Pokémon Sword

Pokémon Sword and Shield are RPGs with adventure elements. They are presented in a fixed camera, third-person perspective, though some areas allow for free camera movement. The player controls a young Pokémon trainer who goes on a quest to catch and train creatures known as Pokémon and win battles against other Pokémon trainers. By defeating opposing Pokémon in turn-based battles, the player's Pokémon gains experience, allowing them to level up and increase their battle statistics, learn new moves, and evolve into more powerful Pokémon.

The player can capture wild Pokémon through wild encounters by weakening them in battle and catching them with Poké Balls, adding them to their party. The player can also battle and trade Pokémon with other players via the Nintendo Switch's connectivity features. As is with other Pokémon games, certain Pokémon are only obtainable in either Sword or Shield, and the player will have to trade with others to obtain every Pokémon from both versions.

Sword and Shield are set in Galar, a fictional region inspired by the United Kingdom, with several of its landmarks resembling places such as Bath, Somerset and York. Within the Galar Region lie countryside towns featuring cottages and Victorian architecture to the south. There are also Industrial Revolution and steampunk references. Many of the region's towns and cities feature Pokémon Gyms stylised like football stadiums, showcasing the games' Dynamax and Gigantamax mechanic. Snow-covered mountains dominate much of the northern areas of the region.

Similar to many previous games in the Pokémon franchise, the player travels across Galar Region to become the best Pokémon Trainer in the Galar Region, fighting eight powerful Trainers called Gym Leaders and eventually the undefeated Galar League Champion, Leon. Leon is the older brother of Hop, the player's childhood best friend. The player and Hop receive one of three Starter Pokémon: Grookey, Scorbunny, or Sobble from Leon as a gift. Afterward, the two explore a forest called the Slumbering Weald but are driven off by a powerful Pokémon.

Conceptualization of Pokémon Sword and Shield began immediately following the completion of Pokémon Sun and Moon in the months preceding their release in November 2016. Shigeru Ohmori, who previously directed Sun and Moon, formed a team to brainstorm ideas for the title. Kazumasa Iwao, director of Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, later joined the project as planning director. One of the first ideas the team had was making Pokémon gigantic in size to capitalize on the Switch's high resolution and TV connectivity. Ohmori suggested a sword and a shield Pokémon to defeat this gigantic Pokémon; these concepts formed the games' titles.

Game Freak approached the games based on the theme of strength and striving to be the "greatest or the strongest"; this was expressed through the Switch's status as the most powerful console to run a Pokémon game, the Dynamax mechanic, and in-game references to various elements of British folklore, featuring giants and other mythical creatures. The concept of "growing and evolving" is an important theme in the games, and it was heavily emphasized in the story.

Reception of the games was largely positive. According to the review aggregator website Metacritic, Sword and Shield received "generally favourable" reviews from critics, based on 87 critic reviews for Pokémon Sword and 89 critic reviews for Pokémon Shield. Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the games received strong approval, being recommended by 65% of critics.

Critics praised Sword and Shield's gameplay, exploration, and mechanics. Game Informer critic Brian Shea praised the games for their captivating battle mechanics and sense of exploration. Similarly, Casey DeFreitas of IGN praised their engaging gameplay, complemented by compelling battle and exploration experiences. Writing for GameSpot, Kallie Plagge praised the dynamic exploration aspect and streamlined gameplay.