Sword and Shield: A Review
With Sword and Shield turning five this year, and my first ever playthrough starting last year, now feels like a good time to go over my thoughts about these games. These games, noted for their flaws and controversies, have a charm to them.
My experience with the games may be a bit different than those who played them during their heyday. However, at the end of the day, everyone will have their own experiences with and thoughts on these games. For me, they’ve just had a year to sink in instead of four going on five. I certainly had a lot of fun with these games, though I do agree that they have their flaws.
I will be treating the base game and the DLC (Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra) as separate entities. While the Crown Tundra and Isle of Armor are connected to the main game (i.e. through references and being geographically part of Galar), the DLC has it’s own story. As such, I’d rather review the DLC based on that as opposed to lumping it with the base game.
*Spoilers Ahead.*
*These games may be almost five years old, but I want to give a warning just in case.*
Pros
The Pokémon, music, characters, the Wild Area, and customization are all things I consider positives about these games. While what Pokémon and characters players enjoy will boil down to their personal preferences, I would say that both are pretty solid overall.
The Pokémon
This is Stardust
Obstagoon is one of my favorite Pokémon and was the first shiny I bred for. She got her name because I like the idea/theory that Obstagoon’s shiny may be based on David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust persona. And I decided to go with Stardust since it was a female Obstagoon (I would have named a male Ziggy).
When it comes to the Pokémon, it’s to be expected that there will be some good and bad ones. And while some designs may boil down to a player’s preference, there are a number that are generally pretty good. Corviknight is a well designed flying type and an overall great Pokémon to use. And when it comes to early route bird Pokémon it stands out. Grimsnarl has a pretty neat design and breaks out of the traditional aesthetic of the Fairy type (ex. pink and cute). Yamper and Wooloo bring in the cute factor and I would say that their evolutions work. And Dragapult is a creative Pseudo-Legendary, even with it following the trend of most Pseudo-Legendries having the Dragon type. Especially since it’s the first and only non-legendary Dragon/Ghost. Up until that point, Giratina was the only one to have that type combo, and it and Dragapult are the only ones to have it ever since.
There are also Pokémon like Toxtricity and Copperajah, who have some pretty concepts and types. It’s cool to see another elephant based Pokémon. And with part of its inspiration is based on Indian elephants, it has a neat little callback to some of Raichu’s older Dex entries. Poison/Electric is a neat type combo, even if it is quad weak to Ground, but Toxtricity, and by extent Toxel, use it well.
The new regional forms are pretty neat too. Most of the Pokémon who got regional forms and evolutions deserved it, especially in the cases like Farfetch’d, who always needed something more. So it getting a new form and an evolution was great. Zigzagoon and Linoone get some love too. I also think it’s neat how they went with the rock-star/punk-rock kind of look with them and Obstagoon. Some of the evolution methods are a bit out there though, if I had to critique them. I’ve never used Runerigus or Sirfetch’d, but I can see how their evolution methods can be a bit annoying. The former a bit more so from what I’ve heard.
As for the starters, I do feel like some are stronger than others. I get the vision and their inspiration being based on popular forms of media in the UK (music, soccer/football, and spies/James Bond). For me personally, I prefer the Gookey line as a whole, the Scorbunny line is neat, but not my favorite Fire starter, and I just don’t particularly care for the Sobble line. This may not be an unpopular take, but it’s how I view them.
The legendries are pretty neat. Zacian and Zamazenta make a pretty neat duo while Eternatus has an interesting design and lore. While I’ll touch on it in a bit, I feel like they could have been better as a trio. Or at the very least had a slight tweak to it. All in all though, I do enjoy this trio.
While there are certainly Pokémon that players won’t like, there are plenty that are pretty well designed and useable. While not every pick may end up on a playthrough, there are plenty of good choices to pick from.
The Music
One thing that has always been in the back of my mind, but I don’t tend to acknowledge as often is the music. It’s not an uncommon positive when it comes to Pokémon, but the music in these games are really good. The Gym Battle music is one that stands out, but songs like Eternatus’s Theme, Rose’s Theme, and The Slumbering Wealds are all great pieces too. It may be a small positive, but an appreciated one at that.
Customization
This may not be the newest feature in the games, but it is a feature that is implemented well. There is an array of clothing, hairstyles, and eye colors to choose from once you get to Motostoke, Hammerlock, and Circhester. It even grows once you obtain the Style Card from Klara or Avery when you first get to the Isle of Armor.
For the sake of comparison, I’m going to use the choices from Scarlet and Violet. Because while I would say both have a lot of good options, Sword and Shield may have better options than Scarlet and Violet in some areas, and vice versa.
Sword and Shield Have Better Clothing Varity in Terms of Tops, Bottoms and Dresses: While Scarlet and Violet do have a great amount of choices for things like hats, socks, gloves, glasses, and bags, there aren’t a lot of options for things like tops, bottoms and dresses. With the player living at the Nanaja/Uva Academy. As such, the players only really have the option to chose from four uniform option (one for each season). Even with the DLC, the only outfits that are added are an alternate version of said uniforms, the four styles for the Blueberry Academy uniform, two Team Star inspired altered uniforms, a jumpsuit inspired by Drayton, and the festival uniform. And while that may sound like a reasonable amount of options, players do not have the option to mix and match outfits. So in total, there are only around fifteen option. Five or six, give or take, if you count the every version of the academy uniforms together. Whereas in Sword and Shield, you do have several options in different colors, and you are able to mix and match clothing options. Including the replica gym leader uniforms, the Dojo Uniform, and the Expedition Gear. For instance, my character could wear the Dragon Gym uniform’s top, a pair of pants, the Fairy Gym’s gloves, the Marnie inspires boots you get with the Style Card, and the backpack from the Crown Tundra if I wanted them to. Because of that, there are more options in Sword and Shield when it comes to customizing the entire ensemble.
Both Have Plenty of Good Choices in Terms of Hair Styles and Eye Color: The hair style choices are pretty equal in terms of options. And for the most part, both sets of games have about the same amount of eye color options. Scarlet and Violet might have a few more options, but there are enough options in both games to find something good.
Scarlet and Violet Have More Hair Color, Eyebrow and Eye Shapes, and Eyelash Options: This is where I feel Scarlet and Violet succeed over Sword and Shield. Sword and Shield only have three options when it comes to eye shape, eyebrow shape (thickness), and eyelash options. So there are only so many combinations that you can go with. As for hair color, Sword and Shield have a lot of options to choose from. All of which, I cannot complain about. I just feel like there could have been one or two more options. Namely some form of orange and maybe a purple or dark grey. However, I will admit that this may be a nitpick on my end. Seeing as how there isn’t much of an ensemble variety when it comes to tops, bottoms, and dresses, I’m more than happy to have wider options for hair color and eye customization in Scarlet and Violet to make up for that.
That all said, Sword and Shield have some really good customization options. And, as such, is something I consider more of a pro.
The Characters
These games had a great set of characters. Certainly a few that could have used some work, but a number that are really fun. Whether it be the characters themselves, their team, and/or their backstory there are a number of notable characters here.
The gym leaders are the strongest in this regard as each one brings their own thing to the table. For instance, how Nessa is a model and gym leader (similar to Elesa from Black and White) and is good friends with Sonia. Or Opal, who’s been a gym leader for the better part of seventy years before passing on the torch to Bede. Then there’s Piers, who’s the first Dark type gym leader, who not only doesn’t Dyna/Gigantamax, but is the leader of the “evil team” of the region, Team Yell.
Raihan’s also really neat given that he has a duel specialty to go along with his double battle matches. Because, while he may fall into a similar trap as Lance (not using all dragon types despite it being his type specialty), he makes up for it by specializing in weather as well. His team is build for weather effects and Dragon types, which is really creative.
These would also be the first games to introduce version exclusive gym leaders, which I think is a neat addition to the version exclusives players are already familiar with. These exclusive gym leaders will be the fourth and sixth gym leaders. In Sword, players will face off against Bea (Fighting) and Gordie (Rock), while in Shield, players will face Allister (Ghost) and Melony (Ice). I also think it’s pretty neat how the types mirror each other depending on the version. For instance, Allister’s Ghost typing has the advantage of being immune to Bea’s Fighting type, whereas Gordie’s type specialty (Rock) is super effective against his mother’s (Ice).
Outside of gym leaders, other important NPCs like Sonia, Leon, and your rivals are also pretty good. Having Sonia being the unofficial, later official professor of the region. Learning about the region, namely the Darkest Day and by extent Dyna/Gigantamaxing, was an interesting route to go with. AS well as seeing her going from her grandmother’s assistant to the region’s professor. It’s also pretty neat how she started her journey alongside Leon when they were younger, but ultimately ended up deciding not to pursue the league challenge.
Speaking of Leon, while I will get into the more telling and less showing aspects later, I do think he is a pretty good champion. In a region where the gym leaders and the champion are treated like celebrity athletes, having Leon be this top dog who’s unbeatable makes sense. Yet, despite being on the top, he isn’t overly egotistical. He’s proud of his unbeatable record, but he also cares about his family and wants his region to be as great as it can be. And when it comes to battling, he just wants to fight the strongest trainers. Champion or not. So while the writing for Leon as a trainer may not have been stellar, as a character he is a solid one at that.
Thee games have an array of characters to enjoy. Some may be better written than others, but there is bound to be at least one character that players will enjoy.
The Wild Area
The final positive I will give these games is the Wild Area. In previous games and generations, Pokémon were tied to certain routes and areas. In Sword and Shield, that still applies, but there’s also the Wild Area, an open area for you to explore and catch Pokémon. Think of it as an unrestricted version of the Safari Zone. Certain Pokémon can be caught in certain areas and under certain weather conditions, but you don’t have a time/steps limit and you can use whatever PokéBalls you want. It lets you catch an array of Pokémon based on gym badges, progress and weather.
While it is a bit bothersome that some Pokémon can’t be caught until you get a certain amount of badges, whereas Scarlet and Violet let’s you catch any Pokémon at any level with higher level Pokémon being easier to catch depending on how many badges you have, it found a way to make this limitation work. Most of the “stronger looking Pokémon” in the first area can be caught once you beat the first three gyms, with the fourth or fifth badge being the latest you’ll need. While this can be seen as a bad thing, I think it’s for the best given the fact that these “strong-looking” Pokémon may not listen to you until you gat a certain number of badges. C
There’s also Dynamax Raid Dens, which let’s you catch certain Pokémon. Be it first stages or final. And as you progress through the games, what you can catch from these dens will change and improve.
As for weather, this is a great way to have certain Pokémon spawn. Most Pokémon can be found in one or more types of weather. The percent that you can catch them at will vary and will appear as either a random, a wandering, and/or a roaming encounter.
The only real con of the weather is the fact that certain effects won’t be unlocked until after beating the game. An example of this is fog. Since fog isn’t unlocked until after beating the main game, catching Pokémon like Honedge and Ralts, among others won’t be catchable until the post game. There are some work arounds however, like Pokémon spawning in certain dens, some Pokémon having a change of showing up in certain areas under different weather effects (ex. Ralts having a 2% encounter rate in Rolling Hills and Rolling Hills Area 2 during an overcast), or breeding (ex. Doublade and Ditto can be caught in the Lake Outrage area under pretty much any weather, so you can catch both and breed for a Honedge).
The Grey Area
This is for things that I didn’t feel were entirely negatives, but should be addressed none the less. Whether it be the National Dex controversy, some aspects of the models, or lack of voice acting, these are things that I have some critiques towards, but not enough to consider them cons.
National Dex Controversy (Dexit)
Back Breaking Performance
Getting screenshots and I found this one funny. It looks like Piers is throwing his back out.
This was, and may still be, the biggest controversy that came when these games were announced and released. A lot of this can be traced to a couple factors: models and animations for every Pokémon up until that point, the fact that the reused models for these games despite not including every Pokémon from Kanto to Galar, and the fact that it would be cutting Pokémon that players like and/or would want to use. All of these are good critiques when it comes to the cuts they made to the National Dex, and I do agree that it would have been nice to have every Pokémon in the game.
However, looking back at it now, and seeing how it’s become a trend in these games and the following generation, I do think it’s a necessary evil/issue for right now. With the limitations that these games and the Switch has, I do understand why the decision was made. Even if it was possible to work in every Pokémon. And with a Pokémon count of one thousand twenty five, and still going, cuts were bound to happen.
Maybe when the next console is released (the Switch 2 or whatever it’ll be called) and the tenth generation, there will be enough power to have every Pokémon in a main game. We may not know for certain until then, but it is still a possibility. Plus, with the announcement of Legends Z-A, it is possible that this game could have the missing Pokémon that aren’t in Scarlet and Violet’s roster and/or haven’t been in a game since generation seven.
As of right now though, and as it relates to Sword and Shield specifically, there isn’t much that can be done about cut Pokémon. As controversial and inconvenient as it is, cuts were bound to happen due to the continuous, and consistently growing number of Pokémon. Sword and Shield just so happened to be the games that implemented it first.
Models
While this may tie into the previous point, this only really effects one or two areas. The animation in general was solid in my opinion, with the only thing I feel like I can critique being hair physics and how the mouths move when characters are talking. In the latter’s case, how the mouth moved, specifically in like profile/side views felt a little weird, but a bit more forgivable since characters do feel expressive (some more than others). With this being the first “3D” main game in the traditional sense, I will be a little lenient.
Note: Yes, technically, X&Y were the first 3D main games, and Let’s Go! were the first Pokémon games released on the Switch. However, Sword and Shield were the first main games on the Switch. So while not the first Pokémon in either case individually, these games were the first to do both simultaneously. Because of that, I will be a bit more lenient.
My only real issue with the models I have has to do with some of the Pokémon’s faces. While most of them are fine, there are times when the mouth looks flat. The one that really stands out, to me is Wooper. The same could probably be said for Pokémon like Wobbuffet and other round Pokémon (ex. Jigglypuff), but for me those don’t stand out as much as Wooper does. This is mostly due to the fact that Wooper will have an open smile pretty any time it cries or attacks. And since this open mouth/smile is bigger/wider than some of the other Pokémon that would have this issue, it’s too noticeable to ignore.
Other than that though, I would say that the models look fine for the most part. There will be nitpicks, some of which may have cared over from the previous two generations (ex. Typhlosion looking dull without its flames when sitting idly in battle), but generally, the models are solid enough, if not pretty good.
No Voice Acting
This is a discussion I’ve seen pop up every now and then when it comes to Pokémon. Especially in regards to the eighth and ninth generations. With characters like Piers and Ryme, who sing, and cut scenes feeling dull without audible dialogue, it can be a pretty jarring experience. I would love for these games to have voice acting. Especially when it comes to singing. However, I feel that issues could arise while implementing it.
That being the removal of the player’s ability to name a character.
Now, there are games where you can name your character and there are work around for voice acting. For example, in Dragon Age Inquisition, your character can be named and the cast will refer to them as Inquisitor, Herald of Andraste, and Adaar/Cadash/Lavellan/Trevelyan, among others. So it wouldn’t be impossible to implement voice acting and have the player character being referred to as something like Challenger, Up and Coming Trainer, and so on.
However, I do not see Pokémon going down that route if they do implement voice acting. Instead, I see it taking a more (Legend of Zelda) Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom route, where fully implementing voice acting took away the players’ ability to name Link, something the franchise had allowed, even with the minimal amount of voice acting some of the previous games had. This caused quite a bit of stir initially, as it essentially takes away the player’s choice to name Link. Yes, his name is Link, and, yes, there are people who keep his name Link. However, in taking away the option to name him, it takes away that choice.
Unfortunately, I could see Pokémon taking this route. And because your character is referred to by name more often than not, it would take away the player’s ability to name their character. Opting to go with the default name instead. So, instead of being able to name the female player character whatever you want, she would have to be called Gloria for the sake of voice acting.
I can go more in depth on voice acting in Pokémon, but I will save that for another post. As it relates to Sword and Shield, and why I have it in my grey area, all I’ll say is, it would have been nice to have voice acting, but I’m not sure how well it would have been implemented. Even if it was in specific cutscenes like Piers’ introductory concert/song. Which is why I am not entirely counting it against Sword and Shield.
With all that said, it’s time I get right into my criticisms for these games.
Criticisms
As much as I personally love these games, they are not without their flaws. It’s reliance on telling rather than showing is a big one. How Rose’s motivations were implemented is another.
Telling Over Showing (The Story)
One of the most notable rules when it comes to story telling, is to “show, not tell”. For Sword and Shield, this is one of it’s biggest weaknesses. The most egregious examples of telling over showing in these games has to do with the player’s involvement in the Darkest Day plot and how Leon is constantly stated as the unbeatable champion.
In the story’s defense, I get what they were trying to go for. Having the player not have to worry about the chaos of what would become the Darkest Day 2.0 on order to do the gym challenges, is a solid enough storyline on its own. Especially since the player’s character is a child/teen, which from a story perspective makes sense. Neither Leon or Sonia expect the player to take on the issues that would ultimately lead up to the Darkest Day 2.0. So it makes sense that they wouldn’t want the young player (and Hop) to get involved. Having the adults taking care of the problem so that the player and Hop focus on they gym challenge is a fine enough story on its own. Especially since in some games, dealing with the evil team and/or the world ending conflict is tacked on from the get go. From an in world perspective, it would make sense that the adults would handle the situation, even if the player character ultimately gets involved anyways.
But it’s not the story/concept that’s the problem. It’s the implementation. Because there is an overreliance on not having the player get involved with what would become the big conflict outside of the gym challenge, players are just told about these unpredictable Dynamax energy surges. Which ultimately get dealt with off screen.
A better way they could have approached this was by having the player, maybe even Hop having to deal with a few of these surges. Leon could be hesitant and/or concerned that they are getting involved in this, due to him not wanting them to get hurt, but come to accept their help. Or the player could end up tailing Bede to figure out why he’s so intent on getting Wishing Stars. And when Rose unceremoniously retracts his sponsorship, Bede goes to the player to help expose Rose’s plans, which could help tie into Rose’s plan. In either case, the player would continue the gym challenge, while sneaking off from time to time to investigate what’s going on with the secondary conflict.
This would help build the overarching conflict while also retaining the “don’t worry, stick to the gym challenge” storyline. It would also give it that showing element.
Telling Over Showing (The Unbeatable Leon)
One of, if not the, biggest criticism I’ve seen in regards to Leon has to do with his title as the Unbeatable Champion. That on it’s own isn’t an issue (realistically, most champions are presumably unbeatable until the player comes along). The issue come from the fact that a) it’s never shown how good of a trainer he is, and b) it’s said way too often. Which, in turn, shows another instance of telling over showing.
Both can be fixed with one or more of the following.
Tone down how frequent the whole “unbeatable champion” is brought up: As a champion, most players will understand that he’s supposed to be the strongest trainer in the region. And while referring to him as such may play into the spectacle of battling in the region, we don’t need to hear it constantly brought up during the playthrough. Less is more. And in this case, unless someone is formally referring to him by his title (i.e. “the champion is excited for the upcoming tournament”, “the champion is on the scene”, etc.), players only really needed to hear that he is the “unbeatable champion” once. Twice if really necessary.
Have the player experience his battle prowess: While we get a glimpse of it at the start of the game, showing his skills as a trainer at least once or twice would give Leon a chance to show his skills as a trainer. Since Hop mentions that he watched Leon’s old matches, it’s safe to say that he not only watched them as they aired, but recorded them as well. Maybe he offers to share a few of them with the player, and it unlocks a menu option to view them at the player’s discretion. Videos could include: Rose announcing his sponsorship of Leon, his battle with Kabu, since it’s stated that he was the one to reignite Kabu’s passion for battles, a peak into Leon and Sonia’s journey since they started the gym challenges together, his first battle with Raihan, and Leon winning the Championship Cup. It may not be an idle way to go about it, but it would certainly help develop Leon’s journey and correct the telling over showing issue.
Develop Leon in other ways: When I say "in other ways”, I mostly mean in a passion or hobby kind of way. For instance, Cynthia has a love for Sinnoh’s history and lore. This gives her an added layer to her character outside of just being the champion. He does do this to a degree when he moves over to the Battle Tower, since it seems to be a way for him to continue battling and giving people a place to become stronger. However, they could have given him something prior to that. Maybe he volunteers at and donates money to Pokémon Daycares. Or maybe he’s familiar architecture because of how close he is to Rose as his sponsee and as part of the league. Something as simple as that.
As a character, I really like Leon. His more approachable and light hearted persona is nice to see from a character that’s on the top of the Pokémon Trainer world. However, I would be lying if I said the character has, albeit more externally executed, flaws. If they just toned down the “Leon is the unbeatable champion” rhetoric, and showed more than they told, the criticisms towards him would wane some. With that in mind, there is one last criticism I would like to go over. That being the very man that sponsored Leon.
Rose’s Motivations
Vs Rose
If I recall correctly, this was from my Flying playthrough.
The biggest issue with Rose’s motivation is that it does seem to come out of nowhere. Yes, we do know that he has a hand in Dynamaxing and how the energy from it helps provide energy for Galar. But while that could be a good basis for the inevitale confrontation with him, we don’t get much of a lead up to it. There’s just “Rose is a great guy and means well, but his thought process and method are confusing” to “I’ve got to recreate the Darkest Day in order to prevent an energy crisis a thousand years away”. It’s just missing something that connects the two.
This could be done by having the character more involved with this plot. I mentioned previously how having Bede and the player investigate what Rose needed the Wishing Stars for could have been a possible way to explore the story more. This same example could have been a way to develop Rose’s motivations.
There’s also the fact that his thinking is too far ahead. Rose wanting to prepare for and detour a possible energy crisis is a fine motive. It’s the fact that he’s thinking a thousand years later. If it were a few years, a decade even, that would feel more understandable.
Essentially, Rose’s plan and motivation could have worked had they scaled back when the energy crisis was expected to happen and developed it properly. It just didn’t because of how it was executed.
Overall, my main criticism with Sword and Shield is how it tells more than it shows. Between not developing the Darkest Day plot point, Rose’s motivations to cause it, and showed more of Leon’s feats, the story is held back due to this.
Rating + Final Thoughts
On an enjoyment level: 8 out of 10
On a critical level: 7 out of 10
Pick a Starter. Any Starter.
And Don’t Forget Your Type Matchups!
These were the first main games I’ve played in years, and I really enjoyed them. They do have their flaws, but they are games I know I will go back and play again and again. Which is why I am ranking it as high as I am on an enjoyment level.
However, I don’t think they would be higher on a critical level. Maybe a seven and a half out of ten, if that. It has a lot of good things between the Pokémon, the characters, music, customization, and the the Wild Area. It also had pretty good customization options. But the fact that these games tells more than it shows really holds these games back. It’s is unfortunate because it has a lot of good elements for a good story. I will also acknowledge and agree that somethings, like the Dex cuts are an issue, even if I can understand the reason why. As flawed as these games are though, they are still fun to play.
If you are looking for a straight forward Pokémon game on the Switch, I would recommend these games. Whether you’re a newer fan or someone who’s been following the franchise from the beginning. These games follow the traditional Pokémon playthrough. So if you are looking for a Pokémon game on the Switch that isn’t as experimental as Legends Arceus, or as open as Scarlet and Violet, I would recommend giving these games a try.
