I think when you compare it to some other games which likely had larger budgets and larger staff working on it, the graphics can come across as quite simple, but simple =/= bad, in my opinion. I want to see how it runs on the Switch for myself but it looks like a step up from the Isle of Amor and Crown Tundra and that's no bad thing, they were excellent in my view.
I really do think we've been in a loooooong transition with Pokémon. When you look at how each generation has been a reinvention of the same basic premise with changes to hardware and engine design along the way, it's not hard to see how it has taken us nearly 30 thirty years to get to this generation and an open world game. Game Freak haven't been interested in completely redeveloping the formula, they've been more interested in the reimagining of the original story by way of each new region. We've only really had sequels twice - G/S and BW2.
Along the way, gimmicks have come and gone, the regions largely fade into obscurity, each new generation has added new monsters and tried to tell the same overall story with different motifs and a different case of characters. There's no shame in that so long as they keep going forward and try to make it a new story experience each time.
I will say this though. I think Gen 8 and 9's biggest success is showing Pokémon as a game series is thinking bigger and bigger. If Paldea ends up feeling like an epic adventure, the next step I can see is another run of either the Johto or Hoenn storyline, this time using this engine and design. What I would like is something that takes the battles and catching mechanics in PLA, the exploration and raid battles from SW/SH/PLA/S/V and combine them into a completely new game.
Overall, we have a lot to be excited about and for the first time since the trailer dropped to announce the new generation, I am feeling properly excited for the games again.
16 days left people!