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. SWandSHsucks
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    • Main pokémon games are low effort waifubait. • Main anime will be again Ash silly comic relief adventures. • Other spin offs will not be about Mystery dungeon or etc anymore, just mobile gacha bait. It's time to move on..
  2. saucyham
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    They cut a ton of Pokémon and the excuse they used was “we made new models and animations” that was a lie, the models and animations are recycled. Over bad performance and the game is so easy it’s boring. Don’t buy
  3. HollyS
    Nov 20, 2019
    2
    Very short, bland and low quality Pokemon game. It is definitely not worth $60. It uses graphics from the 3DS and has many bugs in gameplay, it can even fry your Switch and all other games save files. It only has about 40% of existing Pokemon available. It is very tutorial and baby proofed feeling the entire game. Too easy. Characters are annoying and constantly i interrupt gameplay
  4. Insightonic
    Jan 4, 2020
    2
    Mediocre Pokemon game. Barely 18 hours play time, no open world as promised but 1 **** tiny area where you can slightly control the camera running around in a boring environment for 30 minutes because after that you've seen and done everything there is. The animations are ridiculous sometimes and the areas in general are like tubes. No exploring, no hidden paths or anything like it, itemsMediocre Pokemon game. Barely 18 hours play time, no open world as promised but 1 **** tiny area where you can slightly control the camera running around in a boring environment for 30 minutes because after that you've seen and done everything there is. The animations are ridiculous sometimes and the areas in general are like tubes. No exploring, no hidden paths or anything like it, items are "hidden" in plain sight. This is a game made by 10 year olds for 6 year olds. No effort put into. Charging 60€ feels like a crime.… Expand
  5. The64thShadow
    Nov 16, 2019
    3
    Honestly just very mediocre. It's not entirely awful as some might lead you to believe, and honestly would have gotten a 4 or 5 if not for the entire context surrounding the game, how it fails to live up to previous Pokemon titles, and how it can actually damage your switch hardware and SD card. The world just seems so empty, and while it does have moments where it looks impressive, thoseHonestly just very mediocre. It's not entirely awful as some might lead you to believe, and honestly would have gotten a 4 or 5 if not for the entire context surrounding the game, how it fails to live up to previous Pokemon titles, and how it can actually damage your switch hardware and SD card. The world just seems so empty, and while it does have moments where it looks impressive, those moments are few and far between. It's the bare minimum of what can be counted as a Pokemon game. You catch, you train, you battle. The gym challenges do offer a bit of side questing and replayability but not enough to hold my attention. It is nowhere near comparable to say, the Battle Frontier from Pokemon Emerald, a game released 14 years prior. Many of the textures look as though they have been lifted straight from a Unity game made by a highschooler, and the animations lack any sort of uniqueness or soul. Compare the Double Kick animation from this game with Pokemon Stadium, released on Nintendo 64 and the lack of anything interesting becomes clear.

    Simply put, it's boring, it's bland, it doesn't look good, and if that wasn't enough it launched with numerous bugs that can brick your Switch and corrupt your SD card. There are much better Switch games you can spend your money on.    … Expand
  6. Pipistrele
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    Not great, not terrible, and generally way better than I expected it to be. Good things (such as music and overall presentation) are pretty damn good, and less-than-good things (underutilized wild area and silly plot) are mostly fine and don't distract from player experience too much. A lot of things may feel more glaring in context of the whole Dexit situation, or TGC's poor attempts atNot great, not terrible, and generally way better than I expected it to be. Good things (such as music and overall presentation) are pretty damn good, and less-than-good things (underutilized wild area and silly plot) are mostly fine and don't distract from player experience too much. A lot of things may feel more glaring in context of the whole Dexit situation, or TGC's poor attempts at damage control, but as its own game, it's still and solid Pokemon title that has the same warm atmosphere and enjoyable core gameplay. All in all, I recommend avoiding the hate/hype train and watch some professional reviews for better judgment - especially with a lot of claims on its "awfulness" being exaggerated by public outlash at the moment.… Expand
  7. Basednredpilled
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Bad graphics. Bad animations. Even bad music. Extremely short. No postgame content. No national dex. Bad story. Bad characters. Permanent exp share. Do i have to continue? I gave it a 2 instead of 0 just because some of the new pokemon have good designs. Nobody should buy this game.
  8. DaigoDaigo
    Sep 16, 2021
    7
    I like the game. I really do. The graphic look nice, the music sound nice, and the battle are epic.....one problem though. The game is short as ****

    Gameplay: First, it a pokemon game. So it play like a pokemon game. You beat up trainers, catch and train pokemon. Simple, right? Except there less pokemon now, and even less trainers. So expecting plenty of battle from random trainers    I like the game. I really do. The graphic look nice, the music sound nice, and the battle are epic.....one problem though. The game is short as ****

    Gameplay: First, it a pokemon game. So it play like a pokemon game. You beat up trainers, catch and train pokemon. Simple, right? Except there less pokemon now, and even less trainers. So expecting plenty of battle from random trainers isn't good since each route is super short. We even lose access to mega. But hey, at least we got dynamaxing and gigamaxing.

    Music: Oh I love the music. Music is neat. But I don't think music will save this game.

    Graphic: Let me be honest. The graphic is awesome. In fact, I think it one of the greatest thing for pokemon. Exceeeeeept the way gamefreak made it....it really super messy. The draw distance is terrible, and there are some game asset model look super low resolution.

    Story: It a pokemon game. Story should be somewhat the same.....except it even worse! Even Team Skull and the Aether Foundation make more sense than this game story evil villain team. I'm not gonna spoil it, but it just really lack luster and make me go "The hell is this!?"

    Thing pisses me off: The pokemon cut, the move cuts, and the mega being cut out really pisses me off. But there been word circling around that not only is most of these gone for the sake of "Muh graphic." There also a game breaking bug that hurt the sd card which delete your entire SD card and also has the possibility to brick the Switch. Now I'm not sure whether or not it will brick, but there are a few reports.

    If I was forgiving, I would give this game a 6 outta 10. But I'm kinda mad at Gamefreak so it get a 4 outta 10. But since that gamebreaking bug show up and giving me the scare, I'm giving it a 3 outta 10.

    I love Pokemon, I want it to do better. I would give sun and moon a 10 outta 10 just because I'm a pokemon fanatic. But this game. Holy **** This game make me super mad.

    Edit: I might have to change the score once the Expansion is release, Until June come around, this shall remain a 3.

    Edit Part 2: I brought it up to a 5. Mostly because of the isle of armor dlc convince me to raise it. It still bad, but the fact my favorite pokemon is back in made me raise my user score.

    Update in 2021: It has been awhile since this game first release. And I can understand why it would have a low score. Now that the heat is off. And we have a majority of the Pokemon in due to dlc, I want to say this game isn't really as bad. But at the same time, it not truly good either. The story and game play is good. The graphic look fine as it is. If I have to say what my biggest gripe about this game is due to the missing pokemon, and mega evolution.    … Expand
  9. Kazukii
    Nov 16, 2019
    3
    There is really no excuse for a half baked experience like this from the same creators of masterful titles in the past, are we really not able to shift up the pokemon formula for it's first ever main series console iteration, not only is this a rehash of past games with slightly enhanced graphics that do not even optimize well on the Switch with exact model duplicates from Sun and Moon itThere is really no excuse for a half baked experience like this from the same creators of masterful titles in the past, are we really not able to shift up the pokemon formula for it's first ever main series console iteration, not only is this a rehash of past games with slightly enhanced graphics that do not even optimize well on the Switch with exact model duplicates from Sun and Moon it has most of the regular content you expect slashed, story is none existent, end game is purely pvp focused, the famous Dexit, and on top of that it's painfully easy to play, you would think an ageing audience would allow you to increase difficulty instead each game is feeling lazier than the last without any thought or reason to actually play anymore other than a few new interesting creatures added. And that, at least for me, is not worth dropping 60$.… Expand
  10. Fresh972
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    400 pokemon...
    The new pokemon are not beautiful. The game is too simple. The worst pokemon.
  11. LapisLazuli
    Nov 25, 2019
    2
    I was pretty bummed with the pokémon cut at first but I got over it after some time, I thought the game could be good even with the cut. I was utterly and absolutely wrong. I don't care about graphics but if you do, I want you to know that what you saw on trailers is exactly how it is in the final game. The story left a bad taste in my mouth, it seemed rushed, incomplete even. The gameI was pretty bummed with the pokémon cut at first but I got over it after some time, I thought the game could be good even with the cut. I was utterly and absolutely wrong. I don't care about graphics but if you do, I want you to know that what you saw on trailers is exactly how it is in the final game. The story left a bad taste in my mouth, it seemed rushed, incomplete even. The game play received a new mechanic called dynamax, it is cool at first but it adds little to the battles considering it is very similar to Z moves, the raids are broken, also the online infrastructure is barebones and prone to a multitude of errors, you need to use an archaic 4 digit password to connect with your friends online instead of having a convenient friend list. The wild area is a cool addition but you better play it offline or else be prepared to experience 00s MMO lag. The new pokémon and new galar forms are great though, it's the only reason I'm not giving this "game" a 0.… Expand
  12. YT123
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    This game gets too much hate. It's not a bad game, but it definitely lacks ambition.

    + Some QoL improvements - The (3)DS Pokémon games have more Pokémon in the game - Very poor pacing in the second half of the campaign - Graphics and animations are subpar compared to other Switch games - No GTS - Forced exp share, extremely linear routes and frequent auto-healing further simplify    This game gets too much hate. It's not a bad game, but it definitely lacks ambition.

    + Some QoL improvements
    - The (3)DS Pokémon games have more Pokémon in the game
    - Very poor pacing in the second half of the campaign
    - Graphics and animations are subpar compared to other Switch games
    - No GTS
    - Forced exp share, extremely linear routes and frequent auto-healing further simplify the game (which was not necessary at all)
    - The game feels unfinished/unpolished

    It's still a pretty fun game though, most Pokémon fans will probably enjoy it. But it could have been so much more..    … Expand
  13. Skyblue98
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Pokémon Sword and Shield (Sw/Sh) are not bad when it comes to the meta aspect. Many new mechanics were introduced to make team building easier and the new mons are interesting. Design wise that could be argued, but that's not the point. I think the Wild Area, while not nearly perfect, is a good starting point for what there is to come. However, how can we get excited for that when GF andPokémon Sword and Shield (Sw/Sh) are not bad when it comes to the meta aspect. Many new mechanics were introduced to make team building easier and the new mons are interesting. Design wise that could be argued, but that's not the point. I think the Wild Area, while not nearly perfect, is a good starting point for what there is to come. However, how can we get excited for that when GF and TPC have been more and more lazy over the years? From a graphical standpoint the game is inadmissible. Textures are really sub-par and pop-in is a real problem. Animations and models are reused, and they weren't even high quality back in the 3DS Era. Pokémon are not expressive and these animations don't help. Battle backgrounds are are not present in multiple ocassions, which is a huge letdown. This happens more often than I would like to recognize being a massive fan myself. The funny part is that some media related to Nintendo stated that these problems were only present in illegal versions of the game but that has been proven wrong already by the horrendous state of the game. The human models are no better and they are animated like a PS2 game. The scene of the legendaries is tragic when it comes to the animation. The performance of the game is also lacking, which is unexpected due to the huge content cut that we suffered. It's hard to believe that this is the same platform where BoTW and Odyssey were released. Finally, the length of the game does not compensate, being around 12 hours. It is tragic and sad, but we can not let GF go away with it… Expand
  14. Sourbrownpoop
    Nov 17, 2019
    3
    I regret buying this game. It’s not worth 60$. You can obviously tell that it was something the Pokemon Team was planing for the 3ds, but decided to put it onto the switch. You can see the npcs come into view while walking down a street just like the 3ds. The graphics are on the same level as OoT on the 64 at some areas. And the story is just not good. It just feels like your child hoodI regret buying this game. It’s not worth 60$. You can obviously tell that it was something the Pokemon Team was planing for the 3ds, but decided to put it onto the switch. You can see the npcs come into view while walking down a street just like the 3ds. The graphics are on the same level as OoT on the 64 at some areas. And the story is just not good. It just feels like your child hood bud is walking from town to town with you. I wouldn't be so upset about buying it if it wasn’t the full price of 60$. So many more companies are doing so much more and asking for the same price or even less. Look at BoTW or Xenoblade 2 for example. Its just annoying how the pokemon company will put out anything good or bad as long as they can make a buck. I used to be a huge pokemon fan, but I refuse to buy another pokemon game after this one. That is my opinion over the new game. If you wanna play it and have a good time with it that’s fine by me. It’s just not for me.… Expand
  15. Bibboi54
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    The game is by no means a perfect or great great game but it's really not as bad as people say it is. An average game deserves and average score most of the negative reviews are just people who are salty that it isn't as good as the other games in the series. But if you take away the other games and just focus on this one, it's an average game. Nothing else to really elaborate on otherThe game is by no means a perfect or great great game but it's really not as bad as people say it is. An average game deserves and average score most of the negative reviews are just people who are salty that it isn't as good as the other games in the series. But if you take away the other games and just focus on this one, it's an average game. Nothing else to really elaborate on other than if I could give it a 5.5 i would because it's not quite deserving of a 6. I rounded up to be nice.… Expand
  16. DeadLink
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. O jogo apresenta muitos problemas como o corte de movimentos e Pokémon, além de uma render distance que não condiz com o tamanho do mapa, porém o jogo assim como os demais é muito divertido e tem um dos melhores começos de jogo (senão o melhor) da franquia em que você pode pular a maioria dos tutoriais maçantes e encontra com o lendário logo de cara. Por favor gente, não precisa das a mesma nota que eu , mas, não de zero, o metacritic vai apagar essas notas de hate então de a nota que o jogo realmente merece (e só de nota se jogou).… Expand
  17. zdk00
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Could care less about the lack of NAT dex. That's not the problem here. Game felt outrageously rushed. Was a solid 5.5/10 for me until i reached the last 80% of the game and then it just flopped COMPLETELY. it really was a drag and i regret spending the $60 on this. I love pokemon and have always been a fan but it hurts me to say, I could never recommend this game to anyone. Just feelsCould care less about the lack of NAT dex. That's not the problem here. Game felt outrageously rushed. Was a solid 5.5/10 for me until i reached the last 80% of the game and then it just flopped COMPLETELY. it really was a drag and i regret spending the $60 on this. I love pokemon and have always been a fan but it hurts me to say, I could never recommend this game to anyone. Just feels like the devs no longer care and the rushed launch makes it seem like they are only in it for the money.… Expand
  18. LavenderVix
    Nov 21, 2019
    2
    Here's an Honest review of Pokémon sword as a long time fan:
    The graphics are pretty well, the Pokémon are cute and lovely however I felt some battle animations were lacking. The game suffered from lag and slow down in some areas, especially in the wild area. The wild area was extremely fun, however. It's easy to get distracted and lost for hours exploring and doing max raid battles.    Here's an Honest review of Pokémon sword as a long time fan:
    The graphics are pretty well, the Pokémon are cute and lovely however I felt some battle animations were lacking. The game suffered from lag and slow down in some areas, especially in the wild area. The wild area was extremely fun, however. It's easy to get distracted and lost for hours exploring and doing max raid battles. Dynamax didn't feel overly gimmicky as it was mainly reserved for raids and gym battles. Speaking of gym battles the music was arguably the best part of the game. The story felt lacking. It's suddenly just thrust at you near the end of the game and there's no real explanation as to why the events are happening, the final battle is less of a struggle and more of letting the two cover legendaries do all the work. As for the rest of the game, it's slightly challenging at the start but once you have access to the wild area it's extremely easy to become over leveled and I spent the entire game from that point on 20 to 30 levels ahead of the trainers on the routes and gym leaders. The tournament at the end was a nice change, and some of the characters actually did feel a little more developed than the last few games. There's a small bit of post game story but once that's over the game begins to feel dull and repetitive. Not having the entire Pokédex did not effect the main game however it feels like the post game is lacking and missing something that adding a few more pokémon into the wild to track down could very well fix. Online interaction feels a little bare bones. There is no GTS, and no way to communicate to a person you may be trading with what pokémon you are offering or looking for, making getting specific version exclusives pokémon difficult. Over all, it was a fun experience but the game feels rushed, unpolished, and as if something more was intended but never fully realized.    … Expand
  19. KingOfRock
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    I have to start off by saying, I'm only being honest here. This game has lots of flaws, and I will not ignore them. But I can see the forest for the trees. Overall this isn't a terrible game, just an okay game. But one with some serious flaws that keep it from being better than it could be.

    I'm going to start with the positives here: I do like the Galar region. I love the British    I have to start off by saying, I'm only being honest here. This game has lots of flaws, and I will not ignore them. But I can see the forest for the trees. Overall this isn't a terrible game, just an okay game. But one with some serious flaws that keep it from being better than it could be.

    I'm going to start with the positives here:

    I do like the Galar region. I love the British setting and I find it very charming and colorful. I like a lot of the new Pokemon designs. I actually think I like more than I hate, the first time I've felt this way in several generations. Also it's a return to form after Sun and Moon. Really, there's some good stuff here.

    And there's some bad stuff:

    The EXP Share. I'm starting with this because I hate it the most. I get people dislike or even hate other things about this game (I'm getting to it), but this bugs me the most. It isn't even an optional thing. It's stuck on. It doesn't make sense. The reason this bugs me so much isn't just because it makes it waaaaay too easy, even by Pokemon standards. I also hate how it robs me of my way of training my Pokemon. I always used to play by trying to balance out my Pokemon and keep them at equal levels. This robs me of a convenient way to do that. Also, because everyone can gain EXP even without going into battle it's given me less incentive to switch Pokemon. I've not changed from my starter at all in the beginning because there wasn't much of a need to. It wasn't a conscious thing. I just didn't noticed I did it. Seriously, that EXP Share is a fun-sucker. And like most people, I'm not a fan of the graphics. They're colorful, like I said, but they're dated. Game Freak could have done a better job updating the graphics while still keeping the cartoony charm. And everyone's said enough about the National Dex removal and the missing Pokemon. I don't like it either.

    I don't think the good and bad balance out so well, but really the rest is just average. It doesn't do anything unique or special with the battle system. Dynamaxing is an awesome concept. It isn't used to its full potential from what I've seen anyways.

    I don't get why this game was rushed. There was potential here. This needed more time in the oven. I would have rather waited another year and just got something that felt more complete than what we got. I know a lot of people feel this way. I can't even call this a "bad" game because, in all fairness, even bad games can be memorable. This is just so bland and average it kind of hurts.    … Expand
  20. KinMonteste
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    The main problem with this game is not only the pokemon cut away but the lies of the company, if too expensive to make a pokemon game? litterally there is hundreds if not thousands of pro games developer that would done a better job free, you know why i know that? because every year fans make games from 0, new animations, new pokemon desings, attacks, textures and everything for free, butThe main problem with this game is not only the pokemon cut away but the lies of the company, if too expensive to make a pokemon game? litterally there is hundreds if not thousands of pro games developer that would done a better job free, you know why i know that? because every year fans make games from 0, new animations, new pokemon desings, attacks, textures and everything for free, but of course pokemon and nintendo do not like those people to exist and shut the game down, theres a lot of problems with this game, shiny locks, competitive change, bad meta, unbalanced pokemon, deleted attacks really used on competitive, cut of megas but mawile, sableye and abomasnow that depended on their megas, are still on the game so those pokemon again wont be used at all, mega is a fan favourite, this game was marketed as a "game for fans" ... man, we fans love this game, thats why this game hurt us so much, this is no a 0-10 because i hate this game, is the opposite, i really love this game.… Expand
  21. rongCH
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    As someone who started playing since Red and have been seeing a steady decline of quality after BW (the last true decent pokemon games imao) I am sad to say that I am not surprised, I can tell those developers are old and trapped in time as they could only produce decent games for the 2d handheld generations. I felt the game lazy, with lots of recycled asset, uninspired music, poorly madeAs someone who started playing since Red and have been seeing a steady decline of quality after BW (the last true decent pokemon games imao) I am sad to say that I am not surprised, I can tell those developers are old and trapped in time as they could only produce decent games for the 2d handheld generations. I felt the game lazy, with lots of recycled asset, uninspired music, poorly made pokemon designs, empty uninteresting towns, also the new gimmick introduced (Dinamax) is absolutely terrible, I cant tell yet for sure but I am hoping it can't be used in competitive, if feels lazy, broken and unappealing to me, the games are also incredibly easy and having a mandatory exp share on does not help at all, removing mega evolution, more than half of the pokedex and several staple moves was a huge hit for me, this game will hit the shelf sooner than any other pokemon game i can't wait to return to Ultra Sun since that game was way more appealing and better made than this horrible excuse of a main line series pokemon game… Expand
  22. koopabros128
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    crap game.
    garbage story.
    Wii graphics.
    400/800 pokemon.
    Linear game.
    0/10
  23. emotionside
    Nov 16, 2019
    3
    O pior game da franquia com folga, game não empolga em nada e a wild area é uma porcaria sem sentido, para que ter vários pokemon de alto nível se não pode captura sem falar as outras cagadas, eu não recomendo não comprem até eles fazer um jogo descente e completo "Gotta Catch 'Em All" e o jogo ta muito fácil meu Deus vão a merda
  24. PointingGaming
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I think the game is extremely good so far, as someone who has played Pokémon since Gen 1 I am quite happy, there are some features they did remove, some with obvious reasons some without. Such as global trade, in the previous games they were flooded with cheated in shinys and legendaries. It adds more challenge to the game so you can’t just trade a garbage Pokémon for one super high leveled, and they made it so you can’t catch a Pokémon higher level than what your gym badge allows.

    I enjoy the wide open areas and being able to see other players in the wild areas. I think the dynamaxing is cool, and a lot better than the mega evolutions and the special moves and other gimmicks they have had in the previous games in the main storyline.

    In terms of new pokemon it was a hit and a miss, they have some good ones and some terrible ones. It’s about the same as gen 5 where they had some great ideas, and they also had some absolutely retarded ones.

    So far I am happy with this game, and I am about half way through it I have to say it was money well spent. A lot of people may hate on this game but I believe that it deserves more credit than it is givin considering this is the first main story game that has come out for the Pokémon franchise that isn’t completely pixelated.    … Expand
  25. ryguyreiser
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    F in the chat for Gamefreak and the Pokemon Company. Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon made me lose hope in the series, but now it is clear to see just how far low this series has come to.
    Yikes.

    Please do not support this game or you are actively telling the pokemon company to keep putting out bad, lazily made, poor quality games.
  26. BugsyNanusu
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    A bug filled mess with less Pokemon than Diamond/Pearl. Non-existent difficulty. Graphics that look worse than the Pokemon games on the Gamecube. Do not support this cash grab!
  27. WahjahEater
    Nov 17, 2019
    4
    Just stopped by to chuck a stone at Gamefreak. It's more of the same old baby a** gameplay. Not sure who gamefreak is targeting with these titles. My guess is that Japanese audience loves their grind-fest.
  28. ZeroArmada
    Nov 16, 2019
    4
    The worst game in the series. I just cannot recommend anyone to buy this game at full price. As a genuine Pokémon fan I still cought myself genuinely enjoying the game, simply because it's Pokémon. However by the time it was over, I was left sad about what it could have been. Since 3D graphics the regions have progressively become shallower and emptier. The illusion of a big region isThe worst game in the series. I just cannot recommend anyone to buy this game at full price. As a genuine Pokémon fan I still cought myself genuinely enjoying the game, simply because it's Pokémon. However by the time it was over, I was left sad about what it could have been. Since 3D graphics the regions have progressively become shallower and emptier. The illusion of a big region is there, however you can't actually properly explore any of it. The fact they put a lot of effort into the new dynamaxing system actually makes me sadder, because aparrently a completely new uneccesary mechanic was higher on the priority list then polishing the overall game, and this while they already had a completely fine mechanic called mega evolution that they just decided to drop. The new trainer customization options are really nice, yet for the truly important battles you're forced into this incredibly ugly football uniform, for just no reason. On top of it all for the firt time in the series I hated every starter design so much I just decided to release my starter at the beginning, and just picked another Pokémon instead. This is on top of all the glaring issues that have already been pointed out by many others. For the first time ever I had a Pokémon game randomly crash on me. Gamefreak just seems incapable of taking steps forward in one area without taking several steps backwards in another. To top it all off, this is the most expensive Pokémon game released to date. With nothing to justify the increased price tag, there is just no way I can recommend this game to anyone at full price. I just hope the amount of negativity and backlash will serve to finally wake gamefreak up.… Expand
  29. SirEpicPigeon
    Nov 16, 2019
    6
    Played a couple of hours. I am enjoying the game but man, it has some problems:

    - It feels like an upscaled 3DS game, including the framedrops. Try walking in the wild area when connected to the internet, it will dip a lot. - Trading with friends still uses the old code system from lets go (we have a friends list, use it). I connected to other people with the same code several    Played a couple of hours. I am enjoying the game but man, it has some problems:

    - It feels like an upscaled 3DS game, including the framedrops. Try walking in the wild area when connected to the internet, it will dip a lot.

    - Trading with friends still uses the old code system from lets go (we have a friends list, use it). I connected to other people with the same code several times..

    - It feels like spending time in the wild area will make you overleveled but I still have to see for myself.

    - Beginning was boring to me, but that is a gripe I have with every Pokemon game

    - A lot of pop in, including "online players" because I'm pretty sure the trainers you see aren't real trainers walking around.

    Positives:

    - I LOVE the new Pokemon designs are super cute and awesome.

    - Music is great and energetic.

    - Wild area, while visually unimpressive, is awesome with all of the pokemon wandering around and sometimes chasing you

    Overal enjoying my purchase but could have been so much more. The game should not have been 60 imo. Does the game deserve all of the hate it gets? I think so, because #GameFreakLied is a thing. It does not deserve the current 3.7 userscore but it does deserve some criticism to serve as a wake up call for GameFreak and Nintendo. What is there is fun but the game could have been so much more sadly enough. 6/10 for me, might change my review after beating the game.    … Expand
  30. Gohax
    Dec 5, 2019
    6
    Pokemon sword is the new installment of the Pokemon games made by game freak and all i have to say about this long awaited new generation game is its a good 3ds game here's why

    the story is your typical i wanna be the very best gonna catch them all and get all the gym badges kind of thing all over again pros: the new approach they did with the gyms which are now stadiums and you    Pokemon sword is the new installment of the Pokemon games made by game freak and all i have to say about this long awaited new generation game is its a good 3ds game here's why

    the story is your typical i wanna be the very best gonna catch them all and get all the gym badges kind of thing all over again

    pros:
    the new approach they did with the gyms which are now stadiums and you fight in front of a huge crowd is awesome and i really dig it

    also the addition of gym challenges is a good way to build up to the final fight

    the open area and the addition of raids really adds more content to game and really drives you to want to play with your friends more

    the new generation Pokemon although few they are really cool and i caught all of them just because of how cool they are and the awesome ways you can evolve them

    they evolution sequence was cut by half and now the Pokemon takes less time to evolve THANK YOU FOR THAT

    the games music is cute and a little melodic and really represents some moments very well

    cons:

    animation is total trash compared to what game freak promised

    the game is really short i finished the game including endgame after 21 hours which is nothing compared to the previous games that took me 30 hours at least including endgame and if not more

    the fact that there are some Pokemon missing is just totally absurd

    the game really feels like its not finished and it had more to offer

    the end boss which is not the legendary Pokemon you are supposed to catch is disappointing and even more horrible is the fact that only after the endgame you can catch the legendary Pokemon

    i know the games story is weak but some how in this one they managed to make the story even worse and your rival friend is so annoying and really cant do anything by himself making him kind of useless

    the game felt really easy as if they made it that way so it'll be easier for kids although they do know that most of the Pokemon fan base are grown ups but yea whatever

    the new dynamax mode which makes your Pokemon big and gives him ultimate moves depending on the elements is just awful and it gets old and boring really fast not counting the fact that you cant always use it and you can only do it when the game allows you to

    in conclusion although i had some fun with the game it felt as if I am playing a little better looking 3ds Pokemon game i am really disappointed with game freak because they kind of slacked off with this game which leads me to the final score which is a 6.5 out of 10    … Expand
  31. eroenR8knight
    Feb 28, 2022
    5
    This game is overhated. Yeah it sucks that the national dex is gone and that Game Freak ''lied''. But the game is not bad, in some areas it could be improved but it is fine. Review bombing a game is super dumb to do, play the game and then form your opinion please. Still not better then a 5 tho
  32. andrew9
    Nov 16, 2021
    2
    dont get this .
  33. sarethums
    Nov 17, 2019
    1
    The game seems very aged or unfinished. My main problem is the 30 frames per second. This makes it look unpolished. If mario odyssey can run at 60 then im sure this could have too.
  34. ByTutuquita
    Nov 16, 2019
    5
    Muy desepcionado, esperaba un gran salto en la saga Pokémon como tuvimos con zelda breath of the wild, y me quede con un sabor bastante agridulce, tenía todos los recursos necesarios para ser un gran juego y ser un punto y aparte en la saga, sin embargo se quedo en un simple intento, una verdadera lastima bajo mi punto de vista.
  35. Harrison17
    Nov 16, 2019
    2
    Es una estafa, lleno de bug, con pocos Pokémon, un mapa linial cuando prometieron mundo abierto, gráficos de la Pokémon sol y luna solo que con mas resolución. Es una estafa hecha con la ley del mínimo esfuerzo en su máxima expresión, esperó y arreglé este juego incompleto
  36. Just_Critical
    Nov 16, 2019
    4
    the game wasn't as bad as I had expected but the lack of care, time, love and design just gives the game this horrid feeling of "I don't give a **** the only thing that I would say is worthy for a place in Pokémon is the wild area. looking back at Pokémon's history you can prove the fact that they really don't care coz gold and silver for a Gameboy was made in the same amount of timethe game wasn't as bad as I had expected but the lack of care, time, love and design just gives the game this horrid feeling of "I don't give a **** the only thing that I would say is worthy for a place in Pokémon is the wild area. looking back at Pokémon's history you can prove the fact that they really don't care coz gold and silver for a Gameboy was made in the same amount of time looked better for what it was on and only four people made it fitting two regions in it, roaming legendries, a story, shinies for every Pokémon plus the old colours, 12 gyms and more this game is a disappointment and I hate to say it but this game needs to be taken off the shelfs and remade… Expand
  37. Flareon
    Nov 16, 2019
    6
    A lot of drop frames in wild area, to much programming errors. The game is nice but don't worth the price
  38. EmperorSubs
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    It's just the same old, stale pokemon release. Practically no story other then, "kid fights an evil group and becomes the champion". The characters are super one dimensional, and the gameplay is still the same as before. All they did was add a new useless gimmick.

    Now I'm a firm believer that you can have a great game series with the same gameplay for each game, but it must have a good    It's just the same old, stale pokemon release. Practically no story other then, "kid fights an evil group and becomes the champion". The characters are super one dimensional, and the gameplay is still the same as before. All they did was add a new useless gimmick.

    Now I'm a firm believer that you can have a great game series with the same gameplay for each game, but it must have a good and new story for each game. Pokemon doesn't do this.

    It's sad to see a franchise like pokemon, that has a huge budget, make such a subpar games. Compare this to a similar franchises like digimon that works with a fourth of pokemon's budget and still produces high quality games. Or at least, higher quality then pokemon.    … Expand
  39. M4TT99
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    worst pokemon game of all time
    the graphics look horrible for a new hardware (switch) animations looks so bad
    -100 moves no full pokedex
  40. QuAc
    Nov 21, 2019
    6
    This game is the definition of mediocre. As a lifelong Pokemon fan I still don't give 2 flying **** about the national dex, most people complaining about it wont get even close to 100. The game does lack polish with my game crashing once during the 20 or so hours I have put into the game. it feel like a 40 dollar 3ds Pokemon game rather than a home console 60 dollar upgrade. But this isThis game is the definition of mediocre. As a lifelong Pokemon fan I still don't give 2 flying **** about the national dex, most people complaining about it wont get even close to 100. The game does lack polish with my game crashing once during the 20 or so hours I have put into the game. it feel like a 40 dollar 3ds Pokemon game rather than a home console 60 dollar upgrade. But this is still a fun Pokemon game, I went from town to town collecting Pokemon, battling other trainers and going to gyms which is the only part that makes this feel like a polished home console game. Going to a gym and after doing a mini game and maybe some story stuff, feel amazing. You walk into what looks like a sports arena and battle against the leader. which leads me to dynamax, which shows up just the right amount of time. you will only see them in gyms or in raid battles. the game shows so much charm with not only if you spin doing a jojo's pose, or the cool characters in gym with the pokeball on their head.overall an average game with some big technical flaws. I would give a 6.5 with them in and 7 if they patch them out.(also they got so many waifus god damn game freak). thank you for coming to my ted talk… Expand
  41. BUBA94
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    The worst Pokemon game ever. it's a drawback from the previou game and the few new things introduced don't make up for all the missing things. Just buy any other game of the franchise
  42. CeilYurei
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    Too many features cut, including moves and features, pokemon with movesets not matching stats, and all sorts of frame rate drops and even slowdown and lag on the start screen. It also completely destroyed other's entire data on their sd cards through a glitch. The game is generally too easy, with tons of hand holding and free heals, catching pokemon is hardly a challenge, even compared toToo many features cut, including moves and features, pokemon with movesets not matching stats, and all sorts of frame rate drops and even slowdown and lag on the start screen. It also completely destroyed other's entire data on their sd cards through a glitch. The game is generally too easy, with tons of hand holding and free heals, catching pokemon is hardly a challenge, even compared to other entries. Worse, everything is recycled from gen7, even the plot. The animations are definitely subpar compared to comparable titles, No way can I give it much higher than this. It is generally a disappointment, even when i did not expect much. 50% price increase for less than half the content, and less than 80 new pokemon. All the promises were lies and just fake excuses.
    Best thing to come out of it is SOME of the new pokemon,and new trainer designs, luckily the community is full of good artists to give us quality r34 and other fanart.    … Expand
  43. ExtracoinVJ
    Nov 17, 2019
    4
    Un mal juego, las animaciones son pauperrimas, los graficos son malos, el area silvestre es una "idea" interesante pero mal llevada a cabo, corto y super facil.

    Estas criticas serian un poco mas que las del resto de sus entregas pero se entendia que GF no sabia hacer mas con pokemon por estar en consolas portatiles, al saltar a sobremesa no solo los jugadores de la saga si no que desde    Un mal juego, las animaciones son pauperrimas, los graficos son malos, el area silvestre es una "idea" interesante pero mal llevada a cabo, corto y super facil.

    Estas criticas serian un poco mas que las del resto de sus entregas pero se entendia que GF no sabia hacer mas con pokemon por estar en consolas portatiles, al saltar a sobremesa no solo los jugadores de la saga si no que desde GF y el mismo Masuda salieron a elevar el "hype" hablando de que la saga principal se enfocaria en los veteranos de la franquicia y habria mucho mas trabajo por parte de la compania sobre este juego y que seria lo que todo "fan" esperaba.

    La verdad, Masuda deberia seguir abrazando peluches y dejarle el desarrollo a alguien que tenga un poquito de ambicion.

    En fin, es jugable, es un juego del monton que recicla modelos y animaciones pero que al menos tiene la "inovacion" de poder saltarte unos tutoriales y poder tirar la pokebola sin tener que entrar siempre en la bolsa (Si, se mataro ncon la innovacion)    … Expand
  44. Lordkraker
    Nov 16, 2019
    4
    To make it short, this doesn't feels like a transition from 3DS to Nintendo Switch, this is a recicled 3DS game ported to switch

    Game Freak didn't even made new animations in battle and used default ones for almost every move The game story line is kinda short, and isn't the big deal Exp.Share system is awful Wild area feels empty Dynamax honestly looks a little bit dumb The reason    To make it short, this doesn't feels like a transition from 3DS to Nintendo Switch, this is a recicled 3DS game ported to switch

    Game Freak didn't even made new animations in battle and used default ones for almost every move
    The game story line is kinda short, and isn't the big deal
    Exp.Share system is awful
    Wild area feels empty
    Dynamax honestly looks a little bit dumb
    The reason this game have sold many copies is because it has Pokemon logo on it, otherwise it'll be just a Indie rpg    … Expand
  45. WhiteWolf_965
    Nov 16, 2019
    7
    it's a good game but the graphics are not good in dock mode it's looks like a 3ds game graphics with a bit of improvement. and the game became so easy that i used one pokemon for most of my battles most of the time with a one hit kill.
  46. Zerockman
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    What a terrible pokemon game, probably the worst one ever. They didn't introduce anything meaningful, instead they removed many of the elements that made fans love the series. There is less than half of the Pokedex, GTS is non existent, Mega evolutions and Z Moves are gone, no multi battles in battle tower and the list goes on and on. The graphic issues are everywhere, frame rateWhat a terrible pokemon game, probably the worst one ever. They didn't introduce anything meaningful, instead they removed many of the elements that made fans love the series. There is less than half of the Pokedex, GTS is non existent, Mega evolutions and Z Moves are gone, no multi battles in battle tower and the list goes on and on. The graphic issues are everywhere, frame rate problems... to top this all off Game Freak continually lies and excuses themselves saying that they cut the pokedex in order to improve models and animations, the truth is that the models are the same and the animations are still **** as always, were looking at a home console 2019 game that looks and feels worse than a PS2 2001 game. I hope Game Freak is bought by a competent company that starts making meaningful games because I swear I will stop buying pokemon core series games if this goes on. Unfortunately, the pokemon games always sell a lot even if they are garbage, but that has to change fast so that GF can learn that they are terrible game developers… Expand
  47. NightFallenWolf
    Nov 17, 2019
    1
    This game is basically like every other pokemon game, except it's not on a handheld console like the others and yet fails to be better. They could've just ported the 3ds games to the Switch and the experience would be the same. In fact, it would've been even better because the 3ds games at least had a full dex behind them. The people working at Game Freak should be embarrassed to sell aThis game is basically like every other pokemon game, except it's not on a handheld console like the others and yet fails to be better. They could've just ported the 3ds games to the Switch and the experience would be the same. In fact, it would've been even better because the 3ds games at least had a full dex behind them. The people working at Game Freak should be embarrassed to sell a game like this.… Expand
  48. yumguy
    Nov 17, 2019
    1
    -Pokemon and moves cut -Uneventful, barren routes and landscapes
    -Cities with little to nothing to do, corridors with doors you can’t go in
    -Barren backgrounds during battles (in some areas) -Little to no rewards for exploration -Little to no postgame content -Poor, low quality animation. Everything freezes when you are on ladders. Turning animations do not exist -Poor loading and    -Pokemon and moves cut -Uneventful, barren routes and landscapes
    -Cities with little to nothing to do, corridors with doors you can’t go in
    -Barren backgrounds during battles (in some areas)
    -Little to no rewards for exploration
    -Little to no postgame content
    -Poor, low quality animation. Everything freezes when you are on ladders. Turning animations do not exist
    -Poor loading and rendering of the world. Trees and people (and wild Pokemon that can jump at you) appear and disappear as you run through
    -Linear and handheld story for what little story actually exists
    -Restricted gameplay. Cannot catch wild Pokemon a higher level than you. Cannot catch wild Pokemon that require the next gym badge. EXP share cannot be turned off. These are literal blocks to how you can enjoy the game -Small bugs
    -Game breaking bugs. One due to a specific format in the SD card, which can corrupt other files

    After a year of no new Pokemon games, some may find this fun to play through. In a way, it still is. But finish it (with an incredibly low 15 hour mark to complete it) and you will see just how little the game has to offer. No replay value. No love. There are 9 designs total of the Pokemon that I like. About 2 characters that I like. The medieval theme is always interesting to me. Shame it’s in such a bad game.

    This is a review from watching my friends and videos online. I refuse to support Gamefreak for this and so should you. If it gets the same sales as other games, it will just let Gamefreak confirm that they no longer have to put effort into their games.    … Expand
  49. Darkfruit64
    Nov 17, 2019
    1
    This game had huge ambition, but was executed terribly. The animations which were promised to be of a high quality, still consist primarily of hops and a model rotating on it's axis. (including turn animations) The draw distance and pop in of characters and Pokemon is horrendous and was very hard to overlook as it happens constantly. Even during battles! Considering this was the reason forThis game had huge ambition, but was executed terribly. The animations which were promised to be of a high quality, still consist primarily of hops and a model rotating on it's axis. (including turn animations) The draw distance and pop in of characters and Pokemon is horrendous and was very hard to overlook as it happens constantly. Even during battles! Considering this was the reason for numerous cuts in existing Pokemon and features it's inexcusable. I personally would not have minded the cuts if Pokemon actually attacked each other and didn't look like lifeless statues 80% of the time, but unfortunately this failed to come to fruition.

    The game is short and insanely easy. in earlier games each battle was intense and make or break after a long trek through a cave or forest, and it felt like there were actual stakes. in this game that's not a problem due to forced EXP share and being healed very frequently between battles, therefore rendering losing a battle something you'd probably have to go out of your way to achieve. This no doubt assisted in the game's incredibly short play time. The game also holds your hand and won't let it go.

    The world feels small, far smaller than prior entries. For a next gen console game this is very disappointing, as admittedly some of the areas and towns looked great until you immediately realise you can't access any of it. (In one town you can literally only enter the Pokemon centre)

    The Wild Area was bland and where the poor graphics and animations really took centre stage. This feature was fantastic in scope but like many other features, executed poorly.

    Dynamaxing/Gigantamaxing. Feels cool the first few times you do it but then the novelty swiftly wears off when you realise it's just another one off gimmick, which is far less impressive than what came prior.

    As a lifetime fan of the series I'm thoroughly upset and disappointed in what these games turned out to be. I wanted to believe it wasn't as bad as people had been saying and that I'd have a rewarding experience, however this sadly was not the case.

    I'm giving it a 1, which is more than fair in it's current state, as these games could have been true spectacles had gamefreak been allocated more time to work on them. The 1 point stems from the games UI, the new Pokemon designs/regional variants, the streamlined approach to assembling a competitive team and some of the backgrounds and environments and the music is still great.

    I'm hoping that features can be restored in future updates and patches, but due to the current stance that gamefreak have taken, I doubt this will come to pass.

    I hope others don't make the same mistake I did. I was guided along by nostalgia, and blind to the criticism, I assure you it's well founded and accurate. Do yourself a favour and play a past entry, you'll have a much better time.    … Expand
  50. Unreal13
    Nov 17, 2019
    1
    Unbalanced 3DS game with 60$ price tag...Finished the game in just 15 hours, graphics are weak, gameplay is repetitive it is basically just going from one gym to another with every NPC you speak just telling you to advance to the next gym until you beat the champion and that’s the game end of story. All in all just boring...
  51. Boujack
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Gráficos de una consola de hace dos generaciones, falta de contenido y post game, animaciones reutilizadas, menos de la mitad de los polemons de la pokedex nacional siendo que en entregas pasadas hay muchos más, historia mas corta de lo debido. En conclusión un juego incompleto y hecho sin el tiempo dedicado para su venta, no lo recomiendo.… Expand
  52. QuestionSleep
    Nov 19, 2019
    2
    Como fan de la saga desde PKMN Esmeralda, este juego es decepcionante en (casi) todos los sentidos.

    Primero, el recorte de la pokédex la justificaron con que debían rehacer todos los modelos lo cual es falso, los modelos de 3DS siguen estando vigentes solo con texturas en alta resolución. Los gráficos en el overworld son decepcionantes, dignos de un juego de hace 15 años. El clima    Como fan de la saga desde PKMN Esmeralda, este juego es decepcionante en (casi) todos los sentidos.

    Primero, el recorte de la pokédex la justificaron con que debían rehacer todos los modelos lo cual es falso, los modelos de 3DS siguen estando vigentes solo con texturas en alta resolución.

    Los gráficos en el overworld son decepcionantes, dignos de un juego de hace 15 años.
    El clima dinámico está mal implementado, se ubica por zonas y si sales de ese lugar automáticamente se cambia el clima a otro. No es para nada fluido como lo hace BotW o GTA, se siente artificial y cutre.

    Las animaciones son recicladas de juegos de hace 6 años y solo cambian los efectos los cuales a veces están mal implementados como Blastoise disparando hidrobomba directo de su frente en lugar de usar los cañones, algunos están muy bien hechos como el ataque especial de la evolucion de Scorbunny, lo cual hace que se sienta muy inconsistente.

    Sobre como cuentan la historia es muy similar a Sol y Luna, te llevan de la mano todo el rato, los escenarios son más grandes pero de nada sirve si todo el tiempo te están limitando y poniéndote barricadas para que por aquí o allá no pases.

    La cinemática del inicio, de cuando te presentan a los iniciales están muy bien (algo raras por que no tienen actuación de voz pero aun así mueven la boca) pero hay otras que son con el motor del juego (la gran mayoría) donde los personajes para moverse tienen que girar como si fueran tanques.

    La música es buena y algunos diseños también están cool. Bien ahí con los diseñadores y músicos del juego.

    Terminaré con una frase de Miyamoto, un juego retrasado es eventualmente un buen juego pero un juego apresurado será un mal juego por siempre.

    Itoi, creador de Mother también en una entrevista cuenta como los programadores en los 80's no se permitían decir que no, lo que los diseñadores tenían en mente, los programadores tenían que hacerlo realidad. Una lastima que eso no se note en este juego.
    Ojalá Pokémon vuelva a su época dorada como en las primeras 5 generaciones...    … Expand
  53. Bringbacknation
    Nov 27, 2019
    0
    Ok, so we all know the games were left highly unfinished and this was justified by a “quality over quantity” approach, which ended up not being implemented at all. So instead of highlighting that issue, I’d rather spend my time explain why this isn’t a good trade off and the devastating long term consequences SwSh will have to the series as a whole. Firstly, the trade off: to be perfectlyOk, so we all know the games were left highly unfinished and this was justified by a “quality over quantity” approach, which ended up not being implemented at all. So instead of highlighting that issue, I’d rather spend my time explain why this isn’t a good trade off and the devastating long term consequences SwSh will have to the series as a whole. Firstly, the trade off: to be perfectly fair, I actually kind of see the effort here, people move their mouths as they talk, have fully and completely rendered faces and are by far the most expressive NPCs/PCs to date. HOWEVER, I might see each of these facial expressions once, maybe twice over the hundred of hours I’d typically log in a Pokemon game. Whereas the absence of the national Dex shakes the entire competitive experience to its core, every battle I do will have less possibilities and options, and every team I build is gonna have to be put together considering the forced galar meta and not the national meta. As for the series’ future. It’s now completely in jeopardy, both over the next few months and the next few decades thanks to SwSh. Firstly, in the first quarter of 2020 we will see the release of Pokemon home. A storage bank that can take Pokemon from Sword/Shield, let’s go Pikachu/Eevee, Pokemon go, and Pokemon bank, the storage system for every handheld game up until this point. However, if you notice the wording you’ll see it can only *take* from all these possible sources, as sword and shield is right now the only possible way for Pokemon to LEAVE Pokemon home, and if they don’t have a Galar Pokédex entry, they’re completely stuck there. It is currently unknown if there will be any battling or other features for these Pokemon to partake in. Additionally, in 2021 we will see what would have been the first year of the PWC that allowed the gen 8 national Pokédex to be used. Unless the issues of SwSh are fixed, this will be played on an extended Dex at best, and will likely not see the staggering meta change or rise of off meta picks we’ve seen on previous years. And finally there’s a looming threat of the regional Pokédex becoming a series norm. What if we never get the have the national Pokédex again? Some interviews have pointed towards this being an all too real possibility without intervention. Pokemon Sword and Shield did do some things right, and I’m not debating that, but the damage it did to the series as a whole is absolutely not worth the negligible benefits it brought. I would give it a DNF/10 but the scale doesn’t go that low… Expand
  54. vincentvizcaya
    Nov 30, 2019
    0
    No están los pokemon de la pokedex entera. No hay mega evoluciones. No hay nueva evolución de eevee. Muy mal para competitivo.
  55. jhchoe
    Apr 8, 2021
    8
    It is good game, but it had low grafic than other nintendo game.Like Zelda...
  56. TruthfulGamer67
    Jun 1, 2021
    0
    Pokemon Fans have no standards and they will eat up this ****

    this game is garbage and if you like it you support bad games
  57. Mangrove
    Mar 6, 2022
    8
    I'm now playing this game, 5 years later, after also having played Brilliant Diamond and now seeing Legends Arceus. I'm quite a big Pokemon fan and I did agree on some factual criticism the game got in it's early stages (removing parts of the Pokedex to be released as DLC later and some lack of graphical effort). But honestly, when I play Pokemon these are not even things I care about. TheI'm now playing this game, 5 years later, after also having played Brilliant Diamond and now seeing Legends Arceus. I'm quite a big Pokemon fan and I did agree on some factual criticism the game got in it's early stages (removing parts of the Pokedex to be released as DLC later and some lack of graphical effort). But honestly, when I play Pokemon these are not even things I care about. The things that make pokemon fun are all there. Fun Gym challenges, creating and training your own team (tons of replayability there because you can catch so many different Pokemon in the wild area after just a couple badges). The wild area is just wonderful. No more needing to trade to get a Gengar or a Dusknoir, just get enough badges and find one flying around. The move relearner being in every Pokemon Center, amazing change. I think BDSP, which I did enjoy but had some pretty big flaws as well, put these games back into perspective for me. I thoroughly enjoyed my playthrough and with how addicting the wild area is I will definitely be catching them all before moving on to Legends Arceus… Expand
  58. Galenmereth
    Nov 17, 2019
    4
    I never bother leaving reviews, but I just can't help myself. I just finished the main story and champion fight, and this was such a letdown. Never been this disappointed in a Pokemon game, and I've played all of them -- from Red on my monochrome Game Boy as a little kid.

    I didn't watch any pre-release footage and kept away from the media (and apparent drama) before release. I went into    I never bother leaving reviews, but I just can't help myself. I just finished the main story and champion fight, and this was such a letdown. Never been this disappointed in a Pokemon game, and I've played all of them -- from Red on my monochrome Game Boy as a little kid.

    I didn't watch any pre-release footage and kept away from the media (and apparent drama) before release. I went into the game blind. At first, it seemed good. It was prettier than ever, and everything was promising. The wild area, when I first got to it, seemed amazing. Such potential!

    As the hours went by, it became more and more clear how rushed this game was. From the poor texture work in so many places that just sprang out at you, to the baffling low draw distance on pokemon and characters everywhere -- they just pop out of the ground a few meters from you, removing any sense of immersion.

    Then there's the odd story which honestly feels like they had to cut a ton of content. It's disjointed, and has no clear arc at all. It ends the very moment it picks up.

    I could honestly go on and on, but you've probably read most of it around already. I just wanted to throw in my 2 cents. I've played for 22 hours and I'm so disappointed, I don't really know what to say.    … Expand
  59. kiwi_tea
    Nov 18, 2019
    4
    Pokemon Sword and Shield are very strange entries in a franchise that I have loved since Red and Blue. Pokemon has gone through many changes, often taking as many steps backward as forward along the way - For example, in Generation 4 the great leap with the physical/special split was accompanied by a shift towards a more mystical time-and-space-hopping plot, a hard-to-navigate region, andPokemon Sword and Shield are very strange entries in a franchise that I have loved since Red and Blue. Pokemon has gone through many changes, often taking as many steps backward as forward along the way - For example, in Generation 4 the great leap with the physical/special split was accompanied by a shift towards a more mystical time-and-space-hopping plot, a hard-to-navigate region, and the metagame defining power creep of Garchomp.

    For all those leaps backward, the games maintained their charm. Platinum, the follow up to Generation 4's Diamond and Pearl, tried to fix at least a few of the early games' issues.

    Sword and Shield give me a similar sense of foreboding that Diamond and Pearl gave me. There are a lot of changes to the formula in these games, and very few of them seem to be changes for the better. I'll try to break down pros and cons.

    Pros:
    + The Wild Area is engaging (although it suffers immensely from the reduced Pokemon roster).
    + The new Pokemon are all pretty lovely. Polteageist makes me happier than I can express.
    + The inherently restricted meta-game caused by Dexit has the potential to be fresh and exciting.
    + No legendary bloat. A modest number of these.
    + Slurpuff made the cut.

    Cons:
    - Dynamaxing is not a balanced or enjoyable mechanic in any of the matches I have seen on simulators so far. Singles Pokemon now tend to end in predictable Dynamax sweeps. I hope this is not as big an issue in VGC.
    - Routes are all extremely short - corridors is an accurate description. There are not dungeons that compare favourably with Mt Moon, let alone various Victory Roads.
    - The Wild Area is fun now, but will get boring fast.
    - No substantive post-game content, which has become an ongoing issue with recent generations.
    - Villain's motivations are ridiculous. The best thing Pokemon could do for its plot problems is go back to basics - eg, baddies who want to steal Pokemon, corporations that want to exploit Pokemon as tools. Anything at all would be better than the plot nonsense we have seen since generation 4.
    - The battle tower is even more meaningless than in previous generations, with no restrictions against legendaries, and no higher tiers (eg, "Super Singles").
    - Severe lack of Kecleon would take this down to a 3, if I was feeling petty.

    I am having a lot of fun in the Wild Area. I am not missing Kecleon nearly as much as I expected I would (although I still want it back asap).    … Expand
  60. gdmatt
    Nov 25, 2019
    5
    By far the weakest mainline entry into a series which is well and truly starting to show its age.
    400+ cut Pokemon from previous games due to a reported "lack of resources" and in order to focus on improving the game elsewhere. Pokemon Sword and Shield lack any meaningful innovation and any additions feel like an afterthought and incomplete - the Wild Area being the biggest example of    By far the weakest mainline entry into a series which is well and truly starting to show its age.
    400+ cut Pokemon from previous games due to a reported "lack of resources" and in order to focus on improving the game elsewhere. Pokemon Sword and Shield lack any meaningful innovation and any additions feel like an afterthought and incomplete - the Wild Area being the biggest example of incomplete and unfinished.

    The 60 odd new Pokemon mostly try to fill the void of the 400+ cut Pokemon, by reusing previous ideas and repackaging them as "new".

    The story is about 15-20 hours, depending on your approach - most of which is filled with busywork, cut scenes and an overabundance of dialogue. The forced EXP share ensures once you have a team of 6 Pokemon, that they will all level up together. Gone are the days of having to train each Pokemon individually and as such, you don't get the opportunity to form a bond with any of them.

    Overall really disappointing and I can only recommend to the fans who play each entry into the series religiously upon release.    … Expand
  61. Zeolite
    Feb 26, 2020
    0
    Hardly any story. And not much to do ingame or post game. Also you cant catch all pokemon thats fine but you should at least be able to import them from older generations,
  62. srx
    May 2, 2021
    4
    Poor story, decent/good designs, mediocre everything else. Like seriously, the story was literally a straight line from start to finish with no interesting characters. Graphics were underwhelming. 4/10 and would be lower if not for some of the pokemon designs being cool.
  63. DeepDarkRex
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    The worst Pokemon game ever. Don't buy it. It's a recycled beta with the animations of 3ds, isn't the national pokedex, the z moves and the mega evolutions. Dissapointing.
  64. Hansbonnar
    Nov 19, 2019
    0
    You get less than half of the pokemon for nearly twice the price. This game just reeks of laziness...Gamefreak really is the japanese version of Bethesda.
  65. Fernox213
    Feb 26, 2020
    3
    If you like this game very much, I'm OK with you - we're just two people who expect different things from video games.

    If you think there is anything creative, innovative or challenging about this, sorry dude you're 7.
  66. Phillyundead
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Absolutely insulting. Extremely half assed. I could have gotten over it if they hadn't ouyright lied to us. Just disrespectful of Gamefreak. Nintendo has been pulling **** like this for over a decade now and no one cares. Imagine if EA, Bethesda or Activision locked game content behind the purchase of an action figure. Amiibos are what I'm talking about. Don't be surprised if they startAbsolutely insulting. Extremely half assed. I could have gotten over it if they hadn't ouyright lied to us. Just disrespectful of Gamefreak. Nintendo has been pulling **** like this for over a decade now and no one cares. Imagine if EA, Bethesda or Activision locked game content behind the purchase of an action figure. Amiibos are what I'm talking about. Don't be surprised if they start selling pokeballs with better catch rates as MTX.… Expand
  67. ccmoore12
    Nov 22, 2019
    0
    OMG THEY LIED. Enough of that crap. If you're going to have issues with the game, then make them more substantial—the animations are not a problem. No, the biggest problem this game has is the fact that gamefreak did no fully utilize the potential of 3D.

    The gameworld is still almost entirely made up of linear paths interconnecting towns. The feeling of exploration is almost    OMG THEY LIED. Enough of that crap. If you're going to have issues with the game, then make them more substantial—the animations are not a problem. No, the biggest problem this game has is the fact that gamefreak did no fully utilize the potential of 3D.

    The gameworld is still almost entirely made up of linear paths interconnecting towns. The feeling of exploration is almost non-existent. The overworld puzzles of RBY (1st gen games) are long gone and replaced with… nothing. However, there's one major ****tease, and that's called the Wild Area. The Wild Area is a beautifully realized, fully explorable 3D environment. The amount of freedom in this area is beyond refreshing.

    Now if the majority of this games overworld were fully explorable like the Wild Area, that'd be amazing, but alas it's not, which is a major disappointment. It's still a fine game, but it's just another pokemon game in my book and not what a 3D pokemon game could be and should be.    … Expand
  68. Instable
    Nov 15, 2021
    7
    Dynamax mechanics is pretty lame. Lack of national dex is also extremely dissapointing.
  69. edwinborerito
    Nov 19, 2019
    4
    I'm speechless by the amount of lazyness put into these games. And fanboys who justify that mediocrity. This is NOT an indie project, this is a multi billionaire franchise, people! Just buy Digimon Cyber Sleuth The Complete Edition to enjoy a great monster JRPG on the Switch
  70. frederik1478
    Apr 18, 2021
    7
    Fun Pokémon game that I would recommend Permadeath , Looks good sound good mechanics are very nice , It is mean how much luck it is to get the Pokémon you want in the wild area,
    front I would recommended if you lose a Pokémon don't revive it posted in the box because the game becomes much more fun when there are some steaks to the Battle because of the party experience it is easy enough    Fun Pokémon game that I would recommend Permadeath , Looks good sound good mechanics are very nice , It is mean how much luck it is to get the Pokémon you want in the wild area,
    front I would recommended if you lose a Pokémon don't revive it posted in the box because the game becomes much more fun when there are some steaks to the Battle because of the party experience it is easy enough to Recruit new Pokémon so I would recommend it    … Expand
  71. ShapeOfGaming
    Dec 2, 2019
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The new Pokémon look so different to the previous generations, so that this game doesnt feel like a pokemon game to me. I am SO disappointed of Gamefreak prefering the development of "Town" instead of Pokémon?!?!?!?! The animations have been copied and so the models of the Pokémon, and here GameFreak even lied to the community. The by far biggest reason for me not to buy these games is the missing NationalDex #bringbacknationaldex and the fact that GameFreak lied to the community here. Also the choice of the Pokémon that exist seems so random. I just can highly recommend you the videos of m00sician or Sambzockt, if you are German, or DistantKingdom if you want a proof that the animations were just copied, they explain really great what I mean.
    I also hate the "pop-up" effect of the NPCs.
    Nevertheless I like the design of the new Galar-Region as well as some decisions they made referring to online battle and breeding.    … Expand
  72. Serperion
    Nov 18, 2019
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. There are a lot of things to go over with these games that do things which are good, bad and interesting, no way to simply fit them into a 5000 character review so I'm going to have to summarize sorry.

    Positives
    - Several QoL improvements that although very minor add to the game experience (stuff like being able to buy tons of Pokeballs and getting the Premier Balls without having to explicitly buy them in sets of ten)
    - Definite improvement in terms of the Rival Character personalities
    - Hop is the first good main rival in the series since Hugh in B2W2
    - Raihan the 8th Gym Leader adds some genuine challenge to the game with his Weather orientated team

    Interesting
    - Wild Area presents an interesting concept for implementation of open-world experiences into Pokemon
    - Opal's quiz-element to her Gym makes for an thought provoking addition to battle mechanics for the series in a less gimmicky method
    - Sonia's character arc and thus the Box Legendary Plot is a nice deviation from the standard "Villain wants to take over the world" plot for previous Box Legendaries

    Negatives
    - Bede's character is just dropped for half the game and has a very abrupt heel-face turn at the end
    - While Team Yell are fun non-villain antagonists, the real villains Macro Cosmos lack any presence or build-up coming very abruptly at the end of the game
    - Gym Leaders lack personality or character development which is a significant downgrade from previous generations
    - Excluding the aforementioned Raihan battle most of the game is terribly easy due to the combination of the Exp. Share and characters having a tendency to only use a single type
    - Restrictive nature of the Gym Badges to catching Pokemon that are of a higher level
    - Lack of exploration both in terms of optional locations as well as in the Routes and Dungeons in general, excluding Route 6, Route 8, Glimwood Tangle and some of the Gym Challenges I can't really consider any of this game to actually be maze-like or challenging from a puzzle perspective which is somehow even inferior to Sun/Moon
    - Dynamaxing's functionality is incredibly niche and yet also quite broken, the three turn limit doesn't actually mean much for the game since the tactics always end up being the same for each time Dynamaxing is available
    - The Wild Area although an interesting concept falls flat in execution due to it being boring to explore and lacking methods of exploration, I would compare it to Hyrule Field from Ocarina of Time as both are vast and open and seem to be a way for each game to flex the strength of their systems yet while they are as vast as an ocean they're only as deep as a puddle in terms of content
    - Removal of numerous features from previous games, this is an issue with the series as a whole but that doesn't excuse Sword/Shield from it
    - Post-Game plot suffers from the same issues as the Delta Episode in ORAS and the post-game itself lacks much content in general especially compared to pre-Gen VI generations.

    The most disappointing thing about this game is that there is clear potential here between interesting characters, QoL improvements, interesting new concepts and a solid return to the Gym format but because of the critical errors in; plot, pacing, difficulty, exploration, puzzles and content. I cannot see this game being recommended anything higher than a 5 (6 if you ignore the graphical issues).    … Expand
  73. dr0nzer
    Nov 17, 2019
    6
    I haven't played Pokemon since yellow and I had fond memories of the title and so was looking forward to jumping back in, the game is interesting and i can see some vast improvements, good story, progression, and the battle mechanics are improving. Customization is king and there is some freedom/openworld to the title which is great.

    I hated the inventory management, no sort by name??!    I haven't played Pokemon since yellow and I had fond memories of the title and so was looking forward to jumping back in, the game is interesting and i can see some vast improvements, good story, progression, and the battle mechanics are improving. Customization is king and there is some freedom/openworld to the title which is great.

    I hated the inventory management, no sort by name??! some of the battles take too long even with the animations turned off, it's not as fluid.. very laggy in the wild when you're "online". The trading system is weird and the "surprise trade" is junk as you often get low lvl stuff in return so it's pointless to use, too many button clicks to get where you need and no fast key to the world button is a pain in the ass.    … Expand
  74. ZeroGemini
    Nov 29, 2019
    6
    Pokemon Sword/Shield was a journey through mediocrity for me. I grew up with pokemon and haven't played one since Ruby/Sapphire and hearing it was coming to the switch excited me. I saw they had a wild area and I thought my dreams of a non-linear pokemon game were going to become a reality. Given the advancements all other first party Nintendo games have gone through (Zelda, Mario, FirePokemon Sword/Shield was a journey through mediocrity for me. I grew up with pokemon and haven't played one since Ruby/Sapphire and hearing it was coming to the switch excited me. I saw they had a wild area and I thought my dreams of a non-linear pokemon game were going to become a reality. Given the advancements all other first party Nintendo games have gone through (Zelda, Mario, Fire Emblem, Luigi's Mansion, Xenoblade 2, Smash, and so on) I had no reason to believe this game wouldn't be any different. Boy, was I wrong. I completed the game and the entire pokedex in about 30 hours and was left wanting something more, something better to do. The wild area was small and generally unnecessary for a majority of the game. It felt like an upgraded safari zone, both in size and usefulness. Most pokemon could be caught within the routes, which were devoid of branching paths like previous games - they were literally 2 circles with 4 gyms on each path. A majority of the pokemon battle animations were hops and twists, they could have at least copied the animations from the gamecube games. The particle effects were pretty to look at, but the lack of animations used to initiate the attack was disappointing. Dynamax and Gigantamax forms are not all that interesting and the raid battles got extremely repetitive and boring after a few battles. I thought they'd have move past this rock-paper-scissors mechanic of super effective attacks by now. The gym challenges were fun to do, but type-based gym leaders shouldn't exist anymore. I solo swept every gym with a single pokemon. The game could stand to have a normal and hard mode where the gym leaders all had between 4-6 pokemon all either scaled to your level +5 or a much higher starting point with team composition in mind to create a more challenging experience for the older player base, which is probably the majority anyways. It really bothered me that characters had moving mouth flaps during cutscenes and zero voice acting took place. It's kind of insulting that pokemon cries are still screeches when we have the pokemon cartoon to pull from.

    Overall, it was the same game I remembered playing back in the late 90s early 2000s and had no problem pushing through the game. 8 gyms, a good amount of monsters to find, and an elite 4 challenge. However, I'm not reviewing every pokemon game entry as a whole I'm reviewing Sword/Shield specifically and this one was bad. It may have followed the general formula of a pokemon game, but that is not enough to be a great game. Compared to what Nintendo has done recently, this was a poor entry to add to Nintendo Switch's stellar lineup. I probably won't buy the next game unless they have significantly improved their product, and even then I may wait for YouTuber reviews because gaming sites like IGN and Polygon really oversold the experience.    … Expand
  75. LebowskiRams
    Nov 17, 2019
    7
    The graphics deserve all of the hate. Really disappointing in that aspect.

    Everything else, though, is pretty darn good. Excellent new pokemon designs, the only problem with the wild area is that it isn't larger, the cities and towns are good. Another point of contention was the cutting of the national dex. But with 400 pokemon in the regional dex, it's nt as big of a deal as it's    The graphics deserve all of the hate. Really disappointing in that aspect.

    Everything else, though, is pretty darn good. Excellent new pokemon designs, the only problem with the wild area is that it isn't larger, the cities and towns are good.

    Another point of contention was the cutting of the national dex. But with 400 pokemon in the regional dex, it's nt as big of a deal as it's made out to be.

    The biggest issue when playing Sword and Shield is that dreaded feeling that this could have been better, but it is an improvement upon the previous two generations.    … Expand
  76. Xxdaniels751xX
    Feb 11, 2020
    3
    Perhaps in another circumstance I could have supported a downloadable content like the one proposed by Game Freak, but never given the current circumstances. Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield has turned out to be a launch that, despite successful sales, raised a lot of controversy. I don't think there was a worse time than this to announce an expansion pass with these characteristics. ThePerhaps in another circumstance I could have supported a downloadable content like the one proposed by Game Freak, but never given the current circumstances. Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield has turned out to be a launch that, despite successful sales, raised a lot of controversy. I don't think there was a worse time than this to announce an expansion pass with these characteristics. The Pokémon brand has deteriorated during the past 2019 due not only to a video game that does not include all the Pokémon, but to an improved communication by The Pokémon Company.… Expand
  77. Wences
    Feb 23, 2020
    3
    The most dissapponting videogame of 2019. I really waited for it but I feel that people who grew playing Pokémon are not the target audience now.
  78. Impossibro
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    It's quite amazing that for 60$ a 2019 can cut so much content that past games had. Not even just Pokemon, but animations, gameplay and overall content. Definitely one of the worst Pokemon games.
  79. 1mooey
    Feb 9, 2021
    0
    Lazy game developers make it a sub par game! Linear paths and stupid gimmicks!
  80. Lamabunnyvile
    Nov 23, 2019
    10
    This game has been incredible despite my original concerns with problems like the national dex turned out to not really be much of an issue to me.
  81. FishLegs
    Nov 21, 2019
    1
    Watching your favorite game get bogged down by bad gameplay, low quality management, and piss poor animations and graphics hurts a lot. Playing these games since childhood especially stabs you in the throat just because of how much games like these mean to you.
  82. Hyo
    Nov 17, 2019
    3
    I love this series, I first played Pokémon Blue and Pokémon Yellow both, borrowed from a friend, but for me, it all started with Crystal since it was the first I actually owned. As the series keep evolving it kept adding new wonderful ideas... From the secodn generation we already got a lot of new wonderful things: they added a Female Character, Two Regions, the Pokégear, they dividedI love this series, I first played Pokémon Blue and Pokémon Yellow both, borrowed from a friend, but for me, it all started with Crystal since it was the first I actually owned. As the series keep evolving it kept adding new wonderful ideas... From the secodn generation we already got a lot of new wonderful things: they added a Female Character, Two Regions, the Pokégear, they divided Special into Special Attack and Special Defense. We got Apricorns and Special Pokéballs, Move Tutor, the Battle Tower, Breeding and Shiny Pokémon. We then lost Apriconrs the Pokégear and the Battle Tower, but got Abilities, Secret Bases, Weather, Natures, Double Battles, Pokémon Contests and the -Battle Frontier. We then lost Weather and Battle Frontier. But got Global Trade System, Pokémon Super Contest, The Underground. We lost the last one and got C-Gear, Pokémon Dream World, Entralink, Pokémon Musical, Seasons, Sprite animations, Triple Battles, Rotation Battles, Battle Subway.

    We finally jumped to 3D and lost a lot of stuff for Custom Clothing and Characters, Mega Evolutions, -Horde Encounters, Super Training, Sky Batlles and Pokémon-Amie. then we got -Alola Forms, Battle Royal, Z-Moves, Island challenges, Poké Rides, Hyper Training, Festival Plaza and Poké Pelago.

    We then jumped form handheld to a main console, and lost: Mega Evolutions, Z-Moves and 400 Pokémon for a big empty Wild Area, Dynamax and Gigantamax, Max Raid Battles. Y-Comm and -Pokémon Camp, Permanend Exp share...

    This was the first main Pokémon game on a not only handheld device. We were expecting the best game in the series, but instead we got half baked game, rushed to meet merchandise and anime deadlines. I don't care about the Pokédex, but, losing all those features, Mega Evolution, the justification that they had to do it, to make better animations... It was too much, I feel betrayed, they told us Let's Go was to appeal the Pokémon Go player-base, and that they'd have something for fans of the main series later. Well, this game certainly doesn't feel made for fans, who is it for? OLM, Inc.? Pokémon Center? **** this game, **** Gamefreak, **** the Pokémon Company and **** Nintendo.    … Expand
  83. Yourebiasedasfk
    Nov 22, 2019
    5
    The game is mediocre at best. The graphics are lazy and the game lacks conplexity. It lacks the exploration the older games brought to the table.
  84. firex
    Nov 20, 2019
    0
    Bajones de FPS, las " raids " con bots cuando no entra nadie, esto hace en muchos casos imposible tirarlas, ya que te ponen pokemons que no pueden ni atacar, no puedes intercambiar directamente con tus amigos, es mediante codigo, muchas veces la raids nisiquiera se cargan, historia MUY corta y muy facil, mecanica de curry innecesaria, sobretodo cuando pones la escusa del tiempo en laBajones de FPS, las " raids " con bots cuando no entra nadie, esto hace en muchos casos imposible tirarlas, ya que te ponen pokemons que no pueden ni atacar, no puedes intercambiar directamente con tus amigos, es mediante codigo, muchas veces la raids nisiquiera se cargan, historia MUY corta y muy facil, mecanica de curry innecesaria, sobretodo cuando pones la escusa del tiempo en la cantidad de pokemons añadidos, muy mala gestion por parte de GameFreak, cada vez nintendo pierde mas calidad es sus productos, de momento creo que el juego no vale el precio de salida, si en algun momento cambian estas cosas, modificare la puntuacion.… Expand
  85. carreracarrera
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    No puedo mas que darle un 1 debido a la falta de respeto de ofrecer un producto con afan de engaño...ni en graficas, musica, voces, historia, jugabilidad, ni batallas esta en 2019. Parece.de generaciones pasadas. Ademas esto de sacar dos versiones iguales no es mas que un timo de venderte un juego incompleto en dos partes a precio full ambos
  86. Aciel85
    Nov 17, 2019
    6
    Pros
    - Slightly new gfx
    - Interesting new experience from the pokemon running around/new gfx - New pokemon Cons - Game is too short. Does feel like a rush job after u realise there is nothing much to do after completing the game. - Pokedex has been cut to half - Linked to first con, virtually no post game.. in the past games there were at least 10 legendaries to catch, this game..    Pros
    - Slightly new gfx
    - Interesting new experience from the pokemon running around/new gfx
    - New pokemon

    Cons
    - Game is too short. Does feel like a rush job after u realise there is nothing much to do after completing the game.
    - Pokedex has been cut to half
    - Linked to first con, virtually no post game.. in the past games there were at least 10 legendaries to catch, this game.. i dont even want to mention the #.. u can count it with a single hand?
    - pricey for the content

    As someone who played every single generation of the pokemon game from start, its an exciting experience to see new pokemon n new UI/new pokemon chasing you. But yet it is underwhelming as this is probably the most pricey pokemon game in terms of content. There is literally almost 0 post game content.

    I would give it a fair 5/6. but in actual sense it is just a 3 or 4 when you compare to the previous pokemon games.

    I was kind of shocked at what i was supposed to expect post game, there was literally almost 0 post game. which was really disappointing. . I am fine with what ever was being recycled or re-used. but i think this time gamefreak or whichever company who made the pokemon game really rushed it too much. it could have at least had global trade and a proper post game...

    i believe they are trying to sell a DLC or an expansion for this... meh    … Expand
  87. Oksanen4
    Feb 7, 2020
    0
    Worst pokemon game ever made. Boring world, NPCs, dull world and new pokemons
  88. dschelske
    Nov 19, 2019
    4
    Good ideas, bad execution. Too easy, dynamax raids boring and easy. Breeding too easy. Pvp is to simple. Game is fun for the first 20 hours, then become repetetive with a lack of depth in the content the game provides.
  89. adversebeast
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Creo que este juego nunca va a evolucionar, así como Mario y Zelda se han reinventado siempre, Pokémon sigue siendo lo mismo cada juego, mecánica estática, tuve la primera game boy, jugué cada generación... que mal camino ha tomado esta franquicia. Pensaba que con el salto a consola grande el juego iba a mejorar, pero no, un juego fácil (cada generación mas fácil y aburrida), ni jugarCreo que este juego nunca va a evolucionar, así como Mario y Zelda se han reinventado siempre, Pokémon sigue siendo lo mismo cada juego, mecánica estática, tuve la primera game boy, jugué cada generación... que mal camino ha tomado esta franquicia. Pensaba que con el salto a consola grande el juego iba a mejorar, pero no, un juego fácil (cada generación mas fácil y aburrida), ni jugar nuzlocke es un desafio. Adiós, me voy a jugar Pokémon Esmeralda.… Expand
  90. Kafkan
    Nov 17, 2019
    7
    A pesa de todo lo malo que se ha dicho del juego que me voy a ahorrar el repetirlo, es una obra maestra de pokemon? Está claro que no pero es un buen juego de pokemon? Para mi lo es con una base asentada de lo que puede llegar a ser esta saga en Nintendo Switch.
    Personalmente me lo estoy pasando como hace mucho que no me lo pasaba en un pokemon.
  91. Bowsertheboss
    Nov 25, 2019
    4
    Found myself constantly wishing I was battling, as the battle system is the only part of the game that doesn't make me want to vomit. If you are planning to get it just for the pokemon, I suggest waiting until the pokemon prison comes out, so that you can get your collection and then immediately dump the game at your local failing Gamestop, because there is literally nothing to do beyondFound myself constantly wishing I was battling, as the battle system is the only part of the game that doesn't make me want to vomit. If you are planning to get it just for the pokemon, I suggest waiting until the pokemon prison comes out, so that you can get your collection and then immediately dump the game at your local failing Gamestop, because there is literally nothing to do beyond the 17 hour campaign besides sit there and wonder why Martin and his solrock were coded.… Expand
  92. MCSorcerer
    Nov 26, 2019
    7
    Looking at this game for what it is itself, it's decent. The gameplay, the story, the music, the visuals, are all OK. But nothing better. For the money the Pokemon Company and Game Freak make, the general level of quality this game contains is nothing other than disappointing. I still had fun playing the game for sure, but I can't help but thnk about what the game could have been if it allLooking at this game for what it is itself, it's decent. The gameplay, the story, the music, the visuals, are all OK. But nothing better. For the money the Pokemon Company and Game Freak make, the general level of quality this game contains is nothing other than disappointing. I still had fun playing the game for sure, but I can't help but thnk about what the game could have been if it all the executive decisions had been made by people who clearly care about video games and the consumers that buy them.
    Looking at the game in the context of the past games, however, the game falls even further. The game removed several large chunks of content from over half of the older Pokemon to the smaller gameplay gimmicks like Mega Evolution and Z-Moves. This would all be fine if the reasons as to why they removed such content were valid. The general quality of the Pokemon's models and animations are the same, having been ported in from previous generations, and the replacement mechanic for Mega Evolution and Z-Moves is just a lazy combination of the two.
    Honestly, it makes me sad to see just how great the game could have been compared to what it is now. Everyone thought we were going to get all the Pokemon, in full HD at a consistent framerate, but we got none of that. Instead we got a half-baked game that resembles more of a half-hearted 3DS port. All I can do is just hope the next installment gets better.
    Overall, I would say to buy this game if you generally like Pokemon. It doesn't do too many new things, but if you are really frusturated about all of the short-comings this game has had, you can just skip. It is a good experience, but not one I would consider worth its price tag.    … Expand
  93. loserkid182
    Mar 5, 2020
    4
    Una lastima que no consigan hacer un juego decente que niños y adultos puedan disfrutar, no necesitan genios guionistas de cine, un equipo de personas competentes serian capaces de con 10 consejos hacer una buena historia, pero por desgracia tenemos otra entrega mas de la franquicia que caerá en el olvido.

    Los personajes son la cosa mas vacía que he visto en mucho tiempo, desde luego la    Una lastima que no consigan hacer un juego decente que niños y adultos puedan disfrutar, no necesitan genios guionistas de cine, un equipo de personas competentes serian capaces de con 10 consejos hacer una buena historia, pero por desgracia tenemos otra entrega mas de la franquicia que caerá en el olvido.

    Los personajes son la cosa mas vacía que he visto en mucho tiempo, desde luego la peor de la saga, o empate con otras 3 al menos. El rival es cosa intensita, y los personajes que interacciones con nosotros en la aventura dan ganas de darles una patada en la boca a todos.

    Lo de la zona central tipo mundo abierto y que los Pokemon de nivel superior aparezcan por ahí es buena idea, pero esta FATAL implementado. Los caminos entre ciudades son cortos y SUPER lineales.

    La dificultad del juego es sin duda lo peor que tiene, he subido 4 equipos de Pokemon a mas del nivel 70 solo en una primera pasada del juego y sin farmear ni nada.

    En fin, una lastima que al final la gente dejara de comprar estos juegos por la baja calidad que tienen y ya vendrán las lagrimas de la compañía.    … Expand
  94. MusicSpy
    Apr 1, 2021
    1
    diferente de tudo q a gamefreak ja fez no pior sentido, perdeu a essência dos jogos antigos que dão de 1000 a 0 nesse...
  95. Emb34
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Un merecido 0 para devolver un poco de amor que dieron al DS... Aparte aparenta ser un juego mediocre en comparación con sagas de épocas anteriores
  96. Ohmmega
    Nov 21, 2019
    3
    What to say... the game doesnt meet a switch game quality, it’s nothing more than a 3ds game with high resolution texture. The world feels small and empty, the new pkmn are ugly , overall its a very boring game
  97. nochillpatrick
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Very Short game. Animations are bad, glitchy everywhere. The open world is boring when there’s not many NPCs and they just orb magically when you reach them. Be honest this is literally a 3DS unfinished game to the Switch. I don’t want to make curry, it’s dumb.
  98. Raohh
    Nov 17, 2019
    3
    No me gusta ver los estadios a cada rato y la pelea contra el campeón es un chiste y la liga un estadio?
  99. Blbstein
    Nov 26, 2019
    1
    Pokedex is terrible! I can't accept non trading trough versions of Pokémon games.
  100. Joxl
    Nov 25, 2019
    6
    Not a bad Pokemon game, but it's basically the same game i have played since childhood. I expected more of an open world game and a better, more complex, story. The fact that the game still doesn't have any voice acting is infuriating.
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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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