I would say the following:
- Sense of adventure and discovery
- Soundtrack
- Region design
- Pokemon design
- Player agency
- "Player's story"
Now the interesting thing is, Scarlet and Violet are actually good at all this on paper, and I have nothing against anyone who enjoys them for those reasons whatsoever. But they don't click for me. Through my 50 hours spent with the game I never got
engaged. I was at best somewhat academically interested in the game's design (because the design of the game is definitely fascinating) but there's this thing that the best Pokemon games do where they pull me into their world and send me on a journey across them, S/V not only failed to do that, it failed to do that completely at a level beyond any previous game.
"Maybe the issue is me, I've grown up"
I used to wonder if this was the case as well. but it is not. Just earlier last year, Pokemon Legends managed to do this (and very effectively deliver on everything I wanted from a new Pokemon game and became one of my favorite games on the Switch, in the series, and just ever), so a brand new Pokemon game (so not a remake, and not a replay, nothing with any scope for nostalgia lenses) still has the full potential to appeal to me and win me over.
Scarlet and Violet just didn't.
After I finished X/Y, I still spent 50 hours in the post game and then started a second file. After I finished SuMo, I still did the post-game, and then played through them again with Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon. Sword and Shield, I stuck around after I finished them, and I played the DLC for them.
Scarlet and Violet, I finished and I was just.... done. I have no interest in doing anything. There's a bunch of post game stuff for me to do, I don't want to. I did a couple of the Terra Raids, and can do so many more (especially the Event ones) with friends, I don't want to. The DLC is coming, I have no interest.
The game just didn't do anything for me. It is what it is.
Definitely looking forward to Legends 2 though.