Pokémon Scarlet and Violet was launched on November 18th, 2022. Both games are set in Paldea - a region based on the Iberian Peninsula. This follows the tradition of centring a region around a real-world location. There are 400 Pokémon to register to your Pokédex, 107 are new to the game. However, some Pokémon are version exclusive, which means you need to trade or own both games to complete the Pokédex.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet take place in the region of Paldea. You are a student at either Naranja or Uva academy, depending on which version you have. Your task is to follow three paths, each guided by an NPC in the game. Nemona leads you down Victory Road to defeat 8 gyms and take on the Elite four, the most well-known and traditional objective of a Pokémon game. Arven helps you tackle five titan Pokémon to find the mysterious plant called Herba Mystica. The third and final path is guided by an NPC known as Cassiopeia, who contacts you on your Rotom phone.
Although you could tackle each path separately, the game is designed in a way that makes it easier for the player to intertwine the paths to complete the game.
The game starts like any other in the series, with picking a Pokémon starter and saying goodbye to your mum to set out on your journey through the region. Straight away you encounter so many different Pokémon that you can add to your team and register in your dex, this is also where you encounter your ride Pokémon. The good thing about this first area is that you aren’t limited to two or three Pokémon, which makes the area more diverse than ever before and making the Pokémon more than just digital creatures.
Eventually you make your way to your school, and after sitting through some dialogue, you’re allowed to leave the school and set off on your journey. Straight away, I noticed how different the gameplay felt compared to previous titles. You are given so many options, it can be a struggle with deciding where to start. I even managed to get myself lost while chasing after Pokémon. This made the game feel like a realistic adventure and is an improvement from past games.
At the start there are a few limitations because you need to progress further in the game for certain features. Fighting Titan Pokémon gives your ride Pokémon extra abilities such as climbing or flying. Defeating gym leaders means Pokémon of higher levels will obey you, which hasn’t changed from past games. Though after progressing past the first few locations to upgrade your ride Pokémon or improve your max obedience level, it is up to you which order you do things in – so long as you keep up with the upgrades you need.
Scarlet and Violet have kept some of the features that debuted in Legends Arceus and brought back others from the earlier games. Scarlet and Violet have kept the feature that lets your Pokémon easily remember moves for free. They also kept the crafting element, though you only need to craft TMs instead of all your items. Even so, you can find TMs in the pokéballs scattered throughout the region which is a feature they brought back from the earlier games.
Unfortunately, complaints about lag are true, but I haven’t experienced any major issues that impact the gameplay so much so that it’s unplayable. In fact, watching a Pokémon get stuck in a tree occasionally is amusing. The game is clearly still a work in progress, and it won’t surprise me if there are updates in the future that solve these issues. In fact, it can be argued that this game is the biggest Pokémon games to date which is why there are gameplay issues. There is so much content and so many different paths to take that I would have been more surprised if the game did run perfectly.
Could the developers have waited a little longer to release the game and perfect it? Sure. However, for £49.99 or even less at some retailers, I think the game is worth the money. It is fun to play, there is plenty of content to explore and lots of my favourite Pokémon make an appearance.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is available now in the Switch e-shop and physical copies are available at Game and on Amazon.
-Jay Palmer
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