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
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. tomashrabek
    Apr 26, 2021
    6
    Last time I've played Pokémon was in the Gold/Silver era and I have only the best memories of it. I've been really surprised to see that the game hasn't changed a bit since those times. Yes, you can cook some curries and "dynamax" your Pokémon in some battles, but nevertheless, it's still the same game with the same principles. Which is pleasant to some extent, but becomes tiring andLast time I've played Pokémon was in the Gold/Silver era and I have only the best memories of it. I've been really surprised to see that the game hasn't changed a bit since those times. Yes, you can cook some curries and "dynamax" your Pokémon in some battles, but nevertheless, it's still the same game with the same principles. Which is pleasant to some extent, but becomes tiring and repetitive very fast. I don't care about the "controversies" surrounding this game, as I've had no stakes in it, but what I do care about is the weak potential to entertain for a longer period of time and the mediocre execution. It's a pass for me, but I don't think I'll be having fond memories of this game in the future, I'll probably just forget it.… Expand
  2. Doomy_Doomy
    Jan 5, 2021
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. After waiting a year to purchase this game due to the bad reviews and press, do not believe the bandwagon. I have been playing Pokemon since I was child and my first game was Pokemon Diamond and I fell in love with the franchise. Sword is another advancement for Pokemon that I am enjoying. I got the game on the 24th for $40 and have already put 25 hours into the game. Now like with past titles the end game content is lacking and I don't see a lot of legendaries to be caught without paying for switch online which is a bummer, but the story telling has gotten better. I do believe team yell could have been better, but the idea of going against the establishment of wishing stars and staying true to your roots is a good meaning to teach kids. As well, it goes to show that not every organization has the best interest. I wish they would have went more in depth and embraced the dark of the story, but it was good for what it was for a children's game. I loved Hop. He may have not been a rival, but he was a good partner to explore the game with and to go through his character arc. He makes a lot of dumb decisions, but it is nice to see him grow. Bede I thought was handled well and I looked forward to every encounter to beat his cocky attitude. As well the professor in this game is awesome. I loved being able to go on a journey with her and watch her grow. The after game is about an hour or two of extra content and it was fun. I like the idea of your character and Hop being the two new heroes of the region and Hop wanting to be a professor. Now, my only complaint is the hand holding. It is too much and for me it would been cool if the game let you figured it out on yourself, especially since we live in the world of the internet now compared to 2007. I had fun, the graphics are good in hand held mode (I play my switch only in handheld), battles were fun, and the game is relatively easy if you a veteran player. Found myself getting stuck at certain battles because I was under prepared and didn't take the game lightly. Exp share didn't bother me cause I hated grinding in other games and the national dex is not a big deal. Majority of players do not finish the dex and I would prefer to keep the amount of Pokemon under 500 per game so it is not overwhelming and kills my motivation to catch them all. I think this game is worth picking up and I am happy with it. I'm glad I gave it a shot and didn't listen to all the misinformed and entitled spoiled players who want their cake and to eat it too. This game was everything I personally wanted from a mainline 3D Pokemon game and I am happy with it. I hope you enjoy the experience. Should note I will most likely not buy the DLC since I am not a big fan of DLC content to begin with. Oh, and before I forget the wild area is a good idea, but it is lacking with replay-ability unless you are into grinding for xp candies with dumb AI trainers. Would have prefer cycles of only certain days you can catch certain Pokemon.… Expand
  3. yertre
    Feb 14, 2021
    4
    I've played 2 good Pokemon games, neither of which were part of the main series. It's no secret that the Pokemon franchise has been stagnating for years, but this game feels like Gamefreak are just trying to see how little effort they need to put in to keep the fans happy.

    I think that this game is so disappointing to me because this SHOULD have been a great game. There was so much    I've played 2 good Pokemon games, neither of which were part of the main series. It's no secret that the Pokemon franchise has been stagnating for years, but this game feels like Gamefreak are just trying to see how little effort they need to put in to keep the fans happy.

    I think that this game is so disappointing to me because this SHOULD have been a great game. There was so much potential and they blew it. I really wish people would stop giving Gamefreak a free pass in these matters. As for the franchise, I'm probably never touching a Pokemon game again.    … Expand
  4. FloorFlower
    Feb 6, 2021
    2
    I was so disappointed by this game. It added nothing new to the franchise and is insultingly easy. I feel so bad I payed as much for this as I did for Breath of the Wild.
  5. hamunochan
    Feb 10, 2021
    1
    Massive disappointment from what it could have been. Nothing new was added, anything presented here have either been done before or have been done better by other in different games. Seems rushed, unfinished, would be ok for a DS game, not for a home console. Lazy design.
  6. Aarush
    May 12, 2021
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Well after the DLC and since the new games are going to come out I think I can I can give my fair judgement, it was okay. I think they both have some pros and cons that I would like to discuss.

    The first big plus I can give it is that it the first original Pokemon game on a home console. Which is pretty cool.

    Another point in the favor of the game is the wild area. While the wild area has a lot of flaws which we will discuss later but I think it is a good concept, which could lead to bigger things in new pokemon games. I am saying it now if they don't make the distortion world like the wild area In the diamond and pearl remakes I will be mad.

    Some of the features they added were actually cool and were useful for some things.

    Plus I think the gyms in this game are very cool, at least the gym puzzles are cool and not like anything we have seen in a Pokemon game.

    Max raid battles are cool but they have one flaw that we will get to later. And the new max raids in the crown tundra are actually pretty cool.

    But we have to move on to the cons which there are a lot of.

    The big one is of course is the fact that you can't bring in all the Pokemon from other games to Sword and Sheild.

    Oh, and there is no post-game, at all you need to pay $30 to buy the expansion pass.

    Let's talk about the expansion pass, well the expansion pass is fun but this doesn't feel like an expansion as much as it does a post-game, which makes me think that this was supposed to be the post-game and they let you pay for it.

    Also, Pokemon themselves didn't address that there would be more Pokemon added on and what was in the game. which was even worse.

    The worst part of this is Pokemon Home. The app is so bad, It is ransomware for Pokemon. I am not joking. You need to pay for Pokemon home which is fin since Pokemon Bank had you pay, but when you take Pokemon from bank or home, they can't go back even if they can't go in Sword and Shield, so that is already trash but, remember what I said about you need to pay for Home. You don't but you can pay for the proper service. One of the perks is having almost endless storage in the paid version when you get only one box in the free one. So if you buy the paid version and leave Pokemon in there that can't go in Sword and Shield in the paid boxes and don't pay for the new plan, yes you need a monthly plan instead of a one time purchase you need to pay to keep those Pokemon alive, it is like ransomware but you need to keep paying.

    Again the visuals aren't too hot either, the battle backgrounds are weird since you are not in the place the background says most of the time. Normal elements like rocks and trees are very bad-looking. And the wild area dips in frame rate more than anything I have ever seen.

    Plus the game is too easy. The main flaw with max raid battles is that you are given XP candies which give your Pokemon soo, soo, soo much XP and the EXP share is always on you can't turn it off. I play with it on anyway, but the option to turn it off would be nice also the EXP share gives way too much XP with that and the XP candies, I was over levelled so hard that I didn't even die once.

    Also, the story is pretty forgettable and kind of boring until you make it to the Eturnitus battle which is the only part of the story that was really fun.

    Another point is that Game Freak is very small with only around 100 people working for them, yes this includes some of the best developers in the world. But that is not enough to keep this franchise going as much as it was in the '90s and 2000s. If you didn't know Game Freak started making more games the weren't Pokemon which I'm saying is fine but that is less time and fewer people working on your most successful franchise. When sword and shield were developed most of the team again was working on other games. Making only half the team to make the game 50 around 50 to 70 people to make a AAA game. Which is very hard to make especially a good one.

    While it sounded like I was trashing on this game I had a lot of fun with it. If you try not to look at the cons. The game isn't all that bad, but when you look into it more flaws start popping up. If they just made a few of these cons better then Pokemon Sword and Shield could have been the best Pokemon games.

    The games are good the music is good the concept is good the franchise is good the only thing they needed was a little bit more time. Again the games are good and pick them up if you haven't it is just that after coming from games like Platinum, Heart gold and soul silver and my favourite games of all time Ultra sun and moon it is sad to see that they aren't putting in as much effort. I want them to do good I want Pokémon to do good so that's why I am quick to point out the game's flaws. (still, pick it up it's a good game I'm just salty).    … Expand
  7. LordJazbin
    Apr 19, 2021
    5
    I think there's too much hate around them, Sword and Shield are definitely not bad games... But after Sun and Moon that was great... This is just: disappointing. In every way. And even worse than XY.

    Good part is: Pokémon designs and music. But in terms of the story is one of the worse, difficulty is really bad, game is dull...
  8. MMChilly
    Aug 8, 2021
    5
    Pokémon Sword/Shield are okay games. However, the story is very slow moving throughout the whole game, and when compared to the older games, it seems to lose the appeal. The first time through it isn't the best gaming experience, but it isn't horrible. But if you replay the game, it seems to have lost it's charm and fun in all. It is also very linear, with nearly no room for anyPokémon Sword/Shield are okay games. However, the story is very slow moving throughout the whole game, and when compared to the older games, it seems to lose the appeal. The first time through it isn't the best gaming experience, but it isn't horrible. But if you replay the game, it seems to have lost it's charm and fun in all. It is also very linear, with nearly no room for any exploration like in the past games.… Expand
  9. 5aft
    Aug 4, 2021
    7
    is a good game when you have nothing to do. In my opinion better than sun and moon PS: too few gigadynamax
  10. Juanwastaken
    Aug 4, 2021
    7
    Overall pokemon sword is just fine. Is it worth 60 US dollars? No not really. But a fine game nonetheless the less but beware that there is alot of popping and frame drops.
  11. eyalem123
    Aug 19, 2021
    6
    pokemon sword is my first pokemon game, and it is fine. graphics are not outstnding by any means but there not terrible. the story is neat, with some towns with personality and an enjoyible villain. the gameplay is pokemon, not a lot to say about that, but the difficulty is a joke. the game is way to easy, but overall is pretty good.
  12. Vardo64
    Jul 20, 2022
    7
    The game is okay. I have 20 hours played so far. This game has some things that can be fixed, but there is replayability due to the wild letting you catch such a wide variety of pokemon. The gyms did feel they were on the easier side, but I strongly assume the demographic for this game scales young. Not the best game in the franchise, but good enough to kill some time waiting for flightsThe game is okay. I have 20 hours played so far. This game has some things that can be fixed, but there is replayability due to the wild letting you catch such a wide variety of pokemon. The gyms did feel they were on the easier side, but I strongly assume the demographic for this game scales young. Not the best game in the franchise, but good enough to kill some time waiting for flights and stuff for a pokemon fan.… Expand
  13. Darkspawn677
    May 17, 2022
    9
    Pokemon sword is an amazing game but the game needs more flying type pokemon more fighting in the game dynamax is cool but i prefer mega evolution
  14. SamL01
    Dec 16, 2021
    10
    This is by far my favourite Pokémon game ever

    There’s an excellent selection of Pokemon, vast and incredible looking areas, and one of the absolute BEST things: you can see the wild Pokémon! Rather than having to search in long grass and encountering the same Pokémon over and over you can now see them in the grass, such a great feature Plus there are 2 x DLC with new missions, Pokemon and    This is by far my favourite Pokémon game ever

    There’s an excellent selection of Pokemon, vast and incredible looking areas, and one of the absolute BEST things: you can see the wild Pokémon! Rather than having to search in long grass and encountering the same Pokémon over and over you can now see them in the grass, such a great feature Plus there are 2 x DLC with new missions, Pokemon and areas, so good to be able to expand and play more of an already amazing game

    I honestly don’t think there will be a better Pokémon game than Sword/ Shield, it takes everything fun from the old games and puts it all into one. If you’ve played every previous game or if you’ve not played any of them, you MUST try this game!    … Expand
  15. Kerke
    Dec 12, 2021
    0
    Die Story ist unglaublich langweilig und die Charaktere austauschbar. Aber es it halt einfach ein pokemon Spiel.
  16. Why_username
    Dec 30, 2021
    8
    I liked the game, but the DLCs ruin it. In the DLCs has exclusive TMs and exclusive Pokémons.
  17. ducnam2005
    Jan 10, 2022
    9
    Nice game. Beautiful graphic, nice gameplay and more new pokemon. I really like this game. But the pokedex doesn't have the national dex and this game doesn't has full pokemon too.
  18. cchenders40
    Aug 28, 2022
    7
    This is a good Pokémon game. Not great and not bad, just good. Like a slightly above average good. If you want to play Pokémon on your switch, and you could only have one game buy Arceus. But if you want more Pokémon in your life this is a buy for sure. The dlc games are fun, the story is just fine, the combat is a little clunky, the raid dens are dumb, and the new Pokémon really aren’tThis is a good Pokémon game. Not great and not bad, just good. Like a slightly above average good. If you want to play Pokémon on your switch, and you could only have one game buy Arceus. But if you want more Pokémon in your life this is a buy for sure. The dlc games are fun, the story is just fine, the combat is a little clunky, the raid dens are dumb, and the new Pokémon really aren’t spectacular. This is just Pokémon going through the motions.… Expand
  19. Ryu003
    Jan 18, 2022
    10
    È molto divertente. I nuovi pokemon aggiunti sono molto belli e ben fatti.
  20. FreeRunner29
    Oct 14, 2022
    8
    I genuinely had a blast with this game, the graphics are gorgeous and a huge step above anything on the 3DS, plus it's based in Great Britain! With mainline entries I always focus more on story, I am not big on random encounters so walking around the open world areas was a cool change up to actually see Pokemon walk about. I am glad this feature moved onto further iterations of the gamesI genuinely had a blast with this game, the graphics are gorgeous and a huge step above anything on the 3DS, plus it's based in Great Britain! With mainline entries I always focus more on story, I am not big on random encounters so walking around the open world areas was a cool change up to actually see Pokemon walk about. I am glad this feature moved onto further iterations of the games adopting the open world format. Overall this is not the best Pokemon game but, a solid next-gen entry.… Expand
  21. I_Trust_In_GF
    Jan 29, 2022
    10
    Beautiful and precious, is the only way to describe the Galar region
    User evaluations in general give a very distorted view of this game. It really very fun and ideal for hanging out with the childrens.
  22. Franc15
    Jan 30, 2022
    6
    While 400 (200 by the DLC release) Pokémon being absent from the games code is disappointing, there are tons of great features like Max Raid Battles, the Wild Area, and encountering Pokémon in the overworld as well as tall grass. The QoL changes like the Ability Patch (released with the second DLC) are also very good, but even the base game had Mints to effectively change your Pokémon'sWhile 400 (200 by the DLC release) Pokémon being absent from the games code is disappointing, there are tons of great features like Max Raid Battles, the Wild Area, and encountering Pokémon in the overworld as well as tall grass. The QoL changes like the Ability Patch (released with the second DLC) are also very good, but even the base game had Mints to effectively change your Pokémon's nature, and Exp Candy was a welcome addition to level up Pokémon after beating the game.… Expand
  23. Timberx2
    Feb 1, 2022
    9
    I genuinely don't understand the hate for this game. This game was a great addition to the franchise, they let you explore and catch whatever pokemon you want, the first few areas aren't the dumb "why catch anything here" areas for once, and the tutorials are basically GONE. By the end of the game, I caught myself having the level of fun i had with Pokemon Crystal+Pokemon Sapphire as aI genuinely don't understand the hate for this game. This game was a great addition to the franchise, they let you explore and catch whatever pokemon you want, the first few areas aren't the dumb "why catch anything here" areas for once, and the tutorials are basically GONE. By the end of the game, I caught myself having the level of fun i had with Pokemon Crystal+Pokemon Sapphire as a kid. 10/10 recommend this game, while the weather and a few other things are janky, the core game is still a blast.… Expand
  24. RiverTheUmbreon
    May 6, 2022
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Homestuck reference lmaooooo (help the ball guy is holding me hostage please do something)… Expand
  25. GamingT2009
    May 15, 2022
    8
    HOLY **** Ok first it was Jurassic World with a 57 (I think, I already forgot), then it was pixels the movie with a 27, but now we have an 80 Metascore and a 4.6 user score. Now I did see a video by FoeKoe on why the game was bad, so I knew it would be ranked kind of badly. But when you compare a 4.6 from users to an 80 by Metascore, I didn't expect that at all. This is sad for me becauseHOLY **** Ok first it was Jurassic World with a 57 (I think, I already forgot), then it was pixels the movie with a 27, but now we have an 80 Metascore and a 4.6 user score. Now I did see a video by FoeKoe on why the game was bad, so I knew it would be ranked kind of badly. But when you compare a 4.6 from users to an 80 by Metascore, I didn't expect that at all. This is sad for me because I like this game. Like I the Gmax and the overall Gym leaders is just something I enjoy. Another thing is I like a ton of the new Pokemon. Now would I say that the User score is bad, ehhh not really? What people's main issue is that most of the animations and models have been reused for a long time and that the game is too easy. Now I didn't mind the animation at all, because I'm just a casual player, but I did find the game a bit easy. However that came to the Pokemon in the wild, I find only a few gym leaders to be easy. I also want to say that no, I haven't played any of the older Pokemon games besides the Dimond and Pearl remakes, so people could say this game is nowhere as good as the old ones. I will say, that's fair and could take down any of my reasoning. But really, I still enjoyed this title as what it had, which is a ton. In the end, I see where people are about, and that's I didn't give it anywhere higher than an 8, but I still enjoyed this title and had great fun.… Expand
  26. Emptycake
    May 27, 2022
    6
    Not a terrible game. For what it was I enjoyed the experience enough to totally despise it like others.Although I think the game could have totally used some actually good graphics and an actual story.In the end though the game is not great but it's not the worst thing out there,but at this point just wait for Scarlet and Violet to come out and hope things are improved.
  27. Strife69420
    Jun 16, 2022
    5
    Very mediocre game. Story is mediocre, OST is pretty good though, gameplay is mediocre, boss battles are mediocre, landscape is really nice, but ruined by switch graphics, and the transformations for the most part are quite boring and not unique. Post-game play is also just as mediocre, and unfun. Not worth the money. If I could refund I would but sadly, it's too late.
  28. AShinyG1ratina
    Jun 21, 2022
    6
    It's good! Very overhated and misunderstood storyline. Graphics andys are the most annoying people out there.
  29. Nintendist
    Jul 2, 2022
    10
    this game is so good i love til the end. so lovely and very very strategic!
  30. Madbert
    Jul 9, 2022
    8
    Nov 16, 2019

    Estamos en mi opinión, ante la mejor saga de Pokemon de la historia. Independientemente de si faltan Pokemon en la Pokédex o no, el planteamiento de este videojuego es fantástico dentro del contexto de un Pokemon muy clásico, por supuesto que tiene márgenes de innovación sobre todo de innovación y de mejora, mejora de texturas, mejora de rendimiento y de innovación, de    Nov 16, 2019

    Estamos en mi opinión, ante la mejor saga de Pokemon de la historia. Independientemente de si faltan Pokemon en la Pokédex o no, el planteamiento de este videojuego es fantástico dentro del contexto de un Pokemon muy clásico, por supuesto que tiene márgenes de innovación sobre todo de innovación y de mejora, mejora de texturas, mejora de rendimiento y de innovación, de hacerlo un poquito más mundo abierto con control de cámara por parte del usuario y menos concepto clásico Pokemon, simplemente innovar más. Pero ateniéndonos a lo que es en sí el videojuego, a lo que ofrece, a cómo está desarrollado, a las horas que brinda, y a la historia del videojuego, el Pokemon espada y escudo son el mejor video juego de Pokemon hasta la fecha, le otorgo un ocho porque no me convence del todo por esa falta de innovación aunque ya deja entreverse que tal vez en próximas entregas esta situación mejore mucho.    … Expand
Page:

Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 87 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 66 out of 87
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 87
  3. Negative: 0 out of 87
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Apr 30, 2020
    80
    Sword & Shield stumble in a few areas and history may not be kind to them, but they're setting up a future that I'm excited to see. [Issue #44 – January/February 2020, p. 73]
  2. GameCritics
    Feb 6, 2020
    75
    I enjoyed my time with Pokemon Sword and Shield, but I ended feeling conflicted. I appreciate many of the changes and felt that it generally respected my time, but I almost felt like a passive participant. The more complex gym challenges had a meatier role, but the narrative shouldn’t have been shoved to the side. Overall, I would recommend it to players who want to have a Pokemon experience, but this one won’t stick with me the way the older ones have.
    Read full review
  3. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Jan 14, 2020
    78
    Pokemon Sword/Shield is uncharacteristically user-friendly: now there’s no need to backtrack half across the world to heal your entire team of pokemon or to get to a particular city, for example. [Issue#242, p.66]
See all critic reviews »