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. manofsteel00
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    Just play the game you'll understand. I wanna be the very best. Like no one ever was......
  2. halotroop2288
    Nov 15, 2019
    5
    The game's campaign is hand-holdy just like its predecessor (Sun/Moon), but that doesn't make it bad, I actually prefer to see a bit of story. Plus, it has a movie-skip feature to make the story go by quicker if you're not into it.
    The graphics are not nearly as bad as people make it out to be. It's 720p in docked mode (which is the only mode that matters) and may reuse assets from    The game's campaign is hand-holdy just like its predecessor (Sun/Moon), but that doesn't make it bad, I actually prefer to see a bit of story. Plus, it has a movie-skip feature to make the story go by quicker if you're not into it.
    The graphics are not nearly as bad as people make it out to be. It's 720p in docked mode (which is the only mode that matters) and may reuse assets from previous games, but they don't necessarily look bad here.
    Removing a lot of the Pokémon from the previous games probably makes it incompatible with them, which is a huge disappointment. One of the best features of this whole series in my opinion is being able to transfer your Pokémon from older games, so you can fill your Pokédex quicker (to Catch 'em All, of course).
    I have always wanted to do a "Catch 'em All" run, but I couldn't bring myself to stare out a low-res, tiny screen like the GameBoy or DS line had. I was looking forward to its first HD home console release in the main-line. This truly is a sore disappointment for that reason alone.
    This is going to be a game I finish, and maybe even play the post-game a little, but not one that I complete, or can even consider complete without the entire National Dex.    … Expand
  3. tomyvengeance7
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    The best pokemon game in years , i finish the game and still sad.....gorgeous game , history, characters and music.
  4. Ragnar916
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Too much removed the pokemon didn't bug me but the 100+ moves removed definitely did. The reused pokemon models just everything feels janky.
  5. kryeus
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This game is a slap in the face to dedicated fans of the franchise. I personally looked past the amateur hour of Let's Go as I understood the reasoning behind testing the new engine on the Switch and garnering feedback. Exp Share from the start, easy EV visibility, and all these "QOL" changes just remove the enjoyment for me personally. They went from having some hidden features that onlyThis game is a slap in the face to dedicated fans of the franchise. I personally looked past the amateur hour of Let's Go as I understood the reasoning behind testing the new engine on the Switch and garnering feedback. Exp Share from the start, easy EV visibility, and all these "QOL" changes just remove the enjoyment for me personally. They went from having some hidden features that only those invested enough would research to being available to a child. The Pokemon being taken out of the game at launch is the least of my reason for the rating, however the refusal to adjust course after a major outcry for change by TPC is absurdly anti-consumer and I cannot stand for.… Expand
  6. Gyeasty
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    The newest mainline Pokemon game we've all been waiting for is in fact a disaster for the series. While only adding 81 new pokemon to the series, these new games managed to remove 490 (yeah, 490) pokemon from previous games, possibly forever. You won't be able to bring back your favorite pokemon that have been with you for years. Pokemon like Lucario, Dragonite, Greninja, and Sceptile areThe newest mainline Pokemon game we've all been waiting for is in fact a disaster for the series. While only adding 81 new pokemon to the series, these new games managed to remove 490 (yeah, 490) pokemon from previous games, possibly forever. You won't be able to bring back your favorite pokemon that have been with you for years. Pokemon like Lucario, Dragonite, Greninja, and Sceptile are gone forever, erased from these future games along with all mega evolutions. You would think that after erasing so many pokemon, Game Freak would add quality new pokemon to the series. But alas, and of course, no they did not. Grookey is the only starter that has a final evolution with a reasonably good design and none of the starters gain a dual type. There are only a few pokemon released in these games that are even usable in competitive play. Pokemon like Dragapult and Grimmsnarl are few and far between within the absolute pile of trash these new pokemon offer. Dynamax is a stupid gimmick that should have never been introduced and I feel like Game Freak is only hyping it up because they even realize it was a huge mistake. "Ooh, big pokemon, me like big pokemon." The only reason I'm giving this a 1 and not a 0 is because there were some decent functionality improvements to the game, but that in no way accounts for the absolute lack of content in these mainline games. I've been a lifelong Pokemon fan - from the first games that came out on gamboy, Red and Blue, and it hurts for me to say that this is the first major step backwards I've seen the company make in that time. What these games present for players is a purgatory of dreams deferred, a useful, connected space void of quality content and the hope that anything great will follow.… Expand
  7. Danny79
    Nov 15, 2019
    8
    It's a good game, are there things bad about it yes. im enjoying the game i played 9 hours of it, If you like pokemon than buy the game.
  8. SpaceSausage
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Gamefreak lied. Ugly graphics, reused animations, short af story, not worth 60$, stop buying crap it'll just make GF lazier
  9. zarkoHazd
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Where is my alakazam and my swampert and my garchomp? Where is my magnezone?
  10. ImAnnoyed247
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Gamefreak needs to put more effort into these games. I've been losing faith since the introduction of fairy types which was a weird move and the mega evolutions which was just another way to pimp out Gen 1 Pokemon that already get too much play. Then last gen was just a cluster. Super Size me pokemon and forced extreme hold handing is too far. Get better or give up the rights to a companyGamefreak needs to put more effort into these games. I've been losing faith since the introduction of fairy types which was a weird move and the mega evolutions which was just another way to pimp out Gen 1 Pokemon that already get too much play. Then last gen was just a cluster. Super Size me pokemon and forced extreme hold handing is too far. Get better or give up the rights to a company who will put in more love. I would kill for another shadow Pokemon saga like Colosseum or XD Gale of Darkness. Those games had passion and thought put into them. They could really learn from that.… Expand
  11. Bbug
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Nada, nos quitan pokemon, personajes sin carisma, historia peor que las anteriores, última generación y es el juego con la historia más corta, nos prometieron menos pokemon para mejor animaciones pokemon, y son animaciones recicladas, mala nota
  12. RockLeeAce
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Cut 400 pokemon and gave the excuse of making the graphics and animations better. All the models and animations are reused from the 3ds games.
  13. SebasSLE
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Buen juego es una experiencia grandiosa, poder jugar pokemon en esta consola.

    Los detalles del mundo se ven muy grandes    … Expand
  14. Gray224
    Nov 15, 2019
    9
    This game is amazing! The new Pokémon designs are great, the world looks beautiful, the gym puzzles and battles are creative and fun. Although grinding isn’t as challenging now the battles are still as fun and challenging as ever.
  15. Sariith
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Absolutely dissatisfied with how game freak has ruined this game. Horrible excuses for why the game came out like hot garbage
  16. Mentaelis
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    While an improvement in some terms, it's a downgrade on so many others.
    The lack of side-quests are bothersome.
    End game is nearly nonexistent and they cut so many features here are some: A lot of pokemon (Remember the slogan being gotta catch 'em all? Not here you won't.) No seasons. No VS. seeker. Some moves removed. Z-moves are gone. Mega evolutions are gone. Modes are still    While an improvement in some terms, it's a downgrade on so many others.
    The lack of side-quests are bothersome.
    End game is nearly nonexistent and they cut so many features here are some:
    A lot of pokemon (Remember the slogan being gotta catch 'em all? Not here you won't.)
    No seasons.
    No VS. seeker.
    Some moves removed.
    Z-moves are gone.
    Mega evolutions are gone.
    Modes are still ports of 3DS games and nothing new, despite a new generation.

    Good?
    It looks visually decent, par some animations.
    It's a pokemon game, but that should really not get it's score too high, every NHL game is hockey, yay.    … Expand
  17. SonyBroWhirrrr
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Bad game. It cut 65% of the Pokémon and Moves. It does however have a shiny Sif from Dark Souls on the cover, so it gets a bonus point for that.
  18. Miyas
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    I have already 10 hours into it and it's **** fun.
  19. 360barrier
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Awful graphics, awful controls, awful camera and bad theme. This is a pretty mediocre release in every way. Graphics are like welcome to five years ago. Were they blindfolded when making the camera? Main character is boring. Hopefully this is the last game in the series.
  20. 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
  21. CodyVCalderwood
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Bad game no effort. I don't understand how people are able to give Yooka-Laylee bad reviews because it wasn't Banjo-Kazooie and those are separate games but we can't compare Pokemon to Pokemon without being made the bad guys. This game is not as good as any previous installment before it
  22. Lertxundi
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm playing amd I think it is the wors generation of pokemon. You avoid to play if its possible… Expand
  23. The_Stapler
    Nov 15, 2019
    9
    I have owned every Pokémon game FYI. Pokémon Sword and Shield: 9

    I must admit Sword and Shield are awesome! Here’s why: Dynamax Online play! The music is superb! First main Pokémon game on console! The battles are hyped up and fun! Generation 8 Pokémon are unique! Being able to see Pokémon roam freely AND still being able to have wild encounters is a cool idea that works     I have owned every Pokémon game FYI. Pokémon Sword and Shield: 9

    I must admit Sword and Shield are awesome! Here’s why:

    Dynamax Online play!
    The music is superb!
    First main Pokémon game on console!
    The battles are hyped up and fun! Generation 8 Pokémon are unique!

    Being able to see Pokémon roam freely AND still being able to have wild encounters is a cool idea that works great! There are many other reasons why I rate this game so high but I will leave it to you all to see for yourselves! Being a long time fan of the series it’s a breath of fresh air to be in a new region with new Pokémon. Yes some of my favorites did not make the cut to sword and shield and THAT IS COMPLETELY FINE. I have all of the other Pokémon games so if I really want to play as that Pokémon I can go back to that nostalgia trip. It’s nice to have something different. Why would I want to play with the same Pokémon every single game? That’s straight up boring to main the same Pokémon every game. Some people are taking this Pokédex situation way too far like it’s a personal attack. It’s just a game. I don’t mind the EXP share at all. I don’t have all of the time in the world to grind away just to level up one particular Pokémon. I have a full-time job and a family soooo less time spent grinding is a good thing. The only gripe I have with the game is the graphics in hand held mode. ***I’m sure there will be a future patch to address this though as I have faith in GF.***

    Pokémon on a console system! :) If you are a Pokémon fan this is a must play.    … Expand
  24. Nadim
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Absolutely disappointing from mainline Pokemon. Battle animations look like something a fan made rather than the largest grossing media of all time's studio. 90 billion dollars this is what they put up for sale. Buggy, unfinished, lack of real post-game, the list goes on. Embarrassing that this is for the same system that Breath of the Wild is on. Box legendary cut scene is absolutelyAbsolutely disappointing from mainline Pokemon. Battle animations look like something a fan made rather than the largest grossing media of all time's studio. 90 billion dollars this is what they put up for sale. Buggy, unfinished, lack of real post-game, the list goes on. Embarrassing that this is for the same system that Breath of the Wild is on. Box legendary cut scene is absolutely disgusting when it comes to animations, something that looks like it was on the PS1. Still a Pokemon game (game is a breeze with no challenge), but not worth your time, better rpg's exist. Corners seemed cut throughout the game. Designs seem uninspired. Game will still sell because the world does not care about this stuff, we'll see when Nintendo releases the numbers at the end of January. #GameFreakLied… Expand
  25. Phantom372
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    While the graphics aren't top notch and the frame rate drops at times. I think it's a very good game plays well and the pokemon look good it's not what I was hoping for. But at the end of the day I can enjoy it and it works great. Also the open area feels huge been playing for about 5 hours now and still feel like there's so much more to do. Although I do miss the rest of the pokemon I canWhile the graphics aren't top notch and the frame rate drops at times. I think it's a very good game plays well and the pokemon look good it's not what I was hoping for. But at the end of the day I can enjoy it and it works great. Also the open area feels huge been playing for about 5 hours now and still feel like there's so much more to do. Although I do miss the rest of the pokemon I can live with this for now cant wait to get further into it.… Expand
  26. 11Josa11
    Nov 15, 2019
    9
    I have spend 8 hours in this game now and I have played almost every single pokemon game in the past and I can tell you this is the best one until now. The hole dynimax feature is amazing it makes gym battle feel awesome. Everyone who is telling you this game is bad hasnt played it yet or just spend to much time letting the past not be the past. Pokemon is not about what ones was in theI have spend 8 hours in this game now and I have played almost every single pokemon game in the past and I can tell you this is the best one until now. The hole dynimax feature is amazing it makes gym battle feel awesome. Everyone who is telling you this game is bad hasnt played it yet or just spend to much time letting the past not be the past. Pokemon is not about what ones was in the older games it's just about having fun now and I'm having fun with this game I really couldn't stop playing. This game is better than most switch games and therefore deserves the price tag and yes it's not as good as botw but that is one of The Best gamess ever don't compare so much.. but Believe me if you are a Pokemon fan you will enjoy this game… Expand
  27. BurbleBoy
    Nov 15, 2019
    5
    This entire game has been a meltdown. I was optimistic for the games after their reveal in February of this year. But when E3 rolled around, everything went downhill. More than half of returning Pokémon were cut, supposedly because a) they wanted to make each individual Pokémon more expressive, b) they wanted to balance the competitive meta game, and c) they remade the individual modelsThis entire game has been a meltdown. I was optimistic for the games after their reveal in February of this year. But when E3 rolled around, everything went downhill. More than half of returning Pokémon were cut, supposedly because a) they wanted to make each individual Pokémon more expressive, b) they wanted to balance the competitive meta game, and c) they remade the individual models from scratch and didn’t have the time to include every Pokémon. This supposed “more expressive” is laughable, Wingull hovers around with its wings stuck out, Pokémon just appear out of the ground, water Pokémon swim without moving and don’t create any ripple effects, and other embarrassing examples can be found in games. Data miners have found that the models are the SAME, so they weren’t redone. And any competitive meta game is cut through BALANCING, not removing options. There are other graphical issues, too. Slow down, pop-in, and stiff animation plague the game, and the textures on the environment look like they were made for the GameCube. Previous fan-favorite features such as Mega Evolution and the GTS were cut in exchange for Dynamax and Gigantamax, which have significantly less positive reception, and...nothing to replace the GTS. The shortest adventure in the series, a joke of an evil team, the same plot blockades from the previous generation, and arguably the worst soundtrack across the entire series. On top of all that, a forced EXP share that gets you overleveled compares to every trainer around you, and the game ends up being a cakewalk. The game is the most disappointing and infuriating game I have ever experienced, and I can only hope they learn to better the experience in the future. The only reason I can’t rate it lower than a 5 is because, at the end of the day, it’s Pokémon, and there can never be a time Pokémon battling itself isn’t enjoyable. But this is by far the weakest installment in the series.… Expand
  28. Perfec
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    Absolutely lovely.
  29. Yung_omlit
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    **** man, they dropped a 3ds game on the switch. Color me surprised. They really cut everything, the graphics are **** and the creators lied. Parents, pick up the legend of Zelda breath of the wild, Luigi’s mansion 3, or astral chain for your kid this Christmas. You’ll be doing them a favor
  30. DelightSlurpuff
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    It's another Sun and Moon, with better graphics, even worse story, worst evil team who aren't even that evil at all...they're just roadblocks. The new features are fun although Soul Silver and Heart Gold did it better. The game itself is a mess. Enjoyable but not worth your money, just like Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee. Not to forget, they lied about making new models. The models are exactly theIt's another Sun and Moon, with better graphics, even worse story, worst evil team who aren't even that evil at all...they're just roadblocks. The new features are fun although Soul Silver and Heart Gold did it better. The game itself is a mess. Enjoyable but not worth your money, just like Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee. Not to forget, they lied about making new models. The models are exactly the same and the company took the fan base for fools. A company that lies to their consumers do not deserve any type of praise or your money. Please, reconsider this and save your money. There's definitely better games coming later on, this one? This one doesn't even comes close to what other switch games have accomplished.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 87 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 66 out of 87
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 87
  3. Negative: 0 out of 87
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Apr 30, 2020
    80
    Sword & Shield stumble in a few areas and history may not be kind to them, but they're setting up a future that I'm excited to see. [Issue #44 – January/February 2020, p. 73]
  2. GameCritics
    Feb 6, 2020
    75
    I enjoyed my time with Pokemon Sword and Shield, but I ended feeling conflicted. I appreciate many of the changes and felt that it generally respected my time, but I almost felt like a passive participant. The more complex gym challenges had a meatier role, but the narrative shouldn’t have been shoved to the side. Overall, I would recommend it to players who want to have a Pokemon experience, but this one won’t stick with me the way the older ones have.
    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 »