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. Artatm
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    So Nintendo creates breath of the wild and Mario odyssey - then delays Metroid because it’s not up to snuff - wow pokemon is going to be good - fast forward to release .... yeah not so much - So the textured look legitimately sloppy in places, it’s not just stylistic they are upscale and stretched, charters float over them looking rigid and plastic it’s like a bad mobile game not somethingSo Nintendo creates breath of the wild and Mario odyssey - then delays Metroid because it’s not up to snuff - wow pokemon is going to be good - fast forward to release .... yeah not so much - So the textured look legitimately sloppy in places, it’s not just stylistic they are upscale and stretched, charters float over them looking rigid and plastic it’s like a bad mobile game not something you expect from Nintendo on there main console, this ain’t no portable mini title no more game freak this is the big league and you fluffed it with the worlds most profitable franchise - wow - oh and you lied about it too - games out in the wild the reasons you gave for less pokemon have been proven untrue / you cut beloved content and didn’t innovate one bit, dynomax - give me a break - how about you voice the pokemon - even just the np characters in the cut scenes?! It’s 2019! Some of it is charming, a lot of the new designs look nice and cute and interesting - it’s hard not to it’s pokemon but the level of laziness here is just unforgivable - they even publicly announced it wasn’t there main project- holy hell fire?! You got some super secrets other billion dollar franchise up your selves? No?! You just want to betray your fan base and nickel and dime them with a high price game with less content than a indie game jam. Protest by reviewing pokemon - tweeting/Facebook/reddit/YouTube - let Nintendo know they need to take back pokemon.… Expand
  2. AverageT
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Probably the most controversial pokemon game yet, 2/3rds of the dex removed along with tons of moves and features. In what was supposed to be the holy grail of pokemon games sadly development was rushed, mistakes were made and the developer went on to lie to the public about it. I wanted to see past all that and still enjoy a pokemon game and found a very short story with reused animationsProbably the most controversial pokemon game yet, 2/3rds of the dex removed along with tons of moves and features. In what was supposed to be the holy grail of pokemon games sadly development was rushed, mistakes were made and the developer went on to lie to the public about it. I wanted to see past all that and still enjoy a pokemon game and found a very short story with reused animations and no music? I was stumped when I came across a pokemon I could not catch because I wasn't high enough level. I couldn't even throw the pokeball! Sadly the game is as easy as ever. While it's as fun as any other pokemon game, its probably the most lackluster of all the main series titles.… Expand
  3. PointingGaming
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I think the game is extremely good so far, as someone who has played Pokémon since Gen 1 I am quite happy, there are some features they did remove, some with obvious reasons some without. Such as global trade, in the previous games they were flooded with cheated in shinys and legendaries. It adds more challenge to the game so you can’t just trade a garbage Pokémon for one super high leveled, and they made it so you can’t catch a Pokémon higher level than what your gym badge allows.

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

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

    So far I am happy with this game, and I am about half way through it I have to say it was money well spent. A lot of people may hate on this game but I believe that it deserves more credit than it is givin considering this is the first main story game that has come out for the Pokémon franchise that isn’t completely pixelated.    … Expand
  4. yj1995
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Gamfreaks cuts more than 50% of Pokemon, they betrayed fans and lied to consumers.
  5. Sampletext
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    I am a huge pokemon fan and so it pains me to see a what could have been an amazing game turn out so terribly. Gamefreak lied about improving the animation and models of the pokemon. they are the exact same as the old ones and they cut over half the dex for it despite the models being in the code for lets go. even if we look past that (which is really hard to) the game is incredibly bareI am a huge pokemon fan and so it pains me to see a what could have been an amazing game turn out so terribly. Gamefreak lied about improving the animation and models of the pokemon. they are the exact same as the old ones and they cut over half the dex for it despite the models being in the code for lets go. even if we look past that (which is really hard to) the game is incredibly bare bones. the game is incredibly easy like the last and this time with more features being removed. the new op gimmick this time is dinomax/gigamax which is different because you can make you pokemon big for 3 turns and it definitely doesn't trivialize most of the game. the game looks almost exactly like a 3ds game and if you said it was on the gamecube i wouldn't be surprised except for the better colour quality. Pokemon has never been an RPG you play for the story but the somehow managed to fail at that as well. the evil team is a joke the writing is awful and the pacing is incredibly slow. Picture
    the tutorial of sun and moon except almost the entire game including the aggressive hand holding. Not to mention that this game is 20$ more for less content. the fact that every other series that made the jump to the switch improved so much is just adding even more fuel to the fire at this point when every other big series nintendo has had changed so much and Nintendo finally starting to listen to their fans its even more of a slap in the face. This game on its own wouldn't be awful it would be mediocre if it was from a smaller company but its from the developers of the largest media franchise in the world don't tell me they couldn't put out a better product. This game could have been amazing if it had another year or two of development and could have been so much better. I expected the first main game on console to be huge and completely change the series as we know it but instead they removed more and more of what I loved    … Expand
  6. rcc10galaxy
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    I don't have other choice. Amazing game yo oave the future for this awesome saga.
  7. Kureiton
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    The number of things Sword and Shield do wrong would be inexcusable for any other major release, much less one from a series that makes as much money as Pokémon. This game looks like a 3DS game, has a by the numbers story, has some of the most mediocre music in any Pokémon game, and just looks plain unfinished in most areas. Sword and Shield has far less content than older Pokémon games;The number of things Sword and Shield do wrong would be inexcusable for any other major release, much less one from a series that makes as much money as Pokémon. This game looks like a 3DS game, has a by the numbers story, has some of the most mediocre music in any Pokémon game, and just looks plain unfinished in most areas. Sword and Shield has far less content than older Pokémon games; the story is around 15 hours long, and its post-game is quite frankly pathetic. The Wild Area, toted as the next evolution of the franchise, is completely bare bones and forgettable with the only real highlight being the raid battles. Dynamaxing is also quite a disappointment; they are extremely infrequent and hardly change a thing about battles. They are a sorry replacement for Mega Evolutions, and I even think Z-moves are superior as a mechanic.
    The fact that the game only allows the use of 40% of the Pokémon compared to every other title in the franchise that allowed the use of every Pokémon that had been created up to that point is far from the worst part of the experience. I could easily forgive this change if I felt the exclusion of Pokemon allowed for a better overall experience in terms of content, graphics, and animations. However, all three of these areas pale in comparison to the 3DS games, which is saying something as I feel the 3DS games were already lacking many of the things that made the DS special. The fact that these games are significantly worse than the games that came out earlier on inferior hardware while also being $20 more is completely inexcusable.
    That is not to say there are no positives to this game; the gym leader battles are quite engaging, and I love the sports aesthetic these games are going for. Additionally, I quite like the designs for most of the new Pokémon as well as the human characters even if there are some notable failures in both departments. However, they still do little to change my overall perception of the game. I don't just think Sword and Shield are bad games; I think they represent how poorly Game Freak has handled this franchise ever since they made the jump to 3D. Game Freak needs some serious restructuring as well as a change in design philosophy if they ever want to make excellent Pokémon games again. I love this franchise to death, but I cannot ignore all of the failings of these games in order to call it a good or even average game.    … Expand
  8. Reethok
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This is quite literally the biggest disappointment in the franchise. DO NOT BUY.
  9. Jesus107
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    The game is underwhelming for Nintendo Switch. It seems like it has not been through Quality Assurance. The quality of the game various if you have played it. One give away is that in some area you can find gorgeous sceneries, high definition background, but in some area it’s like a student project, character floating, Pokémon running on the spot without moving, Pokémon model disappearedThe game is underwhelming for Nintendo Switch. It seems like it has not been through Quality Assurance. The quality of the game various if you have played it. One give away is that in some area you can find gorgeous sceneries, high definition background, but in some area it’s like a student project, character floating, Pokémon running on the spot without moving, Pokémon model disappeared randomly. The wild area is supposedly the selling point of the game, but it is just boring. Lack of color compared to Pokémon Let’s go series. System lagged enough to annoyed me. Gameplay is like a slide show, I go from point A to B, have a unskipable dialogues, then move to point C. Story is nonexistent. I’ve heard that there’s a crucial bug that crushes your game and deletes your game files. It has not yet happened to me but the game do crush a lot.

    It is impossible to think that this is a main title Pokémon game. Any price would be too much for it if they don’t fix the bugs. I give 1 point only for the curry mini game.    … Expand
  10. Silverk42
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    The base game of any pokemon game is fun because capturing and battling all these amazing mods is fun! Unfortunately that's the only good thing about Pokemon Sword and Shield. There is nothing about these games that makes them improvements over earlier iterations of the series. They have stripped many features and have not made the effort to make Pokemon's first major appearance on a homeThe base game of any pokemon game is fun because capturing and battling all these amazing mods is fun! Unfortunately that's the only good thing about Pokemon Sword and Shield. There is nothing about these games that makes them improvements over earlier iterations of the series. They have stripped many features and have not made the effort to make Pokemon's first major appearance on a home console amazing. So unfortunately I have to rate this game negatively as once again it makes no effort to improve upon previous iterations.… Expand
  11. 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.
  12. 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
  13. Wakarahen
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Gamefreak, why you lie?
    I mean, it's obvious that players would discover it was all a big lie, then why getting on the bad side of players?
    This brand need to get back to high quality, this is unacceptable for the company of one of the highest selling game brand.
  14. patches777
    Nov 15, 2019
    8
    This is a GOOD GAME and I say this having played every generation of pokemon mainline adaptations since the release of the first generation for the gameboy (I'm 28 years old). It's no better and certainly not worse in comparison to previous games (my favorite generation was II specifically crystal version and my least favorite generation was VII sun and moon). There are a lot of positivesThis is a GOOD GAME and I say this having played every generation of pokemon mainline adaptations since the release of the first generation for the gameboy (I'm 28 years old). It's no better and certainly not worse in comparison to previous games (my favorite generation was II specifically crystal version and my least favorite generation was VII sun and moon). There are a lot of positives in this game including the decent graphical upgrade and transition to a hybrid handled/home console, battle mechanics, exploratory factors (wild area), entertaining gym battles/spectacle and post game competitive battles. There are a few negatives however like restrictive world environments, fairly easy computer AI and some drawn out narratives in the overall story. A lot of negative reviews are from fans who are upset about the national dex cut, potentially reused animations and the removal of broken competitive features (mega stones, z-moves, previous legendaries) and it seems as if they are just trying to make a statement to the developers for not getting what they specifically wanted without playing the game to its fullest. Do not let the overly vocalized cynicism and negativity surrounding this game rob you from experiencing the game for yourself, as it is another solid installment in an overall highly entertaining and satisfying franchise.… Expand
  15. Obbi
    Nov 15, 2019
    5
    Probably the weakest title in the main series yet. The main Story mode is substantially shorter than previous titles, and has the least post-game content since Gen I. Part the reason the story mode's so short may be due to how easy it is to get over-leveled and crush all the challenges.

    That said, it's still Pokemon, so if you're looking for Pokemon and for some reason are not willing    Probably the weakest title in the main series yet. The main Story mode is substantially shorter than previous titles, and has the least post-game content since Gen I. Part the reason the story mode's so short may be due to how easy it is to get over-leveled and crush all the challenges.

    That said, it's still Pokemon, so if you're looking for Pokemon and for some reason are not willing or able to play a previous installment, then this will probably scratch that itch.

    It has a lot of great quality of life stuff for fine-tuning your Pokemon, even if some of it's locked behind beating the Story first. Being able to change a Pokemon's Nature, and just dumping EV Vitamins into them, are something I'd like to see continue in future editions. Being able to swap out your Pokemon Party from anywhere is fantastic, as well as having the Pokemon Centers act as the hubs for Move Reminders/Deleters.
    That said, there's also weird changes, like having wild Pokemon be un-catchable if you haven't gotten enough badges for the level range. Exp Share is always on, which admittedly I would use it or leave it on in previous titles anyway, but this go around it seems...a bit busted? I'd have my Drizzile just mow down whatever all the time, and the entire rest of the party is only a few levels behind him despite rarely participating. I believe this to be the main culprit behind the bottomed-out difficulty curve.

    Graphics are acceptable for a Pokemon game, pretty lackluster for a Switch game. Art design for some of the areas are really cool, and the new Pokemon have some great designs too. Technical wise, It basically looks like Pokemon X/Y upscaled, only the larger resolution shows off more graphical quirks. I don't think Game Freak can do 3D very well.

    Wild Area, and by extension Raid Battles, are actually pretty cool at the start, but quickly turn sorta tedious when they prove to not be much of a challenge.
    Pokemon Camp is fine. It's Pokemon-Amie++ and I never had a problem with that feature. Curry making is kinda fun, and having your own "Curry dex" for all the recipes is nice.

    PokeJobs are just sorta there. They sorta remind me of dispatch missions in Final Fantasy Tactics or something. Nothing really to comment on there.

    Dynamax is...also just there. It's like some weird amalgamation of Z-Moves and Mega Evolutions, where the Pokemon's stats get boosted and all their moves change to things resembling Z-Moves.It doesn't seem bad, and I'm sure there's people that dig it. I just never bothered with any of that stuff anyway.

    Overall, just really mediocre. Without even getting into the missing Pokemon, the game itself clearly suffered some development issues. More time was needed on this one. I definitely recommending passing, unless you can get it for cheap, or they provide content patches like Kirby Star Allies to make it more of a content-complete Switch title.    … Expand
  16. Epsil
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    To start, this game will turn your console into an unusable brick with no warning if your SD card happens to be formatted to exFAT specs. If you read nothing else, understand that you put your entire Switch at a dangerous level of risk whenever you turn this on. For a more technical explanation: The Switch has a volatile section of its memory that Game Freak found some reason to useTo start, this game will turn your console into an unusable brick with no warning if your SD card happens to be formatted to exFAT specs. If you read nothing else, understand that you put your entire Switch at a dangerous level of risk whenever you turn this on. For a more technical explanation: The Switch has a volatile section of its memory that Game Freak found some reason to use nonstop, and it makes this game at least ten times more likely to cause errors that will turn off access to your SD card and, if it's exFAT instead of FAT32, corrupt it, your internal memory, and your NAND (think the files that would make Windows function, like system32, but for a game console) simultaneously. People have turned their switch on after a crash to see nothing but an orange screen that can't be recovered from.

    However, the game itself:

    Has horrible music that warps itself whenever your pokemon "dynamaxes" (gets bigger for 3 turns).

    Has bad graphics you wouldn't expect in earlier installments.

    Has 40% of the central content (the collectible creatures) compared to the previous installment in the series.

    Has a tenth of the side content (literally any activity you'd expect that isn't the main combat system or story) you would expect from this series.

    All of these observations are from an uncommentated, candid look at the game through a live stream through its entire story mode and post-game story mode. As it's a turn based game, there's no chance for it to "feel different" by having it in your hand.

    It should be noted that the graphics and animations were touted as the game's central focus for months by the director of this game, and that all the content missing in this game should simply be considered a sacrifice for them. Dataminers recently found that the models and textures for the collectible pokemon that made it into the game were imported directly from the game before it, essentially reducing the director's argument down to a lie to justify a lack of effort. If you think that anyone nitpicking the graphics is doing it purely for the graphics' sake, know that the people who gave you this idea were not doing it in good faith.

    This game is not worth $60. Compared to earlier installments, it's not worth $40. Until the bug where it kills your console is fixed, it's not worth $10, but if you play it before then you could be paying up to $300 purely because you wanted it day 1.

    I love Pokemon. If you're new to it, go play Pokemon Black 2/White 2, or HeartGold/SoulSilver, or Emerald, or Platinum. Literally any game but this. If you're not new, and completely hypnotized into eating whatever scraps Game Freak gives you, wait for the third version of this game, because this one is barebones to a fault. This will be the first entry in the entire series that I did not give a chance.    … Expand
  17. Surff
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Story is uninteresting, graphics are very low for the Switch, new Pokemon look like Digimon, the game is way too easy, the game holds your hand and there's no replay value.
  18. Fox-the-dog
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    Mal trabajo de parte de GameFreak...
    Pokémon ha sido una franquicia que he seguido desde pequeño y me he jugado todos sus títulos de la franquicia.
    Puntos Buenos: -Historia decente -Banda Sonora muy buena -Rejugabilidad Puntos Malos: -Reciclaje de animaciones de títulos de 3DS -No incluye a todos los Pokémon (siendo algo irónico ya que el slogan de la franquicia es “Atrapalos a todos”)    Mal trabajo de parte de GameFreak...
    Pokémon ha sido una franquicia que he seguido desde pequeño y me he jugado todos sus títulos de la franquicia.
    Puntos Buenos:
    -Historia decente
    -Banda Sonora muy buena
    -Rejugabilidad
    Puntos Malos:
    -Reciclaje de animaciones de títulos de 3DS
    -No incluye a todos los Pokémon (siendo algo irónico ya que el slogan de la franquicia es “Atrapalos a todos”)
    -Falta de gráficos siendo una consola más potente que una portátil como la Nintendo 3DS.
    Conclusión: Un trabajo flojo y hecho solamente para sacar otra entrega anual de Pokémon como es habituado.
    Sí es que eres Casual o un nuevo jugador de Pokémon está entrega será un juego para pasar el rato.
    Pero como seguidor y fan de la saga es una patada en el trasero.    … Expand
  19. 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
  20. CeilYurei
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    Too many features cut, including moves and features, pokemon with movesets not matching stats, and all sorts of frame rate drops and even slowdown and lag on the start screen. It also completely destroyed other's entire data on their sd cards through a glitch. The game is generally too easy, with tons of hand holding and free heals, catching pokemon is hardly a challenge, even compared toToo many features cut, including moves and features, pokemon with movesets not matching stats, and all sorts of frame rate drops and even slowdown and lag on the start screen. It also completely destroyed other's entire data on their sd cards through a glitch. The game is generally too easy, with tons of hand holding and free heals, catching pokemon is hardly a challenge, even compared to other entries. Worse, everything is recycled from gen7, even the plot. The animations are definitely subpar compared to comparable titles, No way can I give it much higher than this. It is generally a disappointment, even when i did not expect much. 50% price increase for less than half the content, and less than 80 new pokemon. All the promises were lies and just fake excuses.
    Best thing to come out of it is SOME of the new pokemon,and new trainer designs, luckily the community is full of good artists to give us quality r34 and other fanart.    … Expand
  21. Temjinz
    Nov 15, 2019
    8
    I purchased this game with some discontent, after reading all the leaks, the truth is, as a pokemon game, is Fine, just fine, its not the terrible disaster some calim it to be, while the game is indeed enjoyable and the best looking pokemon game untill now, its also true that Game Freak could have don a better job. for newcomers this will be an enjoyable adventure, while to us PokeboomersI purchased this game with some discontent, after reading all the leaks, the truth is, as a pokemon game, is Fine, just fine, its not the terrible disaster some calim it to be, while the game is indeed enjoyable and the best looking pokemon game untill now, its also true that Game Freak could have don a better job. for newcomers this will be an enjoyable adventure, while to us Pokeboomers the lack of a national dex and some graphics issues means the game could be a lot better, bit its surely not a mediocre game. aslo the competitive aspect of the game is far more reachable now, as its mechanics allow to a more casual game.… Expand
  22. TsukasaHiiragi
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Once again, a typical broken release that clearly displays an utter contempt for the customer especially from the so-called 'professional journos' who clearly skirt around the absolutely horrendous issues Sword and Shield let alone completely ignoring the ethical questions.

    I could write a huge chunk here, but literally everyone else has said the exact same thing and it really isn't    Once again, a typical broken release that clearly displays an utter contempt for the customer especially from the so-called 'professional journos' who clearly skirt around the absolutely horrendous issues Sword and Shield let alone completely ignoring the ethical questions.

    I could write a huge chunk here, but literally everyone else has said the exact same thing and it really isn't worth my time to just repeat everything, so I'll leave with this - don't bother with Sword or Shield, if you haven't got Pokemon Let's Go, then I'd recommend that over this right now, PLG isn't perfect by any means but right now, its a lot better than this.

    Will Sword and Shield get better over time? Most likely, but right now - it needs a lot more work and patches.    … Expand
  23. 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.
  24. 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
  25. TapiaXD
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Sadly Pokemon SwSh is a gigantic step back in the main saga. How sad that GameFreak does this.
  26. Bluro
    Nov 15, 2019
    9
    El juego mantiene la formula clásica de Pokemon y agiliza algunas cuestiones que lo hacen precioso. Los gráficos me parecen geniales! No entiendo el boicot por parte de otros fans.
  27. greninjaX
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    gamefreak lied. they said they were cutting pokemon because they were making new models with high quality animations, but that is simply not the case. everything was recycled from the 3DS game. there was no reason to cut pokemon. gamefreak needs to learn they can't get away with this. don't support this game
  28. GARU94
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Oh Pokémon, one your series main themes is evolution and yet, you refuse to evolve your already tired formula. Not only that but you also made your catch phrase "Gotta catch em all" impossible to fulfill for the first time. I just don't get it.

    The game in itself is kinda okay, there's fun to be had and enjoyment to be found, but it is still the same game we've been playing for more    Oh Pokémon, one your series main themes is evolution and yet, you refuse to evolve your already tired formula. Not only that but you also made your catch phrase "Gotta catch em all" impossible to fulfill for the first time. I just don't get it.

    The game in itself is kinda okay, there's fun to be had and enjoyment to be found, but it is still the same game we've been playing for more than 20 years despite being housed on a significantly more powerful machine than any other mainline Pokémon game combined. In fact, in MANY regards, it's worse and has less features than previous games.

    The game is extremely linear, you literally walk straight corridors from one town to the next, and when you arrive there, there's hardly anything to do in them. No more complex caves/buildings/forests, no more places that you gotta get back to when you get the right abilities, it's just restrictive corridors town after town.

    The battles are exactly as you remember. But now, dumbed down further as you don't even gotta remember type matchups anymore since the game tells you which of your moves is effective and which isn't against your opponent (I know this was added in S&M), coupled with how slow battles still are (And a lack of speed up button for some inexplicable reason), it just gets tiring. Not to mention the universal experience share system just makes it so you don't even have to put effort on training your new/weaker Pokémon.

    The wild area, despite being the ugliest place in the Galar region, is still the only ray of hope this game gives me for the future. It's not perfect by any means, but it takes Pokémon out of its comfort zone by adding free moving camera, roaming Pokémon of any level, secrets and hidden items all over the place. It's just a small experimentation that could hint at (hopefully), the direction the games are going to take in future installments. As of right now, it's interesting the first couple times you visit it, but it gets old rather quickly and starts feeling like a glorified Safari Zone sooner than later.

    Technically speaking. it's 2019 and we still have characters moving their lips to no sound, characters doing full 180 rotations while walking in place, low image quality and an inconsistent 30fps despite the extremely unimpressive graphics. Unacceptable.

    Overall, I'm disappointed but not surprised. I just hope Game Freak starts taking criticism more seriously or give another developer a chance to make a Pokémon game in their stead (Imagine a Pokémon game by Monolith Soft? Glorious).    … Expand
  29. Xenxibre
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    1 point for the pkmn formula, 1 point for some songs and 1 point for some pkmn designs the rest of the game is not woth to add more score
  30. JeyPapou
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    I've received my copy yesterday, and while I was pretty hyped about the game, the deception hit me hard This Pokemon feels unfinished, unpolished and far from any optimization when we take in account his predecessors It is too short, lackluster in content and barely in the standards of a 2019 game.

    Many reviews give this game a ridiculously bloated score. If you are looking for a true    I've received my copy yesterday, and while I was pretty hyped about the game, the deception hit me hard This Pokemon feels unfinished, unpolished and far from any optimization when we take in account his predecessors It is too short, lackluster in content and barely in the standards of a 2019 game.

    Many reviews give this game a ridiculously bloated score. If you are looking for a true RPG and an innovative game, this is clearly not made for you. The game, as the reviewers love to remind us, is fun at its core because it is a pokemon game, yet it is made so badly, that even that fun wavers after a few hours especially when the empty world feeling and the soulless npcs start showing up. The nostalgia goes also away when you realise that many of your older companions were cut for absolutly no justifiable reasons, and you find yourself with one of the worst pokemon games ever made.    … 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.
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  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]
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