The first thing to realize is that since Pokemon Quest is not part of the main series, it doesn't have an obligation to represent everything as being consistent with other games. There will be very little (if any) focus on the way that these moves compare to their past representations and much more of a focus on how the move affects the unique combat in Quest itself. Not only are the strengths and viabilities of moves different, but so is the way they look. It would be quite restrictive if the developers could only make moves that functioned exactly like they did in main series games since most moves wouldn't have worked well for multiple moving targets in a 3D space. Changing how moves work adds variety to the gameplay and their power might have to be adjusted to accommodate this.
Another thing to note is that all the "bad" attacks you listed are ranged or multi-hit attacks. For instance, Thunderbolt creates a circle of electric cubes that swirl around the user and persist for a few seconds, while Psybeam shoots out a few long blasts that spread out. These attacks are easier to hit and present a lower risk to the user. Plus, they can often have more types of move stones attached to them. The "good" attacks you mentioned are short-duration attacks that strike a small space in front of the user one time. These require precise timing and positioning since it's easier to get miss or get in the way of enemy attacks. Thus, you should consider the range, duration, and number of hits that an attack has in addition to its power.
Powerful ranged attacks do exist though, such as Psychic. This move launches a very large cube that homes in on enemies and lowers their stats. Alakazam can be a very good Pokemon in Quest, even with Psybeam, but I would recommend trying to get one with Psychic.
