We purchased Pokemon Sword/Shield so that our expert reviewer could thoroughly test and review it. Read on for our full product review.

Pokemon Sword and Shield are Game Freak’s first mainline titles for home consoles, and anticipation was high. Prior to the game’s release in November, many fans were disappointed with its limited Pokedex and recycled animations, but the biggest disappointments came after release, when it was met with a plethora of mediocre mechanics and a gameplay loop that hadn’t evolved since 1998. While Sword and Shield may not be the game-changer that Pokemon fans were hoping for, it’s still a fun game with endearing characters that will keep you entertained for 30 hours straight. Be sure to check out our list of the best Pokemon games to see if there’s anything here that suits your tastes.

Check out our overview of the best role-playing games for the Nintendo Switch.

Game Freak, what happened? What inspired you to create characters named Swordward and Shielbert? Why does my main rival feel like the main character of the story? Few people play Pokémon for its compelling story, but Sword and Shield's story is bad enough to almost ruin the experience of playing the game.