Since the game has been out for over a year, lets go over the issues first:
1: All Major glitches and most small glitches have been fixed.
2: frame rate is still an issue in water or high demanding areas but it’s livable and goes away if you leave the area or let the switch cool down in sleep mode.
3: Shiny pokemon still don’t have a noise or physical ‘glow’ to tell them apart (ie the hard ones to actually spot). However they won’t be knocked out by auto-battle (later DLC content goes back to remorseful or sad situation). A note to add is legendaries are still sadly shiny locked including the DLC past returning Mon’s.
4: Handholding is still major in the first 45 mins to an a hour but appreciated by some new players or out of loop players (skipped some Gens)
With that out of the way let’s get down to business w/out spoilers.
The game & gameplay: For a Mon game Superb.
Your ride ‘Mon: Running, jumping, surfing, scaling mountains, gliding (later improvements if you get DLC) unlocking with progression. The cities and towns are cool, however less interactive interiors or NPCs. This Pocket monster game is filled to the brim with all kind of battles ranging from cake walks to Hmm, maybe I got to invest properly in understanding the mechanics & some competitive aspects (thank god not BDSP level of elite 4 rematch or underdog level of getting battle items or buffs for ur Mon’s) the latter Difficulty level is true for DLC content.
All of this can be done with 3 other players connected together w/out interference, However it runs smoother in Single player.
Raids are back with a vengeance this Gen. Ranging from cakewalks 1-3 stars, to absolute beast tank level of difficulty 6-7 stars (Single player mostly face).
On the note of 7 Star raids, they are part of some charm for online engagement for 2-4 players and content that continues to this day as of Jan 2024.
Story, lore & characters: A very good story Overall. some lore & small stories are open ended or left a mystery (appreciated by some of the fanbase). Story is only truly ’complete’ with DLC and free mystery gift released Jan 2024.
Characters: Fantastic, truly a fantastic balance between game whimsy with real life tongue in cheek for comic relief. It’s genuinely been the first time a large part of the fanbase truly doesn’t want the characters to disappear with the next game or maybe Next Gen.
SV’s Paldea despite Frame rate issues or minor bugs has been great overall & I would recommend getting the DLC with it for truly appreciating the whole package.
Thanks Gamefreak for a Game that truly feels jam packet especially appreciated after my 2nd replay not yet completed (My sake of wanting to re-drink it all in).