I really don't get the hate overall. I'm overjoyed to see another top-down game.
The chibi could be better, the fingers are fucking WEIRD, but the maps, while simplistic, are nice interpretations of Sinnoh
>B-B-But Link's Awakening
Haven't you ever seen that picture comparing Pokemon to contemporary Zelda games and JRPGs on the same platforms?
Gen 1 looks worse than Links Awakening
Gen 2, the exception to the rule, is actually pretty much one of the most pleasing to the eye GBC games. One trend I've noticed is that the longer Gamefreak stays on a platform, the closer they get to being among the good looking games.
Gen 3 is WAY WAY behind the likes of Minish Cap
Gen 4 had way more simplistic 3D than the Zelda games on the console AND the pixel art is more basic than other JRPGs on the platform
HGSS is a half step to gen 5 which IS the first time the series had ever had stuff like curves and decoration that are free from the grid the player is locked into, but while it's aesthetic is VERY nice, it's actual graphical complexity is still pretty far below what the system is capable which is worth noting
Gen 5 starts to push what a 2.5D game on the system can be capable of with segments like Castelia City (though notably, these segments are still rather sparse) but overall still has a lot of issues that other games on the platform don't suffer from, such as sprites getting mangled by movement or camera movement
Gen 6 is like the most rudimentary looking 3D overworld ever and the high detail 3D models stick out like a sore thumb in what is otherwise a distinctly low poly art style
Gen 7 looks pretty decent when compared to stuff like Yokai Watch or Monster Hunter Stories on the same platform, once again proving the longer they stay the better
So functionally I don't really see this as any lower quality than the Gen 3 sprites, which people accept happily. So I really don't get the issue. Especially when the perspective gives it a greater chance of not being compromised
