Pokémon Sword and Shield Reviews
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.
It's a huge step forward for the Pokemon franchise and demonstrates GameFreak's will to change the classic formula. But, in the end, it's not as flawless as we might have hoped.
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
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.
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.
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
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 and Shield present a revitalizing and refreshing perspective on the series, taking steps back to the series’ roots to remind players what it means to try and become the Pokemon Champion.
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
Sword and Shield are not the best entries in the series but, despite some hard-to-ignore faults, they're still fun to play.
Review in Italian | Read full review
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.
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.
Pokémon has always literally been give and take since the second generation. Some give more than others, and Sword and Shield has taken away quite a bit. But in the end, I was smiling on most of my journey throughout the Galar region, and 21 years later, I still have a desire to catch them all. "All of the Galar region" will do nicely for the time being, even if it feels more fleeting than past generations.
Pokemon Sword and Shield are a lot of fun, even if the series is experiencing growing pains with the transition to home consoles.
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 are good games that improve on the Pokemon formula, but a rushed late game and cut content keep them from being great.
Pokémon Sword and Shield is at once a really fun game and a disappointment. It has a lot of great new features, excellent new Pokémon, some much-needed quality of life improvements, and is generally a solid Pokémon title. However, the first console outing feels like it should've been more impressive, especially given the reduced Pokedex. If you're a fan of Pokémon, you'll enjoy Sword and Shield a lot, and if it's your first Pokémon, it's a good way to experience the franchise's high points. If you're a longtime fan hoping for the Breath of the Wild of Pokémon games, you'll be disappointed.
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.
An enjoyable Pokémon adventure for fans new and old. Slightly let down by an unwieldy multiplayer front-end and poor budget choices.
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