This is the best Pokémon game on the Switch, bar none. It is engaging and substantial (in spite of its middling performance), introduces you to a large, interesting, and varied cast of both humans and Pokémon alike in a story that even puts the likes of Black and White to shame, iterates on the social aspect of the series with a pleasant new MMO-lite feature, and adds a battle gimmick that provides an unprecedented increase in nuance & depth.

They hit the ball out of the park with this one, but it's regrettable that it wasn't left in the oven for a bit longer. Despite the flaws, make no mistake; the developers have outdone themselves and this game is an absolute treat.

EDIT: Just finished the game! 100+ hours best Pokemon story ever.

Absolutely amazing game so far! 30 hours in so far. Been very happy with it and having lots of fun! The sheer freedom of choosing what you want to do and achieve anytime you boot up the game yet still having a overarching goal is something Pokemon really benefits from. Having objectives that fit the tastes of different kinds of players.

I have to give a massive shout-out to the myriad QoL (quality of life) additions this game has too. Being able to breed anywhere on the spot at a picnic, changing nicknames from menu, relearning moves anywhere from the menu, etc it just all adds up to a much smoother experience in a game as jam packed with stuff to do as this.

To quickly mention some other stuff dynamic music that seamlessly transitions into one another is also a cool approach. The new Pokemon are very cool, the region is nice to explore. Terastallizing also has so much more strategic potential than other Pokemon gimmicks due to you being able to become another type that switches stuff up.

Shaping up to become a close favourite in the series which is something I hadn't considered since BW. Remember what the ultimate goal of a game is: fun.