Pokémon Sword and Shield Reviews
Pokemon Sword and Shield represent the best games the series has seen since the start of the 3DS era, and a promising foundation for the franchise to build on with future games.
Sword and Shield are amazing as is and truly define the term quality over quantity.
Bad press aside, I found Pokemon Shield to be a solid entry in the Pokemon franchise. If only the difficulty was a bit elevated for seasoned players.
There are some aspects of Pokémon Sword and Shield that feel like they'll reach their full potential in the next generation, but overall the game is fun, pretty and has a universality to its appeal that is genuinely impressive.
A fun, yet fleeting Pokémon experience that will appeal most to hardcore fans satisfied with the core formula than those looking for a game that pushes storytelling or graphics to the next level.
While it does make a lot of good changes, Pokémon Sword & Shield make more mistakes compared to previous iterations in the franchise. Regardless, newcomers and Pokémon fans alike are bound to find enjoyment in the new region and those that inhabit it.
Despite a few minor flaws, and an avalanche of controversy, Pokémon Sword and Shield prove themselves to be excellent games, and stellar new Pokémon adventures.
Pokemon Sword and Shield gives us but a glimpse of what a proper home console Pokemon could look like, and not much more.
Pokemon Sword and Shield is a decent mainline entry and a good attempt for their first home console Pokemon game. The new pokemon are lovely, the cinematic experience is phenomenal and it does most things quite well. Newcomers will have plenty to enjoy, while veteran fans will likely be disappointed. Add in the lack of a national dex and it's a shame but not enough to say it kills the experience.
While returning to its roots in some ways, Pokemon Sword and Shield feels stuck in a transitional phase
Pokemon Sword is a good game that demands serious changes. Fights are too easy and the storyline is really dumb – Pokemon needs a dramatic overhaul in terms of mechanics. There has to be more tactics than “water beats fire”. Nostalgia is one thing but being archaic is another and far less enjoyable (even though it is extremely pretty).
Review in Polish | Read full review
Pokemon Sword and Shield meet expectations, but don't take advantage of the chance to evolve into something special. These games are generally quite fun, though terrible online offerings and a lack of innovation make one wonder if the series is going stagnant.
As much as I'd like to see the full Pokédex in a Pokémon game, what would be the point? Every Pokémon deserves a detailed treatment, and Sword and Shield don't achieve that. It's nice to hunt Pokémon in a more expansive playfield and I plan to completely fill out the rosters on both games. But its potential remains not entirely realized, as tantalizingly out of reach as our ability to catch 'em all.
The first new-generation Pokémon game to release on a proper home console does not disappoint. New features like Dynamaxing and the Wild Area are fun additions that make the experience of becoming a Pokémon champion still feel fresh. It's just a shame that Game Freak didn't lean into the new features more than they did.
Pokémon Sword and Shield succeed in bringing some new ideas to the table, but they’re also somewhat guilty of not pushing things far enough. What’s done right is done right, but what’s done wrong feels like it’s come from a decade-old design document.
With these new games Pokémon, Game Freak proceeds as usual in the evolution of the series, small touches, all the more welcome this time they seem absolutely necessary today, like the boxes PC accessible everywhere. Without major disruption but with significant improvements, in terms of game comfort mainly, and while some will probably deplore the reduced number of Pokémon referenced base in the Pokédex Galar, new region that enjoys a care of atmosphere and staging undeniable, Pokémon remains faithful to its formula still winning for over twenty years, at the risk of missing the evolutionary step offered and hoped for by its convergence with the so popular Nintendo Switch. That said, the proposal is still effective for those for whom risk taking is secondary and of course the newcomers, especially children, the first public concerned and whose generations succeed and always succumb to the charm of those offered over the years by Pokémon.
Review in French | Read full review
Sword and Shield are proof that you can always improve, as happened in the narrative and competitive context of the two games. Now it is time to also adapt the look and feel of Pokémon to its identity: that of the largest and most famous franchise of the contemporary era.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Pokémon Sword & Shield is the best game in the series to date thanks to more complex combat and attention to detail.
Review in German | Read full review
Game Freak has succeeded in creating a new core entry worthy of being on home consoles, and Pokémon Sword and Shield are a couple of the best games on Nintendo Switch.