Game: Pokémon Scarlet
Developer: Game Freak
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Reviewed on: Nintendo Switch
Introduction
I was super excited when this game came out. Everything looked good from the previews. There were a lot of good additions that they added, but there were also some bad things.
Story
There are three different stories to follow in this game, I’ll elaborate in the next section. I enjoyed each of the stories. I think that the main story told in this game is one of the better ones that they’ve had. There were a lot of things that happened that I did not expect. I will elaborate later in the post.
Game Play
Pokémon Scarlet/Violet do things differently from the other games in the series. You’re given a little bit more freedom in how you do things. It’s not total freedom though as Pokémon levels are set in their respective areas. There are three stories that you’ll be working your way through. Each of them has a different objective. One is the usual collection of gym badges, one involves finding secret ingredients, and the third involves battling Team Star.
All of these locations are shown on your map and you can select the location that you want to track. In Pokémon Scarlet you’ll be using Koraidon to help you get around. At first you can only go at the default running speed, but as you progress Koraidon will be able to do more.
Battles are similar to Pokémon Legends Arceus where they take place in the current environment. The only difference is that you can’t move your character around and there is no swift or agile style.
Music
The music in Scarlet/Violet is some of the best in the series. This OST is really strong and I’ve listened to these tracks several times. Here are some of my favorite tracks.
Likes
I like that they kept some features from Legends Arceus. One of those features was being able to swap out moves and not have to relearn them. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve accidentally deleted the wrong move. Another feature that I like that has been carried over is not having to teach Pokémon HMs.
I liked having more freedom in this game. Even though the Pokémon levels don’t scale, I had a lot of fun exploring different areas. It was great to not be restricted to specific routes until getting a certain number of gym badges. You had more freedom when making your team because you weren’t completely cut off from other Pokémon. I’m a fan of a lot of the new Pokemon. Below are some of my favorite ones.
Dislikes
As much as I like the game I can’t ignore all of the obvious issues. These include glitches and performance issues. Frame rates constantly drop more often than not. It’s not to the point where the game is unplayable, but is definitely 100% noticeable. Another issue that I encountered, though an update fixed it, was that the Elite Four music would loop the first 10 seconds of the song and not progress any further.
Other Thoughts
I don’t know if it’s an issue with Nintendo or Game Freak, but they definitely need to spend more development time on these games. I think that the issues that were present upon release were inexcusable. This is obviously an executive level issue that needs to be addressed in the future. When I buy a game I would like for it to be tested and the quality assured. I don’t mind waiting longer for a new Pokémon game if it means it will be fully tested and polished. Some glitches and bugs are expected upon release, but not to the point where Nintendo has to apologize.
Spoilers Ahead!!! Do not click the below button if you wish to avoid!!!
The story of Pokemon Scarlet\Violet is a bit more serious than I expected. To start with I did not expect the professor of the game to be dead. This was completely unexpected and definitely a shock. The professor that you’ve been talking to is an AI created by the real one. The battle against them was great as well. The music combined with the battle made everything perfect.
Another unexpected twist was how Team Star aren’t really the ones in the wrong. It doesn’t seem like they ever were. They all appear to be victims of bullying and decided to fight back. I enjoyed the Team Star story line, I do still wish they would go back to an actual evil team. I’d like for the next team to be like Team Galactic or Team Plasma.
As a side note, choosing fuecoco as a starter makes this game a breeze. Several gyms can be beaten with this starter alone as well as being able to almost beat the Champion solo.
Conclusion
Pokémon Scarlet was a game that I enjoyed. I like the direction that they appear to be taking the series. My biggest problems were the bugs, glitches, and performance. I believe if they took more times in development and the higher ups allowed developers to do their work, the series could get even better. I’ll most likely be looking into a new scoring system for my reviews. What I currently use calculates averages based on what I’ve entered. The score averages to a 7.8, but I would honestly give this game a solid 7. I would advise watching some game play footage before deciding if you want to make the purchase.
What did you think of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet? As always thank you all for reading!
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Good
Pokemon Scarlet is a good step forward for the series. Unfortunately the game suffers from frame rate issues as well as well as various bugs and glitches. The series can benefit from a longer development time and higher ups allowing developers to finish their work in a non rushed environment.