Pokemon Sword and Shield: The Isle of Armor Reviews
The Isle of Armor is a lovely addition to the base Pokémon Sword & Shield games, bringing in far more new features to tickle hardcore fans than we initially expected. On the downside, it's a little shy on narrative-driven content and is really all about the isle and its Pokémon inhabitants. Still, while we would certainly have liked to have seen more story-based gameplay, what's on offer is still excellent, and offers dedicated fans of the series an awful lot to explore and do. If you loved the Wild Area in Sword and Shield and want more of that, we can safely say you'll get a real kick out of this.
But in the end, the design of this adventurous and sprawling island - and the chance to raise your own legendary - will ultimately reign supreme for all the Pokémon fans out there. I can’t wait to see what the Crown Tundra has in store.
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.
Pokemon Sword and Shield: The Isle of Armor is a great welcoming add-on to the base game.
The first part of the Pokemon Shield and Sword's set of DLC takes you to paradise, but is it all that it's cracked up to be?
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.
A solid first piece of DLC that has a few chinks.
Pok'mon's first ever expansion offers sunny vibes and another, more open world, but is still lacking the substance to do much with it.
Completionists will relish all Isle of Armor has to offer, with so many new Mon to add to your dex and lots to explore, as well as some new and unique powerups that further alter the way you play, it makes for an essential purchase. If you’re coming into this for story, though, you’re probably going to be pretty disappointed as it’s over before it even gets going and you’ll feel like Game Freak could have done a lot more with it.