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. Seanhiruki
    Nov 15, 2019
    9
    I have been seriously loving this game. I’ve been a fan since Red. It’s a beautiful, fun and enjoyable game. I have had no problems that the “leaks” claimed. It’s not perfect but no Pokémon game is. The lack of national dex sucks but it doesn’t break the game.
  2. terraff6
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    i love what they did to this franchise and dont let the haters make it bad on you cause of no national dex (which i dont care for) its a relaxing game that you can also play on your own time and on the go. a total must get
  3. ZykerB
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    This game is so cool! The atmosphere redefines the series, and I have never been this impressed with the new Pokemon and presentation. The last Pokemon game I played was on the DS. The transition of that game to this game is amazing! Man, Pokemon Black 2 is great!
  4. Ryansnipes21
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    Amazing switch game. Everyone who says it’s not good isn’t a true Pokémon fan. It follows a non tradition story of gyms and strictly gyms. It has the flow of the anime. Very linear, yet still allows for a grand adventure. Has a good story, good characters, and great animations. How can anyone not like it
  5. airman1414
    Nov 15, 2019
    9
    This is clearly the best pokemon title released to date. Between features graphics and battling you will not be disappointed.
  6. OwTheEdge
    Nov 15, 2019
    9
    This Pokemon Game is awesome. Its balanced. The Graphics are ok. The Story is also ok. This Game is great. Its recommended
  7. GamerReviewNews
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    A very great game in the series with a lot of most wanted features
    Online mmo like co op
    An open world area
    A free camera
    Version exclusive gyms
    A jerk rival
    Pokemon both random encounters and found in the grass
    A home console experience
    These games will not disappoint any Pokemon fan neither will it stop making new fans never play a Pokemon game again
  8. Akaus852
    Nov 15, 2019
    9
    I love the way you can skip the forced battle, the game itself is a gem. Love the way they put some of the Pokémon Let’s go effect in battle.

    Still to complete the game
  9. thegeekninja
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    I've played for an hour now and am enjoying it..but will update later as soon as I complete it. Jeez.
  10. FlexPowerbomb
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    First off, let's debunk these "hardcore" fans. Just because you've played every game since red and blue doesn't make you hardcore. Putting 20 hours into a game and "beating" it means nothing. A real hardcore pokemon player understands that the game doesn't even start until after the credits have rolled.

    From the outside, pokemon appears to be a simple and fun RPG that is meant for all    First off, let's debunk these "hardcore" fans. Just because you've played every game since red and blue doesn't make you hardcore. Putting 20 hours into a game and "beating" it means nothing. A real hardcore pokemon player understands that the game doesn't even start until after the credits have rolled.

    From the outside, pokemon appears to be a simple and fun RPG that is meant for all ages. A true hardcore fan, who has played the game in the the actual hardcore fashion, knows it's actually one of the deepest and most complex RPG's there is. For real hardcore fans, the actual game is the meta. Now, if you feel like you're a hardcore fan but just had to ask yourself what the meta is, congratulations, you've just identified yourself as a casual, which 95-99% of you are, contrary to what you think.

    If you can't explain IV's, EV's, egg moves, natures, or how breeding works, you are a casual. These are the complex aspects of the game that only true hardcore players know. This is what you need to know to be able to get anywhere in the competitive meta. I have 528 hours on my black version alone (probably more than 99% of you people have on every pokemon game you've ever played put together), which was the first game I played that got me into the competitive meta game. That's how long it took me to breed and hatch hundreds of pokemon, trying to get the right combinations of IV's and egg moves to have about 15 pokemon that I could bring into the competitive meta.

    Breeding is an incredibly complicated and tedious process and this game has streamlined it like no other pokemon game before it. This is what was meant by improving the game for hardcore fans. Casuals, that's why your feelings are hurt, they weren't actually talking to you, even though you thought they were. They made it vastly easier to make pokemon that you can take into the competitive meta game for true hardcore players.

    Now, let's talk about the meta itself and why not bringing all the pokemom back and removing moves is the best thing to ever happen to the meta. Sun and Moon was far and away the most stale meta I've ever played. Lando-T was on literally every team and Toxapex, Magearna, Tornadus-T, and Gren, were almost as bad. It became so predictable and bland and got old fast. Meta's have the tendency to shift a little as time goes on, but this one did not. Removing Lando-T alone will be HUGE for the meta. The door is open for so many fun, older pokemon to be brought back to OU.

    Removing Z-moves is huge. They were basically nukes and def way too OP for the meta. Also removing hidden power will greatly improve the meta as it was always IMO a broken move. You should never bring in a check to something, have it get predicted, and OHKO'd. Example: Garchomp should always be a check to Zapdos. Zapdos has nothing in it's own move pool that could even 2HKO Chomp, but if you predict the switch and hit Chomp with an HP Ice you will OHKO what should be a hard check which is a broken mechanic. The point of pokemon is that everything has a check which keeps certain pokemon from becoming OP. No one pokemon should always be able to dominate everything, even with good predictions. Every pokemon should have something that can safely switch into it and hidden power ruined that.

    Now, let's get to the actual review, which I'll start by saying that I haven't even cracked the seal on my game. Yet, somehow, I'm still allowed to do a review? Yup, just like the rest of you casuals who are review bombing the game have done. I've never read so much incoherent dribble in a review section. Half of you sound illiterate. Hardly any of these are actual reviews, it's just crybabies crying. The whole point of this paragraph is to show that you shouldn't base your decision of this game off the whining of these casuals calling themselves hardcore who haven't even played the game.

    Casuals, dry your tears and please go back to Splatoon. Leave this game for the true hardcore fans.    … Expand
  11. Pandaloafers
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    Great game, a deviation for sure but it doesn’t effect game in a negative way. Ya it would be nice to have every Pokémon available.
  12. edrick88
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    chill guys, grateful and respect. i think it's best pokemon game ever, national dex not that important. just buy and play the game first.
  13. Barrott
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    Probably one of the best games I’ve ever played. If you get this game you will have an amazing time with it.
  14. Greg94polska
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    Is the best Pokémon game ever. I don't understand why the people dislike this game
  15. Lushen1212
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    El juego de pokemon que llevo esperando muchisimo tiempo. Octava generacion.
    No me ha defraudado en nada.
  16. Sambeldor
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    It's a beautiful game, good graphics and beautiful New pokemon. Thank you Gamefreaks.
  17. Drakko03
    Nov 15, 2019
    9
    Es un gran juego sin duda, quizas el mejor de la serie. Aveces hay que atravesé a cosas que no siempre estarán y dar paso a lo nuevo. Increíble historia, personajes con carisma, nuevos pokemon balanceados. Mi puntuacion es de 95 sobre 10 pero respeto para los que ponen 0 de nota o 1 o hasta 4 de nota pero esa puntuación nunca lo es para ser objetivos. Saludos
  18. HankHill420
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    The game is full of life, and you'll see this from the minute the game starts. This is the most gorgeous game to date, despite some poor textures in some areas that are quite obvious. The characters are the most full-of-life we have seen in any game thus far. The designs of the Pokemon are amazing, and the game contains some of the most creative designs to date. For example, one of theThe game is full of life, and you'll see this from the minute the game starts. This is the most gorgeous game to date, despite some poor textures in some areas that are quite obvious. The characters are the most full-of-life we have seen in any game thus far. The designs of the Pokemon are amazing, and the game contains some of the most creative designs to date. For example, one of the designs incorporates a modern environmental problem, which does an amazing job of shedding light on how depressing it really is.

    Obviously the Pokedex was cut, and this IS a problem because there was any huge improvement on any areas of the game. I don't think this is AS big of a deal as people are making it out to be, as no one actually completed the national dex, and for me, I would much rather find new Pokemon to have an adventure with, rather than transferring the same Level 100 Pokemon to each game. People complaining about moves being cut are purposely being oblivious. 99% of the moves removed were completely useless. The only notable moves removed were Return, Frustration, and Pursuit. Return and Frustration are easily replaceable by better moves, and while it sucks that Pursuit was removed, this provided a much needed buff to the Psychic Type. Some other small problems you may encounter are some linearity issues and difficulty issues. These are pretty minor, especially the difficulty issue since I believe it's very easy to make the game more challenging.

    The core Pokemon experience is still in tact, and it is better than ever. The characters are full of life, the designs are amazing, and the region of Galar is the most beautiful region we've seen. I haven't seen much mention of the improvement on the competitive scene, but this is probably the most positive thing to come out of the Dex cut. Pokemon like Landorus, Manaphy, Ultra Beasts, as well as several other broken Pokemon will no longer be able to control the metagame. Pokemon that are traditionally bad received new moves to make them more viable, and Pokemon like Aegislash, which are stronger than average, received nerfs in order to make it more balanced. I am very excited to get involved in competitive after these improvements.

    Pros:
    - Beautiful region
    - Great Pokemon designs
    - Great characters
    - Pokemon in the overworld was carried over
    - Some of the BEST soundtracks in the entire franchise
    - MUCH improved competitive metagame
    - Removal of useless moves and additions of very useful ones
    - League which is much more similar to the Anime (the E4 didn't get cut like the other reviews say, it's just a different format which I find to be much better)
    - Same core experience that we all know and love

    Cons:
    - Dex cut
    - Some linearity and pacing issues
    - Texture problems
    - Can be too easy for older players

    Overall, if you have loved previous Pokemon games, you'll love this one too.

    If you want GameFreak to make changes, offer CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM, and provide legit reviews that give your honest opinions on the game, instead of automatically clicking 0 on Metacritic without playing a second of the game. If these games had reviews that actually reflected the quality of the game, I feel like GameFreak would be a lot more likely to understand what needs to be improved next year.    … Expand
  19. Chaparobers
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    Es estupendo la historia la forma de viajar con tus pokemon es una experiencia muy recomendable
  20. Hotcozmo
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    I am new to the world of Pokémon. This seemed to me like a good place to start. From what I can tell so far it is a well crafted and thought out game. The animations are great. The graphics are cute and serve their purpose. And the best bit is it is approachable enough for my and my son to play together :)
  21. Holymacaronni
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    An amazing game that captures the essence of Pokemon as a whole, I'm so happy I got to play this great game
  22. camb198
    Nov 19, 2019
    10
    Best Pokémon game I have played to date. In total I have played Pokémon yellow (on my pikachu edition GB), red, blue, gold, sapphire, sun, and now sword.

    As someone who has never gotten into competitive Pokémon and have played very casually, this game looks like it may be the one to change that.
  23. CFrat
    Nov 18, 2019
    10
    A great game. Very fun and enjoyable. They're very good games, and I recommend them whole-heartedly.
  24. Flare748
    Nov 19, 2019
    10
    The flaws are so minor they really don’t matter to me. I haven’t had this much fun in a Pokémon game since XY. I would recommend this game to everybody. Gyms are so hype now thanks to the music, setup and camera angles. The wild area is so fun and full of fun and engaging max raid that you can play online and locally. Towns look amazing on the Switch and I will be playing this game forThe flaws are so minor they really don’t matter to me. I haven’t had this much fun in a Pokémon game since XY. I would recommend this game to everybody. Gyms are so hype now thanks to the music, setup and camera angles. The wild area is so fun and full of fun and engaging max raid that you can play online and locally. Towns look amazing on the Switch and I will be playing this game for hundreds of hours.… Expand
  25. Xvrignis
    Nov 25, 2019
    10
    I would score it with 9, but with that amount of 0, I have to give it a 10, sorry.
    The game is absolutely fun, have so many new features that make the game enjoyable in and out of battle. The world look so beautiful and the design of new Pokémon is good.
    I only have a problem with tutorials for dummies, the recycle of the pokeball and rival animations from sun and moon, and some    I would score it with 9, but with that amount of 0, I have to give it a 10, sorry.
    The game is absolutely fun, have so many new features that make the game enjoyable in and out of battle. The world look so beautiful and the design of new Pokémon is good.
    I only have a problem with tutorials for dummies, the recycle of the pokeball and rival animations from sun and moon, and some graphics details. But that didn't ruin my experience.    … Expand
  26. Zimbawe1
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    I guess I am really enjoying it. Epic game so far and one of the series best
  27. ImChaos02
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    I hadnt enjoyed so much a Pokemon game since Black&White
    The only negative point of Pokemon Sword is the Pokedex, if you can live with that you'll find an exciting adventure in the Galar region with a lot of additional functions in the saga
  28. Themechanic6969
    Nov 15, 2019
    9
    Bastante divertido el diseño de los pokemones es genial. Estoy enganchado de el y todo lo que se puede asi su unico problema son sus graficos
  29. lesley_dias
    Nov 15, 2019
    8
    Is a good Pokémon game, but could be better, i wish a return of national dex and more beautiful game at next generation
  30. Hasoon10
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    Amazing game, and most negative reviews are probably made by people who had a strong opinion on the game before its release due to the lack of the national dex.
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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 »