Pokémon Sword and Shield Reviews

Pokémon Sword and Shield is ranked in the 79th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
7 / 10.0
Nov 29, 2019

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.

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3.8 / 5.0
Nov 26, 2019

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.

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9.5 / 10.0
Nov 25, 2019

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.

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9 / 10.0
Nov 25, 2019

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.

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4.5 / 5.0
Nov 22, 2019

Sword and Shield are amazing as is and truly define the term quality over quantity.

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GamingBolt
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
Nov 22, 2019

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.

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7 / 10.0
Nov 21, 2019

Pokèmon Sword and Shield is the result of going all-in in some aspects of the game, completely forgetting the adventure elements of the RPG formula: dungeons and story.

Review in Italian | Read full review

7.5 / 10.0
Nov 20, 2019

Pokemon Sword and Shield are good games that improve on the Pokemon formula, but a rushed late game and cut content keep them from being great.

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4.7 / 5.0
Nov 19, 2019

While it sounds like a lot of changes are present here, and a lot is new, Pokemon Sword and Shield doesn’t really feel all that different. The Wild Area does change things up quite a bit, but it isn’t completely revolutionary just yet.

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Gamersky
八云猫车
Top Critic
8.8 / 10.0
Nov 19, 2019

Although it's far from perfect, Pokemon: Sword is a decent sequel of the series and does a nice job in terms of some detail improvement.

Review in Chinese | Read full review

Krista Noren
Top Critic
7.7 / 10.0
Nov 21, 2019

At the end of the day, Pokemon Sword and Shield are genuinely fun. That fun might be a little short-lived, but it's still got all the trappings that you can expect from a Pokemon game. There's a few new bells and whistles, a few steps taken forward, and a couple of steps taken back, just as there is with every new generation of the franchise.

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5.5 / 10.0
Nov 18, 2019

Older fans are catered to in tournaments and events, making it hard to claim it is “just a kid’s game.” Even as a kid’s game, one giant leap for Pokemon is one small step to the industry standard.

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Nintendo News
Top Critic
7.5 / 10.0
Dec 2, 2019

Pokémon Sword and Shield feel exactly like a Pokémon game, which is far from being a bad thing, but a major change in the formula is necessary in order to significantly mix things up. It’s not broken by any means, but fans who’ve been involved with the series for over 20 years now expect more at this point. It goes without saying that newcomers will feel right at home, and catching Pokémon and filling your Pokédex is still as addictive as ever. Looking ahead, the Wild Area in particular is a sign of good things to come for the Pokémon franchise.

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8 / 10
Dec 10, 2019

I was trying to go into Pokemon Sword & Shield with low expectation due to the realization that I wasn't going to get the huge reboot-like change that I've been waiting for so long, however, the game does feature enough new additions that I ended up actually putting in around 50 hours into it.

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8 / 10.0
Jan 2, 2020

Although there are few minor, annoying details, Pokemon Sword & Shield is an ultra fun Pokemon experience. It seems like experience will get even better with new content and surprises to come.

Review in Turkish | Read full review

7 / 10.0
Dec 7, 2019

Pokemon Sword & Shield is not a big step forward for the series, but a transitional stage between the past generation and the new.

Review in Russian | Read full review

9 / 10.0
Dec 5, 2019

New Pokemon game in open world with some improvements is really good choice for Pokemon fans.

Review in Slovak | Read full review

8 / 10
Dec 2, 2019

one of the best Pokemon games that everyone will definitely enjoy whether they are Pokemon veterans or newcomers

Review in Arabic | Read full review

Nov 24, 2019

Awesome.

Review in Turkish | Read full review

7.8 / 10.0
Nov 27, 2019

Pokémon Sword & Shield are an experience full of bittersweet contrasts. They do several things right and Pokémon fans will have a great time exploring Galar. Whit that said they also have half-baked elements that feel off. I have to admit that they leave me excited for the future of the series; hopefully, Game Freak will commit to ideas like the Wild Area and Dynamax forms.

Review in Spanish | Read full review