I feel really unmoored on where to go. I feel like there’s just not a clear plot. There’s so much random shit to do. But not in a good way.

The game is also glitchy as fuck.

This is the first time I’ve been completely disappointed starting a new Pokémon game. I only have one badge and I’ve beaten one titan but I keep wandering into areas where I’m super underleveled because there’s no indicator on where the next step is lmao

It doesn’t feel like a Pokémon game.

I miss all my customization from Sw/Sh, too. They got rid of some of the best parts of the game.

Also there’s. More than one Champion?????

If it helps, there’s fashions to buy in other cities; I just spent time scrolling through different stockings and shoes in another area. It’s just very scattered

I know that’s a dumb thing to be like “wtf” over but LMAO

Definitely lacks polish, though I’ve not encountered any major glitches myself

Anyways I hope it gets better as I get more into it but man I am not thrilled I spent $60 on this

farlichu: yeah but you can’t change your main outfit, you’re stuck with the four options of your uniform

I’ve had entire areas glitch out when battling and I can see through the floor multiple times lmao

Someone posted a spoiler free map that indicates level ranges - I can share it here if you like?

It’s also like. You can’t wander around the stores? It auto pops into a menu. The game also takes forever to load my character’s model when trying on clothes. It feels like such a step backward from SwSh.

farlichu: yes please!

I’ve definitely noticed the loading lag for looking at clothing. It’s like something behind the scenes is poorly optimised

Everything about this game is shocking, but fortunately I haven't played a Pokemon game myself since Yellow so I'm having a much more enjoyable time than people who've kept on top of releases

But I'm pretty sure I audibly gasped at the frame rate

tbh i think the split up areas like Legends Arceus suits Pokemon better.

I’ve really been enjoying exploring and wasting all my money on pokebalks lmao. I’ve so many Pokémon already

I went with fairly reasonable expectations and am disappointed so far - esp with pick 3 skin tones and only your uniforms for outfits

I thought sword shield did great with an open world type concept with the big areas for catching but still like: a known path.

This one I don’t even know which gym comes next lmao

They really took all the amazing things from shsw and threw it out and I don’t know why

Even basic stuff like why are there six different stores for clothes???

shslivalice: i agree. the fact that they could have utilized the school as a home base to return to would have worked much better than just a perma-open-world

the fact we cant go into ANY HOUSES OR STORES....

they could have easily made the main city of the school the main hub, and gates leading to the different areas you have to hit up which would only open up if you completed at least one of the champion/titan/starfall questline bosses

The open world seems to be fully loaded when running around, which I suspect is why some shops are menu windows, while places like the hairdressers is not. Frankly if it didn’t take ages to load, I doubt it’d be a point of contention, but it’s so noticeable.

I actually like there being different shops for different clothes, but, again, the loading issue makes it such a chore x-x

(Going through so many different screens for surprise trades irritates me too, that one feels much more egregious)

i will note tho, if you get stuck on where to go, talk to nurse joy at the pokemon center, she has an option with advice on where to head to next

trashcats: when going into random houses to get random items or TMs or Pokémon trades has been a series staple since gen 1 LMAOO

It’s just SUCH a disappointment

YEAH LIKE. nevermind the fact that discovering a back entryway and going all the way to the top floor of a department building getting you a one-time "event" pokemon (eevee) can't be replicated in this game??? idk

all the best memories of pokemon are the small details that make the lore and world feel lived in and real

the fact that team star doesn't have explorable bases also sucks