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. Julpyz93
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    Yes maybe the game isn't perfect graphically but sorry it's the best pokemon yet and remember that it's the first real pokemon in an HD consol so imagine the next game?
  2. Jp117
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    Game is great yea I miss the Pokémon that weren’t there but had fun playing been a fan since red/blue
  3. GreenMenace
    Feb 22, 2022
    8
    I liked Pokemon Shield so much that for the first time (and probably the only time I’ll ever do this) I purchased its partner game. I did so because I’ve really enjoyed shiny hunting in these games—and plan to get a shiny living dex someday. This review is for people deciding between Pokemon games available on the switch. I won’t review any game I haven’t played. If you want a detailedI liked Pokemon Shield so much that for the first time (and probably the only time I’ll ever do this) I purchased its partner game. I did so because I’ve really enjoyed shiny hunting in these games—and plan to get a shiny living dex someday. This review is for people deciding between Pokemon games available on the switch. I won’t review any game I haven’t played. If you want a detailed review of Pokemon Sword, please review my Pokemon Shield review.
    Without further ado, here is my take on the following Pokemon games:
    Pokemon Let’s Go—This game has the highest odds of finding an overworld shiny Pokemon. Generally, players are unable to single out Pokemon in a shiny hunt. As for the Pokedex, it sticks to the first generation of Pokemon which allows the game to make the graphics a little more pleasing to the eye. If you own this game, you can easily obtain Meltan and Melmetal in Pokemon Go. It intends to take players back to Red, Yellow, and Green, but they made several changes. The partner pokemon are refreshing, but the changes to all game antagonists are not. Pokemon Let’s Go has players catch Pokemon like Pokemon Go and it offers a coop system that makes both catching and battling Pokemon significantly easier. EVs are replaced by candies.
    Pokemon Sword/Shield—This game is the eighth generation of Pokemon. It boasts the ability to make Pokemon battle ready quickly. Pokemon raids are a fun addition, considering how much XP you get in addition to the rare items and Pokemon obtained. Raids allow the postgame (ie collecting Pokemon and making them powerful enough to challenge other players) to go quicker than ever before. It’s not exciting per se to participate in a raid, and it can also be incredibly frustrating if you go with AI teammates since certain Pokemon do their absolute best to do nothing during the raid. Players can change Pokemon natures and obtain hidden abilities through items, which previously was impossible. It’s also easy to reset EVs. Finally, and most importantly for myself, there are a variety of methods to shiny hunt. In addition to shiny Pokemon, there are marked Pokemon, which are Pokemon with ribbons that allow for a title to follow after their name. The introduction of the wild area allowed players to encounter a lot of Pokemon early in the game. This title’s flexibility is what has me coming back to play it years later.
    Pokemon Home—This app is important since it is key to trading Pokemon over the GTS.
    Pokemon Brilliant Diamond / Shining Pearl—A nostalgic nod to Pokemon’s 4th generation. It includes some features of Platinum, but not all of them. The most efficient way to shiny hunt is through Poke Radar, but it’s possible to “mess up” your streak if you encounter Pokemon the wrong way. Other than that, this game has the worst odds to encounter shinies. On the plus side, though, the ai actually puts up a little bit of a fight. Gym leaders use viable strategies seen in online ranked play. The underground acts as a simplified wild area which addresses a former weakness of the limited Pokedex entries of the old games.
    Pokken Tournament DX—A fighting style game. I played the demo and had fun with it, but it was too expensive for me personally to justify purchasing it.
    Pokemon Unite—A kid friendly moba. Still has plenty of toxic moments, but for better or worse, players have a hard time communicating to each other. It’s a fun free to play game that’s relatively easy to pick up.
    Pokemon Snap—This is a more casual approach to Pokemon, where you take pictures of Pokemon in their natural habitat. You can toss things at them to try to get a better angle. It’s shorter than other Pokemon games, and it looks a lot nicer to boot.
    Pokemon Legends Arceus—The latest Pokemon title (with the longest tutorial). You either love its game design or you don’t. I really like how it focuses on catching Pokemon out in the open. Typically, encountering Pokemon is a random encounter from a set encounter table. As I played the game, I felt like I was memorizing where different Pokemon hung out. I don’t know why it gave me such joy to hear an alpha Blissey roar out a challenge to the world, or to hear the cry of surprise when a Pokeball hit them out of the blue, or to hear the cry of outrage when they broke out and spotted me. This is really the only game where shiny hunting could be dubbed as “fun” since this is another game that allows overworld shinies as you ride a Pokemon roaming the world. Another thing worth mentioning is that I enjoyed the characters in this one as some of them were as goofy as the Pokemon Gale of Darkness and Colosseum era. I would have liked more variety in the research tasks, and the graphics would have been well received during the Gamecube era. Contrary to what you might have heard, it is not an open world game. It’s more like five large wild areas plus one hub.    … Expand
  4. kare8019
    Nov 18, 2019
    8
    楽しいです ポケモンたちは可愛くて見ててすごく癒されますね 個性豊かなキャラクターばかりで凄く楽しいです。処理落ちするところがちょっとだけマイナスポイントですゲームフリークの技術力がないからでしょうね
  5. Jonathan1910
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    El juego es perfecto se nota el salto grafico y 94 nuevos pkm muy bien diseñados ligeros detalles pero que merece la pena
  6. Felink2019
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    Amazing game, amazing New forms, enjoy and stop de stupid hate. Is a big jump to the next open world in franchaise.
  7. Edswitch
    Nov 19, 2019
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. O jogo finalmente está trazendo câmera livre e cenários mais abertos pra franquia , eu simplesmente amei Pokemon Sword and Shild… Expand
  8. Abtron555
    Nov 20, 2019
    9
    A great game with a few flaws that can be easily overlooked. The story isn’t amazing or anything, but it’s definitely not bad, and Gamefreaks decision to not reveal most of the Pokémon was a great because I actually DISCOVERED new Pokémon that I’d never seen before. Some of the graphics aren’t BOTW (but Pokémon doesn’t use cell shading I believe) but just because the environment wasn’tA great game with a few flaws that can be easily overlooked. The story isn’t amazing or anything, but it’s definitely not bad, and Gamefreaks decision to not reveal most of the Pokémon was a great because I actually DISCOVERED new Pokémon that I’d never seen before. Some of the graphics aren’t BOTW (but Pokémon doesn’t use cell shading I believe) but just because the environment wasn’t perfect, the Pokémon were about as close to perfect that you can get, with the humans and Pokémon were very expensive (humans not as expressive as the Pokémon, but they looked better than Sun and Moon). Over all this game is great and my favorite game in the series!… Expand
  9. Alastor_X
    Nov 17, 2019
    8
    While i understand most of the people complaining, i think this is a great pokemon game it have a great start, and it feel solid, later it down the pase but not a great problem, graphically it's the best pokemon game and it look a lot better than other games like fire emblem three houses, level design it's great on towns and gyms, but it feel flat on the wild area after a whilenot for theWhile i understand most of the people complaining, i think this is a great pokemon game it have a great start, and it feel solid, later it down the pase but not a great problem, graphically it's the best pokemon game and it look a lot better than other games like fire emblem three houses, level design it's great on towns and gyms, but it feel flat on the wild area after a whilenot for the graphics, but for the level design of that area.

    And about the animation, i've watched a video of pokemon attacks that only jump and dont move at all, that video it's fake, you can turn off/on the battle animations, all characters have animation iddle and animation attacks , of course not the best, but lest remember it's a turn based RPG, not a fighting game like pokken tournament.

    people remember the best to make your voice being hear it's dont buy the game, forget about attacking people who are enjoy it, or the developers, that only waste your speech, make noise and not results.    … Expand
  10. fab1012
    Nov 16, 2019
    9
    It is true this game is not the best pokemon game and less the best game of the year but it is the first stone for a promising future of pokemon, in this game we could appreciate one of the best inventions to date in the world of pokemon which It is the creation of the wild area which will be the first stone for the creation of the tower that is the future of pokemon.
  11. Xolam
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    Started the game with low expectations because of criticism.

    I played every pokémon game and I think this one might be my favourite, just on route 2 alone I never had so much fun, it's insane. The NPCs are walking in cities, the pokemon have different movement outside of the grass depending of their species etc.. the world is SO LIVEFULL. The multiplayer experience is fantastic    Started the game with low expectations because of criticism.

    I played every pokémon game and I think this one might be my favourite, just on route 2 alone I never had so much fun, it's insane.

    The NPCs are walking in cities, the pokemon have different movement outside of the grass depending of their species etc.. the world is SO LIVEFULL.

    The multiplayer experience is fantastic since I'm playing it with friends, there's so much stuff we can do together.    … Expand
  12. DetectiveDonut
    Feb 18, 2020
    7
    Definitely not the best Pokemon game, but there's some value here. It's a good entry point for the series, but you'd be better served with one of the DS' main series games.
  13. Seihoff
    Nov 18, 2019
    9
    El mejor juego de Pokémon, con mucho, hasta la fecha. Me parece una decisión acertada el limitar la Pokedex pero hacer que todos estos Pokémon aparezcan durante la aventura y no como en otras ediciones, que el 70% se consiguen una vez terminado el juego. Las ciudades y localizaciones son preciosas, los escenarios de batalla adecuados, la música es la mejor de la saga sin duda y el sistemaEl mejor juego de Pokémon, con mucho, hasta la fecha. Me parece una decisión acertada el limitar la Pokedex pero hacer que todos estos Pokémon aparezcan durante la aventura y no como en otras ediciones, que el 70% se consiguen una vez terminado el juego. Las ciudades y localizaciones son preciosas, los escenarios de batalla adecuados, la música es la mejor de la saga sin duda y el sistema de gimnasios me parece bien planteado. El drama de las animaciones causado por una mala traducción de una entrevista no acabo de comprenderlo, y menos destrozar la nota de un juego por ello siendo unas expectativas personales y lo exigibles. Los movimientos y Pokémon nuevos tienen unas animaciones notables. La única crítica es la facilidad del juego, deberían incluir un modo difícil con autolevel de los líderes de gimnasio o no permitirte subir de nivel más que los Pokémon de estos rivales, como digo, en un modo que se pudiera seleccionar desde la pantalla inicial. Por lo demás es un juego divertisidisimo y a mi gusto, el mejor de la saga.… Expand
  14. Coconutnut
    Nov 23, 2019
    6
    I think it's a decent game, the story wasn't as annoying as previous Pokemon games, but it also felt lazier. There are no big oceans to explore, no big caves to get lost in, it's pretty much a straight line to the finish.

    The second thing that is very annoying - frame rate. The moment you turn on online mode on the Wild Area, prepare for the framerate to drop to 5-15 FPS. It's bad,    I think it's a decent game, the story wasn't as annoying as previous Pokemon games, but it also felt lazier. There are no big oceans to explore, no big caves to get lost in, it's pretty much a straight line to the finish.

    The second thing that is very annoying - frame rate. The moment you turn on online mode on the Wild Area, prepare for the framerate to drop to 5-15 FPS. It's bad, pretty bad. I can't believe they allowed this to happen. Even if you try disconnecting from the internet, the other player models stay there so the framerate stays low regardless.

    Overall, not a bad Pokemon game, but it does feel lazy. The framerate especially feels like the game wasn't play-tested online at all.

    There are very good things in this game, but the shortcomings drive the overall experience down. If you don't care about the story, this might seem good as you can finish the story pretty quickly with no problems, but if you're looking for a game with a good story, this is not it. Pokemon has never been about the story, but this is one of the weaker ones.    … Expand
  15. yetimand
    Dec 15, 2019
    8
    i think this game is pretty good. all the new pokemon were solid. butt the lack of some of the made the deacent
  16. Rub3n15
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    It’s nice to finally have an official Pokémon game on the switch that not let go pikachu and lets go eevee
  17. 1000fps
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    This is the best Pokémon game to date. It do what Pokémon does best. Catch em all and such.
  18. Dillonology
    Nov 18, 2019
    8
    Already one of my favourite Pokemon games created! Raiding brings this game new life and is very fun with friends!
  19. Eggtron
    Nov 17, 2019
    8
    Pokemon Shield has been a fun return to the series despite the inclusion of all pokemon before it. Some more attention to frame rate and other polish would have been appreciated. Great designs on new pokemon and the wild area is amazing. Dynamax is...ok but leaves much to be desired.
  20. UmAlguem
    Dec 13, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. O jogo é bom pra franquia mas podia ter sido mais ambicioso, a trilha sonora é perfeita e o jogo é divertido.… Expand
  21. VescularGold
    Nov 18, 2019
    8
    Before the game came out, I was unsure if I was going to get it, but after I bought it and tried, I actually like how the game is, I enjoy the story, love the characters, love the new Pokemon, and more. There are some minor issue, but GameFreak will probably fix it later. To the point, I really love the game, game and I don't think it deserves the hate it's getting because it's a good andBefore the game came out, I was unsure if I was going to get it, but after I bought it and tried, I actually like how the game is, I enjoy the story, love the characters, love the new Pokemon, and more. There are some minor issue, but GameFreak will probably fix it later. To the point, I really love the game, game and I don't think it deserves the hate it's getting because it's a good and fun game to play, in my opinion… Expand
  22. Paladean
    Nov 21, 2019
    8
    German/Deutsch

    Ich für meinen Teil, habe richtig Spaß an/mit diesem Pokémon Spiel. Endlich sind wieder Arenen da, neue coole Features wie das Camping, die Naturzone, neue Möglichkeiten zu leveln usw. Das Post Game könnte etwas ausgebauter daherkommen, aber alles bis dahin ist in sich genommen so stimmig, wie eh und je. Mindestens 30 Stunden Spielspaß.
  23. Cruzeta
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    A mk me parece junto a pokemon sol y luna lo mejor que han hecho pokemon y gamefreak quieren implementar nievas mecanicas y pokemons y vosotros os quejais ningun juego es perfecto los juegos estan para disfrutarlos
  24. Metalcritico
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    Excelente muchas horas de juego como siempre en las sagas de pokemon!
    Super adictivo!!
  25. Presstart25
    Nov 18, 2019
    8
    Es un gran viedojuego, que tiene algunos problemas, pero no son tan importantes como para opacar sus exelentes cualidades, por eso el 8
  26. OmniPhantom
    Nov 26, 2019
    9
    I don't really transfer much so the smaller pokedex really doesn't bother me much. Plus two of my favorite pokemon are in the game.
  27. Kronos_EVC
    Nov 15, 2019
    8
    El juego no es perfecto, sobretodo flaquea en las áreas silvestres, pero el apartado artístico es precioso, el diseño de los Pokémons es de los mejores de las pasadas generaciones, el salto talvez no ha sido tan grande como uno esperaba pero todo fue por conservar lo clásico del juego. A mí me encanta!
  28. Georgemuller052
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    Es el mejor Pokémon que jamás se haya creado, un excelente juego adictivo, los que le ponen mala nota son piperos.
  29. Daeny
    Nov 25, 2019
    7
    È una bella gioco mi piace la possibilità di muovere la telecamera, bella grafica
  30. stratosf
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    Really funny pokémon game. Keep on this game freak a love this game and I'm having so much fun with it. Awesome graphics and really nice moves. Story is long not like other pokémon games and I love the new battle system and also the legendaries and new pokémon species.
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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.
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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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