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. Nestrooo
    May 5, 2022
    4
    the graphics are bad, the story is bad, dynamax is bad. this game is bad and i STILL spent 1000 hours on it
  2. RocketSimp
    Jun 1, 2022
    1
    Dynamax and group raids were a gem that I wish would stay in the series and the designs were nice in this game but it just feels so empty and lackluster. The 'legendaries' they added are boring and the fact you need to buy DLC for the extra Pokémon because 'there were too many to make' despite Pokémon sun and moon managing just fine is a joke and shows where the company is at with their games
  3. KittyB
    May 18, 2022
    0
    I got this game thinkin “oh this should last me a while for the pandemic” 4 1/2 days later finished the game… wow… just wow.. to easy… frustrated the Den pokemons only works if ur Online (I don’t play to go online)

    This game was to water down to play & I didn’t like the feel of it…
  4. Kenoct
    Jun 8, 2022
    0
    It's a shame for the first entry on switch to be this lazy. The game looks like a wii game in 2019.
  5. DUELMARIO
    Aug 27, 2022
    0
    sin duda alguna aunque no lo he jugado he visto videos walkthrought y me aburrio, las animaciones como tambien los rivales dejan mucho que desear, tiene una historia terribles, misiones repetitivas? no he visto pero si es que tiene seran super aburridas, la iluminación deja mucho que desear, muchos dedos en su día se fueron hacia a the pokemon company y nintendo pero no fue del todo susin duda alguna aunque no lo he jugado he visto videos walkthrought y me aburrio, las animaciones como tambien los rivales dejan mucho que desear, tiene una historia terribles, misiones repetitivas? no he visto pero si es que tiene seran super aburridas, la iluminación deja mucho que desear, muchos dedos en su día se fueron hacia a the pokemon company y nintendo pero no fue del todo su culpa ya este juego salio y fue atacado brutalmente culpando a the pokemon company y nintendo creyendo que el juego estaba falto de pokemones y que no estaban porque querian que se mejorara la calidad, pero eso no lo dijo the pokemon company y nintendo, pues resulta que este desastroso juego fue culpa de game freak, utilizar un motor grafico que sinceramente parece de nintendo 3ds, mentir con las animaciones porque ya sabemos como se ven los juegos, la culpa de the pokemon company y nintendo es en venderlo a precio completo pero la culpa la tiene mas game freak y el juego aun a día de hoy 3 años despues de su lanzamiento sigue siendo horrible, el dlc parece que vieron el juego de bungie destiny como ejemplo a seguir y si fue una estafa de game freak les salio bien la jugada ahora muchos han perdido la confianza en game freak y el futuro de pokemon no se ve nada prometedor ahora con pokemon escarlata y purpura no parece buena señal juego que para colmo va a ser desarrollado con el mismo motor grafico como legends arceus, rivales mediocres etc, quiza esta sea la ultima oportunidad de la franquicia con escarltata y purpura y si falla los fans no van a querer comprarlo asique el odio actual a game freak esta justificado pero las amenzas de muerte no lo estan para nada asique toxicos bajenle un poco porfavor.… Expand
  6. ElVosso
    Jul 31, 2022
    0
    huge fan of the first 6 gens, but these games are so boring, monotone and suuuuuuuuper easy. I played through the entire game with one pokemon and I didnt need to use even one healing item. I know this is a game for children, but I can hardly imagine that even children can have fun with this. just play the older games, they are better.

    sorry for the bad english :)
  7. TKSwiz
    Aug 21, 2022
    3
    Pokémon Sword is not a completely horrible game, it is just a very underwhelming and lifeless. By far the biggest problem in Sword and Shield is that the main part of the gameplay, Pokémon battles, are utterly boring and mindless 99% of the time in this game. For a while, Pokémon games have struggled with ridiculously bad trainer battle design leading to games full of monotonous battles,Pokémon Sword is not a completely horrible game, it is just a very underwhelming and lifeless. By far the biggest problem in Sword and Shield is that the main part of the gameplay, Pokémon battles, are utterly boring and mindless 99% of the time in this game. For a while, Pokémon games have struggled with ridiculously bad trainer battle design leading to games full of monotonous battles, but Sword and Shield might be the worst offender yet. Even without abusing items, over-leveling, or trying to get the best Pokémon possible, the game was so hilariously easy that it was a chore to play most of the time. The only thing that feels somewhat worthwhile gameplay-wise is catching Pokémon and maybe the final few battles which were at least kind of challenging. The wild area was a nice addition that is especially exciting early in the game when you can run into over-leveled and daunting Pokémon, but even it gets stale after a while as you progress in the game. As for presentation and story, Sword and Shield is quite lacking. The story is awful and I never cared about anything happening in it for a single second. All the story dialogue felt like a waste of time and something I wished I could skip entirely. The “twist villain” is incredibly obvious and the postgame villains are terrible and border on being so bad it’s good. The graphics are straight up bad for a modern game. It’s not the ugliest game I’ve ever seen,
    especially compared to older games, but by modern standards it is pitiful that basically the biggest video game franchise ever is so far behind the curve. The music is some of the most underwhelming and forgettable of the series, there are some decent tracks but nothing that even comes close to the level of consistent highs found in earlier generations. Overall, Sword and Shield was a massive dud in the evermore disappointing Pokemon series, and proved this series desperately needed some radical changes.    … Expand
  8. DarthJ
    Aug 28, 2022
    7
    Dynamax mechanics is pretty lame. Lack of national dex is also extremely dissapointing.
  9. zdemigodx
    Nov 15, 2019
    5
    This is an insult of a pokemon game, yet because its still pokemon it is fun to play through.
  10. kuehnau
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Pokemon Sword and Shield has been here for a bit now and after playing the game, I ask myself how much of a sequel to the legendary franchise are they?

    People are already well too aware that the National Pokedex has been slashed and a number of people's favorite and iconic Pokemon are now missing. This is a even larger slap to the face once news broke that the reasons GameFreak gave    Pokemon Sword and Shield has been here for a bit now and after playing the game, I ask myself how much of a sequel to the legendary franchise are they?

    People are already well too aware that the National Pokedex has been slashed and a number of people's favorite and iconic Pokemon are now missing.

    This is a even larger slap to the face once news broke that the reasons GameFreak gave weren't truthful. Not only are the in models based off of the 3DS version and the battle animations are lack luster, but hackers are quickly proving that it takes little effort putting back in the Pokemon that have been cut. The game feels sluggish in places with framerates sometimes dipping as low as mid 20s. Which is incredibly obvious when the game is locked in at 30FPS. I don't have any specific issues with games that do this as they still manage to look perfectly fine, in my personal opinion. The larger issue for me is, locking a game in at 30FPS shouldn't also include slow downs as if this were a video game from the early 1990s when this was all too common.

    The world in Pokemon Sword and Shield feels mostly empty and while some would like to argue the newest games are "open world", it's painfully apparent that the game is a mostly on rails experience, with small spots here and there where the developers finally allow a bit of free roaming, but once you pass that area, it's right back to the on rails experience.

    Not only that, but some of the games cities are just completely wasted. While each town could have offered unique clothing options and styles there like three cities that offer anything. Making it even more frustrating, some of the towns are literally nothing more than a direct line to a gym. Hop is really annoying, I think he makes my game experience worse with how he shoe horns players in to situations and makes all sorts of demands they have no right in making. The game is worse because of Hop. I hope future games will allow players to completely forego "rivals" if they so chose so. I get that having a rival is a trope in Anime and Video Game culture, but at the very least provide a better one than Hop if GameFreak is going to press the issue.

    There is now a hard cap on what level pokemon you can capture. And while previous games simply had Pokemon that misbehaved in battle, now the game simply refuses to allow the option to even consider trying to catch them. This is incredibly frustrating to me. I was surprised to see they removed global trading, like really? Wonder Trade is still in, but it's disappointing that they haven't put in any sort of better measurements in place to ensure jerks aren't screwing over other players with low level junk. Add to the fact you need to be subscribed to Nintendo's garbage paid online membership program and it's almost completely worthless in my opinion.

    This may be a incredibly biased complaint but I am also very unhappy with a number of the new Pokemon designs. On top of that, while some of them I absolutely love (Like Yamper), their evolved forms are hot garbage, forcing me to choose between either evolving my Pokemon and then dealing with the vile evolution forms, or keeping their better first forms, but putting my Pokemon at a slight disadvantage.

    Gigantamax as a feature isn't worthwhile in any capacity. I'll be very surprised if they continue to use this with any future games. I would have much more preferred that they had just dumped that feature and spent more time on polishing all of the other problems this game has. Even Mega Evolutions would have been better than Gigantamax.

    Team Yell is just some of the worst antagonists in the game. They look and act stupid. At least Team Rocket was run by what was essentially a Mafia boss. I don't know what GameFreak was thinking with Team Yell, but they are some of the dumbest enemies I have ever seen.

    The character customization options just plain sucks. There's a small handful of hair styles that do not change from city to city. Some cities have clothes shops where the styles change, but not nearly enough to be acceptable. Further, why is GameFreak forcing only skinny pants in the game? There's so many character models and designs of clothing. How hard would it have been to add in varying clothing options? As it is your character always looks like some dang hipster because all of their pants options are almost skin tight. I want baggy pants, just let me have that! Jesus..

    At this point if you are still even reading this review, I am sure you have realized I have a lot of complaints about Sword and Shield. But the fact of the matter is, they are still enjoyable games, it just feels rushed and crapped out instead of taking the time, focus and consideration that this franchise deserves.

    It's important for fans of these games to let GameFreak and Nintendo know that a lot of mistakes were made with this latest release, but I also wouldn't discourage anyone from trying the games.    … Expand
  11. Kaseladen
    Nov 15, 2019
    5
    Unfortunately, Exceedingly average.
    Lacking in content compared to previous titles, from post game to pokemon to just the content of routes themselves.
    Its an odd balance, at times I feel the game tries to drive home 'bigger is better' and suffers from large empty areas, such as the wild area. At others, routes are so short its just a few feet to the end. Story-wise, the game is just    Unfortunately, Exceedingly average.
    Lacking in content compared to previous titles, from post game to pokemon to just the content of routes themselves.
    Its an odd balance, at times I feel the game tries to drive home 'bigger is better' and suffers from large empty areas, such as the wild area. At others, routes are so short its just a few feet to the end.
    Story-wise, the game is just as intrusive as Sun and Moon, if not more so, so if that bugged you there you'll feel it here too. The difference, I feel, is that at least Sun and Moon had a plot. Its practically non-existent in Sword and Shield until right at the end. So most of the time you're being led around and interrupted for no real reason (and unfortunately no, that 'skip cutscene' option does not let you bypass most of this).
    Difficulty is nonexistent, between constant heals offered and exp share being forced. Its *incredibly* easy to become overleveled.
    Mechanically, the game suffers from many questionable decisions. Single use TM's are back, now dubbed TRs, in addition to normal TMs. Of course, most of the more sought after moves have been relegated to this single use item. Dynamaxing combines the worse parts of Megas and Z moves, while limiting them to rarely being used (raids and gym leaders for the most part only).
    The other selling points of the game are the Wild Area and raids. Raids are just an easy grind to gather TRs and exp items. The wild area is large, empty, and visibly pretty poor. It has potential, but exists in a very bare bones state.
    I could go on at length, but it boils down to one thing: disappointment. I don't know if Gamefreak is getting burned out or if they're really just that out of touch with fans and inept with console development. Its pokemon, at its barest form, and that's all. Its a shame that pokemon suffered so much in the step from handheld to console.    … Expand
  12. darksideangel
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    feels like i’m watching my childhood get murdered infront of my eyes Gamefreak, stop developing your series with increasingly low effort, checked out cash grabs. Care about your fans. this isn’t cute anymore
  13. Skizor
    Nov 15, 2019
    5
    I have already cleared everything including postgame. This is going to be a spoiler free review, i will only focus on the positive and negative aspects and what needs to be improved.

    Positives: *Some areas in this game look absolutely gorgeous, like the towns Ballonlea and Circhester. *Most of the new Pokemon look pretty good. *IVs and EVs, and by extension Competitive battling,    I have already cleared everything including postgame. This is going to be a spoiler free review, i will only focus on the positive and negative aspects and what needs to be improved.

    Positives:

    *Some areas in this game look absolutely gorgeous, like the towns Ballonlea and Circhester.
    *Most of the new Pokemon look pretty good.
    *IVs and EVs, and by extension Competitive battling, are more accessible than ever.
    *You can change your Pokemon's Nature with Mints.
    *Pokemon Camp, with new features, such as said Currydex.
    *New "Open-World" Wild Area for encountering higher level Pokemon.
    *Most in-depth trainer customization to date.
    *Move Tutor/Remover/Name Raters are now in every Pokemon Center.
    *You can access PC almost anywhere.

    Negatives:

    *Hundreds of Pokemon were cut from the game, such as previous Starters, Legendary Pokemon, and many others.
    *100+ Moves were cut, the most notable being Return/Frustration, Pursuit, and Hidden Power. Signature moves of certain Pokemon were also cut, even though the Pokemon themselves are in the game, like Vespiquen's Heal Order and Woobat's Heart Stamp.
    *There are multiple examples of the game feeling rushed or unfinished, like how the "Corviknight Taxi" Fast-Travel system doesn't have an animation and is just a screen fade, every NPC walking on rails, time stopping when you climb a ladder, and the entire Wild Area feeling empty, with low-resolution textures, pop-ins, and broken shadows.
    *Any battles that are not major battles, such as Wild Battles and most Trainer Battles, have the same generic backgrounds. When you are outside, the battle always takes place on a dirt road with grass, trees, and mountains in the background, and when inside a building, the battle uses a generic white void for a background.
    *Post-Game Content is confirmed to be very short, less than 2 hours to complete, similar to X&Y. It's basically just "catch Box Legendary, go to Battle Tower."
    *Most Pokemon Moves, and the Pokemon themselves, have had no noticeable improvements made to their models or animations. Everything that isn't brand new is recycled, and even some of the brand new stuff, like Hop, uses recycled animation, from Hau.
    *Riding a Bike forces you to wear an ugly biking outfit instead of your custom clothes.
    *Most of the "Story" takes place off screen, and only really makes an appearance near the end of the game. The "Story" itself is also lackluster, in that it's incredibly short and forgettable.
    *The EXP Share is mandatory, and cannot be turned off. This makes the game very easy.
    *Strange changes that don't make much sense logically, like how the sound control settings are locked behind a Key Item you get from a random NPC in Motostoke City.

    Summary:

    IMO this is the most disappointing Pokémon game i played, since i had high expectations about this game being on a console like Switch.
    They really need to add all Pokémon back in the game since there is nothing here to justify the cut of so many Pokémon.
    GameFreak need to hire more devs so they can polish and finish this games better.    … Expand
  14. HonestKyarrii
    Nov 15, 2019
    5
    As a huge Pokemon fan, this was a major disappointment. Most of the negative reviews are justified in my opinion - people have a legitimate reason to be upset.

    Nothing is new, everything is cookie cutter. Same exact gameplay with same corny encounters at every turn. The only positive thing I can say about this game is the new features they added are great (no more EV training, can    As a huge Pokemon fan, this was a major disappointment. Most of the negative reviews are justified in my opinion - people have a legitimate reason to be upset.

    Nothing is new, everything is cookie cutter. Same exact gameplay with same corny encounters at every turn.

    The only positive thing I can say about this game is the new features they added are great (no more EV training, can change natures, access box from anywhere, etc.)

    GameFreak continues to not even come close to their potential or the consumer expectations. Look around you GameFreak, it's time to wake up.    … Expand
  15. Allacar
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Very disappointing game. Over half the pokemon were cut. Over 140 pokemon moves removed. Reused 3ds models and mediocre graphics. The first main line pokemon game for switch needed more development time and polish.
  16. Daxx7
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. No puedo creer que GF la haya cagado de esta manera, una franquicia que nos acompaña desde pequeños, que es parte de nuestra niñez, diseño de los pokemon muy feos en su mayoría, también quitaron la pokedex, lleno de bugs, gráficos feos, una historia sin lógica y muchas cosas negativas que hacen de este juego el peor de todos los juegos de pokemon y del año.… Expand
  17. gah_amaral
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is by far the worst pokemon game yet , and I am so sad about this. Despite all the critics before the launch, I was really hyped for this game, but the lack of polish, the hand-holding "story", the uninspired map design, the bad cutscenes, the easy to catch legendaries ( eternatus is auto-catch and zamazenta you can use masterball), and so many more problems killed the game for me. We need to let GF knows that we are not OK with this.… Expand
  18. Alexalaparrilla
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This game is such Cash grab These games are honestly insulting and I will be surprised if people will still be playing them in a week, much less in a month.
    They are such a blatant rushed cashgrab, and the postgame is just an empty pile of fake promises
  19. AgusRemastered
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    La verdad que es una decepción esta generación, habiendo terminado el juego debo decir que me costó llegar hasta el final porque encontré al juego demasiado sencillo, la baja curva de dificultad, el sistema de leveleo parecido al de Lets Go, la baja competitividad del modo historia y, obviamente la reducida Pokédex, hacen a este juego verdaderamente insufrible y poco amigable con losLa verdad que es una decepción esta generación, habiendo terminado el juego debo decir que me costó llegar hasta el final porque encontré al juego demasiado sencillo, la baja curva de dificultad, el sistema de leveleo parecido al de Lets Go, la baja competitividad del modo historia y, obviamente la reducida Pokédex, hacen a este juego verdaderamente insufrible y poco amigable con los jugadores veteranos de Pokémon, si en un momento me llegué a ilusionar con esta generación, una vez pasado el juego me terminé de convencer de que esta entrega es un paso en falso para la saga, siendo incluso peor que la sexta y séptima generación.… Expand
  20. DrRedMD
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    The most disappointing Pokemon game ever trying to coast by on its formula alone. It's hard to say that this even meets the minimum expectations for a Pokemon game, because it very much does not. When generation 2 came out, this franchise was pushing the envelope of what could be done on the system. Now, it's a shadow of its former self; A Switch game that looks like it should be on theThe most disappointing Pokemon game ever trying to coast by on its formula alone. It's hard to say that this even meets the minimum expectations for a Pokemon game, because it very much does not. When generation 2 came out, this franchise was pushing the envelope of what could be done on the system. Now, it's a shadow of its former self; A Switch game that looks like it should be on the N64.

    The problems aren't restricted to graphics alone (although they are very much terrible). Delivering less than 100 new Pokemon, the game has the audacity to cut more than half of the full roster of Pokemon, with the developer lying that it was due to making new models. It was quickly discovered they were just importing the old ones, so if they're willing to lie about something like this, why trust them about anything else? They're cutting moves as well, despite reusing animations.

    The new feature called Dynamax is just a 3 turn size boost to your Pokemon. Nothing too exciting, but don't worry, they kept the excitement somewhat by cutting ALL Mega Pokemon and Z-moves. Gone are all those original designs, and instead we now have Gigantimax which is the same thing as Megaevolutions, but only for 3 turns, and this time given to Pokemon like Charizard again.

    I refuse to give this game what would be considered a minimal score of 3 or whatever. This game is an incredible disappointment, and the worst instalment of the Pokemon franchise. Unless something changes with the next iteration, don't feel the need to buy this, or future games.    … Expand
  21. Askwer
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Weak game, has terrible graphics for the present day. Besides having cut of content.
  22. Caino87
    Nov 15, 2019
    5
    The game seems rushed and poor compared to other games on the same console. Glitches, graphic flaws, Dex cuts, the absence of exploration....it all makes it a very poor game considering that it is the first main game on a new generation console (after the 3DS). Most of the fun requests from the past have not been listened to and the game is more and more orientated to a younger public,The game seems rushed and poor compared to other games on the same console. Glitches, graphic flaws, Dex cuts, the absence of exploration....it all makes it a very poor game considering that it is the first main game on a new generation console (after the 3DS). Most of the fun requests from the past have not been listened to and the game is more and more orientated to a younger public, even though it was advertised as a game for long time fans (that are now in their 30s). On top of that, the very misleading campaign and the very odd looking reviews it’s reviving from “game critiques” makes the whole picture even more odd and suspicious.… Expand
  23. shoUlo
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This is not Pokemon
    Unfinished product for a whole 60$. Don't waste your time and hopes for it.
  24. MoldyMarshmello
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Too many problems, too many regressions from the previous entries in the franchise. Not worth 60$ or even a cent.

    -Poor animations and frame drops, animations will freeze up in the overworld when climbing a ladder -Over 150 cut moves -Only 400 Pokemon in the national dex -Incredibly short 8 hour main game with absolutely no postgame or replay value -Have to pay 20$ for Pokemon Home    Too many problems, too many regressions from the previous entries in the franchise. Not worth 60$ or even a cent.

    -Poor animations and frame drops, animations will freeze up in the overworld when climbing a ladder
    -Over 150 cut moves
    -Only 400 Pokemon in the national dex
    -Incredibly short 8 hour main game with absolutely no postgame or replay value
    -Have to pay 20$ for Pokemon Home and another 20 for the GTS

    Overall, do not buy this game if you want Pokemon to improve as a franchise    … Expand
  25. Vatar
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Game Freak lied to the fanbase, claiming that Dexit, removing half the existing pokemons and preventing them from being used in the future was for the better good. But everything is a downgrade, the graphics are downright shameful, seemingly on the tier of a 2000 gamecube's game; content were massively cut out, featuring no post-game content aside from a random trainer battle tower. TheGame Freak lied to the fanbase, claiming that Dexit, removing half the existing pokemons and preventing them from being used in the future was for the better good. But everything is a downgrade, the graphics are downright shameful, seemingly on the tier of a 2000 gamecube's game; content were massively cut out, featuring no post-game content aside from a random trainer battle tower. The engine is a buggy mess, constant pop-ins and rendering issues.

    Currently as of 15/11/2019, one common bug is a crash while saving causing the wipe of ALL game saves on your switch, not only pokemon but all games.

    Please consider where your money will go to if you buy the game, to a greedy and lazy corporate, abusing their very loyal fanbase to the bones.    … Expand
  26. JettFueled
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Pokemon Sword is a game that gets carried up the ladder with higher scores due to it's merit as a Pokemon game. However, as this stands by itself, it is a very very empty and rushed game. As is tradition with Gamefreak, for some reason, they decide to randomly remove features, (A Full Pokedex, Reusable TMs, now called TRs, togglable EXP share) and add new ones no one asked for (LikePokemon Sword is a game that gets carried up the ladder with higher scores due to it's merit as a Pokemon game. However, as this stands by itself, it is a very very empty and rushed game. As is tradition with Gamefreak, for some reason, they decide to randomly remove features, (A Full Pokedex, Reusable TMs, now called TRs, togglable EXP share) and add new ones no one asked for (Like Pokemon Camp, Galarian forms, Wild Area, Dynamaxing) instead of listening to fan feedback and determining which mechanics work and which ones don't (You know, like a normal Game developer, especially an INDIE company would do? Or what a, well rounded, smart, LARGE game company would do?) because they can afford to. It's the largest grossing franchise in the world in merchandising, period.

    Pros
    I must say, they did add some great GREAT features in this game that I do enjoy. The character customization is phenomenal. The customization options for your character are where the previous games, Sun & Moon and X&Y, fell a little short. Good job to whoever worked on this.
    The accessibility of Pokemon in the wild is higher than ever. You can build a completely new team and raise them relatively quickly in the blink of an eye.
    The graphics of the character models look good. The shading was a little weird to me at first, but it's a nice touch.
    The New Pokemon. Once again, I was a little iffy about some of them at first, but I like most of them. Just like every generation, there are good ones, and there are bad ones, but overall, the designs are alright. Some of the bad designs however, look almost fake, so I'll have to rate the designs a 5/10 at best. Yamper, Scorbunny, Sobble, Grookey, Dottler, Eiscue, and a handful of others look like an clay project from a 2nd grader who doesn't enjoy arts & crafts, but Wooloo, Corviknight, and Nickit are amazing, and I'm glad they exist.

    And now, the Cons.
    Holy sweet jesus, this list is far too long. The Story is almost non existent, yet the cutscenes are just as abhorrent as they were in Sun & Moon. The absolute railroading and bland, uninspiring routes are a total yawn to navigate. Optional routes are extremely obvious, and downright optional to the point at which you look at it and ask yourself "Do they think I'm that stupid?" Yoshi's Crafted World respects my intelligence as a collectathon more than this by actually requiring at least SOME thought to try new things, and that game is legitimately made for a much younger audience.

    The Big One. The Dex Cut. #BringBackNationalDex as it's called on Twitter.
    I get it. There's a lot of Pokemon. We can't keep them all in the game forever. But they cut MORE THAN HALF of the entire National Dex, and that completely destroys the point of the Wild Area and the Pokemon accessibility if trainers can not catch and raise their favorites. They did the cut to balance the meta? Why not just set rules for your online battles and allow those Pokemon to still exist in the game?
    ..........No seriously. I want an answer to that. Are you stupid? I can't have Spheal and Shinx, but Stunky and Klink are A-OK? It makes no sense. Add limitations to the online battles, NOT THE FULL GAME!! You have two versions of the same game! The least you could do is add one half to Sword, and the other half to Shield! That would least raise incentive to tra-
    ......What's that?
    THERE'S NO GTS?? You can't trade online?? Excuse me???? Nope. -9/10 choice right here.

    Next, Recycled assets.
    Yes, all games recycle assets at some point, true. However, this is the Nintendo Switch. It is capable of handling better attack animations than the crappy default ones you've used for years. The TRs and Items that you pick up have what look like terribly compressed JPEGs of the classic pixelated icons used in FR/LG. Really? You couldn't scale up how your items are displayed? That's pathetic.

    #GameFreakLied
    The Public Relations for this game are the absolute worst. Gamefreak has always kept most of what they work on a secret, which was acceptable, because it garnered hype for the games.
    But this time around, they kept secrets because THEY KNEW how badly they messed up.
    Their excuse for cutting the Dex was said to be because they had to redo all of the models from scratch. There is evidence that that is not the case.

    The Wild Area
    What a boring waste of space. You're basically on a glorified Golf Course doing 1 of 3 things: Catching Pokemon, Picking up Items, or doing Dynamax Raids.
    Where are the elevation changes? Where are the trainers? Where are the obstacles? Why bother using the Wild Area when you can just run right through? Why is it there if it can be skipped entirely?

    I could go on forever, but just use your head. Would there have been a backlash this large if there were no problems with these games?

    Save your money. Watch a Youtube tutorial instead.    … Expand
  27. JeanyWong
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    They cut Pokemons, they cut moves, they cut frame rate, they cut graphics, they should of just cut the whole game, lol why bother, really disappointed
  28. darksoulz31
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Game is straight up trash, nothing like paying 60 quid for something that looks the same as the previous 2 generations but has even worse mechanics and an incomplete Pokedex
  29. Gandara2000
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Este juego tiene falta de demasiado contenido, no tiene pokedex nacional, megaevoluciones, movimientos z, las animaciones y modelos de los pokemon son reciclados, escenarios con graficas mediocres, la historia queda en segundo plano, su post game es demasiado corto, y se desaprovechan las unicas novedades como el area silvestre.
  30. Kophice
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Really bad game!! Game Freak is literally making fun of his fans! They think you're going to buy it whatever the crap they make! Don't buy this game! If you want to try yourself, wait a friend who already has the game finish it and borrow from him. Just not give give your money to Game Freak, they don't deserve it! At least they don't deserve for this game! But im warning you, it's not good!
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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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