Firstly I want to start with explaining everything I liked about this game. I love the new Pokemon. Some of there designs are really unique and creative and I love using them. Clearly some designs are better than others and there is a few ugly Pokemon mixed in but if you stare at them for long enough you'll notice they have their own charm to them. Another thing I really like is the detailed character customisation. Customisation has been in the games in the past but this version of customisation is an improvement. Another thing I like is you can finally change the camera angle. This is quite a big deal as we have been without this feature for 23 years! I understand this is a minor thing that most people take for granted but Pokemon games aren't like normal games so this is actually a massive step forward. Another thing I like is some of the quality of life improvements such as making it easier to create competitive Pokemon for wifi battles.
Now it's time for the negative things. For a Pokemon game I'd say this game is quite mediocre. It offers an below average Pokemon experience when it comes down to the story. If you're a casual fan you might love this game, if you're a hardcore player you will probably find it difficult to enjoy. When compared to previous Pokemon titles it is very forgettable. The most memorable thing about this game are the bugs, low effort animations and the controversy surrounding the game. Games such as Black and White 2 and Heart Gold and Soul Silver offer a much more enjoyable experience when it comes to story and available features. This game is quite disappointing as many people (myself included) expected a considerate jump from the 3DS games to Switch. It has taken steps forward in some regards but also has taken a few steps back. Although graphics have improved slightly compared to the 3DS games they are not as impressive as the graphics found within the Gamecube and Wii pokemon games (from 2005-2006). Gamefreak have failed to take advantage of the new hardware and have delivered what looks to be another shallow 3DS game. You will get just under 24 hours of playtime from this until you finish the story. The map within the game is small and one of the largest zones known as the "Wild Area" is empty and barren. Another thing to mention which wasn't great was how easy this game felt. It holds your hand through the whole game with a forced EXP share which you cannot switch off and infinity heals for you to potentially exploit. This game was designed for very casual players which makes it feel too easy and kind of boring. Another thing to mention is you cannot walk far during the story without running into somebody who will talk at you while you spam buttons. Hop especially will not leave you alone and is always forcing one sided conversations with you. I remember a time when the only time you saw your rival was if they wanted to battle... I miss those days. Oh, and I hate the concept of gigantamax and dynamax. It is a mechanic nobody really wants or cares for. I would have much preferred some new mega evolutions, but they have been taken out of the game along with 60% of Pokemon and also lots of items and moves too.
There is also a lot of controversy surrounding this game due to the fact Gamefreak lied about this game and failed to deliver what was promised. They removed around 60% of Pokemon in this game for basically no reason. A lot of fans are upset about this, myself included. The way Gamefreak tried to justify this is quite baffling. They lied, many times to justify this change. They said they had to remake the Pokemon models but they didn't as they're the same models used for all the previous 3D games. They also said they cut the Pokemon to focus on high quality animations, but they reused most of the animations from previous titles and most of these animations are incredibly low quality anyway. They never actually gave a real reason for why they cut them out. They just blatantly lied to their fans and thought people wouldn't find out. Actions like that are harmful for the trust between developer and customer. It also shows a lack of respect for the fans because they are lying so blatantly and think the fans are too stupid to notice.
This game is a pretty weak Pokemon game, it's definitely not good and is one of the most shoddily put together Pokemon games I have ever played. It's very rough around the edges and seems rushed, but that's probably down to the development of Little Town Hero taking 20 developers focus away from Pokemon. The bugs, glitches and mistakes are quite shocking for a released product but I'm sure some of the more serious ones will get patched eventually. The quality of this product does not look like it came from the most successful media franchise in the world. Pokemon deserves better and so do we.
Overall it's a mediocre game which gets put to shame by considerably older pokemon titles and other games on the switch in general. It also has a lot of controversial baggage due to Gamefreak lying and failing to deliver what they promised.