Customer Ratings & Reviews

The game is pretty, the Pokemon are well designed, the characters are interesting, and it has a good pace of game. However, once you finish the main quests, it's very boring. In addition, the Pokemon Camps had a LOT of untapped potential, but they're decent as they are.

This is the first game I purchased for my quarantine-induced Pokemon Switch Lite impulse buy, and I am so happy! Listen, I've been a fan of Pokemon games since the 90s (yay childhood) and I was so impressed with this game. The wild area is visually stunning and you can ACTUALLY see the Pokemon running around in the grass. Epic. Loved doing the Gym battles and getting to Dynamax. So exhilarating. Oh, and so many of the Galarian versions of Pokemon are gorgeous -- especially Galarian Ponyta/Rapidash. Those are Shield exclusives so that's a good reason to get Shield over Sword if you're trying to make a decision. Also, Zamazenta is great.

It is so fun! There are so many new pokemon, new gym leaders, new areas to explore. Some of my of my favorite things to do in the game are cooking and raiding. In past games, we have done catching and battling, but these are completely new features. Overall, there is nothing much to say besides that this is awesome and you should by it right now!

My 11yr old daughter received this for her birthday in October and hasn’t stopped playing yet. Eevee Evolution is in the game. Graphics are great. Compared to Let’s Go Pikachu there a lot more Pokémon’s. Hours and hours of fun adventures. She also recommends the expansion pass.

I love Pokemon and this game is entertainment forever. The DLC's keep coming and new pokemon keep showing up.

Picked this up as well as a copy of sword, been very enjoyable catching new pokemon and new adventures!

This game is awesome. I have been playing it everyday since I bought it. Highly recommend it for any Pokémon fan.

So much better than I anticipated! A must buy for any pokemon lover.

Pokemon Shield was a pretty good game. Online access sucks to be a $20 payment though.

Pokémon hasn't changed very much over the past 2.5 decades, but Pokémon Sword and Shield have definitely mixed some things up with the classic formula we have come to expect. It's much easier to directly compare with a pro-con list, so I'm going to express my thoughts in that format. Pros: - Improved support for competitive battlers such as nature changing berries. - Season-based approach to incorporating new gigantimax Pokémon to competitive battles. - Dynamax and Gigantimax are surprisingly good "gimmicks" that allow for some unexpected plays in competitive. - Graphics within routes and towns are pleasant, in contrast to the wild area. - The wild area is an excellent idea and may be my new favorite way to catch Pokémon. - The Pokémon added in this generation may be some of the best design-wise and competitively that we have seen since generation 5. Galarian forms are a great twist on classic favorites. - The difficulty scaling is actually on par with most Pokémon games if you avoid grinding the wild area until post-game. Cons: - Not all Pokémon are available, even after the DLC was added. - Graphics do not look great in the wild area and there's a lot of pop-in when playing online. - Animations in cutscenes and in-battle look dated. - Story is relatively short, and the DLC doesn't add much story content (so far). It also follows some similar plot tropes to prior Pokémon games. - The wild area is gated by how many badges you have. You can't catch Pokémon above the level cap of your current gym badge. - Gym challenges are less difficult than almost any other generation and puts less of an emphasis on battling. - The game becomes too easy if you grind the wild area as soon as new sections unlock and the level cap is increased. - Post-game story is extremely short. Clearly, their emphasis this generation was to drastically re-work the competitive scene and make it easier for competitive battlers to get started. The casual experience has not changed much, continuing to be a relatively easy RPG with plenty of new Pokémon to capture. Where this game falls short is its story, difficulty scaling for experienced players, and the volume of content to experience. By removing a significant amount of Pokémon upon release, making it extremely easy to over-level via the wild area, and just making a short story, it's not ideal for players who want a lot of content or a challenge. Overall, it's just Pokemon and more of it. It isn't the best in the series, but it's worth playing if you have the money to drop.

There are nice little extra editions you will come to love and never get tired of. I've gotten every game since the first generation as a 7yr old and while I'm heavily critical of any Pokemon game from Gen 4 onwards, this game took a step in the right direction away from where it was headed (away from Sun and Moon) by bringing back the good ol' Gym Leaders and challenges, although with a nice twist. It's like a good mix of the Alola trials with traditional Pokemon gyms. The Wild Area has an open-world-esque presentation, and seeing Pokemon roaming in the overworld is a dream come true which we have always wanted. Being able to pan the camera around in (only) the Wild Area is surprisingly liberating. I seriously love being able to see Pokemon in the overworld. This is the case in every route, including water bodies. It makes it much easier to pursue particular Pokemon, The only things I don't like is the crazy amount of Pokemon not included in the game, and the lack of the GTS (Global Trading System). Seriously, I have no clue how I'm going to complete the National Pokedex without the GTS. Even with Pokemon X and Y, the most recent games in which I completed the dex, it took darn near forever by using the GTS. Without it though... I haven't a clue how to do it without finding people on Reddit or something, which is a much more laborous process. That aside, I still give it five stars, because I enjoyed this game far more than X/Y and Sun/Moon, because I thought that the games were heading in a cringey direction. Oh, and I can't stand the starters. They are all humanoid, and cheap in design. But it's no issue once I get my good ol' Gen 1 - 3 team back together. Beautiful game all the while, and this will probably be my next report card destroyer.

I will start off by saying I have not played a Pokémon game since the Diamond/Pearl era. A bit of an adjustment to get used to all these new Pokémon, but there are definitely some cool features on this game! I wish they would get rid of the slow starts to all Pokémon games but it is what it is. Put about 30 hours into this game now and I can say I enjoy it. Not my favorite but I think that is because of the Pokémon selection. The new features with dynamaxing, gym challenges, the poke mart and healing center in the same place, cosmetic changes, etc are all welcome additions. Wish they would remake the classic Pokémon games in this way!

Gamefreak is always reliable in delivering a satisfying Pokemon game with all the things you know and love with some new features sprinkled in. The graphics update is lovely as are the new gen of Pokemon. Online raids with others are addicting, though online is not Nintendo's forte and can be glitchy. One thing that should have been improved upon is the game's endgame which is as always notably lacking. Also, this is not a game to play if you are looking for challenging gameplay. The story could have been a bit more involved rather than just a side feature which it seemed. Overall, what you'd expect from the franchise.

With a lot of criticism lately on the frame rate, dexit, and mechanics, the latest addition to the pokemon family improves- or at least has altered some long standing issues. Gone are the lengthy tutorials, need to travel to specific spots to access a computer for additional pokemon, and even fight scene animations. This is the streamline game we've all been waiting for. The wild area is brilliant. The early plot identical to every pokemon game so far. The Galar pokemon are....teacups? Overall it's a nice mix of familiar and bright, shiny new creatures. This game feels like one step forward towards an open world all the while holding onto what makes these games distinctly pokemon.

The game does everything a Pokemon game should do, You battle Pokemon, You catch Pokemon and you train Pokemon. The graphics are Very bright and colourful, with some cool animations and effects. The sound is your normal Pokemon soundtrack. Though no voice acting for cut scenes is a minor let down. The Story is better than most of the other games in series as it isn't the same cut and past story from the first title, So no team rocket style badguys trying to rule the world, The gyms are alot more fun than before as well, they have fun mini games to complete to get to the Gym leader rather than a boring maze. The multiplayer is also alot more fun than any of the previous titles, You can see other players in the wild zone and do things together like battle raid bosses, trade or use other peoples camps which are used to play and feed your Pokemon.

This game is really fun. I grew up with the original Pokémon games. Red, blue, and yellow on the gameboy were my favorite games as a kid. Now being much older it’s got a fresh update and I love it. The 8-bit of the GB games was fun for the times, but now you can actually make out what Pokémon it is that yours playing with and catching. The only thing I have to complain about is the new Pokémon. The names are extra ridiculous and half of them look so silly. One of them is a piece of coal on wheels. Aside from the ridiculous new Pokémon the game is really really fun and I would recommend to anyone who grew up with the series.

As a huge pokemon fan myself i always try to get every fame in the collection and this is definitely a fun one to pick up. especially if you're like me and starting to pick back up pokemon, Sword and Sheild are great ways to build up the pace while still offering new and exciting things to keep you on yours toes!

Every Pokemon game adds a little gimmick here and there and this one is no different. While there's some cute stuff added in that makes the game look and feel a bit different, it's still mostly the same deep down. After playing game after game it gets monotonous. The game is simple, the graphics are nice and it's at least interesting and well presented, but I wouldn't say it's the best or worst game in the series. Everybody complained about reused assets or removed Pokemon but you likely will never notice any of that. The new Pokemon are well designed, the Galarian forms are pretty cool, I love some of the new trainers and environments and Dynamax is pretty stupid. Raiding is a cool feature, and the wide open areas where you can find all levels of Pokemon are a VERY welcomed addition. Some of the newer features don't change the game, though they definitely bump this up from a 3 to a 4 for me and I think they're great steps in the right direction. But ultimately... it's Pokemon. You like Pokemon? If so then get it.

Did this game recycle a but of previous ones? Yes. Is it still enjoyable? Absolutely. There are some additions I enjoyed and some re-used things I wish had been improved. If you're a hardcore Pokemon fan then maybe you'd find it a little repetitive, but I liked what I saw. I enjoyed the Wild Area, but wished it was bigger. I found shiny hunting to be tedious, yet oh so rewarding when it happens. The graphics look the same as ever and I do wish they'd be upgraded a bit more, but overall it's a solid game. Why do I recommend it? Because it's FUN. I enjoy it the same way I enjoyed previous titles/generations and I definitely recommend.

Disclaimer: I haven't finished the game yet; even though I've put in somewhere around 15 hours or more of playtime I only just beat gym #4. And so far, I really love it. It's the most immersive Pokemon has been for ages. Seeing all the Pokemon in much better graphics wandering the overworld and responding to your character in various ways as you walk by them really makes the experience. (honestly it feels like each one has such personality that it's hard to be angry that some 400 or something aren't in the game) Making curry is more fun than expected because you can discover new ingredients and see how many varieties you can make (not to mention it's a handy way to heal up your whole party without having to go into town for a Pokemon Center). As far as difficulty level, it actually surprised me a little (so far). It's not quite the cakewalk that previous games had led me to expect. Is it up to par with the difficulty of the first couple gens though? Certainly not. I'm glad though that there is some challenge going on again (my entire team nearly got annhilated by one of the gym leaders). You rival is pretty lame though; spoiler alert. Speaking of the gyms, puzzles are back! And they're pretty fun. The game does have some flaws here and there though, which make you think that they were pressed for time and rushing the game out maybe a little quicker than they should have. Things like: the world freezing whenever you climb a ladder, or having the "sunny" weather effect when it's the middle of the night (looks pretty weird when the sky is dark and it's like "The sun is strong!"). Just odd little things I'm sure they would have patched up if they had more time. All in all though, I really do love this game. I haven't been this into a Pokemon game for a long time, and I hope it continues to feel this magical as I keep playing through the main story. We shall see. :)