I went into Pokémon Sword with pretty low expectations because I had heard a lot of criticism over the years. So far, I’ve been pleasantly surprised.
The Wild Area was the biggest shock. For someone who mostly played older Pokémon games, seeing Pokémon roaming freely and being able to explore such a large area was honestly amazing. It made the world feel much more alive.
I also really like the variety of Pokémon available. I’m constantly finding new ones and actually have a hard time deciding who to keep on my team.
It’s definitely not a perfect game. I still wish it had:
full voice acting during cutscenes,
auto-advance dialogue,
a better online system than Y-Comm.
Those things make the game feel more dated than it should.
But despite those flaws, I’m having a genuinely great time. The gym challenge is fun, the pacing is good, and exploring Galar has been much more enjoyable than I expected.
I can understand why some long-time fans were disappointed, but as someone just playing through the game and enjoying the adventure, I think Pokémon Sword gets more hate than it deserves. I’m having a blast.