The newest entry in the Pokemon franchise is far from its best but still an undeniably good time. The emphasis on story and worldbuilding was a refreshing change of pace from older entries, but the characters aren’t deep enough to hold up the aspirations of the storyline. The real star is the Wild Area: a constantly-changing open area with localized weather and plenty of Pokemon. The reduced Pokédex was a relief; it motivated me to actually catch them all. I especially enjoyed the Max Raid Battles, even if the use of Gigantamax in normal battles felt a bit tacked on.
