Honestly, I think this game gets a bit of a bad wrap. Admittedly, it might be a bit of the high of the Crown Tundra DLC, which I think sets up open world Pokemon better than the main game (and sets up pretty well for Legends: Arceus and, hopefully when I get to it, Scarlet/Violet). Even the main game's pretty decent, though, even if the routes are very linear, and the story's rough, even by Pokemon standards. The gym challenge itself is handled pretty well, with fun characters and a real sense of atmosphere during gym battles.
My team: Cinderace, Corviknight, Toxtricity, Barraskewda, Grimmsnarl, and Dragapult