I wish I could give this a 4.5
This game is really good. It's actually better designed in subtle ways than big titles out there and if you start (restart) a game, you'll notice so many design decisions that teach the player.
The Cheat Tackle is honestly one of the best designs I think I've seen in games like this; it's obviously overpowered and if you don't want to play a JRPG you can just swap to easy mode and murder everything- but its presence opens up your ability to punch way above your weight in so many ways other than the obvious "MILF neighbor has a single Pal that's level 95, how can your level 6 trainer ass beat her?" This game is the most Rance Pokemon I think I've ever played, and the tone and gameplay align with that perfectly. This is a 5/5 and a game Pokemon should honestly look at in certain ways; the exp share is rudimentary, but it can be evolved on and would be perfect innovation that we know they'll ignore. (Palword, maybe get in on this?) Trainer level isn't new here, but Pokemon really could jump in on it, too. Ironically by controlling the trainer level and thus the Pokemon, you can more control how powerful you are at certain points in the story.
Here are the nitpicks, and then I'll conclude why I'm giving it a 4:
1) 3 slots felt a little too low, particularly because one was forced. Pokemon probably had it right for 6 being the best for gameplay, but for "porn gameplay" 4 is likely the more optimal number.
2) The game's scenes just sort of defaulted to PiV sex. Granted, the entire existence of the human race has occured because of this type of sex, so it's probably popular- but it does mean you're a little less excited when you're in that 50-60 girls range. You come across a girl you haven't beaten in a fight yet and you think "ok, I'll take the trainer out in 3 attacks, then hold control and level up" 99% was a little extraneous, the game needed a sprinkle of still-technically vanilla variance.
3) The battle system has flaws but all of those are kinda muted because....
tl;dr and conclusion:
The game does so much well, the battle system needs tweaks, but it's fun and in Japenese this game would be amazing. However, there are translation issues, and they're pretty bad.
Like "I cannot read the ability my not-pokemon has because the text goes off screen" bad.
I lost a fight because there wasn't enough text to explain that my attack was causing recoil.
Some attacks have very obvious notes in their Proper Noun names! Think "BFG (japanese for big fucking gun)" as an attack name. That also takes up space.
I cannot in any capacity of good faith give this game a perfect score because of it. The plot is readable, but you'll have to fill in some holes yourself. (Shiren is Japanese for "Trial" or some sort of ordeal/tribulation, heads up for when you need to realize the two are the same.)
I was going to wait for a better translation, and I think this was it. I knew it wasn't- but I am a man of flesh and blood and impatience so I caved. This game is great. I can't recommend it as is, because the translation is pretty scuffed, but if you can get around it, it's great. Feels like that's what you give a 4/5 to, I guess. I'll wait for the DLC to get translated; we might have a better version by then.