I liked the game a lot. And I do agree with some of your points, but I have to disagree entirely on the story part. This is the most story-driven Pokemon to date and for a game that has that characteristic I'd argue its one of the worst stories in all the franchise. Granted its presented better, perhaps in the best way possible, but for gameplay/visual reasons, the story itself is garbage. I'd also argue that a lot of the characters make it even more annoying, specially as you point out Hau, which again, is weird that you put "characters" as a "pro" point when one of the main ones just tries his damn hardest to be the most annoying character/worst rival in the franchise story.
I'd also say tha the games take a lot of time to start. The entire first island feels like a tutorial for a game that doesn't need one.







