Imagine a pokemon game....without pokeballs. You'd adventure around, all your pokemon walking beside you. You're swimming? They're all swimming with you. You're sleeping? They're all sleeping with you. You're fighting? The rest of them watch as one of them fights.

To me, I feel like you don't really experience the world of Pokemon with your Pokemon. You experience it yourself, with your pokemon trapped in their Pokeballs. Sometimes they can follow you, sometimes you can use abilities like Surf and ride them, but in the Sword and Shield and most games in the series, you can't. Your pokemon only come out during fights. I think this is a massive shame.