Pokémon Sword and Shield, did it disappoint?
Pokémon Sword and Shield pulled me in immediately. It’s a familiar feel that feels a little too safe at times. Too safe doesn’t mean bad, though. The addition of the wild area is a welcome change and allowed me to grow my team quickly, thanks to my community trading with me. Full disclosure I haven’t put nearly the time I want into this game, which is why I will need to hear from you in the comments. I wanted to create a post that allows us to review the game together.
I can’t stop thinking about playing this game.
I have been swamped over the past month, so my game time has suffered because of it. All good things in my life but very busy. Another factor in my lack of playtime is I want to stream every minute because Pokémon brings my community together like no other game so far. I will be taking full advantage of the holiday weekend to get more time with this game. The fact that I can’t wait to jump in is a clear indication that I’m into this game. I will update this review when I have more time with the game, but so far, I love it.
Community review
Let me know in the comments your thoughts on the game post-launch. Did it meet your expectations? Is it a must-play?
Hey Josh, I’ve never really been a die-hard Pokemon fan and have only played through a handful of the games so I didn’t originally plan on picking this one up right away. But after watching my friend play for a bit on launch day I decided to run to the store and pick up sword for myself. I was immediately hooked into it! It’s incredibly accessible for new players/people like myself who haven’t played a Pokemon game in a few years. The graphics are clean and colorful, the animations are smooth and well put together, the soundtrack is awesome (especially the gym battle theme), and the overall gameplay is just super fun and I always find myself craving to play more when I’m at work or busy with other things. I’ve completed the first 3 gyms so far and I can’t wait to progress more through this game!
As someone who’s beaten the game and is 40 Pokemon short from completing the Pokedex, I feel like I can give my solid thoughts on the game.
The game feels very familiar if you’re used to past Pokemon games with some changes and welcome additions thrown in. Although there isn’t a ton new here for veterans of the series, what is new is great.
Let’s start with what’s the same. You’re still trying to catch them all this time around. Although not as many as previous titles. One has to admit that trying to catch 900+ Pokemon is pretty daunting. The story remains fairly unchanged with your goal being to obtain 8 badges and become the Galar Champion. Random encounters are still here, though they play a much smaller role this time around. They’ve adopted the “Let’s Go” style over world spawns which is very welcome. It helps the world feel more alive. With random encounters being limited to an exclamation mark in the grass, in which you can obtain a “rarer” spawn Pokemon in most cases.
In regards to what’s new, the wild area is one of the biggest additions. Losing yourself in the vast expanse of it and just seeing the Pokemon wander around in their habitat is great. Max raid battles are also new. They are a fantastic way to bring players together to fight (and hopefully catch) strong Pokemon and also reap some great rewards. They’ve also made breeding easier then ever. IV and EV training is also fairly easy this time around as well which is great. They’ve taken out a lot of the monotony and grinding that the series is known for if you really want to get into the competitive side of things, which I really appreciate.
With all that being said, the game does have some issues. If you’re not into completing your Pokedex, breeding, maxing out EVs/IVs & raiding, then the post game may be lacking for you. There is some performance problems that need to be addressed in regards to frame drops & freezes mainly in the wild area. The online component of the game as well definitely needs some work. It shouldn’t take me 10 minutes to find someone to trade with who has the same code. Only to find I’ve been paired with someone else who also used the same code.
Overall though, the game is great. It looks beautiful and plays well minus some of the performance issues in the wild area. It’s very welcoming to new players and veterans of the series will have a lot to appreciate here. Especially in terms of quality of life improvements. I’m enjoying it a lot and as the first main-line console entry, this is a very good start.