>>52225452I think it's pretty simple. GF has been successfully tempering expectations up until this point. But with this game we got a bunch of changes casuals were not ready for. Seriously minimized clothing options works against the dress-up aspect of these games a lot of casuals liked, and having the selfie mode probably just makes them with they could play dress up even more.
The games have been SUPER hand-holdy since Sun and Moon. And while this game does keep you on rails for far too long before opening up, it then just kind of expects you to explore and figure things out. This is the opposite of Sword and Shield which was linear as fuck. And finally I just don't think the new gimmick is exciting to people who aren't looking at it form a mechanical perspective. It's not marketable. It's not really cute or cool. Terastal pokemon are just kind of goofy, but practical from a game play perspective. I don't think surface level players are going to find it as appealing as a powerful unique move, achieving a new form or growing gigantic.
