Pokémon released their new games titled Scarlet and Violet in November of last year. This new game takes us to the region of Paldea and looks to incorporate several key features from the previous games while also adding a few new ones.
TL;DR review: Good concept, and ideas, but very buggy implementation. Mixed Feelings. Wouldn’t really recommend.
First and foremost, the game isn’t bad. It isn’t great either. The two versions Scarlet and Violet take a new approach to the whole pokémon game by combining aspects of the earlier Sword/Shield versions, along with Pokémon Arceus (check out my review of Pokémon Arceus here). Pokémon Scarlet/Violet are trying to bring in some of these new elements into the more traditional gameplay format.
What we have is an open-world pokémon game where you have the ability to travel anywhere on the map (provided there’s no surfing or rock climbing required). This is different from every other earlier entry in the pokémon universe where there is a linear path to follow which helps the player level up and prepare for every phase of the game accordingly. In this game however, you can find yourself in an area with level 40+ pokémon before even the first gym. Whether you can survive, catch the pokémon, or even use them is another matter; they still have the fact that pokemon of higher levels will only obey you based on the number of gym badges you have. That aside, this is a very refreshing take, and one that I actually quite enjoyed. It made certain phases of leveling up a lot more fun as you are not limited to constantly run around a certain patch of grass, but can instead just go to a stronger area.
Apart from the free roam, you can also see the pokémon in the over world in the game. Similar to Arceus, and like the central area in Sword/Shield. No longer would we have to be worried about being surprised while walking through grass. Unlike Arceus however you can’t just throw a pokéball at it and try to catch it. Instead you have to battle the pokemon. What has changed in this game though is the concept of auto-battling. You can select one pokemon to walk beside you and, while you roam around, send them to battle the wild pokémon in your vicinity. These auto battles were interesting as it frees you to explore the area while your pokémon gets experience clearing the wild pokémon (albeit not as much had you actually battled, but still something). If your pokémon encounters a tough opponent / gets tired, they come back to your side so there is no need to worry that they would faint. While this is a nice new feature, I honestly didn’t care for it much as, for me, the act of training your pokémon by grinding battle after battle was the satisfying part. As more and more new games have come out, they have reduced the amount of effort needed to play the games (in terms of gaining exp). In the more recent games, exp from a battle is shared throughout the party pokémon. Before, only the pokémon that participated in a battle received exp which made for a more fair system in my opinion. Yes, it was harder and it took way longer to level up, but it was so satisfying when it all worked out. Now, its too easy at times.
Pokémon Scarlet/ Violet have also added a few things to the story plot. As mentioned before you can travel anywhere you want on the map. Along with that you can approach any gym (Victory Road path) in any order. There is no set pattern to follow, although the level of the wld pokémon in the area will give you an indication as to the level of the gym leader, and you invariably end up following the order of least resistance (for the most part). Apart from the gyms, there are also Scarlet/Violet’s Team Rocket variants called Team Star (Starfall Street path), who have bases with their own bosses; kind of like gyms themselves. Add to that a new research element which requires you to find and battle a few giant pokémon (Path of Legends), there is quite a bit to do and in whichever order you choose.
Another feature introduced in this game is the concept of terastallizing pokemon. This is the dynamax equivalent of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Here, you can terastallize pokémon once between each recovery session at a pokémon center. What it entails is using some of this new ‘tera energy’ to supercharge the pokémon whom you use it on, with the possibility of changing its pokémon type. This can be seen from the shape/form of the crystals on top of the pokémon’s head. For example, you can have a fire pokémon that can terastillise and develop ghost abilities, or a pokémon that can develop abilities that negate/minimise your original weakness (ground pokémon with water tera type will be less weak to water than a normal ground pokémon). Again, I didnt really care for this feature, nor did I use it that much unless explicitely required within the game. The graphics during these animations looked pretty good though. This makes the issues highlighted later all the more frustrating.
There is also no ‘legendary pokémon’. The main pokémon that you see on the cover art is the ‘legendary’ of the game but you have them from practically the beginning of the game. They seemed to have lost their powers, and the research quests mentioned earlier are to recover certain herbal plants which which will help the pokémon recover its strength. Each time you ‘heal’ the pokemon it can help you in certain ways. From being able to ride on its back, to jumping, to climbing up rock faces, to flying. Similar to the mounts we’ve seen in Pokémon Arceus. These are all unlocked as you play the game and heal the ‘legendary’ pokémon.
Based on everything described so far one would think that this is a good step forward for the pokémon game franchise, and I would agree. These are all impressive steps and ideas which have made for a good game. I am already looking forward to what the future games could bring. The only problem though, and its quite a big problem, is the fact that the game is filled with bugs. There are frame rate issues, scenery popping in and out of existence, honestly terrible graphics from the same people that brought out Breath of the Wild, sometimes atrocious NPC movements, the list is unfortunately too long.
It’s sad to see that while the idea was there, the execution fell short. At times it feels like the switch isn’t powerful enough for the kind of gaming experience intended for Pokémon Scarlet/Violet. Other times, it feels like someone on the dev team just decided that the fans are so loyal they’ll buy a subpar product and they’ll have time later to send across patches. Honestly, it’s a very confusing situation. It’s a game I would easily recommend as a good first pokemon game to play for anyone wanting to try, but these glaring issues are too hard to ignore.
I’ve played most of the main storyline up to the point I have to go encounter the elite four. I took a break then because I just wasn’t feeling it, and I have yet to pick it up again. I’m sure I’ll finish the rest sometime (there is a lot more content in the post-game story with a new area and more pokémon) but for now, I’ll give it a rest. I’d recommend waiting for the next game where hopefully all the concerns and issues would be accounted for. Maybe give this one a pass? Until next time!
Rating: 2/5
Links:
- nintendo switch: Pokémon Violet
- ign wiki guide: Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
- After ‘Pokémon Scarlet’ and ‘Violet,’ we can’t give Game Freak a pass
- Game Review: Pokémon Legends: Arceus
Liminal Ramblings 