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. Sorrelfur
    Mar 25, 2020
    1
    Got to be honest this game disappointed me. I love the series and I've played every single game. I got both sword and shield and I wanted to play both. But after play shield I regretted my decision so much. The map is insanely small, there's not a full pokedex. And the worst of them all the expansion. That is disgusting on Nintendos part and it screams money hungry. Should've know with howGot to be honest this game disappointed me. I love the series and I've played every single game. I got both sword and shield and I wanted to play both. But after play shield I regretted my decision so much. The map is insanely small, there's not a full pokedex. And the worst of them all the expansion. That is disgusting on Nintendos part and it screams money hungry. Should've know with how crappy the game was that they were planning this. 60 bucks is NOT worth it and neither is the expansion. You shouldn't have to pay like 100 dollars to play a decent pokemon game. Nintendo needs to reevaluate themselves and this decision.… Expand
  2. AntiArmys120
    Jun 22, 2020
    0
    No pusieron a bidoof y ademas pusieron mucho pasto y poco contenido, pero lo peor es que recortaron media pokedex para darla en dlc (ni siquiera pusieron a bidoof x2)
  3. MANXMAN76
    Aug 31, 2021
    4
    This game was and is still soooo unfinished everything about this speaks rushed most of the game is just the sun and moon scripted reused as well as every asset from that gen just copied over this is by far one of the worst pokemon games to release to date with so many removals from mechanics to even pokemon hell we had pokemon follow you in let's go but we have to buy DLC to be able toThis game was and is still soooo unfinished everything about this speaks rushed most of the game is just the sun and moon scripted reused as well as every asset from that gen just copied over this is by far one of the worst pokemon games to release to date with so many removals from mechanics to even pokemon hell we had pokemon follow you in let's go but we have to buy DLC to be able to have pokemon follow you in specific areas this was a blatant cash grab what we need is more time on mainstream pokemon games and have bigger teams pokemon is the biggest grossing franchise in the world and it all started from videogames and least amount of effort is being put into the franchise is the games the new BDSP remakes and legends games look so bland and boring that I don't have faith in this game franchise anymore but look at Pokkén Tournament and snap they are what a mainstream Pokemon game should look like and not a cash grab… Expand
  4. Danbearz3
    Feb 11, 2021
    6
    Man ... this isn’t a bad game ... by any means ... but as far as a Pokémon game goes .. it’s just too damn easy !! Come on Nintendo like ... Pokémon is already easy ... stop making it easier . Stop taking out cool **** . Stop with the bull**** dlc ... idk ... I’ll still play it cus it’s the newest Pokémon game and it’s where most of my Pokémon are ... but there needs to be more of anMan ... this isn’t a bad game ... by any means ... but as far as a Pokémon game goes .. it’s just too damn easy !! Come on Nintendo like ... Pokémon is already easy ... stop making it easier . Stop taking out cool **** . Stop with the bull**** dlc ... idk ... I’ll still play it cus it’s the newest Pokémon game and it’s where most of my Pokémon are ... but there needs to be more of an endgame / postgame ... more like x and y or gold and silver ... I want more of a challenge . Also the music in this one is just not that great .. kinda annoying . And the graphics could be wayyyyy better .... like Pokémon colosseum had more impressive graphics ... for the time it came out .. and then the fact all the Pokémon aren’t even in it I mean come on ... next Pokémon game needs to be better . Way better… Expand
  5. Niwai
    Jun 11, 2021
    2
    Нет русского языка. Игра и так не шедевр, а без русского вообще шлак. Русский язык третий в мире, но разработчику пофиг.
  6. NotShiny
    Jun 27, 2020
    0
    I've bought this game because I was hyped for a new generation. However, I can't get an egg shiny. It depress me that this game is so bad that it can't let me get a shiny. Gamefreak pls fix ur game. #BringBackNationalDex
  7. martinho_99
    Feb 7, 2021
    1
    This is just a pure impudence! A game with grafics from the early 2010s, 20h story, no voice actors and only this few pokemons for the same price as AAA Games like God of war or RDR2?? Don't even talking about the poorly designed new Pokemon, the unnecessary Gigamax or raids. Additionally it is far too easy, difficulty settings would be soooo necessary. I know you can't compare Nintendo toThis is just a pure impudence! A game with grafics from the early 2010s, 20h story, no voice actors and only this few pokemons for the same price as AAA Games like God of war or RDR2?? Don't even talking about the poorly designed new Pokemon, the unnecessary Gigamax or raids. Additionally it is far too easy, difficulty settings would be soooo necessary. I know you can't compare Nintendo to the high quality game studios of nowadays but with Breath of the wild, SM Galaxy or SM Odyssey they showed that they can make good games too. As a hardcore Pokemon fan from almost the very beginning I grew up having every game and tons of merchandise, but Pokemon lost me already years ago - the shows and the games. Zelda and Mario grew up as a frenchise but Pokemon is more childish and easier to play than ever. Make a good game, throw out all the annoying stuff that forces you to play the game longer without real content, bring back Mega Evolutions and move the whole thing into 2020s gameplay!… Expand
  8. Xephlogo
    Jul 26, 2020
    0
    This game is by far the worst mainline Pokémon game. There is no story, few Pokémon, dynamaxing is basically mega evolution but worse. The fact that the dlc, which costs $30 USD by the way, isn’t even worth is besides adding onto the Pokémon you can get in the game. At this time, the Isle of Armour has dropped and it only added around an hour of story to the game. 0/10 would not recommend
  9. Black_S
    Feb 28, 2022
    3
    Not acceptable. Many bugs, lies, DLCs etc.
    It is 3DS like game at switch for full price.
    Gamefreak is burned.
  10. gecowarrior
    May 11, 2021
    8
    the game could have a bit more content and story, but the pokemon basic was still there plus some innovation with the open-world part. I really enjoyed the game in basics and I think if you like pokemon or want to start getting into the series then buy the game (it's not sure worth the price)
    ist DLC is also good and many even better than the basic game.
  11. DaHomeaSimpzon
    Oct 28, 2020
    8
    Before I stated my thoughts on the game, I don't condone review bombing as they may have never played it before. The reason why I am making this is because the review bombing of the game on Metcritic just bothered everyone. I want to let you know I had played the game (Yes, I had both versions) and let me tell you the designs of the characters and the new Pokemon are great. If there thingsBefore I stated my thoughts on the game, I don't condone review bombing as they may have never played it before. The reason why I am making this is because the review bombing of the game on Metcritic just bothered everyone. I want to let you know I had played the game (Yes, I had both versions) and let me tell you the designs of the characters and the new Pokemon are great. If there things that Game Freak needs improve on is the National Dex (which they already did with the DLCs), the graphics, the storyline and other issues. Maybe an update would be perfect to improve the games. Even though I am bothered with the price of the game and the DLCs, it still hadn't stop me from liking Pokemon. Even though the games had some bad moments, Game Freak was trying their best as they can.… Expand
  12. ATamashiro
    Nov 3, 2020
    0
    This game is incomplete in many ways, bad graphics, animations, bugs, glitches and not worthy of a mainline pokemon game on switch. There is no excuse for making such a bad game.
  13. Petrokolos
    May 22, 2021
    0
    Nintendo's most boring, sterile, unimaginative IP. Only buy this if you want to punish your children for failing a class in school.
  14. Oreun
    Oct 11, 2021
    3
    El juego se siente vacío e inacabado. Las animaciones se ver pobres y no sirven como excusa para quitar unos 500 Pokémon. Una vez te pasas el juego principal, no tienes nada que hacer después. Desde luego los peores 60€ que he gastado en mi vida. Por favor Game Freak, recapacita.
  15. Jejeff
    Jan 23, 2021
    0
    Gamefreak stopped in 1996. Terrbile technical issues, animations and lacks challenge.
  16. Suza
    Jan 28, 2021
    0
    No good story
    No good visual
    No challenge
    No new good features
    No all pokemon
    Need Nintendo Online
    Need DLC
    Need Pokemon Home
    Why this game even existe.
  17. ladiebird
    Feb 24, 2021
    2
    I really wanted this game to work, but it didn't.

    I liked a couple things; the league tournament and new gyms were really nice. A lot of the new Pokemon are very interesting and well-designed, which makes me want to use them. The designs of many of the characters were also very good. Nessa, Bea, Hop, Bede and Marnie were some of my favourites, but their personalities didn't really live    I really wanted this game to work, but it didn't.

    I liked a couple things; the league tournament and new gyms were really nice. A lot of the new Pokemon are very interesting and well-designed, which makes me want to use them. The designs of many of the characters were also very good. Nessa, Bea, Hop, Bede and Marnie were some of my favourites, but their personalities didn't really live up to their designs in my opinion. That might be because the game lacks any interesting animations and voice acting, something which is really noticeable at certain points (at Piers' gym, for example). Finally, the character customisation is really nice, despite the fact that you can't customise your face, and at the start of the game your hair and eye colour has to be compatible with your skin (for some reason).

    A few of my main gripes:

    1. For a switch game, it's pretty ugly. I really liked some of the towns and one or two routes, but choppy animations, boring battle backgrounds and out-of-place animations ruin it. The wild area makes this especially obvious, with large empty areas, dark lighting, Pokemon popping into existence out of nowhere and weird looking trees. The berry trees look completely different from the normal ones, which is weird, but both are strange and look out of place beside the cleaner character models. The wild area itself is a fun addition, but would be a lot better if there was more effort put into it.

    2. The gameplay is about as repetitive as expected. There is barely any innovation on the traditional formula, which is sad, and the super-effective system makes things very easy, but the same can be said for every other Pokemon game before it. I know the game is mostly aimed at children, so I won't let the difficulty level affect my view too much, but it would be nice to have some kind of difficulty options. It's just not very fun, and leaves no room for interesting strategies.

    3. GameFreak was blatantly obvious about cutting corners to get this game out as fast as possible with a smaller team. I initially wasn't mad about Dexit (they probably have to cut Pokemon out at some point) but the (paid) DLC adds a lot of these Pokemon back in. DLC isn't worth the price tag, especially when you consider the game as a whole.

    For me, at least, SwSh was the final push I needed to stop buying new main-line Pokemon games. I didn't buy the Sun and Moon games because I was bored by Kalos, and wish I'd stuck to my guns for this title. Spend your money elsewhere.    … Expand
  18. sjc9495
    Mar 4, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I know there are a lot of mixed reviews for this game, but I personally love it. I love all the different pokemon from different regions, dynamaxing, etc. I loved it so much that I have 365 hours spent on this game. I love cooking and bonding with my pokemon, and the battles. The only problem I have with it is unless you have nintendo switch online, some of the dynamaxing battles because of bad AI take several times sometimes to beat. My pokemon that I use have good stat, good moves, and are really powerful, but I get teamed with AI's that use moves like follow me or just weak. I have to admit my least favorite pokemon to get teamed up with is wobbuffet. He is psychic, yet doesn't know any powerful moves unless he gets hit like counter& that's a fighting type move. I think the AI's should use better pokemon/ moves. I have had many occasions where I'm the only one standing and my "helpers," have died a lot on 5 star battles. If I was to personally tell the creators how to improve the game, it would be get smarter AI to help a little with five star battles.… Expand
  19. BigBoiBranby
    May 11, 2022
    3
    "Mum! I want a new Pokemon game!"
    "We have Pokemon at home."
    This is the Pokemon "at home", and nobody wants it. Its lacklustre, bland story can't save it from the dreadfully dull linear gameplay. Points are scored for the one and only saving grace, being the wild area, a semi open world where Pokemon magically pop out of the ground when you reach their draw distance and the scenery    "Mum! I want a new Pokemon game!"
    "We have Pokemon at home."

    This is the Pokemon "at home", and nobody wants it.
    Its lacklustre, bland story can't save it from the dreadfully dull linear gameplay.
    Points are scored for the one and only saving grace, being the wild area, a semi open world where Pokemon magically pop out of the ground when you reach their draw distance and the scenery is ripped straight out of a Nintendo 64 Zelda game.
    The animations and Pokemon models are simply upscaled version of the models from the 3DS, showing a distinct lack of effort on Gamefreaks part. This is just one of the many corners that have been cut in this game.
    I won't talk about the new Pokemon designs, because although there are a couple of good additions, the majority are instantly forgettable or so horrifically mashed together that they leave you questing existence itself.

    What you're left with is a hollow shell of a Pokemon game, dumbed down yet again in order to appeal to "a wider audience". No challenge, no originality and no heart put into creating it.

    A real shame.    … Expand
  20. GameBoyAdv4002
    Aug 26, 2021
    5
    This game was inevitable. A franchise whose growth is this this independent from its quality was destined get a game that squanders its potential and sells its soul to the infants. I am not a Pokemon fan. Judging by this game, I never will be. That might have had something to do with the fact that if you don't get into Pokemon between the ages of 9 and 14, you almost never will. But IThis game was inevitable. A franchise whose growth is this this independent from its quality was destined get a game that squanders its potential and sells its soul to the infants. I am not a Pokemon fan. Judging by this game, I never will be. That might have had something to do with the fact that if you don't get into Pokemon between the ages of 9 and 14, you almost never will. But I think it might have been due to the fact that a game like this was doomed to have happened ever since gen IV. Most of Pokemon's revenue comes from merchandise. Theoretically, all the Pokemon company needs to do is released a half-assed game every four years with a batch of new Pokemon designs. Can you tell where I am going with this? This game is not bad. But it is clear that Pokemon is now too big for quality. When the company can tell bald-faced lies and fail to update on a 20 year old formula and still create a best seller, it is clear that any hopes for this series are in the gutter.… Expand
  21. HappySylveon
    May 2, 2021
    10
    My favorite Pokemon game up to date, I did play the previous games but this one is just better overall, it's not amazing, just good, and the best main series Pokemon game in terms of features and the core aspect of pokemon gameplay, so it gets a 10/10.
    The only thing missing is a good story, but I'll let that slide as the DLC provides that, which you should totally get, especially crown tundra.
  22. danlol483
    May 9, 2021
    5
    Este juego se carga un poco la saga de Pokémon por obvias razones:
    ¡Hay muchos DLCs!
    Y lo mas importante...
    ¡La historia es demasiado sosa y estupida!
    No recomiendo mucho la compra de este juego.
  23. nickaer101
    May 11, 2021
    0
    love win a Pokémon that I'm fighting gets to to use 3 different moves before I get to use one is and the win you do get said Pokémon you can only use one so i see a **** game that just don't what you to have fun they only give you 2 master ball through out the whole ass game and then expect you to catch more legendary with out it win and then have to throw 200 ultra ball to get onelove win a Pokémon that I'm fighting gets to to use 3 different moves before I get to use one is and the win you do get said Pokémon you can only use one so i see a **** game that just don't what you to have fun they only give you 2 master ball through out the whole ass game and then expect you to catch more legendary with out it win and then have to throw 200 ultra ball to get one legendary for the mission for my short answer just don't buy waste of a $100 just play the old ones or newer games… Expand
  24. DrPebba
    May 13, 2021
    4
    this has to be the worst high budget game ive ever played, to quit the good stuff out of the way i have to say the game looks good, it has ok graphic in some parts but its inconsistent in other like the nintendo 64 trees, the new pokemon are ok i guess some of them have cool design like toxicitry and grimmnsnarl but most of them are forgettable and ok thats enough the lame parts, theythis has to be the worst high budget game ive ever played, to quit the good stuff out of the way i have to say the game looks good, it has ok graphic in some parts but its inconsistent in other like the nintendo 64 trees, the new pokemon are ok i guess some of them have cool design like toxicitry and grimmnsnarl but most of them are forgettable and ok thats enough the lame parts, they removed more than the half of species to improve graphics, funny how the graphics are just ok, the story is bad, short, and easy, the wild area is terrible, the pokemon are just unnatural they dissapear and the behavior is repetitve, there is nothing to explore and its just to small, the villages are tiny, even some 3ds towns are bigger, and overral the game could just be made for the 3ds if you downgrade the graphics and remove the wild area, there isnt anyything interesting to do when you beat it, the online you have to pay, yeah how fun and it isnt even good. then shortly after release they announce a dlc that could have been in the main game, no thanks. this isnt the worst game of all time, but from a rename company like nintendo its actually the worst rename game i have ever played. dont throw your 60 dollars away and use it on a better game… Expand
  25. Tiziown
    May 22, 2021
    0
    The worst game in the series, short, boring, plain story, plain characters, too many cuts and horrible addings like the Gigamax.
  26. Berd
    May 25, 2021
    0
    Short, bland, no content, and little innovation. Feels very barebones and not worth full price. Maybe $15
  27. Axomarine
    Aug 25, 2021
    5
    While Pokemon Sword and Shield share their version of an open-world game in the form of the Wild Area, it makes for the most forgettable characters and moments in the main series games.
  28. Burnhard
    Jul 4, 2021
    3
    This is, without a doubt, the weakest game in the whole series. It's even more linear than Ultra Sun, and it's about as easy as the Let's Go games.

    I know Pokemon games aren't meant to be very challenging, but there isn't one even slightly challenging moment in this game. The exp. share can no longer be turned off, which is a fine change for people who hate grinding (like me), but for    This is, without a doubt, the weakest game in the whole series. It's even more linear than Ultra Sun, and it's about as easy as the Let's Go games.

    I know Pokemon games aren't meant to be very challenging, but there isn't one even slightly challenging moment in this game. The exp. share can no longer be turned off, which is a fine change for people who hate grinding (like me), but for people who didn't like the modern exp. share, it must really suck for them.

    I never cared too much about the lack of a national dex (there are much bigger problems with the game), but it's still really lame how they didn't include all of the Pokemon in this new SWITCH game. Game Freak would rather have people pay for their favorite Pokemon alongside the game. It's consumer hostile. Aside from that, the game looks like they just up-scaled 3ds textures and models for the switch (and some of the textures still look like they're on 3ds). The character and Pokemon animations are either reused or just really basic. Speaking of reused character animations, the new rival, Hop, reuses a few animations that were used for Hau in the gen 7 games.

    Speaking of Hop, he is pretty much just a copy and paste of Hau, as he goes through a very similar and generic character arc of having initial high hopes about being a trainer, then being shot down toward the end, but somehow regaining his confidence because another person told him something off-screen. The rest of the characters in the game are just as one-dimensional, which is a shame because most of the character designs look really good.

    At least the game's music is pretty good... There we go, like that's hard for a Pokemon game to do.

    The reused Pokemon models (as well as the new ones) are good as well, as their colors were given much more saturation in this game, making them look miles better than the washed out, pixelated models from the 3ds games. That being said, it's just the same old 3d models from Gen 6, which was over 6 years old by the time this game came out.

    Moving on to the story, however, it sucks. It's pretty much just a copy of Sun and Moon's story, but way lazier. To tell it short: seemingly evil team isn't actually that evil, and the corporation chairman Rose runs is the bad team all along. Thing is, there is no build-up or anticipation for that twist like there was for Sun and Moon. The game would genuinely be better if there wasn't an evil team at all. If Game Freak wanted to keep Team Yell (the seemingly bad team that ends up actually helping the player), they shouldn't have made Chairman Rose the villain. It's a pointless and stupid twist that didn't need to be added.

    Notice how I've been saying "this game" instead of "these games"? It's because there are next to no differences between them, just like every other Pokemon game (yes, even the good Pokemon games suffer from this).

    I can't rate this game highly in good conscious. It's still a Pokemon game, and because of that, the game play is still kinda fun. However, the lack of any slight amount of challenge, content (if you don't bother with the DLC), and with almost everything else around the game play being poor make Sword/Shield the worst in the mainline series. I'd rather play the buggy original Red and Green versions from Japan.    … Expand
  29. capchaba
    Jul 14, 2021
    4
    This is by far one of the worst pokemon games ever. It still is a lot of the same thing but worse. The first game where it's impossible to fulfill the pokedex, the animation looks old, there are many indie companies that can do a better job than what game freak did to this game. Play it only if you are a pokefan. If you are new to the franchise, just skip it.
  30. gotas
    Jul 16, 2021
    8
    The game is very fun the region design and the music are amazing. The new Pokemons are not that good but are ok. The only thing i dont like is the vagueness of the developers for including such a small amount of Pokemons and the bad textures and animations.
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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 »