Pokémon Sword and Shield Reviews
With Pokemon Shield Game Freak has delivered one of their best games in years thanks to a fantastic addition with the Wild Area. Everyone can find something they will enjoy even though the National Dex isn't here and the online infrastructure isn't great. The music, new designs and animation alone give you enough reason to play on the first mainline entries to ever grace the TV.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Pokemon has finally come to a home console, but does a more powerful platform result in a more substantial experience?
Once the dust settles from the controversies stirred up over the summer, Pokemon Sword and Shield will be looked upon by fans fondly. This is a great Pokemon game, one that, at times, pushes up against its self-imposed limitations and teases a new path for the Pokemon franchise. The real question coming out of Pokemon Sword and Shield is whether the Pokemon Company will build upon the newest innovations seen in the game and strive to keep the Pokemon franchise exciting and relevant, or if they'll just retreat to familiarity and disappoint a fanbase looking for reasons to keep playing for decades to come. Pokemon Sword and Shield is a half-step forward for the Pokemon franchise — we'll see if they put the other step forward with their next set of games, which could be critical to keeping some of its more jaded fans.
Pokemon Sword has the heart and core experience that fans have loved throughout the years but growing pains are clear as anemic side content, horrific online, and other issues show that Game Freak has some growing to do.
The multiplayer issues, short and forgettable story, and the removal of so many Pokémon, moves and mechanics all add up to make Pokémon Sword and Shield a rare disappointment for the series.
Enjoyable and a great title of the saga, in my humble opinion, very well above of other titles of the franchise like Pokemon Sun & Moon or Pokemon X & Y. And It has recieved a disproportionate hate.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
All and all I had a great time with Pokémon Sword. The game runs very well docked or in handheld mode, online features work great aside from the slowdown and the gameplay is quite addictive. I loved all of the characters and some of the theme music is the best I’ve heard in a long time. I felt like the game was easy enough for a casual player to get into, while it still had plenty of depth for veteran players to explore. This is exactly the balance you want in a game like this. I played this for around 55 hours for this review and finished the main story and bit of post game content. I feel like this game is well worth $60 price tag. There is plenty of content and I feel like old and new players will find a lot to love here.
Pokémon Sword and Shield take us on a journey to the beautiful and vast region of Galar, where the challenge of gyms has recently been brought. We, a village boy / girl have to discover all the new pokémon that have been introduced in the eighth generation and decipher the Gigamax phenomenon. It is a very precious game with a great soundtrack, which proves to have work behind it, even if it is half finished.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Pokémon Sword and Shield are titles that polish the base gameplay of Pokémon in a fantastic way but make a series of inexplicable mistakes that tarnish an experience that should have been magical.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Pokémon Sword and Shield are the most fun I’ve had with a Pokémon game since Pokémon Gold and Silver, which is a statement that should mean a lot to any Pokéveteran.
In the end, Pokémon Shield feels like the franchise has taken one step forwards, but two steps back.
No matter if you are a returning veteran or newcomer to Pokemon, you will find a lot of quality time playing alone or with friends; a must-have for your Switch game collection.
Played, analysed, and tested, Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield exceeded my expectations and I was really amazed by them, giving me a great Pokémon game and a great eighth gen. The goal of maintaining the already large community of fans and bringing new players closer to the brand was definitely successful.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Few games have caused as much controversy and conversation in 2019 as Pokemon Sword/Shield, from the exclusion of previous Pokemon to the inclusion of gym missions and version-specific battles. For many, the question remains: Are Pokemon Sword and Shield good games, and more importantly, are they good Pokemon games? To both of these inquiries, I have to concede a confident “yes”. Pokemon has never felt better than it does in Sword and Shield, between variation of available monsters, flow of the storyline, larger than life moments and battles, and overall graphical integrity. I do understand the reservations many fans have, and share some of my own disappointment with them, but couldn’t help but smile while traveling through the Wild Area on my electric powered bike-ski.
Pokémon Sword and Shield is a Pokémon good game, that suffers from problems that hold back the franchise for a long long time.
Review in Greek | Read full review
An enjoyable Pokémon adventure for fans new and old. Slightly let down by an unwieldy multiplayer front-end and poor budget choices.
Overall, Pokémon Sword and Shield is stunningly good. It might not make everyone or every fan happy but I enjoyed every minute I spent with it. For a series that’s 23 years deep with very little innovation, Pokémon Sword and Shield feels like a good first step towards finally shaking up what a Pokémon game can be.
Pokémon Sword and Shield are cheaply produced, antiquated in every regard and no longer come even close to living up to the great name of the brand. "It's Pokémon" can no longer be an excuse - it's exactly the fact that it is Pokémon why it has to be more than what it is. And right now, Sword and Shield are one thing above all else: two really bad video games.
Review in German | Read full review