While graphics generally aren’t important, they do become a glaring problem when the engine is poorly written. Pokémon Sword and Shield shed light on this problem because it was designed as an 3D open world game, meaning attention to detail was paramount. It needed to feel lived in, much like Breath of the Wild. Unfortunately, we got a barren and flat landscape that feels like it was ripped straight out of the DS.
You have to have a certain amount of bravery and humility to program because failure is with you at every step of the way. I know. I do this shit as a hobby.
Games are very difficult software to create. The only reason publishers like EA or Ubisoft can get away with pumping theirs out at an rapid (and unhealthy) pace is because they have a massive team