Changing my review since playing the game more.
Pokemon Shield is a nice looking game, with some cool new designs. It is easy to play and fairly enjoyable. One can easily chill for a while just running around.
But having sad that. The game ultimately felt ... lazy.
There is so much potential in pokemon. But they revert to the same tired formula again and again. It worked in the 90s but today we have all this unrealised technology to bring a truly open and challenging game. Both in world building and exploration to the pokemon themselves.
Another negative is that the story itself is a let down. It takes mediocre and boring to the next level. There is zero depth or interest.
As a child's game it is pretty decent. But if you want to capture the adult market (and lets face it, pokemon is largely a nostalgia brand now) you need to bring more to the table.
