Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Are Likely To Be What You Expect Them To Be

After several trips and tries, the first real open-world game in the Pokémon franchise will be released next month. Recently we had an hour and a half adventure in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and it went largely as we expected.

Despite the fact that more and more Pokémon games are being outsourced, the pace at which Game Freak is releasing new parts is amazing. appeared in January Legends Arceus, clearly a test balloon for the upcoming parts. Scarlet and Violet feel quite streamlined and relatively ‘free’ just like that game.

At Ease

Our first steps in the op Liberia-based Paldea region are therefore somewhat unfamiliar. Instead of a clear mission or storyline, we are set free to explore the local nature and visit one of the many points of interest on the map. Think of a village with a few shops, a Terra Raid Battle, a fortress of the evil Team Star, a Gym Challenge, or something else. That setup feels quite liberating after some increasingly linear games, somewhat similar to Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

It is striking that Scarlet and Violet omit the most important new mechanics of Legends Arceus. Unfortunately, instead of throwing free pokeballs at wild monsters, players have to go into battle the old-fashioned way. Fortunately, the rest of the gameplay is nevertheless quite smooth: battles take place seamlessly in the game world, multiple pokémon can attack the player at the same time and automatic Let’s Go battles remove the need for active grinding. Also, fights with trainers are no longer mandatory and cutscenes can be skipped. Game Freak clearly eliminates as many obstacles as possible between you and your target.

So our play session consists of a mix of haphazardly catching wild pokémon (of which we are unfortunately not allowed to name the best examples), driving around, swimming, and flying on the legendary pokémon Koraidon and challenging gyms. Those gyms are scattered across the region and can be challenged in any order for the first time in years – though the Pokemon’s levels don’t scale to your team’s. A spokesperson for The Pokémon Company states that the game “subtly guides you towards the first three gyms”, although, in theory, it is possible to challenge the last gym directly.

Together, But Still Alone

Perhaps the above has to do with the game’s cooperative mode, a second ambitious addition that seems to work fine for now. At one of several Pokémon Centers – now located in nature and a little too much like gas stations – up to four players can gather in the world. Then players can physically trade Pokémon with each other – with the Poké balls flying through the air – together performing Terra Raids and building questionable ham sandwiches.

Scarlet and Violet don’t seem really focused on co-op, however. For example, the raids take players to a different location for the fight and it is not possible to attack a pokémon or gym together. The games especially invite you to do your own thing and get together every now and then when, for example, a rare Terastal pokémon – which gets a different type in its special form – shows up, even when one of the players makes progress in the game. story.

Spanish Sun

The open-game world, in combination with the cooperative elements, means that Scarlet and Violet appear very rough graphically for the time being. In the early version during our hands-on, the framerate was very unstable and some textures were quite simple, comparable to the quality of Legends Arceus. That’s a shame because somewhere in Scarlet and Violet there is a beautiful game. The Barcelona-based capital of Mesagoza sparkles from a distance in the middle of the region and subtle sound design contributes to the peaceful exploration of nature.

It is also noticeable that the pokémon models have a slightly different look than before, not to mention the new designs. Unfortunately, we are not allowed to discuss the majority of the new copies, but with comic (Spanish) puns and references to memes, the new generation seems to be more than okay.

Scarlet and Violet, therefore, seem to become what you expect them to be: a fresh approach to the franchise with a performance that is hampered by a lack of optimization and hardware capacity. Regardless of whether the end product makes technical progress, the above is enough for many players. The main games had been due for renewal for some time, and they seem to be slowly introducing Scarlet and Violet.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are coming to Nintendo Switch on November 18.

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