I appreciated the snappy flow to the game. Everything moved so smoothly compared to previous entries. It finally advanced the core gameplay in a meaningful way and I'm more excited about the future of Poke'mon than I've ever been. But the novelty of the open world faded after reaching the third area. And Elden Ring all but closed the door on this title for me.

I anticipated coming back to finish it, but with Scarlet/Violet around the corner, I'll have to forfeit. It's a good Poke'mon game, but in the grand scheme of things, it still doesn't reach greatness.