  27. GutiCR
    Nov 17, 2019
    6
    Es buen juego de Pokemon, pero no hay avance en la saga, la verdad siguen siendo las mismas animaciones, graficamente no explota la capacidad de la consola, en ciertas zonas hay demasiado popping y texturas pobres, la verdad siento que no valio la pena sacrificar la mitad de la pokedex por un juego que no se siente terminado mas con los pretextos que dieron, la verdad no hay cambios en lasEs buen juego de Pokemon, pero no hay avance en la saga, la verdad siguen siendo las mismas animaciones, graficamente no explota la capacidad de la consola, en ciertas zonas hay demasiado popping y texturas pobres, la verdad siento que no valio la pena sacrificar la mitad de la pokedex por un juego que no se siente terminado mas con los pretextos que dieron, la verdad no hay cambios en las animaciones de combates. Pero en fin un juego entretenido en lo que cabe.… Expand
  28. FrancisDrake610
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Fan de Pokémon desde muy pequeño, de la misma manera que Let's Go me pareció un juego muy bueno, este a su diferencia se nota que fue echo con prisas, sin ganas y con el único objetivo de recaudar dinero con el mínimo esfuerzo.
  29. Detben
    Nov 17, 2019
    6
    This is not a bad game, but by no means is this a great game. Here are a few of my thoughts:
    1) the graphics and animations are disappointing. The switch has shown that games can look quite beautiful on this platform.I didn’t expect Botw, but the glitchiness, flatness, and laziness are a let down.
    2) not a compete Pokédex? Thank you next 3) multiplayer was practically nonexistent and    This is not a bad game, but by no means is this a great game. Here are a few of my thoughts:
    1) the graphics and animations are disappointing. The switch has shown that games can look quite beautiful on this platform.I didn’t expect Botw, but the glitchiness, flatness, and laziness are a let down.
    2) not a compete Pokédex? Thank you next
    3) multiplayer was practically nonexistent and glitchy
    4) it was not at all challenging. Ever generation they make it easier and easier. What’s the point of a game if it’s a cake walk?    … Expand
  30. palhum
    Nov 17, 2019
    3
    This is a 3DS game up-scaled, yet it has less content than the 3DS games. It offers way less content than its predecessors, and it's generally a downgrade to everything this franchise ever contained. The game has a short length, a minimum amount of content to do, a dumbed down nonadjustable difficulty, and poor graphics for what the console can do. It cuts off mechanics to dumb down theThis is a 3DS game up-scaled, yet it has less content than the 3DS games. It offers way less content than its predecessors, and it's generally a downgrade to everything this franchise ever contained. The game has a short length, a minimum amount of content to do, a dumbed down nonadjustable difficulty, and poor graphics for what the console can do. It cuts off mechanics to dumb down the already simple game play, offering little to no variety in competitive play.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 87 Critic Reviews

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