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. CruiserS
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    I gave 10 jusg to compensate all those haters, normally I would give it a 9. Graphic is good. Music is perfect. Good story length and healthy progress with rewards.
  2. GoldenJeans37
    Nov 17, 2019
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Well I gotta say, Gamefreak truly made an amazingly well done game. I personally love how every pokemon is actually good and even though the game was relatively easy, I think it likes to focus more on the pvp and raids. Sure a ton of moves have been removed, along with pokemon, but they were unbalanced or useless moves. Hell they even buffed Metronome and gave it to more pokemon. Frames only really drop when online, ot feels very much like Xenoblade Chronicles 2. I understand people hating this game but in my opinion, this is the best main series game to ever exist and I hope that if they continue down this route that they keep the same viability and not have pvp filled with tons of legends. My only nitpick is that the raids are easily cheesed out up to the point I have to spam earthquake to make even a bit challenging and essentially troll. Hopefully Raids get drastically nerfed in a patch.… Expand
  3. Tabh88
    Nov 17, 2019
    7
    Just beat 2nd gym leader in the game and overall I’m enjoying it. But the game is far too easy for my liking and has been simplified and dumbed down to the point where it takes away from my enjoyment! Some of the pros are 1) less hand holding, the game gives you more independence compared to previous gens 2) great new selection of new Pokemon available from the start of the game and reallyJust beat 2nd gym leader in the game and overall I’m enjoying it. But the game is far too easy for my liking and has been simplified and dumbed down to the point where it takes away from my enjoyment! Some of the pros are 1) less hand holding, the game gives you more independence compared to previous gens 2) great new selection of new Pokemon available from the start of the game and really enjoying training them 3) the design and themes of the game are great - sleek at times but also familiar and with improvements 4) tried the wild area once and liked the variety of pokemon available. The cons are 1) this game is waaay to easy with too much handholding and not enough room for a challenge 2) I hate having the experience share set as permanently on - what an odd decision! I get you can switch out via link box to train other pokemon but the exp share levels up your team way too fast and you end being overleveled with no trainer battle challenges! 3) the trainers AI seems to have been reduced and there is no fight here 4) the gym battles are a breeze and lack gumption 5) the game lacks a good cohesive story line compared to previous gems e.g thought Alolan theme created a culture and fairly in depth plot line but this game is shallow in comparison with less character and depth. Very disappointed with experience share being permanently on. It seems the games are being geared towards younger new comers at the sacrifice of other elements. GM could have easily balanced these challenges out with some tweaks and seems they have missed a trick in places. But still several pros to the game as above. 7/10.… Expand
  4. Charlinhos
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    The wild area add hours and hours of funny! The game and historia are very good!
  5. moskitto2411
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    By far the best Pokemon Game ever. Must play. 400 Pokemon is more then enough. Raid battles are addictive.
  6. PokeSantiTW
    Nov 17, 2019
    9
    One of the most epic games in the Pokémon saga. The Gym Battles are perfect. The Limited Dex and the graphics, in my opinion, it doesn't matter.
  7. Marrathanss
    Nov 17, 2019
    7
    Pokémon Sword e Shield vieram com grandes expectativas por parte dos fãs. Com sua receita/fórmula padrão usados desde os primórdios com o gameboy, fica realmente difícil um jogo de Pokémon ser ruim. Mas dada circunstância que estamos em 2019 a tecnologia e os conceitos de RPG evoluíram muito. Não há mal algum em atualizar e implementar elementos de RPG mais modernos isso só expandiria aPokémon Sword e Shield vieram com grandes expectativas por parte dos fãs. Com sua receita/fórmula padrão usados desde os primórdios com o gameboy, fica realmente difícil um jogo de Pokémon ser ruim. Mas dada circunstância que estamos em 2019 a tecnologia e os conceitos de RPG evoluíram muito. Não há mal algum em atualizar e implementar elementos de RPG mais modernos isso só expandiria a franquia. Falando do jogo, "S&$" conta com texturas de cenários preguiçosas em várias partes do jogo. As cidades são bem construídas mas as texturas de chão e rochas/montanhas deixam a desejar. O corte da dex não "faz falta" na campanha principal mas sem dúvidas seria um desafio pegar os 800+ Pokémon e com certeza se mostrará fazer falta no competitivo daqui a alguns meses. A Team Yell foi a pior equipe e eu achava que ninguém superaria a Transferência Skull. Os Pokémon nativos de falar junto as galarian forms fazem de falar uma região com a dex mais promissoras dos últimos anos, sem dúvidas. Os NPC falando sem sair som incomoda, passou daora de rever isso sem falar na repetição de alguns NPC que nem ao menos se esforçaram pra mudar algum detalhe. O universo de Pokémon chegou a um ponto de necessitar de um mundo aberto com cenários mais detalhados (não necessariamente realista), com NPC e Pokémon com uma inteligência artificial natural e não simplesmente programados para ficar no mesmo lugar faça chuva faça sol.… Expand
  8. Apenita
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    No os fieis de estos subnormales, muy bueno el juego, a quien le importan los gráficos jugando Pokémon?
  9. deepfriednuhhh
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    This is the first Pokemon game I've played since Red (and in turn, Let's Go essentially a remake of R/B/Y). I LOVE IT! There are so many cool mechanics in the game such as League Card trading, surprise trading, raids, the bike has returned, you can fish! :D The wildlands will kick your butt and force you to 'gitgud'. The gyms are actually stadiums now with large crowds and cheery musicThis is the first Pokemon game I've played since Red (and in turn, Let's Go essentially a remake of R/B/Y). I LOVE IT! There are so many cool mechanics in the game such as League Card trading, surprise trading, raids, the bike has returned, you can fish! :D The wildlands will kick your butt and force you to 'gitgud'. The gyms are actually stadiums now with large crowds and cheery music like a soccer (futbal for my international friends) match! You can change the appearance of your character however you like, the new pokemon are pretty awesome, the towns are bustling, you can send your pokemon on jobs to gain xp, there's a light rail (tram for my international friends), that gets you from point a to point b fairly quickly and even pokemon you can ride like mounts in wow. There is just so much to do and explore I have gotten lost in the world for the past 25 or so hours and only have my 3rd badge! I think this is the best entry in the series by far! They even brought back the battle system from before rather than just throwing balls in let's go. If you grew up watching yu-gi-oh the gigamaxing feature reminds me of those duals with the giant hologram monsters as well! I am looking forward to updates and future entries in the series now that its on home console :D… Expand
  10. scooby64
    Nov 17, 2019
    4
    The new Pokemon game did add a few nice things to the series like dynamexing and the wild area and some of the animations but in overall the game feels really rushed and not finished.
    -Trees copyd over from a 1998 game
    -1 of the enemies you face many times in the game only have 2 models and with how frequent they come they would really benefit from some variety - Most trainers in the    The new Pokemon game did add a few nice things to the series like dynamexing and the wild area and some of the animations but in overall the game feels really rushed and not finished.
    -Trees copyd over from a 1998 game
    -1 of the enemies you face many times in the game only have 2 models and with how frequent they come they would really benefit from some variety
    - Most trainers in the wild seem to have simple character models
    - The game holds your hand way to much sometimes you're forced out or into an area when you're not done exploring yet, this system would work amazing for kids it's very hard to get lost in the story i never really had to look at my map or check what my mission was some players like this and others dislike it
    - I personally am not to impressed by most of the Pokemon some of them look they are pokemon from older gens with very minor tweaks to it while there are some really good looking new pokemon i had higher expectation of the franchise main series
    - Some great animations but also some cheap animations as said before it feels unfinished
    - Frequent fps drops when there is a lot going on sometimes down to 10-15 fps (it feels like) in raid battles and when there is a weather effect involved
    - 1 other small critique is that we can't see a Pokemon is shiny until battle, they implemented this in Pokemon lets go and that was such a amazing feature IMO and really made you go crazy when you spot 1 while not even looking for it    … Expand
  11. KingArthur7
    Nov 17, 2019
    9
    Pokémon Espada & Escudo es un juego al que le cuesta la nueva generación. Presenta problemas gráficos aquí y allá, pero en el núcleo sigue siendo el juego divertido y encantador que sienpre nos conquista entrega a entrega.
  12. ShadowMderp
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    Loooooved this game so far, while it certaintly has some minor issues, it makes uo for it with fun characters and interesting new pokemon. This game has the best graphics in the series
  13. LycanLiam
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    Pokemon Sword and Shield are the best Pokemon games in the series! I play the game every day! They are fun, exciting, and easy to play. I hope to see more Pokemon games that focus on story, character development, and gameplay! I recommend these games to everyone! I have played every Pokemon game in the series so far. This game is the best one so far. It is also really easy to learn and getPokemon Sword and Shield are the best Pokemon games in the series! I play the game every day! They are fun, exciting, and easy to play. I hope to see more Pokemon games that focus on story, character development, and gameplay! I recommend these games to everyone! I have played every Pokemon game in the series so far. This game is the best one so far. It is also really easy to learn and get the hang of. The graphics are great and the storyline is fun and engaging. I like how you can customize your character, and what types of new Pokemon are available, and it adds an additional depth to the gameplay. It is my favorite game in the Pokemon series. The storyline is very well thought out and is always interesting.… Expand
  14. Zycron
    Nov 17, 2019
    9
    Awesome game, some lag in wild area online but still pretty difficult. Would recommend to returning fans as you can blaze through or even skip some tutorials
  15. Sqeewee
    Nov 17, 2019
    9
    Honestly, this is a very good game. The graphics are very good and charming, the world around is fun just to walk around, and the controls are satisfying. The new Pokemon are actually pretty well designed. The national Dex cut isn't actually too noticeable and I didn't mind having less Pokemon. The wild areas are fun to explore, and it is so cool to be able to see Pokemon roaming theHonestly, this is a very good game. The graphics are very good and charming, the world around is fun just to walk around, and the controls are satisfying. The new Pokemon are actually pretty well designed. The national Dex cut isn't actually too noticeable and I didn't mind having less Pokemon. The wild areas are fun to explore, and it is so cool to be able to see Pokemon roaming the world. The gyms are very unique, and very fun. I could honestly go on and on. My only real complaint is a few characters are a bit annoying. This game is getting a lot of unnecessary hate, so I urge you to try the game out for yourself, and have an open mind. Thank you.… Expand
  16. ginoconde
    Nov 20, 2019
    9
    So what if the national dex isn't complete. One of the major thrills of a new Pokemon game are the NEW POKEMONS! And the animation is bad? So if the animation for this game is bad, than all the animation for the previous Pokemon is bad as well? People need to reassess their opinions and look at the game objectively. For me I enjoyed this game. The game stayed true to it's core. You startSo what if the national dex isn't complete. One of the major thrills of a new Pokemon game are the NEW POKEMONS! And the animation is bad? So if the animation for this game is bad, than all the animation for the previous Pokemon is bad as well? People need to reassess their opinions and look at the game objectively. For me I enjoyed this game. The game stayed true to it's core. You start off with three starters, you explore and catch Pokemons to join your team, and strive to become Pokemon champion. The missed opportunity for me is the story. They could've made it more innovative, something different, something provocative. Despite how awesome Nintendo makes their games, story has always been their Achilles heel.… Expand
  17. Lord_Daishi
    Nov 17, 2019
    9
    I’m down with the cuts. We get a fresh metagame. All the old major players in the Singles and VGC formats change. This gives us something new! Instead of us just bringing in, or grinding up our old sweepers and walls that we’ve known inside and out for yearssss, and hoping that either the new mons shake it up enough; or that game freak re-balanced everything... Again!

    Sure we will    I’m down with the cuts. We get a fresh metagame. All the old major players in the Singles and VGC formats change. This gives us something new! Instead of us just bringing in, or grinding up our old sweepers and walls that we’ve known inside and out for yearssss, and hoping that either the new mons shake it up enough; or that game freak re-balanced everything... Again!

    Sure we will always have bans and useless mons per generation . (rip guzzlord; no one cared. And Bye bye pheromosa; have fun stuck in Ubers.) But when was Gengar not OU??? When he got nerfed; and was less relevant in the meta! Which I don’t know about you all, but I don’t want that for my mons.

    Which is a good reason why we have Pokémon bank! This allows game freak to preserve the Pokémon as they are. Maintaining their strengths and weaknesses as much as possible, and letting us keep and store them for future use; whenever game freak thinks they makes sense, for the balance of future games.

    Sure..., now some people can’t play with their favorites. I am actually particularly lucky I get to keep some of my favorites. But I’d have given them all up and let them chill in bank for all eternity if it meant more depth to online play. (We have co-op raids with real Pokémon mechanics now [rip pokemon go] and a much more interactive online than 3DS’ “ppl randomly showing up in your glorified lobby; Say Hi!”.)

    I whole heartedly accept this "no national Dex" and was actually more hype because it’s not there.

    Also, regarding the animations: Everyone looks at combat. However, no one mentions out of battle environments like Pokemon Camp which have some new animations something they probably couldn’t feasibly replicate for the whole roster. Sure; for many this is likely fluff, but It's clear they want to bring pokemon closer and closer to a pet simulator with every iteration.

    I bet majoirty of the people mad are salty they can't dunk on the competitive scene with pre-built OU threats and it's now impossible to hack anything outside the selected roster in. No more Azumarills, no more sleep Smergals, no more Chansey or Blissey, no more Grenninja, and no more megas like Lopunny. **This is a good thing This is a healthy thing!**

    We have not had such a refined metagame since Gen 1 and Gen 2. It's the difference between playing MTG in Standard compared to Legacy and Vintage.

    Which, at least to me makes this the BEST pokemon game in the series since they introduced online play.    … Expand
  18. 2Jaki
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    It has got good graphics. The battles are now more epic and great characters
  19. WerDNA-
    Nov 17, 2019
    8
    No esta mal para ser un juego a carreras...
    Pero, es un hecho que pudo ser mejor.
  20. mimicc
    Nov 17, 2019
    9
    I would say that this is probably one of the better Pokémon games/generations.
    Most of the new Pokémon are pretty good, and the region is good, too.
    I don't know why people are giving this game such negative reviews. After finishing the game, I came to realize that the removal of some Pokémon barely affected the experience, especially not in a negative way. All of the new features most    I would say that this is probably one of the better Pokémon games/generations.
    Most of the new Pokémon are pretty good, and the region is good, too.

    I don't know why people are giving this game such negative reviews. After finishing the game, I came to realize that the removal of some Pokémon barely affected the experience, especially not in a negative way. All of the new features most definitely cancel out the negative aspects of this game.

    Sure, it has a few bugs here and there, but that, too, has no effect on the gameplay.
    The graphics are pretty good, too. This is most prominent when you're in a town- All of the major cities in this game look great.

    Overall, this game's pretty good. If you're a Pokémon fan, you should probably play it. It's probably one of the best games in the series.    … Expand
  21. Toastymanny
    Nov 17, 2019
    9
    This game was amazing, the gym battles are handled much better and the ending was awesome. All these reviews from people who want a bloated rehashed experience (and haven't even played the game) really dull what people look at in this game. Highly recommend.
  22. alaval
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    Un gran juego, intenta dar una nueva experiencia a través de nuevos personajes, gráficas geniales
  23. Eddy702
    Nov 17, 2019
    4
    The game is regular, some scenarios are fine, but, it feels like if game freak did the game fast. The story... meh.
    There's no GTS, i couldn't even have a trade whith a friend. We couldn't understand the interface of the "y connection"" I uses yo love Pokemon ganes, but, i can't love this:(
  24. j0hn4devils
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    I’ve been playing Pokémon for all my life, and I appreciate the Quality of life improvements and the risks they took. The game is balanced really well and I was never over leveled.
  25. Nerusomen
    Nov 17, 2019
    3
    Habiendo comprado las entregas de ultra luna y el mismo juego de luna, entre ambos cultivé un total de casi 500 horas de juego, este juego me parece una copia por casi todos los lados (exceptuando la historia, añadido de pojemon y actividades cortas) en general es aburrido ver las mismas animaciones desde X&Y y de paso una calidad de gráficos no muy buena llevados de la mano de unaHabiendo comprado las entregas de ultra luna y el mismo juego de luna, entre ambos cultivé un total de casi 500 horas de juego, este juego me parece una copia por casi todos los lados (exceptuando la historia, añadido de pojemon y actividades cortas) en general es aburrido ver las mismas animaciones desde X&Y y de paso una calidad de gráficos no muy buena llevados de la mano de una historia y juego muy cortos, este juego no vale 60 dolares.… Expand
  26. whitenight2013
    Nov 17, 2019
    9
    I'm going to have to take a good look at replayability, but as of right now, this is my favorite Pokemon game. In some ways, this game is just like every other entry. Catch Pokemon, beat the gym leaders, rinse and repeat. The game has a similar art style to Sun and Moon, so the game is taking a more stylized aesthetic rather than anything groundbreaking. You can see some Pokemon appear inI'm going to have to take a good look at replayability, but as of right now, this is my favorite Pokemon game. In some ways, this game is just like every other entry. Catch Pokemon, beat the gym leaders, rinse and repeat. The game has a similar art style to Sun and Moon, so the game is taking a more stylized aesthetic rather than anything groundbreaking. You can see some Pokemon appear in the grass which can cause a little lag, but I've only ever had that happen once in a certain wide open area of the game. It is a little sad that since the Switch gave us fantastical new experiences with Zelda and Mario Odyssey that the same didn't happen with Pokemon, but holding that against this game is a little unfair. There's also no national dex in this game, but that's something that was going to happen eventually no matter what. Overall what this game did was give you a past Pokemon game and then improved on everything you could complain about that game.
    Grinding for instance. This game gave two huge changes for this by making the EXP share on no matter what and making it so that catching Pokemon gives you exp too. As a result, I never once had to stop and grind out any levels. I caught a Pokemon every time I ran into one I didn't have yet, and beat every trainer. Doing that my party stayed at about the same level as the gyms as I fought them. People complain about how short this game is, but I honestly think it's the same length as others without all the grinding bloating up your time. Now this does cause a problem because it means you don't want to search through the grass a lot. Most of the new Pokemon don't appear in the overworld; you have to get on your hands and knees and really look for them which you want to avoid for the most part or else risk leveling up your Pokemon too much and making the game too easy.
    The game also developed a real sports theme for the game, and I love it. Really brings some energy to the game, and it works thematically. Of course Pokemon battles would be this world's main sport. It also makes good sense for why you have to challenge the gyms in a certain order. Most importantly for me is the fact that it gives you actual tension with your rivals. You actually have a reason to compete against them because only one person can challenge the champion. In past games there was never a reason why you and your rivals couldn't challenge the elite four. They just didn't because you beat them. And as for the rivals, they tried making them a little more interesting. They gave your main rival an actual ark which was cool, and another one, Marnie, was an actually endearing character. I think she might be the first rival who wasn't annoying, hot-blooded, a jerk, or some combination of the three.
    The music is fantastic. Every Pokemon game I've played, I've usually played with the volume off. Each game had one ost song in the background I actually liked listening too, but this one went all out. I refuse to go against a gym in this game with the sound off. It has a nice beat to it, and really brings the blood-pumping. It's the same for towns, routes, and regular battles. Also, they finally got rid of the stupid bike music.
    Storywise, there is one. Pokemon has never been known for their great storytelling. Usually it amounts to, bad guy shows up a couple times, you beat them, finally you find their main base, beat them up, and catch a legendary. This game does change things up a bit, and I did enjoy the story, but it's not as enticing as say gen 5 and 7.
    Overall the thing about this Pokemon game is that it's fun, and you get what you put into it. If you purposely grind away levels or play the game as a more complicated game of rock, paper, scissors--then there's not much here for you. It's no longer a game where you can just kill time on without thinking about anything as you spend a couple of hours grinding out levels in preparation for that next gym leader. Whether this game is for you is all down to a question in my opinion. Are you the type of person who has your water Pokemon take down the fire gym on its own, or are you the type of person who sends out their electric Pokemon first to make things a little more interesting.    … Expand
  27. Dg18reen
    Nov 17, 2019
    8
    Don't play a lot of Pokemon but this game looks good. I think u should give it a try.
  28. Nomadskimgdom
    Nov 17, 2019
    4
    I tried to come at this with a sence of optimism but ultimately became so disappointed. When playing through I found myself thinking about the starter I always transfer up and how much I loved that over scorbunny...The open world is not really all that impressive since there really isn't much in it other than over powered pokemon I dont like using. The battles are fine, but the gyms areI tried to come at this with a sence of optimism but ultimately became so disappointed. When playing through I found myself thinking about the starter I always transfer up and how much I loved that over scorbunny...The open world is not really all that impressive since there really isn't much in it other than over powered pokemon I dont like using. The battles are fine, but the gyms are kind of tedious with the mini games not being anything to write home about. Once you get to the elite 4 though it becomes annoyingly repetitive. Over all not the worst graphics, not the worst story, not the worst game but it's definitely down there and a big disappointment coming from game freak...hope for better in the future though. #bringbackthenationaldex and it would get a 8… Expand
  29. Perkypears
    Nov 17, 2019
    8
    Not a perfect game, visuals do not hold up to what a switch game is capable of or what most $60 titles look like. If you have interest in the competitive aspect however many parts of the game are streamlined, such as changing a pokemon's nature, and EV training. The length of the game is about average for the series, but if you like most Pokemon games you'll probably like this one
  30. ace1016
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    It’s a new region of the Pokemon world and like the Alola region it was well done. The new Pokémon are cute and cool with every bit of weirdness that we are used to and more
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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 »