Pokémon Sword - Nintendo Switch

I have not fully beaten the game but i did make it to the third gym and a route beyond that and i was not expecting it to be this good :) with past games, u just simply go in the gyms and beat some trainers to get to the gym leader. This game still holds true to that but they added a gym challenge to spice things up. Gym challenges are certain objectives u have to do while you're also beating the trainers and its just so much fun and the scenery as u walk in is so breathtaking :) once u complete the challenge, the doors open and tons of people r cheering making u feel like actual pokemon trainer :D When the first gym leader dynamxed his pokemon, it makes things a bit tougher as it did way more damage than what i expected it to even though his pokemon isnt super effective against mine. That forced me to dynamax and set up defensive moves such as light screen and reflect and held up just in time for the 3 turns to be over and his pokemon reversed back to being tiny. I ended up beating the gym with red hp. The second gym was easy to beat since i had an electric type corgi and the 3rd gym gave me a bit of a challenge since i didnt have any pokemon with type advantages but still managed to win my second time around :) This game has more freedom to roam around when ur done interacting with the main characters and theres lots of hidden stuff on the roads that shine as ur passing through. The diversity of old and new pokemon is outstanding as well. Theres lots of pokemon to choose from in every route. Even in the beginning of ur journey, u can start fishing with ur fishing rod so u can mix and match the perfect team from the start :) i would also advise being very careful in the wild area because i got my butt kicked with a level 45 Galvantula while i was just level 12. I was lucky to escape with my last pokemon still unfainted xD i was dumb enough to interact with it since i thought i would be lucky enough to catch it but found out u have to beat a certain amount of gyms in order to catch high level pokemon or else it'll just tell u that it wont let its guard down. Its the same concept as having a certain amount of gym badges to make high level pokemon from trades obey u. I had to find out the hard way lol Now for the designs of the new pokemon and graphics of the games. Everyone has their own opinions on this ever since it was announced that there was gonna be no national dex. Personally, i avoided the leaks so idk what im expecting to get. So far, i love every single pokemon i have come across. Some r weird and funny looking but they do grow on u as u figure out they are really good in battles :) when they evolved, i still love the designs and was so surprised of the typings that were added and became even more useful to keep in ur team. It is true that many battle move animations and models r reused from past games but it really shouldnt matter all that much as alot of old moves have new animations and the pokemon's colors and textures look way better than the previous generations. The graphics in the wild area is the best ive seen except for the trees. The weird part is, the berry trees in the wild area look completely fine and fit well with the good graphics so my guess is that the company didnt really bother making those normal trees look as good since u cant interact with them at all and in my opinion thats completely fine. The graphics in the towns, caves, and routes are completely breathtaking so theres nothing negative i can say there :) Despite lack of national dex i will say this. Overall, this game deserves its 5 stars and worth every penny. The variety of pokemon, the fun battles, and both ur awesome and jerk rivals make it a really fun experience for both oldschool and new trainers to enjoy. As i stated, i avoided every single thing about this game besides the announcement trailers from pokemon and nintendo so i was nervous since so many people were stating that the animations were garbage. Playing this game, i just dont see anything wrong with how it looks and how the pokemon move. The game and its scenery looks absolutely beautiful. I really recommend this game to at least be given a chance. I know it will be worth the gameplay :)

I haven't felt this sense of wonder in a Pokemon game since the original red and blue. That was 25 years ago, and I remember receiving a GameBoy Color and Pokemon red and blue for my birthday. Discovering the world of Pokemon at the time was amazing. Future games were great too, but your first time only happens once. Somehow, this game made that happen again for me. Positives: +The story is interesting (although your rival can get in the way of it sometimes) +The Dynamax/Gigantamax system is much more interesting that I thought it would be from previews. Dynamax actually works to make multiplayer more fun as well and isn't the overpowered gimmick I anticipated. +Animations are beautiful +There are a lot of nice quality of life improvements that the game lets you access immediately or very early in the story. These include a character that can really run, a bike, access to your stored boxes almost anywhere, and on-the-go online functions like trading and battling that don't require you to be anywhere specific. +The new Wild Areas revolutionize the series and are an important part of the game. I absolutely love the Wild Area and the ability to sandbox in it to my heart's content. Camping, playing and interacting with your party, and the curry minigame are also interesting additions. +That childish sense of wonder the game instills is also a huge positive for me. I'm not the sort to spoil myself with all the new pokemon, so each new pokemon I run into has been a nice surprise where I still need to figure out their type. +There is an endgame. +The music! There is a Celtic theme in part of the Wild Area that is my favorite. There are a few negatives to mention: -Servers seem fairly unstable at the moment, although I hope this will be fixed in time. -There are some framerate stutters in the Wild Areas and in some Max Raid battles. It is definitely worse when playing online, perhaps due to how the game pops other players in and out seemingly at random. -My final gripe is one with the series in general, and that's not being able to customize my character to be more of an adult. With all the clothing, hair, eye, and skin tone options, this would be an easy addition, and a huge gift to fans who started this series as children and still play as adults. -I don't think I can write a review about this game without mentioning the National Dex controversy. Yes, most of my favorite Pokemon are now missing in action. As I've played, however, this has become a non-issue and I have found others that I am familiar with or new ones to love. We've also been told that future games will probably have Dex limitations as well, but that currently excluded Pokemon will be present in those. In the end, it wasn't the dealbreaker or problem that I think the internet made it out to be. I would always welcome (much) higher difficulty and adult trainer options, but it's a great game and the best in the series in my opinion. 9.2 out of 10.

I’ve been playing Pokémon for years, and Pokémon Sword is truly a classic on the Nintendo Switch. There’s so much to love about this game, from the vibrant Galar region to the new Pokémon designs. The transition to the Switch hardware made the world feel much more alive than previous generations. The 'Wild Area' was a game-changer for me—being able to see Pokémon roaming around and having control over the camera made exploration feel much more immersive. I also really enjoyed the Dynamax mechanic during gym battles; it added a layer of spectacle and strategy that made those moments feel epic. Even after finishing the main story, I still find myself coming back to it. Whether you are a veteran trainer or this is your first journey, it’s a must-have for the console. It captures the magic of the franchise perfectly. Truly speechless, I can't recommend it enough!

I picked this up after not playing Pokemon since ultra sun and ultra moon a few years back. This was an amazing game, it worked like a charm, no lagging, no skips just pure fun. I never thought I'd be playing pokemon and having the same level of fun and challenge that I did when I was a kid.

I gave this game 5 stars because of the amount of fun I got out of it (it's my 3rd most played Pokemon generation and we don't even have the DLC yet). I will refrain from spoiling contents of the game and simply say what was done well/not well. There are many good and bad things about the game: PROS: -Beginning of game was average pace in my opinion (not too slow/heavy on hand-holding) -It's on the Switch (play anywhere/anytime; I loved playing Pokemon on the big screen) -Gym Leader battles are awesome (I recommend battling with surround sound if you get the chance) -Good for beginners; the game does not introduce an overwhelming amount of Pokemon/mechanics -Training competitively viable Pokemon is now easier than ever -Fun to play with friends; requires interacting with other people to complete Pokedex -Completing Pokedex (400 species) does not take very long (my save file was at about 90 hours, and I did most of it myself/took my time) as long as you use friends/internet -Music was great -Graphics were fine for a Pokemon game, I personally wasn't bothered by frame drops or anything (which especially happen if you are connected to the internet) -Character customizability is nice -Post-game content is average at best, but the DLC this year will makes it way way better -Rare Pokemon (shinies/6 IV/etc.) are easier to acquire because raids are multiplayer activities, so friends can share the raid of the Pokemon with friends (and breeding is very fast) -Wild Area isn't massive, but it's fun (and DLC will add more) -Some quality of life improvements (like exp. candies) -Constant local connection unless you switch to airplane mode (probably saves on battery life/heat tbh) -Dynamax concept seems lame, but it is mechanically surprisingly fun in my opinion CONS: -Story was not the most captivating (many plot points seemed poorly planned out) -Rare Pokemon (shinies/6 IV/etc.) are easier to acquire because raids are multiplayer activities, so those Pokemon don't feel quite as special -I want Gen III Battle Frontier, but I know I'm the minority -Small thing: I know ghost/psychic types have always been in Pokemon and their subjects are popular in Japan, but I was still troubled when I came across an in-game add for a job that was requesting help from Ghost-type pokemon for advertising occult books. It was just a textual reference, but the use of the term "occult" made it pretty explicit. Spiritual entities aren't uncommon concepts, but as a Catholic I would prefer that games not make light of subjects with grave moral/spiritual implications. Again, I know it's partly Japanese culture, and Pokemon games/shows have always had some references to occult (similar to "that fortune teller episode" in Avatar: The Last Airbender), so just be ready to exercise some intellect and faith if you have younger children that you want to enjoy Pokemon without being malformed/getting the wrong idea (which you should be doing for pretty much everything they do anyways). Looking forward to the DLC.

Highly challenging, and plenty of fun.

To start off - I'm a casual Pokemon player, and I have been since Red and Blue. I don't EV/IV Train, I don't worry about competitive, and I don't make 'roid rage Clefables with meticulously crafted Effort Values and Movesets. If that's what you play these games for, I won't be much help. I'm also not a picky consumer - much of the controversy surrounding this game is around the number of Pokemon from previous games that were "culled", and while I'm a bit bummed that some of my favorites aren't in the game, it doesn't offend my sensibilities and I don't feel like Nintendo or Gamefreak desecrated my familial burial site because of it. I bought this game with full knowledge that we were working with a smaller pool of Pokemon. With that all being said: - PRO: Gameplay on the Switch is fun. I've really loved watching the Pokemon series evolve with the systems they're on. The environments are gorgeous, and the world feels more lived in than usual. - PRO: Wild Area, while it has its bugs, is overall a fantastic addition to the game. Seeing other players messing around and just having the access and ability to so many Pokemon so early in the game is great for me, someone who doesn't play competitive, as it gives me more options to use during my playthrough since I'm not concerned about much else. - PRO: The music for the game is fantastic. The gym music really gets me hyped. It's everything 10 year old me dreamed of and more. - PRO: Leveling seems to have been simplified and made easier for ease of use and accessibility. Some of you may hate it. For me, it's time I don't have to sink into superfluous crap. I'm here to game, not take a second job. - CON: For a main line Pokemon game, this feels a bit...short. Maybe it's been too long since standard Sun and Moon and it's the same length it's always been, but to me at least, it seemed shorter than usual. This is exacerbated a little by the lack of "minigames" to me, as I spent a lot of time doing the surfing and other stuff in Sun/Moon. Again, I could 100% be forgetting if Sun and Moon was a little barren as its been a while and I had no major complaints - CON: as a follow up to the last point, not much post game stuff. I think there's battle tower and you can replay a mini-gym challenge, but that seems to be about it. - CON: this one's more of a personal gripe, but the catch rates on Gigantamaxed Pokemon is so abyssmal that you'll want to temper your expectations there. Rates on them are also absurdly low (to even encounter) so if you're someone who wants to collect every version of every thing, you might have a couple years of gameplay here. Overall, I think this is a great game. It doesn't deviate from the formula, and if you like Pokemon games usually, you'll probably like this one.

Despite all the hearsay , and controversy, I found this game to be EXCELLENT. As a person who has played every generation of Pokémon game , I will say that the story felt shorter , and that it was different , more focused on creating a new experience than cashing in on our nostalgia . If you’re on the fence and unsure , I highly encourage you to dive in , the complaints aren’t well founded . Quality of life improvements have made this game a what it is , pc access anywhere , no more HMs , a fast travel system , easier to transfer egg moves , an IV checking item , nature changing mints , IV hyper training in the post game (makes ANY Pokémon viable stat wise) quicker breeding and 2 nurseries , a charm that increases shiny spawn rates and another for critical captures , and hours and hours of online vs and raids . No it isn’t as deep graphically as other games , but gamefreak isn’t a true AAA game company , they are small time accompanied by several other companies that market Pokémon through various media and merchandising . But it is still the best the franchise has ever looked , I felt engaged beginning to end . Camping and playing with your Pokémon was an excellent addition as well , I have spent hours playing with various mons , just to see how they move and play and interact with each other in camp.I love the new Pokémon themselves as well , they are a fairly balanced blend of the aesthetics that have changed between the years , some more humanoid or modern , some have that classic monster look , even just the 3 starters and their evolutions capture this beautifully . And last of all , the competitive is more fun , balanced , and easy to approach than ever . And the addition on the dynamax is just a more balanced combination of Z-moves and Mega-evolution , all Pokémon can do it , it lasts 3 turns , and it in no way will guarantee victory , but can provide a boost to your edge in battle , versus battles are more involved with field placement than ever , status ailments and weather teams are viable again .Just all in all a great experience .

Pokemon has always been an addicting franchise, and the quality of the life improvements while reducing a lot of the grind-heavy nature of the game, makes it a lot more approachable for people who play their Switch mostly on the go. It's still very easy and lacks depth, and the quality of life improvements mean you'll likely move on from the game after finishing it, but it's still a decent time.

it is still enjoyable to catch 'em all with a little bit of shiny hunting. Story is quite dragging though

Nice Pokémon game as usual.

英語版で欲しいと思い購入。 問題なく日本のスイッチでも起動しました。 起動するとあらまぁ日本の剣盾と同じ画面。 つまり最初は言語選択画面。英語もありゃ日本語もあります。つまり中のデータは日本版とおそらく一緒です^^; 一応英語版買ったし、言語は英語を選択しましたが、日本語選択もあったので日本語でもできます。 とどのつまりケースとソフト本体は英語ですが、データは日本版と全く同じです。 だから普通にあまり買うメリットはないかとおもいます。高いし。 コレクション的ならいいかも。

Delivered on time even earlier then expected! My grandson was so excited to receive his gift for hood birthday