I think Pokemon is a game that lends itself very well to being linear, much like Final Fantasy, for example. They're both games with a clear purpose that the development team is setting out for the player, they're not sandboxes and they don't need to be. Perhaps it could be a little less "on-rails" in some places, but I haven't personally found the games lacking because they are still very linear.
I don't think Pokemon is ready for its Breath of the Wild moment yet.
I don't think Pokemon is ready for its Breath of the Wild moment yet.