Capsule Review - Pokémon Shield
Game Mechanics: Same as in Sword. Still a little grindy, and you pretty much have to play favorites in terms of what Pokémon to use. I did figure out you could use the Pay Day ability to somewhat lighten the financial burden I had initially suffered in Sword, and I took advantage of the jobs this time around.
Control: Also the same as in Sword; while you can save your game anywhere, the menus are still a little clunky and reliant upon flash and pizazz.
Story: Same as in pretty much all of the game’s predecessors, with the narrative later on borrowing elements from games such as Final Fantasy VII.
Localization: Functional, but still has plenty of unnatural dialogue like using “champion” as an adjective.
Music & Sound: Has some good tracks, but much of it sounds like plain noise and isn’t overly memorable.
Visuals: Definitely the best part of the game, with a nice cel-shaded style and no palette swaps.
Lasting Appeal: Gotta catch ‘em all, of course.
Conclusion: Those who liked Sword will most likely enjoy Shield. Pokémon in general is one of those videogame series you have to “git gud” at, but oftentimes in a good way. It seems to me the series has been getting better with each generation, and very much don’t want to play older entries of the franchise, since Sword and Shield are somewhat more accessible.
This capsule review is based on a playthrough of a copy purchased by the reviewer.
Overall Score:
6.0/10