I'm definitely a Pokemon shill, but even my faith was tested with this game. Pokemon Legends: Arceus coming out and blowing me out of the water definitely didn't help this games case, as coming off of that into this had me underwhelmed. The classic Pokemon gameplay is mostly unchanged of course, though I didn't really think much of Terastallization. The overworld Pokemon being out and about is fun though again, the catching mechanics from Legends Arceus are definitely missed. I think its very smart to tie HM style progression to the legendary Pokemon you ride, it makes for a good sense of flow without sacrificing Pokemon moves. No big complaints about the world and I do appreciate the non-linear aspect of completing the Gyms at your own pace. The story I wasn't particularly impressed by, however. I really enjoyed Arven as a character and learning why he is the way that he is, but Nemona I didn't find to be that interesting of a rival, and found Penny to be even more boring. The game tries to push this idea that the 4 of you are some ragtag team and I really don't buy it at all. I also don't much care for the school aspect either, I didn't really spend any time there. And of course, addressing the obvious Donphan in the room, the game is not very visually appealing, and was an insanely glitchy unpolished mess upon first playthrough. The sandwich making mechanic is horrible, it made me long for the tents and making curry from Sword and Shield. Completely removing any sort of interactivity with your Pokemon outside of having them follow you around is strange. The new Pokemon designs are pretty varied, some I really like, some I really dislike, the ones near the end are definitely creative. I was for sure just going through the motions with this one, I can't see myself returning to it any time soon at all. Please play Pokemon Legends: Arceus instead.