VideoGame Core gameplay is great, but the rest is flawed.
Ever since entering mainline Pokémon with Ultra Moon, I always looked forward to trying out games I missed and future games especially. Unfortunately, after trying a copy of Sword, my hype was lost.
I'll start with what I liked the most: the core gameplay. It's great. SWSH takes the usual format and streamlines a lot. Overworld encounters were amazing to keep in, leaving RNG encounters optional and making the world feel a bit more alive. Battles are super fun, and getting a portable PC and easier ways to fine-tune your team (such as Nature Mints) were welcome changes. As someone who dislikes grinding, I'm not fazed by the forced Exp. Share—though I do think having an option for it was better. But the series has always tried to optimize its gameplay, and SWSH offers it at its best.
Sadly, everything else goes from decent to flat-out bad. The visuals are decent, though the draw distance sucks. The OST has its gems, like Toby Fox's song and Motostoke, but a lot of songs sound too cluttered (like the Wild Battle theme) or plain off, like the last phase of the gym theme with its chants. The Wild Area and Dynamax battles have novelty, but they felt too shallow to fully enjoy. The gyms nailed their atmosphere, but the puzzles weren't memorable and got worse as the game went on. Galar itself, while having pretty places like Glimwood Tangle, is highly linear and wasn't rewarding to explore. When I found myself playing for completion's sake instead of actually being engaged, I knew it had failed to hook me as a player. The whole game feels too empty to justify paying anywhere near its price, with a huge lack of things to do compared to past entries. After finishing the story only 20 hours in, I wasn't satisfied.
And the story is its own beast. For most of the game, you're focused solely on the Gym challenge while any hint of a bigger plot is cast off-screen by Leon, the Champion (partially why the game felt so empty). It's realistic, but we could've gotten something in its place. When it does pick up, it's so poorly executed that I actually hated it. The cast starting a riot and instantly pinning a few others as evil felt very forced, since it was done just because Leon was late for dinner over a meeting. And the normal "legendary almost destroys the world" happens because the bad guy couldn't wait one day to solve a distant power crisis. It being shoehorned into the last two hours made it feel even sloppier.
Most of the cast wasn't bad, though. You learn a lot about them as you play, especially your rivals since they actively develop and exhibit small details that give them real potential. Their main personalities don't have too much variety, but I appreciate the attempts at depth and their goals do change.
If you're really into the core gameplay and think it's worth the price, then you'll get your fill. But as a full experience with a new region, story and content to play through, SWSH is too underwhelming and I can't recommend it. 5/10.
VideoGame A lazy disappointment...
Let me just say, I really, really wanted this game to be good. And why wouldn't it? Imagine getting to explore a huge, open world, getting to explore in any way you want like Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. What I got was something almost exactly like the 3DS titles, but with even less content despite being on a far more powerful system! It cut half the Pokemon despite the previous games getting all 700-ish of them in without any problems (completely going against the franchise's motto of "Gotta catch them all!" in the process) and looking and playing exactly like a 3DS game ported over to Switch, which is a crying disappointment considering Mario and Zelda both had really great main series games that took advantage of their new hardware to provide new experiences. On top of that, there's even less post-game than in previous games, and the dynamax system is no substitute for Mega Evolution or any of the other mechanics GF keeps removing to sell later. Oh yeah, bring back Pokemon the other games already had from the start as DLC. Nice.
I genuinely can't believe people still pay actual money for games that give less and less content every year when other games (like Mario and Zelda) actually innovate and deserve their sales. People need to stop supporting these awful practices, or GF won't bother putting in the effort: GF's gotten complacent when people won't give them actual criticism, and they know they'll just keep buying no matter how low-effort the games get. Absolutely disgraceful display from a big name company. For shame, Game Freak.
VideoGame Utter Trash - Do Not Buy
The games are abominations, that hold none of the soul, heart, or quality of the 3DS games - let alone the DS games.
Firstly, over 400 of the 807 Pokémon available in Ultra Sun/Moon are completely missing. It's not like Ruby/Sapphire, where the unavailable Pokémon are still programmed in and can be traded (or hacked) in; they are utterly gone. The DLC will bring back most of these, but unfortunately not ALL of them. This is despicable, considering EVERY previous game allowed the player to collect 'em all. It also suggests this stupid cut will be a mainstay for future games - a horrible omen.
Secondly, over 70 moves are missing, too. This includes fan-favourites like Return (meaning physical Normal-types now lack a reliable and powerful STAB move) and Hidden Power (thus reducing coverage options for almost every specially-oriented 'mon), along with other moves that were nice to have (such as Signal Beam, which many non-Bug 'mons could learn).
Thirdly, the inability to turn off the shared-EXP system (like one could in the 3DS games) makes overlevelling practically an inevitability, reducing challenge. This lack of difficulty is further enhanced by the abundance of free heals.
Fourthly, there's very little exploration one can do, unlike previous games. It's an extremely linear game, with very few dungeons and practically no optional areas. Most buildings in these games cannot be entered, unlike previous games.
Fifthly, there's far too many nerfs. This has been a problem since XY, honestly, with the nerf to Steel and special moves, but Sword/Shield mark the first time a Pokêcute;mon's base stats have been lowered (Aegislash). That's just unforgivable. Not to mention the nerf to Terrain, all but ruining their viability. None of the nerfs from previous games have been fixed either, resulting in a highly disappointing experience.
The models and animations are incredibly repetitive, lifeless, and static. The constant comparisons to Stadium (64) and Battle Revolution (Wii) are done for a reason - those games give each species personality, charm, and actual attacking animations that's not just "swivel model from side to side" or "move model up and down". Instead, in these old games, the attacker is shown actually kicking, actually punching, and so on. Granted, it was never perfect (any move that involved tails or heads often reused the punch or kick animation), but still leaps and bounds ahead of Sword/Shield. Indeed, the models and animations are practically identical to the 3DS assets. Limited animation was more acceptable on the weak handhelds, but on the big screen? HELL NO. Then there's the environment - the trees are practically ripped straight from the original Ocarina of Time. Everything just looks ugly, with nothing living up to other Switch beauties, like Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Super Mario Odyssey.
Lastly, T Rs being one-use items. Did we really need to go back to this? Everyone rejoiced when T Ms became infinite-use in Black/White, because it meant no more needing to grind for repeatable T Ms, or having to keep restarting a separate game to trade over one-time T Ms (like those gotten from Gym Leaders, or those found in the field). So why go back to one-use items? Ugh.
Just don't buy these abominations. I sincerely hope future games aren't tainted by Sword/Shield's ever-present and inherent flaws.
VideoGame One of the best sounding Switch titles, and one that knows its audience.
Sword and Shield is one game I almost didn't get because of the controversy surrounding it- and I can say with certainty if I bought into the controversies, I would've regretted it. This is one of the best Switch games out there, and anyone who says otherwise based on those controversies is a philistine. Do not read further if you wish to avoid spoilers.
Gameplay - 9/10 The game is geared toward the competitive end of the spectrum, and that can be off putting for more casual fans, but that doesn't mean it's impossible for them to enjoy it either. Max Raids make the game really easy, but that doesn't make it bad in any regard, because those never really become a free win unless you're incredibly over-leveled. Admittedly, that is possible, but not a dealbreaker. The Dex limit forces you to get creative, like in Colosseum and Gale of Darkness.
Graphics - 8.5/10 While the anime art style might not be everyone's cup of tea, the models are detailed enough they have individually done fingers, and most if not every place has at least one photogenic location I can name.
Audio - GOAT/10 Impeccable. I'd buy the game for the soundtrack alone. Absolutely sublime. I cannot find a single thing to fault.
Plot - 9.5/10 This is the first time a Champion's ever really gotten involved with the villain without already being a member from the start, and the first time the antagonist has remained likable consistently throughout. Rose clearly believes he's doing the right thing, and the most morally dark character is Oleana- and even then, she begs you to help the object of her Yandere affections. The characters are all much deeper than the prior entry, and it works well.
Final rating: 97%. Hidden abilities could be made to be obtained a bit easier, but other than that, this is my personal favorite main entry thus far. Don't pass this up.
VideoGame A sidegrade more than anything else
With all the controversies surrounding the Dexit... and with it being Pokémon, Sword and Shield are the ideal games to call "love it or hate it", right? The truth is, they are neither of those cases.
- On to the positives:
- They were serious when they said the game was a good gateway for competitive - there is a massive amount of Quality-of-Life features that make creating competent Pokémon incredibly easy.
- They kept most of the best features from Let's Go. Most importantly, they kept the Mobile PC which is a godsend for anyone that wants to use more than 6 Pokémon in the main story.
- For the first time in the series, they introduced no trade evolutions.
- The professionalized Pokémon League setting is really nice.
- The Battle Tower is fair now! While somewhat more simple than the Battle Tree from Gen VII, it is improved by the rank system making defeats bearable.
- Why can't more gyms be like Raihan's?
- Neutrals:
- The Raid Den system is kind of hit-or-miss. It's a reliable way to get semi-competent Pokémon, but you need real people to clear the harder ones and that's difficult with the stamps system.
- The graphics are okay. The animations for new Pokémon are quite good, and so are the cities, but old Pokémon and most moves didn't get any kind of revamp at all. There are some texture problems as well.
- I've seen people complain that the post-game is short... but it's been the standard since ORAS.
- The Dynamaxing mechanic is something I like in terms of flavor, but it seems it could be overwhelming in terms of gameplay.
- Negatives:
- The Wild Area is weak at best. While it makes type availability in the early-game much more balanced, it's really poor in terms of performance and it has several mechanics I dislike (such as its open nature).
- Hidden Abilities are still cumbersome to get. No need to say anything else about that.
- Most routes are incredibly short. I blame the Wild Area for that.
- The Y-COMM was supposed to be the big Quality-of-life improvement to both the Festival Plaza and PSS, but the stamps system is really limiting as the update rate is inconsistent, making finding an empty Max Raid session difficult (for you and the rest)
- The story is easily the most shallow one in the entire series. While I understand the focus is the Gym Challenge, the conflict gives you the feeling that it's there just for the sake of having a conflict.
- The end of the story has some poor level curves. In one moment you are fighting Hop's ace at level 50, but just four or five battles later you have Leon's weakest Pokémon at Level 62. All of this in, like, 20 minutes of gameplay.
- The worst-looking cover legendaries in the entire series.
Ultimately, I think the game is... fine. Nothing spectacular, and certainly nothing justifying the price tag it has, but it can be enjoyed. I give it a 6.5 out of 10.
VideoGame Doesn't reach its full potential
Gameplay: 7/10. Pretty good. Having wild Pokemon visible on the map is a massive sea change in terms of QOL playing these games. No more random encounters every five seconds walking through empty fields, and the way wild Pokemon can spot you in the field is pretty cool. The Dex limitations are frustrating and don't seem to have much thought behind them. Going through a cursory look of the 400 they included, it definitely gives me the impression that the game was rushed out and they simply ran out of time. Pretty much every aspect of this game is diminished by having only have as many Pokemon in it as exist in total. The Pokedex feels uncomfortably finite, team building feels mediocre, and the replay value of the game suffers because the main plot is both very short and very easy. Dynamaxing is also just plain boring, and the focus on it as a gimmick becomes tiresome. The Max Raids are a neat idea, and something like it should stay.
Story: 5/10. I was pretty baffled by it, to be honest, and spent every minute trying to catch hold of what was going on. And the emphasis on a Pokemon tournament and superstar trainers a la the anime feels overblown and obnoxious.
Graphics: 9/10. This game is beautiful, and makes the jump to 3D for Pokemon ably.
It's not a bad game, and there are good ideas here for the series to work on going forward, but this was also not the strongest effort put out by Game Freak.
Overall: 7.5/10.
VideoGame A huge step in the right direction
Players need to know that after the complete travesty that was Gen 7, Sword and Shield is a sharp turn in the other direction, boasting a beautifully-designed region, solid graphics, excellent quality-of-life features, and the best new Pokémon designs in a long time.
First of all, while the story is underwhelming, it isn’t as bad as Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire's original story was and unlike Pokémon Sun and Moon, Game Freak had the decency to let you skip the tutorials and intrusive cutscenes. This brings us to the Wild Area, a vast and beautiful place filled with places to explore and the largest variety of Pokémon to catch before the first gym in any game to date; even the DLC allows you to access the Isle of Armor and the Crown Tundra before earning a single badge, with appropriate level scaling to boot.
The new Pokémon designs look utterly fantastic; the likes of Corviknight, Hatterene, Eldegoss, Toxtricity, Morpeko, Cinderace, Obstagoon, the legendary duo, Urshifu, and the legendary horses are all designs that Gens 6 and 7 largely lacked.
The way Pokémon Gyms were handled was great, giving them a vibe just like Association Football. In particular, Spikemuth was a high point for the gyms.
There are some negatives, but the positives outweigh them by a lot. For example, Hop is a very annoying character, and I didn’t really feel sorry for him after Bede thrashed his team; I found lines like “I’m so sorry, Lee!” to be pretty funny. He’s not as grating as Hau, but that doesn’t say much. The Dexit ordeal, while not a dealbreaker, is also a point against it, and it’s also even easier than Pokémon X and Y.
All in all, while not the best Pokémon game (Gens 2, 4, and 5 all outclass it in my eyes), it still earns a solid 9/10 from me.