Pokémon Sword and Shield have a lot of great ideas and fun creatures, but the stark lack of content, rough performance, and a concerningly large number of minor issues keep them from being the definitive home console Pokémon games that myself and many other fans hoped for.
Pokémon Sword
Developer: Game Freak
Price: $70
Platform: Nintendo Switch (reviewed)
MonsterVine was supplied with a Switch code for review.
I have a long history with this titan of a franchise, and I believe that most of the main entries (and a good number of the spin-off titles) are genuinely great games, with a few even standing out as excellent platform-defining experiences. I’m coming from a place of passion when I say that Pokémon Sword and Shield, while full of potential, left me feeling disappointed.
Pokémon Sword and Shield’s narrative and characters are largely dull and occasionally annoying. Stories are always hit-or-miss in Pokémon games, but this generation’s plot feels particularly disjointed. It feels as though a sizable portion of the story happens without your character’s involvement, making you feel like a passenger on your own Pokémon journey. You’ll hear an explosion or see an event occurring, only to be confronted by “adult” characters who tell you they’ll handle things, and that you should continue going to Gyms. It’s frustrating, as a major part of the fun of a Pokémon story is being fully involved in what’s happening in each region. Whether you’re taking down Team Rocket alongside Champion Lance, facing N in a battle of ideals, or stopping Lusamine in Ultra-Space, you and your Pokémon are always a central part of the action. Sword and Shield actively go out of their way to keep you out of Galar’s affairs, which makes the story feel like a long side-quest up until you suddenly confront the underdeveloped main villain.
The characters in Pokémon Sword are all over the place. I actually quite like Hop, your enthusiastic rival, as he experiences his own journey parallel to yours and grows a fair bit by the end of the story. His decision in the short post-game epilogue is quite moving, and I hope his story continues on in the next Galar-based game. The antagonistic Bede, the headstrong Marnie, and the apathetic Piers stand out as fun additions, while the “evil” team, the main villain, and the Champion are all some of the worst in the series. Team Yell doesn’t do much outside of occasionally stopping your progress to battle you with very little motive, and even then, they stop doing that as soon as you befriend the trainer they idolize. The main villain’s plan is nonsensical and difficult to relate to or admire, and the Champion, Leon, comes across as an overconfident dolt who can literally only talk about his Charizard or how unbeatable he is. These characters all have seeds of potential that could have led to some fascinating stories, but all you get are the most basic character archetypes with nothing special to make them stand out.
“Being able to see wild Pokémon wandering the overworld adds to this excitement, and is another excellent addition to Pokémon as a whole.”
The core gameplay of Sword is exactly what you expect from Pokémon, which is the game’s biggest saving grace. The “catch, battle, repeat” gameplay loop has lasted this long for good reason: it’s satisfying and addictive. Every time you see a Pokémon you don’t have, you want to catch them. When you find one that you like, you want to use it. Every new area provides you with new Pokémon to catch, which I believe to be one of the most exciting feelings a game can provide. Being able to see wild Pokémon wandering the overworld adds to this excitement, and is another excellent addition to Pokémon as a whole.
One major feature of Sword and Shield is the Wild Area; an enormous and varied open environment where Pokémon of all types roam free and Raids can be done with other trainers. I cannot overstate how much I love this idea in theory, as it’s the sort of thing that fans of the series have dreamt of since the beginning. It’s just that, in Sword and Shield, the execution of this brilliant idea is a bit rough. Though your early visits to the Wild Area will likely be fairly smooth, the addition of dynamic weather, other online trainers, and wandering Pokémon drastically reduce the game’s performance in the Wild Area. Dropped frames and minor freezes become incredibly common, and I even had my game crash on me once while walking around the Wild Area. It’s unfortunate since the Wild Area is still Sword and Shield’s greatest strength. I hope that future entries can make the most of this concept by making it a much smoother experience, as it’s an exciting and long overdue addition to the Pokémon series.
That’s not to mention how hard it can be to get into Raids with other players. You’ll often end up fighting super-powerful Pokémon with A.I. trainers that can use random unevolved Pokémon that get knocked-out within one turn. Because you aren’t notified of when open Raids are already done or closed, you’ll try to join Raid after Raid only to be told you can’t. Again, Raids are a very fun idea, they’re just not handled as well as they could be.
Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing are this generation’s big battle gimmick, and I mean that literally. Your Pokémon becomes an enormous, kaiju-like version of themselves for three turns, and gain access to slightly stronger moves. This is only possible in Gym battles, raids, and the occasional story battle. Despite not being used in a good portion of the game, Dyna/Gigantamaxing quickly become a tiring process that doesn’t actually do much for your Pokémon. The novelty of having giant creatures battle one another, which I quite enjoyed in the short demo I checked out at E3, wears off quickly; especially when it’s as though Sword is actively making it more difficult to properly use.
“I especially like being able to access my Box in the overworld, as it makes managing my team far more convenient.“
To clarify, Gigantamaxing gives certain Pokémon new forms in addition to stat-boosts. This is a great idea in concept and is essentially rather similar to the much-missed Mega-Evolution mechanic introduced in Pokémon X and Y. The problem is that you need to catch specific Pokémon that are capable of Gigantamaxing, which is currently done through raids and Mystery Gifts. In short, this means that the Coalossal you’ve used throughout the entire game can’t be Gigantamaxed, as only a raid-caught Gigantamaxed Coalossal can use Gigantamaxing. Towards the end of Sword, I had three Pokémon on my team that have Gigantamax forms, but because I caught them all in the wild, they’d always be limited to standard Dynamaxing. This makes no sense to me, as I’ve always felt that the main theme of Pokémon is bonding with the ones you like and making them stronger. Having Sword essentially tell me that the Grimmsnarl I raised up isn’t as special as raid-exclusive ones is disheartening, to say the least.
Sword and Shield have a lot of neat little details, as well as quite a few minor annoyances that begin to pile up. I like the idea of TRs as one-time TMs for use in a pinch, and I like being able to Wonder Trade and perform other online tasks while still running around and playing the game. I especially like being able to access my Box in the overworld, as it makes managing my team far more convenient. I don’t like having to find an item to adjust sound settings, being unable to see Shinies on the overworld map, or getting interrupted by cutscenes and tutorials (some of which can be thankfully skipped) whenever I accomplish anything or reach the end of a route. Taking away the ability to toggle EXP Share also makes the game feel far too easy, as your Pokémon all power up and evolve very quickly, leaving the game’s difficulty playing catch-up for the majority of its runtime. How much you care about these bonuses and grievances will come down to your own preferences, but I felt that there were a lot of tiny problems that, if simply fixed, could have helped to round out Sword and Shield a bit more.
Going back to Pokémon’s core message, I do have to talk about the lack of a National Dex. When I found out that I wouldn’t be able to transfer all my Pokémon from the 3DS titles, I was immensely disappointed. While I understand that there will come a time when the sheer number of monsters will simply be unsustainable, this is certainly not that time. Pokémon from all past generations have “future–proofed” models, battle animations, and unused walking animations at the ready. Modders have already begun using those resources and adding Pokémon that aren’t in Sword and Shield’s code back into the game, or finishing up the incomplete entries for Pokémon like Squirtle and Bulbasaur.
It’s probably a smart business decision to cut monsters and sell them later, but it feels almost disrespectful to longtime fans to cut them for no proven reason. Every Pokémon is someone’s favorite, whether it’s a beloved starter like Totodile, an iconic Legendary like Rayquaza, or a seemingly random pick like a Pansage. Every single Pokémon has been on a journey with somebody in the world, and cutting them out when there’s currently no tangible in-game reason to do so goes against the very spirit of Pokémon as a whole.
“The Wild Area looks like a late 2000’s MMO at times, but colorful and lively at other times. Since Pokémon were supposedly cut for the sake of improved visuals and animations, I can’t say that the trade-off was worth it“
The visuals are difficult to pin-down, as there are some very appealing design choices as well as some very poor ones. I think Galar has quite a few fantastic new Pokémon designs, with many made to complement the United Kingdom-based region rather well. I think the Galarian forms of older Pokémon are outstanding, and possibly even better than the Alolan forms from Sun and Moon. Towns, while very small and linear, have some truly inspired designs to them, and the amount of character customization available is quite decent. On the other hand, the models don’t look especially improved when compared to the previous 3DS titles, and outside of some very specific moves, most battle animations are certainly lacking. The Wild Area looks like a late 2000’s MMO at times, but colorful and lively at other times. Since Pokémon were supposedly cut for the sake of improved visuals and animations, I can’t say that the trade-off was worth it.
The music in Sword and Shield is absolutely fantastic. The “Wild Pokémon Encounter” theme may be the best in the series, and the Gym Leader battle tracks, complete with crowds chanting to the music, are nothing short of magnificent. Toby Fox’s theme for the Battle Tower is expectedly exciting, and many of the town-tracks perfectly fit their cities while giving off a sense of serenity.
The Final Word
There’s classic Pokémon fun to be had in Sword and Shield. It’s just a shame that this fun is dragged down by a lack of content, performance issues, confusing design choices, and the absence of many Pokémon. The gameplay is as addictive as ever, and the Wild Area has a lot of potential, as do some of the characters and new ideas. It’s just that there’s so much missing from Sword and Shield that I can’t help but feel disappointed.
MonsterVine Rating: 3 out of 5 – Average
