Played and Loved it. Best game ever.

Is a good game and like the Island challenges. Also like that there's a mix of old and new Pokemon.

First off, don't be fooled by people saying this generation has “too many” cut-scenes. Most people who say this are the ones who just want the mindless hours of grinding or people who kept going straight to mission objections instead of exploring every inch of the world has to offer. This generation gives a breath of fresh air to both casual and hardcore pokemon fans. It embodies most of the good mechanics that the past generations had, plus new unique stuff, and of course the quality of life changes on long time mechanics such as ride pager replacing HMs, which in turn gives you a more freedom on how you want to travel around without the limitations HMs have. Don't be discouraged if you haven't touched a pokemon game for years, because this game won't overwhelm you on its pacing. In terms of difficulty, it's not the hardest, but it's not easy either. In fact, you can adjust the difficulty with your play-style instead in an option screen toggle. If you want game to be easier, turn on Exp. Share, if you want more challenge, then leave it off. If that's still easy for you, then don't mindlessly grind levels, or tunnel vision on specific powerful pokemon species. Have fun by balancing grind/explora­tion/story/ot­her mechanics like PokePelago and Festival Plaza, plus being creative with pokemon in your party. All in all, there are many things to get your interest on this gen. The only thing that would discourage you is if you're into mega-evolution, as this gen doesn't have that, instead have Z-moves as it's unique new feature.