Pokemon Sword and Shield: The Isle of Armor Reviews

Pokemon Sword and Shield: The Isle of Armor is ranked in the 30th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Travis Northup
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Jun 23, 2020

As Pokémon's first-ever DLC, The Isle of Armor is an entertaining but shallow return to the Galar region.

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3.5 / 5.0
Jun 23, 2020

I would have enjoyed this DLC much more if it was longer than it was.

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8 / 10.0
Jun 23, 2020

The Isle of Armor isn't much, but it's a nice addition of content for an already great Pokémon game.

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8 / 10.0
Jun 23, 2020

Pokemon Sword and Shield‘s Isle of Armor is groundbreaking but it gets the job done in pulling trainers back into its world. It’s exciting to see the expansion of the Galar Region with new geography and new stories. Pokemon catching may be the selling point of these games but this time around it is the story and level design that shines brightest.

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Alana Hagues
Top Critic
Unscored
Jun 24, 2020

A solid first piece of DLC that has a few chinks.

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6 / 10
Jun 25, 2020

There are definitely some much-needed additions that come with the Isle of Armor, but it still feels as though it's the least amount of content possible. I love Pokémon, but this expansion has left me feeling a little bit cold on the whole thing. There's fun to be had, but unless you're committed to catching 'em all or grinding every Pokémon up to a competitive standard, it won't last very long.

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72 / 100
Jun 25, 2020

We were striving for a new Wild Area and we received a the next step of Pokémon's open world experience. Sadly the first part of the Expansion Pass still feels shallow and with lots of empty space.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

8 / 10.0
Jun 25, 2020

Pokémon Sword and Shield: Isle of Armor isn’t the largest expansion available, but it is packed with enough to hold you off until the next DLC. There’s plenty of new Pokemon to catch and raid battles to join as you make your way across this new adventure. The entire expansion features enough to want to reinvest your time into this game that you might have put down a few months ago.

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6 / 10.0
Jun 25, 2020

The unquestionable fact here is that the first DLC in Pokémon history could have been something much more grand, or at least memorable. It is possible to have fun, enjoy a few quick moments and you can certainly kill some time. Pokémon fans will feel compelled to buy the expansion, and if they want to extend the Sword / Shield experience, there really is no other option. It is a pity, however, that we fans always have to be content with so little on the part of Game Freak.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

Jun 26, 2020

Isle of Armor is an enjoyable expansion to Pokemon Sword and Shield and brings the franchise one step closer to embracing a cohesive open-world, but it isn’t enough to detract from an experience that is far too brief for its own good.

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Jun 26, 2020

Every time I enter my profile on my Nintendo Switch, I get greeted by that message when my Pokémon Sword cartridge is inside. With that amount, Pokémon Sword is the third most played title in my library after Animal Crossing and Octopath Traveler.

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GameMAG
Top Critic
5 / 10
Jun 27, 2020

A tiny boring plot, four new monsters for the series, and optimization of some game mechanics are clearly not enough for fans of the franchise, nor for ordinary players. The overall impression of the Expansion Pass, of course, can be formed only after the release of the final part - The Crown of Tundra. Now we can only say with complete confidence that The Isle of Armor is not worth the money.

Review in Russian | Read full review

7 / 10.0
Jun 27, 2020

While the story is leagues over the original, its short length and lack of content feels sparse. I think the value of the DLC lies with having both expansion packs together, since Crown Tundra will feature the long awaited Legendary Raids. Isle of Armor is a nice addition for Pokémon Sword and Shield, but only the biggest Pokémaniacs will get the most out of the experience.

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8 / 10
Jun 27, 2020

The Isle of Armor capitalizes on Pokemon Sword and Shield's strengths with an even better area to explore, though its story offering is modest.

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6.5 / 10.0
Jun 27, 2020

Even though the Isle of Armor reintroduces 210 new Pokémon and provides a new and easier way to get certain items and upgrades, its story is too short and not entertaining to really prove itself worthy. However you are a big Pokémon fan and just want to capture more of them, this DLC will probably do the job for you.

Review in Dutch | Read full review

Jun 29, 2020

The Isle of Armor breathes new life into Pokémon Sword and Shield by giving players something they wanted from the start: access to more classic Pokémon from previous generations.

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Unscored
Jun 29, 2020

It’s streets ahead of the existing post-game, and thanks to the better realization of the Wild Area concept, I feel comfortable calling it an improvement on Sword and Shield’s biggest feature. It may not be a game changer, but the Isle of Armor still manages to be both an enjoyable slice of Pokémon and a satisfying taste of more to come.

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7.5 / 10.0
Jul 2, 2020

The Isle of Armor changes a classic format to more open-world-ish, but it couldn't reach its full potential.

Review in Slovak | Read full review

7.5 / 10.0
Jul 2, 2020

Isle of Armor won't convince naysayers to try Pokemon Sword and Shield for the first time, but offers fans some lovely new content and bags of charm.

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Jul 2, 2020

With all the added Pokemon that were previously missing and the fact it's just more Sword and Shield to enjoy, The Isle of Armor is definitely worth getting, but it's best not to have the highest of expectations going in regardless due to the major flaws that hold it back from being great.

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