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. Gamefreakout
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Don't listen to the paid reviews, this game is utter garbage. I am giving it zero because for the first main series game on the switch for the "long time fans" this is a complete and utter failure. Terrible graphics/animations, boring/predictable story line and the game is deleting save files for other games. Game freak has lied to the consumers repeatedly about this game and need to beDon't listen to the paid reviews, this game is utter garbage. I am giving it zero because for the first main series game on the switch for the "long time fans" this is a complete and utter failure. Terrible graphics/animations, boring/predictable story line and the game is deleting save files for other games. Game freak has lied to the consumers repeatedly about this game and need to be called out. Avoid this game like the plague and we might finally get a capable developer to take over.… Expand
  2. Aetheryn
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Naturally the "legitimate" critics had pockets lined by GameFreak so real reviews from them ain't gonna happen. Figure I may as well even them out a bit. Cut corners and get your review score cut as well.
  3. Obbi
    Nov 15, 2019
    5
    Probably the weakest title in the main series yet. The main Story mode is substantially shorter than previous titles, and has the least post-game content since Gen I. Part the reason the story mode's so short may be due to how easy it is to get over-leveled and crush all the challenges.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Overall, just really mediocre. Without even getting into the missing Pokemon, the game itself clearly suffered some development issues. More time was needed on this one. I definitely recommending passing, unless you can get it for cheap, or they provide content patches like Kirby Star Allies to make it more of a content-complete Switch title.    … Expand
  4. GeekFrank
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    After removing all the Pokemon I love, there isn't much you get to replace them. Less content, and just a cheap way to change the meta. I was hoping so much more from this "real" Pokemon game after Pokemon Lets Go, and I'm really disappointed.

    Bare bones game that got pushed out just because Nintendo needed something for Christmas.
  5. sirbarbon
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    A disgusting cashgrab.
    -Removed 2/3 of Pokémon when catching them is the main appeal of the games.
    -Terrible graphics, at best it looks like an upscaled 3DS game, at worst the textures resemble the N64 era. -Terrible animations, when that was the excuse given to remove Pokémon. -Removes a significant amount of Pokémon moves. -Pokémon aren't properly scaled, when previous games in the    A disgusting cashgrab.
    -Removed 2/3 of Pokémon when catching them is the main appeal of the games.
    -Terrible graphics, at best it looks like an upscaled 3DS game, at worst the textures resemble the N64 era.
    -Terrible animations, when that was the excuse given to remove Pokémon.
    -Removes a significant amount of Pokémon moves.
    -Pokémon aren't properly scaled, when previous games in the franchise already had done it.
    -Inconsistent, bland, lazy backgrounds.
    -Terrible art choices: neon green and neon pink everywhere makes the in-game world look artificial.
    -Terrible pop-in and draw distance.
    -New Pokémon made with ease of 3d modelling in mind abuse basic geometrical shapes and look toy-like and artificial.
    -Lack of exploration. Small amount of routes, little to no dungeons.
    -Forced Exp. Share.
    -Unbearable handholding and frequent cutscenes ruin the pace of the game.
    -Absurd lack of difficulty, moreso than ever before in the franchise. It feels like the game is playing itself.
    -Lack of substantial postgame.
    -Horrible, empty Open Area. Wild Pokémon don't interact meaningfully with the environment.
    -Empty cities, devoid of content.
    -Costs $60 with less content than a $40 game.    … Expand
  6. LoElPepino
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    Todo lo negativo:
    -Recorte de 500 Pokémon. Entre ellos todas las megaevoluciones. Rompen el lema de "Hazte con todos".
    -Recorte de 100 movimientos algunos importantes en competitivo como Persecución, Poder Oculto, Retribución, etc. Y adiós a los Movimientos Z que personalmente no me gustaban pero es contenido que como el resto ya no está. -30 FPS con caídas considerables de frames.    Todo lo negativo:
    -Recorte de 500 Pokémon. Entre ellos todas las megaevoluciones. Rompen el lema de "Hazte con todos".
    -Recorte de 100 movimientos algunos importantes en competitivo como Persecución, Poder Oculto, Retribución, etc. Y adiós a los Movimientos Z que personalmente no me gustaban pero es contenido que como el resto ya no está.
    -30 FPS con caídas considerables de frames. Bonito en zonas cerradas pero no está a la altura de Nintendo Switch y lo que ésta ofrece. El Área Silvestre, zona en la que más horas se echan es. lamentable el nivel gráfico: Árboles de Nintendo 64 y exagerado popping a las puertas de 2020. Inadmisible.
    -El juego más corto de la saga. Se pasa en 15-18 horas. La mitad de la media del resto de la saga.
    -El peor Team de la saga. Un grupo de fanáticos sin trasfondo interesante que les mueva a hacer el mal, como sí pasaba en generaciones anteriores.
    -Una historia muy floja con personajes vacíos que te repiten una y otra vez lo genial y buen entrenador que eres.
    -Dificultad inexistente, llegando muy chetado a los gimnasios y rivales importantes, con curaciones de equipo continuamente.
    -Repartir Exp obligatorio. Eliminan una mecánica clásica y que elevaba la dificultad del juego que era ir cambiando de pokemon para poder subirlos de experiencia y nivel.
    -No hay ciclo de día y noche. Hay ciudades en permanente noche y otras que siempre es de día.
    -No se puede capturar NINGÚN LEGENDARIO de generaciones anteriores.
    -No hay prácticamente Post Game y la Torre Batalla es la peor, sin jefes y sin combates triples, rotatorios, supercombates individuales y dobles.
    -Animaciones que no están a la altura de lo que prometieron. Recortaron 500 pokemon con la excusa de centrarse en ellas y sólo hay unas pocas que merecen la pena.
    -Bugs que cambian escenarios de batallas, escaleras que paran el tiempo, etc.

    Lo positivo:
    -Me gustan la mayoría de los nuevos diseños de Pokemon.
    -La BSO es muy buena. Desde Quinta Generación no escuchaba una banda sonora tan buena.

    Conclusión:
    Se están cargando lo que era Pokemon. Debe poner freno al declive YA.    … Expand
  7. AdvengerTime
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    Truly disappointing watching the first mainline Pokemon switch game be such a blatant & lazy cash grab. My prediction is next year Game Freak will come out with sword and shield 2 & finally have the game looking as it should.
  8. ovejadeluz
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    cd project no tiene ni la mitad del dinero que gamefreak genera con pokemon y no es posible que su videojuego lograra entrar en un cartucho de switch, gamefreak y masuda no tienen perdon en entregarnos el peor pokemon de la historia.
  9. Galuck
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Waste of money. They removed the Pokedex to make "better animation", and these are just the worst. I lost all my hopes on the franchise.
  10. SaiyanPride89
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    The game cut over 100 battle moves!?! What the hell. Over 500 Pokémon got Thanos’d. No post story. Some textures look like N64 graphics(seriously Gamefreak rehire Genius Sonority to help you make 3D models like they did with Colosseum/XD/Battle Revolution). Story is mediocre. And most importantly Gamefreak lied. I hope the Diamond/Pearl remakes don’t suffer the same fate. As a die hardThe game cut over 100 battle moves!?! What the hell. Over 500 Pokémon got Thanos’d. No post story. Some textures look like N64 graphics(seriously Gamefreak rehire Genius Sonority to help you make 3D models like they did with Colosseum/XD/Battle Revolution). Story is mediocre. And most importantly Gamefreak lied. I hope the Diamond/Pearl remakes don’t suffer the same fate. As a die hard Pokémon fan that owns every game from Gen 1-7 and loves competitive battles, I will pass on this game and get a refund. This is Fallout 76 style of deception and controversy. Do better Gamefreak.… Expand
  11. I_Play_Soku
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    It's depressing how bad the series has gotten since 10 years back to now. This is considered by some to be the first mainline pokemon game to be on a TV console. And what we get is a pokemon game that uses the same engine as XY. That game was made on a the 3ds 6 years ago. Gamefreak has unironically become Japanese Bethesda except they are graced by developing games for the hugest grossingIt's depressing how bad the series has gotten since 10 years back to now. This is considered by some to be the first mainline pokemon game to be on a TV console. And what we get is a pokemon game that uses the same engine as XY. That game was made on a the 3ds 6 years ago. Gamefreak has unironically become Japanese Bethesda except they are graced by developing games for the hugest grossing franchise to date. The music is off in a lot of places (a few picked are good/alright), One of the shortest games and easiest games to beat, even with cutscenes. The cut of pokemon that everyone complains about. The crappy dynamax mechanic that has no purpose than to advertise the game without being much of a benefit to gameplay. Most routes are literal corridors. The list goes on... Awful game. I hope big changes are made in the near future or else pokemon is dead to me… Expand
  12. QueenWolfen
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    The whole things is just messy, incomplete, and disappointing. This game was a lazy rush job, and it shows.
  13. Rochter
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    I would had forgiven the Animation errors, and framedrops if they actually worked more on them rather than just using it as an excuse or token of exchange for cut content.

    Not only that, but, i payed 50 bucks to get my save data wiped out... And a lot of games dont support online cloud saves.... Thanks a lot...
  14. SirDingus
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    It’s disappointing it’s come to this stage for Pokémon and Game Freak. Where they join the ranks of formerly great, ambitious companies that turned lazy and greedy. The moment Masuda announced they would flat out cut Pokémon marked that. Sure, they say they’ll use the extra resources to enhance the graphics and animations, yet they’ll just reuse the future proofed 3DS models and animationsIt’s disappointing it’s come to this stage for Pokémon and Game Freak. Where they join the ranks of formerly great, ambitious companies that turned lazy and greedy. The moment Masuda announced they would flat out cut Pokémon marked that. Sure, they say they’ll use the extra resources to enhance the graphics and animations, yet they’ll just reuse the future proofed 3DS models and animations rather than make brand new animations. Pokémon Stadiums 1 & 2, Pokemon Colosseum & XD, and Battle Revolution still have the superior animations and models despite the age of those games. Shadow problems, frame rate issues, and low quality environmental models exist to along with the surprisingly barren open world. Even climbing up stairs stops nearby trainer animations as if climbing up stairs stops the fabric of time. Difficulty is practically nonexistent thanks to forced EXP share, constant heals thanks to NPCs, and lacklustre gym leader teams. Dynamaxing feels like a pointless gimmick due to the fact they only exist for gym battles. R.I.P mega evolutions and Z moves. Pokémon claim to be for all ages yet they seem to neglect more hardcore trainers with the removal of various meta TMs, such as hidden power and pursuit. Perhaps most importantly, the Global Trade System, which ushered in online trading in generation 4, was canned for, again, no abrupt reason. I could go on and on but I feel like a drone at this point. Game freak have lost their passion and this game (or in the fact the past few years) proves it. Will Game Freak learn from this, especially with the well deserved criticism on Twitter? I don’t know man, a Pokémon fan can only hope.… Expand
  15. Alliusis
    Nov 16, 2019
    4
    The game has glaring issues. It's short (less than 20 hours), and there's really not much to do. Most of the animations are incredulously bad (stiff and really don't have any life to them - most involve rotating the model on an axis, or moving them along a straight line), and they stick out like a sore thumb. The Wild Area is a really interesting concept, but executed poorly - it feelsThe game has glaring issues. It's short (less than 20 hours), and there's really not much to do. Most of the animations are incredulously bad (stiff and really don't have any life to them - most involve rotating the model on an axis, or moving them along a straight line), and they stick out like a sore thumb. The Wild Area is a really interesting concept, but executed poorly - it feels very empty while still seeming restrictive. I also run into performance issues and very short draw distances. In my playthrough, I'm finding I'm constantly overleveled, and there's no way to turn off the EXP share. The plot constantly interrupts my playthrough, and at the end of the day it doesn't even make any sense.

    The behaviour of the devs is another matter entirely. They said they removed the Pokemon to improve the animations, yet the vast majority of the animations are re-used from Pokemon XY (6 years ago). Since the transition to 3D, I've constantly given GameFreak the benefit of a doubt. My patience has run out. This is below an indie-tier game, considering all of the assets they had available to work with (they had future-proofed the models and used the same animations for Pokemon and people alike).

    The game really feels like a port of a rushed PS2 game, and this is unacceptable from the most profitable IP on the planet (worth more than StarWars, Harry Potter, Mario - you name it). For 90 bucks, it's not worth it. And I encourage you to send a message (vote with your wallet) to GameFreak and Nintendo, that this amount of laziness is not acceptable.    … Expand
  16. Captainkaeru
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Too many cut features and cut corners. A substantial amount of Pokemon and moves we're cut from this game, for the sake of apparent improved animations. A lot of the animations are identical to the 3ds animations or worse. Brave bird for example pales in comparison to it's 3ds animation.

    The new Pokemon designs are good_ but that remains to be the only good experience I had in this game.    Too many cut features and cut corners. A substantial amount of Pokemon and moves we're cut from this game, for the sake of apparent improved animations. A lot of the animations are identical to the 3ds animations or worse. Brave bird for example pales in comparison to it's 3ds animation.

    The new Pokemon designs are good_ but that remains to be the only good experience I had in this game. Its much much easier than previous games, Exp share is forced on so you become horribly overlevelled by the second gym. Routes are extremely easy to traverse with a healing trainer every 2 or 3 battles. Its disappointing that Pokemon has fallen this far. I wish I had saved my money and we if they fix enough of the bugs or tune the game before releasing the inevitable full price 3rd version next year.becooverleveleeprevious    … Expand
  17. PenalTea
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Jeu nul...
    Premier Pokemon depuis X/Y et bordel qu’est-ce que ça a régressé...
  18. Doctor7175
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Apologist side of conflict is worse then haters
    Stop eating **** for once. This is not 60$ game.
    And it's not about game targeting kids. Literally any RPG has difficulty settings. **** Mario Odyssey has assist mode for kids. It doesn't need hand holding and broken exp share. Kids figured out gen 1. Also stop harassing people for disliking something you're as bad as people who sent GF    Apologist side of conflict is worse then haters
    Stop eating **** for once. This is not 60$ game.
    And it's not about game targeting kids. Literally any RPG has difficulty settings. **** Mario Odyssey has assist mode for kids. It doesn't need hand holding and broken exp share. Kids figured out gen 1. Also stop harassing people for disliking something you're as bad as people who sent GF death threats.    … Expand
  19. Martin48
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    Junichi Masuda, a lead director of the Pokemon games, has stated that "when we tried to think about how kids these days generally play games, what came to mind was mobile games... games which you play for a short time." If Game Freak is so impressed and concerned with mobile games, then take my advice: develop mobile games. Those who purchase a console game at console prices expect aJunichi Masuda, a lead director of the Pokemon games, has stated that "when we tried to think about how kids these days generally play games, what came to mind was mobile games... games which you play for a short time." If Game Freak is so impressed and concerned with mobile games, then take my advice: develop mobile games. Those who purchase a console game at console prices expect a console game experience. Pokemon Sword and Shield are not games of console calibre.

    I will begin with the positives: Sword and Shield look better than their predecessors. The new Pokemon designs are overall well done, and there are also nice quality of life improvements which streamline the process of creating a competitive team so players can get to battling faster. The Wild Area is was a neat addition that opens up the early availability of many rare Pokemon, and the inclusion of overworld encounters makes the environment feel more alive.

    Unfortunately, the game is lacking in the remaining aspects. The game is extremely short for a console RPG, offering about a 12-14 hours campaign for those familiar with the mechanics of the series. There are only 10 routes total, many of which are short and barren, and there are no dungeons to explore in the entirety of the game. The player is on rails for the entire story: those that complained about handholding in Sun/Moon will find that Game Freak did not listen to feedback and instead doubled down on handholding using the main cast of characters. The postgame consists of tying up the loose ends of the story and one battle facility. The battle tower is a downgrade from the battle facilities of the 3DS games, not having any tower bosses, and rates the player at "Max" skill ability after winning only 30 battles in a row. It is simply embarrassing for a console title to offer such less postgame than a 3DS or even DS Pokemon game. The graphics, while better than previous entries on the 3DS, are unpolished and often do not compare to other titles on the Switch that have come out years ago.

    Rating this game as a "small step forward" for the series or "good for the first mainline [insert Nintendo console here] entry" is simply not excusable anymore. Game Freak has been developing this series for 8 generations of games now for over two decades, and as the world's leading franchise they ought to have a handle on game development by now. It is evident that the money of players who support the franchise does not go towards the development of better games. As someone who loves the franchise, Game Freak has truly disappointed with these titles and it is sad that I hope they do not develop the next entries.    … Expand
  20. Mezaki
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    The same game every year and this time they don't gave us all pokemons. They tried to innovate but that was just awful.
  21. joaofernandes
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    "Most valuable IP in the world". Proceeds to create the worst Pokémon game with one of the best consoles Nintendo has ever created.

    #WakeUpGameFreak
  22. Feraligabriel
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Really bad game, game freak really proved how lazy and uncaring they are. They release a bad game with some new stuff and a pokemon title. If this wasnt linked in any way to the pokemon franchised and released as something else, it would be one of those games that are destined to go in the 5$bin a year after release
  23. Drezziks
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Game feels 50% incomplete. Horrendous draw distance, pixelated shadows, empty Wild Area, and a practically non-existent post game. This is not a game for veteran players, like GameFreak stayed it was.
  24. Braydon64
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    I don't a believe any game actually deserves a 0, so I'm giving this a 1/10. I'm giving this a 1/10 not because of the gameplay or content (which would be a 6.0 AT BEST & even that's stretching it) but simply because Game Freak straight-up lied to us & they are making asinine business decisions. As Pokémon fans, we deserve better for $60.
  25. Riczen
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    The game is underwhelming for Nintendo Switch. It seems like it has not been through Quality Assurance. The quality of the game various if you have played it. One give away is that in some area you can find gorgeous sceneries, high definition background, but in some area it’s like a student project, character floating, Pokémon running on the spot without moving,
  26. dan_chaos
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    No compren este producto incompleto, realmente no vale el precio completo y solo merece que lo bajen pirata.
    Si lo compran es su problema pero espero que no sean de los desafortunados que se les borro todas las partidas guardadas en la Switch como le ha ocurrido a varios.
  27. OmegaChase1002
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Just buy Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth Complete Edition, EvoCreo, Temtem, or Yokai Watch instead.
    WHAT the H-E DOUBLE HOCKEY STICK was Gamefreak THINKING!?
    No National Dex, bugs everywhere, cut moves, horrible animations (despite Masuda claiming they would be the best in the series), hand-holding EASY difficulty since we're unable to turn the EXP share off anymore, free full heals literally    Just buy Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth Complete Edition, EvoCreo, Temtem, or Yokai Watch instead.
    WHAT the H-E DOUBLE HOCKEY STICK was Gamefreak THINKING!?
    No National Dex, bugs everywhere, cut moves, horrible animations (despite Masuda claiming they would be the best in the series), hand-holding EASY difficulty since we're unable to turn the EXP share off anymore, free full heals literally everywhere even when not in a Pokémon Center, abysmally short campaign, almost no postgame, a rival who is literally just Hau 2 (right down to his animations), a Champion with an unlikeable egotistical personality, obvious gen 1 pandering, a bug that can actually erase the save data of all your other games saved on your Switch, and a whole host of other problems.
    Stick to the older games from gens 1 to 7. This game is the death of Pokémon.    … Expand
  28. Artatm
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    So Nintendo creates breath of the wild and Mario odyssey - then delays Metroid because it’s not up to snuff - wow pokemon is going to be good - fast forward to release .... yeah not so much - So the textured look legitimately sloppy in places, it’s not just stylistic they are upscale and stretched, charters float over them looking rigid and plastic it’s like a bad mobile game not somethingSo Nintendo creates breath of the wild and Mario odyssey - then delays Metroid because it’s not up to snuff - wow pokemon is going to be good - fast forward to release .... yeah not so much - So the textured look legitimately sloppy in places, it’s not just stylistic they are upscale and stretched, charters float over them looking rigid and plastic it’s like a bad mobile game not something you expect from Nintendo on there main console, this ain’t no portable mini title no more game freak this is the big league and you fluffed it with the worlds most profitable franchise - wow - oh and you lied about it too - games out in the wild the reasons you gave for less pokemon have been proven untrue / you cut beloved content and didn’t innovate one bit, dynomax - give me a break - how about you voice the pokemon - even just the np characters in the cut scenes?! It’s 2019! Some of it is charming, a lot of the new designs look nice and cute and interesting - it’s hard not to it’s pokemon but the level of laziness here is just unforgivable - they even publicly announced it wasn’t there main project- holy hell fire?! You got some super secrets other billion dollar franchise up your selves? No?! You just want to betray your fan base and nickel and dime them with a high price game with less content than a indie game jam. Protest by reviewing pokemon - tweeting/Facebook/reddit/YouTube - let Nintendo know they need to take back pokemon.… Expand
  29. GoodBrock
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    Got my copy of the game yesterday and have been playing non-stop since. I've been pretty upset by the national dex cut but decided to see for myself if the games made any compensation for it. It's evident that this game was rushed for the holiday release right from the get go. With the allure of an 'open world' area we were led to believe that the devs have heard our complaints ofGot my copy of the game yesterday and have been playing non-stop since. I've been pretty upset by the national dex cut but decided to see for myself if the games made any compensation for it. It's evident that this game was rushed for the holiday release right from the get go. With the allure of an 'open world' area we were led to believe that the devs have heard our complaints of incessant hand-holding and infantilizing. The first hour of the game is unskippable expository dialogue after unskippable expository dialogue. Happy to be free from the rail roading, once I hit the wild area the game's technical flaws began to show. While it was a nice addition to incorporate overworld pokemon, that's really all there is to it aside from being a pseudo-communications hub. Once I left the wild area to reach the second fort city about three badges in, there was really no incentive to return to the wild area. Once you've begun your gym quest you're placed back on the rail-roading forced dialogue train until the game ends. Game difficulty has gotten easier. While there's plenty of QoL improvements, the overall challenge is lost, mostly due to the now permanent Exp. Share. The story, while historically not one of the franchise's strong suits, is nothing to write home about. There is no big plot or scheme or any real motivation or stakes.

    All in all, the game is a Pokemon game through and through. Casual fun, but nothing more than that. No marked improvements, subpar graphics for the console generation, and nothing to remedy the unnecessary lack of national dex pokemon.    … Expand
  30. Picklez888
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    While I bought this game,as I have for every generation of pokemon, I regret it for the first time. The first console entry should be bigger, not smaller. There is no excuse to cut SO MANY pokemon. I can understand removing legendaries for lore reasons or others but this is just laziness. This is the biggest media franchise ever...what is their excuse again? It surely can't be a lack ofWhile I bought this game,as I have for every generation of pokemon, I regret it for the first time. The first console entry should be bigger, not smaller. There is no excuse to cut SO MANY pokemon. I can understand removing legendaries for lore reasons or others but this is just laziness. This is the biggest media franchise ever...what is their excuse again? It surely can't be a lack of resources.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 87 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 66 out of 87
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 87
  3. Negative: 0 out of 87
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Apr 30, 2020
    80
    Sword & Shield stumble in a few areas and history may not be kind to them, but they're setting up a future that I'm excited to see. [Issue #44 – January/February 2020, p. 73]
  2. GameCritics
    Feb 6, 2020
    75
    I enjoyed my time with Pokemon Sword and Shield, but I ended feeling conflicted. I appreciate many of the changes and felt that it generally respected my time, but I almost felt like a passive participant. The more complex gym challenges had a meatier role, but the narrative shouldn’t have been shoved to the side. Overall, I would recommend it to players who want to have a Pokemon experience, but this one won’t stick with me the way the older ones have.
    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 »