Pokémon Sword and Shield Reviews

Pokémon Sword and Shield is ranked in the 79th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Nov 26, 2019

Pokémon Sword & Shield is a worthy inheritor to the franchise's best traits and a wonderful first step forward into the future with a few stumbles.

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4 / 5.0
Nov 22, 2019

All in all Pokemon Sword and Shield, despite being the first core game on the Nintendo Switch, is a very typical Pokemon game. It innovates a bit, messes stuff that should have been left alone up, and leaves other things alone for better or for worse just like every generation before it.

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83 / 100
Nov 21, 2019

While not being the best title in the main Pokémon series, Sword and Shield manages to improve what is needed giving us a fun experience where capturing and fighting creatures feels simply great.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Nov 21, 2020

Pokemon Sword and Shield is an excellent entry in Game Freak's iconic franchise, pushing the series forward in some exciting ways while never forgetting the roots that made it so loved in the first place. While it underwhelms in its visuals and under-baked use of new ideas, the act of exploring Galar and catching creatures remains as delightfully compelling as it's ever been – and that's what really matters in the end.

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9 / 10.0
Nov 20, 2019

Pokémon Sword and Shield is everything that you love about pocket monsters and then some. With an emphasis on sharpening what works and ditching more bloated elements aside to create the best region yet for the franchise, Pokemon Sword and Shield is pocket monster catch 'em all mania at its very best.

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8 / 10.0
Nov 18, 2019

In the end, Pokémon Sword and Shield is a decent Pokémon game that will keep you playing until the end. It doesn't deserve all the controversy it's been getting, but it's not a particularly stand out entry in the franchise either.

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9 / 10.0
Nov 18, 2019

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.

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GamePro
Top Critic
91 / 100
Nov 13, 2019

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

8.5 / 10.0
Nov 13, 2019

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

7 / 10
Nov 13, 2019

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

GameXplain
Top Critic
Liked
Nov 13, 2019
Pokémon Sword & Shield - REVIEW (Nintendo Switch) video thumbnail
8 / 10
Nov 13, 2019

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.

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Ray Carsillo
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Nov 13, 2019

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.

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7 / 10.0
Nov 13, 2019

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.

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Dec 3, 2019

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.

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7.5 / 10.0
Nov 25, 2019

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

7 / 10
Nov 21, 2019

While returning to its roots in some ways, Pokemon Sword and Shield feels stuck in a transitional phase

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4.3 / 5.0
Nov 20, 2019

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.

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6 / 10
Nov 19, 2019

Pokemon Sword and Shield gives us but a glimpse of what a proper home console Pokemon could look like, and not much more.

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9 / 10.0
Nov 20, 2019

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.

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