PGC NEWS

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, the latest installments in the globally beloved franchise, developed by Game Freak, have finally arrived. Promising a vast open world and unprecedented freedom in tackling objectives, do these games deliver the quality experience fans craved after the innovative Pokémon Legends: Arceus? This review, based on gameplay of Pokémon Violet, explores the highs and lows of this new generation.

Embracing the Paldea Region: Potential and Enjoyment

While this review focuses on Pokémon Violet, Scarlet offers similar experiences with minor variations. These include unique Pokémon, character appearances, school colors (predominantly scarlet in that version), and some supporting character differences. The initial setup mirrors previous games: introductions to the world, character customization, and waking up in your bedroom.

What sets this generation apart is the immediate encounter with the Legendary Pokémon Miraidon (Koraidon in Scarlet). A humorous scene involving a sandwich fuels the beginning of your shared journey. Don’t let this lighthearted start fool you; Pokémon Violet avoids the narrative pitfalls of Sword & Shield.

Pokemon Violet

The game presents three main storylines: Victory Road, Path of Legends, and Starfall Street. With few initial restrictions, players can pursue these paths in any order, creating a dynamic and engaging experience. Each storyline unfolds with its own unique narrative, cleverly intertwined and gradually revealed based on your chosen path.

These storylines converge near the end, weaving together a compelling narrative that explores the depths of the Paldea region, unveils hidden truths, and evokes genuine emotional connection with key characters. This success is largely attributed to the well-developed and endearing companions who accompany you. Arven (Path of Legends) and Penny (Starfall Street), along with the Uva Academy director, stand out with their nuanced personalities and relatable struggles.

Pokemon Violet

Beyond the improved narrative, Pokémon Violet’s exploration shines. Unlike many open-world games, Paldea doesn’t overwhelm players with endless collectibles or a deluge of side quests. The world feels vast and varied, offering diverse environments from bustling cities to snowy mountains, deserts, rivers, and sprawling hills. Dynamic weather, including rain and storms, and a real-time day-night cycle influence Pokémon appearances and behavior.

The core gameplay loop of capturing, training, and evolving Pokémon, combined with the vastness of Paldea, easily provides over 40 hours of engaging gameplay. Post-game content, Terastallize battles, scattered item collection (including Poké Balls, stat boosters, and special abilities), and online features like co-op, trading, and battling (with a Nintendo Online subscription) extend the replayability significantly.

Pokemon Violet

Turn-based battles return, now unfolding in real-time within the environment, similar to Legends: Arceus. Gym battles, Starfall Street bosses, and Titan Pokémon present challenging encounters, requiring strategic team building and level grinding. Terastallize, the new battle mechanic, allows Pokémon to crystallize, boosting their stats and attack power. However, type matchups still apply, demanding careful planning. The energetic battle music further enhances the excitement.

A new school system, reminiscent of the Persona series, adds another layer to the gameplay. While not as in-depth, it provides a refreshing change of pace, rewards, and unlocks further character interactions and story elements, highlighting the developers’ commitment to innovation and improvement.

Pokemon Violet

Technical Shortcomings: A Disappointing Reality

Despite the promising features, Pokémon Violet suffers from significant technical drawbacks. The most glaring issue is the underwhelming design of the three main storylines. Challenges and puzzles are simplified to an astonishing degree. Victory Road gym challenges, typically a highlight of the series, are reduced to simplistic, time-filling mini-games.

Starfall Street suffers from repetitive challenges, relying heavily on releasing Pokémon to battle automatically. Path of Legends offers slightly more variety in its Titan Pokémon encounters, but the overall structure remains repetitive.

Pokemon Violet

While the supporting characters benefit from improved development, the rival character remains a tired trope, lacking any meaningful growth. The protagonist, as per tradition, remains largely bland. The absence of voice acting, a long-requested feature, further hinders the narrative’s potential impact. Customization options are also limited compared to previous titles, with a lack of region-specific clothing.

Pokemon Violet

Graphically, Pokémon Violet is arguably one of the worst-optimized entries in the series. Frame rate instability, dropping below 20fps at times, plagues the experience. Bugs, including camera glitches and occasional crashes, further detract from the enjoyment. The low resolution and pervasive jagged edges are also disappointing. While the Nintendo Switch’s hardware limitations are understandable, the lackluster art direction fails to compensate. Environments lack distinct character and detail, offering little incentive for exploration.

Pokemon Violet

Positive aspects include improved environmental interaction (Pokémon using floats in water, wind affecting foliage), polished cutscenes, and the visually interesting Zero Zone area. Texture details and character animations are marginally better than Sword & Shield. However, these improvements are overshadowed by the numerous technical flaws, hindering the overall experience and falling short of titles like Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope and Monster Hunter Rise.

Conclusion

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet introduce promising new features, including a vast open world and dynamic storylines. However, technical shortcomings and underwhelming design choices hold these games back from their full potential. While enjoyable moments exist, the pervasive performance issues and lack of polish ultimately create a frustrating experience.