This game is very inconsistent, to put it bluntly. It is both at times the best mainline pokémon game I've ever played (I played every game up to gen 7), and the absolute worst, almost in equal parts.
The main problem that bogs everything down is the pacing, which is ultra-glacial for the most part, but at times it kicks into gear and becomes overbearing with the amount of battles you have to do in a row. Enormous stretches of slow-moving cutscenes followed by exhaustingly large strings of battles.
Other major issues are with the overall progression of the game, namely the newly introduced (and never repeated) "trials" system. I appreciate that these black-sheep games exist and switch up the formula, but much like in Final Fantasy 8 or Castlevania 2, it just didn't work. It's way less interesting fighting one regular pokémon who just happens to be bigger than normal as opposed to a themed gym with it's own particular type, puzzle, town and leader. I missed that a lot, this was not only a big part of what composed the "Pokémon" feel of the games, but also just plain fun. It was a formula that worked and still keeps working.
The routes are way too linear, they feel like Final Fantasy 10-esque corridors and for a hawaiian setting there's not enough water (much to IGN's relief lol). This system that doesn't feel rewarding to go through combined with the erratic pacing makes for a really tiresome experience. As a matter of fact, I had this game dropped for almost seven years just because the pacing of the first half was so horrid.
All of that having been said, this game also features a completely gorgeous setting that reminds me of everthing I loved from Hoenn, only with graphics that can obviously better represent it. The soundtrack is amazing and the pokémon designs are some of the best ever, in my honest opinion.
The biggest positive aspect in this whole experience is how personal this game made me feel with it through both the story and cast and the pokémon recovery mechanic. Being able to actually pet, feed and treat my pokémon at any time, physically tending to their status effects or general ailments, made me legitimately care for these little dudes way beyond just a sprite that has the moves I need. In fact, I didn't change my party the entire game just because I got so attached to them and I wanted to raise their affection to the maximum level, something that happened right before the fight against the region champion.
Complementing this, the story was actually surprisingly engaging, for once. It very much still is a kids game with a very basic plot and simplistic, one-note characters, but within these boundaries it managed to be entertaning. The concept of ultra-beasts from other dimensions, the tension point of having to torture Nebby to achieve that and the colorful cast of characters (who happens to be way more present in your journey this time around given the amount of cutscenes) made for a way more memorable experience compared to every other game in the franchise so far. I never cared at all about the stories in any pokémon game, even Black/White I felt were extremely over-glorified, but this one worked for me.
Overall, it's a pretty decent entry, but I'd recommend emulating it and fast-fowarding every non-important cutscene. Shouldn't be an issue with anyone now that the 3DS's store has been shut down.
The main problem that bogs everything down is the pacing, which is ultra-glacial for the most part, but at times it kicks into gear and becomes overbearing with the amount of battles you have to do in a row. Enormous stretches of slow-moving cutscenes followed by exhaustingly large strings of battles.
Other major issues are with the overall progression of the game, namely the newly introduced (and never repeated) "trials" system. I appreciate that these black-sheep games exist and switch up the formula, but much like in Final Fantasy 8 or Castlevania 2, it just didn't work. It's way less interesting fighting one regular pokémon who just happens to be bigger than normal as opposed to a themed gym with it's own particular type, puzzle, town and leader. I missed that a lot, this was not only a big part of what composed the "Pokémon" feel of the games, but also just plain fun. It was a formula that worked and still keeps working.
The routes are way too linear, they feel like Final Fantasy 10-esque corridors and for a hawaiian setting there's not enough water (much to IGN's relief lol). This system that doesn't feel rewarding to go through combined with the erratic pacing makes for a really tiresome experience. As a matter of fact, I had this game dropped for almost seven years just because the pacing of the first half was so horrid.
All of that having been said, this game also features a completely gorgeous setting that reminds me of everthing I loved from Hoenn, only with graphics that can obviously better represent it. The soundtrack is amazing and the pokémon designs are some of the best ever, in my honest opinion.
The biggest positive aspect in this whole experience is how personal this game made me feel with it through both the story and cast and the pokémon recovery mechanic. Being able to actually pet, feed and treat my pokémon at any time, physically tending to their status effects or general ailments, made me legitimately care for these little dudes way beyond just a sprite that has the moves I need. In fact, I didn't change my party the entire game just because I got so attached to them and I wanted to raise their affection to the maximum level, something that happened right before the fight against the region champion.
Complementing this, the story was actually surprisingly engaging, for once. It very much still is a kids game with a very basic plot and simplistic, one-note characters, but within these boundaries it managed to be entertaning. The concept of ultra-beasts from other dimensions, the tension point of having to torture Nebby to achieve that and the colorful cast of characters (who happens to be way more present in your journey this time around given the amount of cutscenes) made for a way more memorable experience compared to every other game in the franchise so far. I never cared at all about the stories in any pokémon game, even Black/White I felt were extremely over-glorified, but this one worked for me.
Overall, it's a pretty decent entry, but I'd recommend emulating it and fast-fowarding every non-important cutscene. Shouldn't be an issue with anyone now that the 3DS's store has been shut down.