The problem isn't HM themselves. It's what the HMs do.
Surf is the most kino HM because it's a new mode of transportation. This leads well to exploration and makes you revisit old places to find new locations too. Plus you're likely going to put Surf on your Water mon anyway.
The problem is that they bloated the HMs with a bunch of moves that all essentially do the same thing AND are shit moves.
Cut and Rock Smash are LITERALLY the same thing. They just destroy an obstacle, only difference being one is a tree and the other is a rock.
Rock Climb and Waterfall are actually pretty close to. You could achieve the same effect by making stairs with rock in them that you have to Rock Smash.
Strength is mostly the same except some of the games have little push puzzles.
But mostly, they're just BORING. They're not exciting like Surf is because you don't explore with them, you just remove an arbitrary obstacle.
Soaring was also decent in ORAS and could be implement somewhat as a HM (basically fly but you actually control it). If the game was built around it you could have hidden locations you can only access through flying too.
