I tried the game for a little bit off of my cousin's copy. I didn't get very far before I returned it, but I was honestly really impressed with all the quality of life changes and even the art design.
Perhaps the only really jarring part of the first couple of hours might have been the opening sequence, where characters had their dialogue animated, but no audio indicated that at all; I think Pokémon could really benefit from Ace Attorney-style text scrolling sound effects, which could also let them convey expression a lot better than they do currently (shouting is done through a sharper textbox - even a simple textbox shake would help in emphasizing the volume).
I got out of Pokémon after Gen 5, so maybe this feels a lot more impressive to me than people who played through the 3DS games, but the world design feels a lot more satisfying to walk through - this was the first Pokémon game I felt a little bad to run in because of how pleasant the world felt.
Character customization is also one of my favorite feature in this game so far, and I easily spent half my playtime with it.
One last thought I have on the game has to do with the first battle with Hop: in a single battle, Pokémon Shield teaches about neutral attacks and stat changes, levelling up, and type advantages, possibly with the bare minimum of interruptions from Hop.
It's a stark contrast from Red and Blue, where after a boring Tackle-fest that feels more like a game of chance than anything, it's all too possible to wander into Route 22 straight out of your first time in Viridian City, encounter your rival and learn about super effective moves by being on the receiving end of them.
It's not better or worse - just different. Personally, I like this a lot. I think there's a lot to like in this game, and I wouldn't mind getting a copy for myself one day if the games stop going for full price for a second.
Perhaps the only really jarring part of the first couple of hours might have been the opening sequence, where characters had their dialogue animated, but no audio indicated that at all; I think Pokémon could really benefit from Ace Attorney-style text scrolling sound effects, which could also let them convey expression a lot better than they do currently (shouting is done through a sharper textbox - even a simple textbox shake would help in emphasizing the volume).
I got out of Pokémon after Gen 5, so maybe this feels a lot more impressive to me than people who played through the 3DS games, but the world design feels a lot more satisfying to walk through - this was the first Pokémon game I felt a little bad to run in because of how pleasant the world felt.
Character customization is also one of my favorite feature in this game so far, and I easily spent half my playtime with it.
One last thought I have on the game has to do with the first battle with Hop: in a single battle, Pokémon Shield teaches about neutral attacks and stat changes, levelling up, and type advantages, possibly with the bare minimum of interruptions from Hop.
It's a stark contrast from Red and Blue, where after a boring Tackle-fest that feels more like a game of chance than anything, it's all too possible to wander into Route 22 straight out of your first time in Viridian City, encounter your rival and learn about super effective moves by being on the receiving end of them.
It's not better or worse - just different. Personally, I like this a lot. I think there's a lot to like in this game, and I wouldn't mind getting a copy for myself one day if the games stop going for full price for a second.