>>44123415Hand-holding isn't even my issue with with SwSh.
The only character who gets any real focus in SwSh is Hop. Which is terrible because the focus is on how Hop wants to beat his brother, but since you're the protagonist and not him, we all know how that's going to work out. His wavering from losing to Bede is wasted because hes still not going to accomplish anything.
Leon meanwhile is super forced. Hes a Champion that "does things" but it's in a way that takes away any opportunity for you the player to do things, taking away stuff you the player are typically supposed to do. Worse of all, it's also all offscreen so no real hype. And unlike past champs, hes also not really a mentor to you the player in the process. In fact, he doesn't seem to find you capable enough to do anything beyond just the Gym challenge.
Team Yell is a complete joke. It's all the annoyances of Team Skull without any of the charm that made you like them. They're just minor inconveniences, and don't even have anything like Admins.
Meanwhile, Macro Cosmos is forced into the antagonist role at the very last second with no build up. And the problem being in 1000 years makes it all the worse.
Meanwhile, potentially interesting characters go severely underutilized. Bede disappears from the story until getting one last appearance, all of any potential developments done off screen and not properly exploring his need to prove himself.
Marnie and Piers are probably the most likable characters, but Marnie is also barely in it despite also being your rival. Piers wanting her to be his successor could also have been portrayed better in the main game.
SwSh was a mess on all fronts. Unfocused, poorly thought out, and did nothing right.
