The latest Pokémon is great...except for all the tech issues - Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Review
Pokémon Scarlet/Violet is a deeply enjoyable game that has the potential to go far beyond its predecessors, but it’s held back by annoying technical issues. That doesn’t entirely mean it’s bad, though—just an inch or two away from what could have been perfection.
Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet explore the region of Paldea and its ninth generation Pokémon. It features both co-op and solo gameplay; it’s the first open-world game that Game Freak has developed and the second Pokémon title released in 2022, right after Pokémon Legends: Arceus, which released in January.
In Pokémon Scarlet, the storyline starts off in the signature Pokémon style: The protagonist’s lovely, caring mother sends them off on an adventure to explore the beautiful yet dangerous world of Pokémon. From here, I was introduced to a few characters, including Nemona, the reliable and rather energetic rival I’d continuously square up against in my journey, and Arven, a mysterious dork on the hunt for herbs. Each character I encountered had a unique personality that made them stand apart from others. Those differences made it easier for me to form bonds with these characters, which pulled me further into this world.
But even with a roster of charming characters, Pokémon Scarlet wouldn’t be as immersive without such a deep narrative. I was given three main storyline paths to wander down: Victory Road, Path of Legends, and Starfall Street. Victory Road is the basic Pokémon plot where you face gym leaders across Paldea to earn badges. Path of Legends took me on an adventure to discover Titan Pokémon that had mutated into humongous creatures. And Starfall Street challenged me to put an end to an evil organization called Team Star. Aside from these primary questlines, the game is further fleshed out with various sidequests and tons of entertaining optional dialogue to take in.
Narrative isn’t the only immersive element about Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, though. I had an absolute blast exploring the open world and ended up spending more time climbing mountains and diving into caves than actually trying to complete some of the paths I initially set out for. Just the simple act of exploration captured my attention in a way I hadn’t expected, and it felt amazing to experience. I was constantly sidetracked, going hours out of my way to check out landmarks I hadn’t yet visited. And inevitably these distractions ended with me close to a gym leader, Titan Pokémon, or Team Star camp, so I guess my curiosity had a way of working in my favor.
You’ll have to be careful not to wander off early in the game, though. I sorely loved Pokémon Scarlet’s open-world features, but it was painful to explore in the early hours when I hadn’t trained up strong enough Pokémon to protect me. Most of the Pokémon found near roads leading to gym leaders, Team Star camps, and towns are always relatively easy to handle and defeat. When I strayed away from those paths, however, I found myself facing the frustrating consequences of losing to Pokémon that were twice as strong as mine and returning to a Pokémon Center all the way across Paldea.
At least Pokémon battles were enthralling, even when I was losing. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet stick to the classic combat formula that the series has been perfecting since 1996. Each Pokémon has one or more types (fire, water, poison, ghost, etc.) which determine their strengths and weaknesses as they take on other Pokémon in turn-based battles. A new mechanic called Terastalliziation is a one-time ability that allows you to make certain moves stronger. For example, using Terastallization on a Leafeon during battle would transform it and make all Grass-type moves much more powerful for the remainder of that fight. However, this superpower can only be replenished by visiting a Pokémon Center, so I had to pick when to use it carefully.
For a small addition, Terastalliziation added a surprising amount of depth to this game’s well-worn combat formula and made for some pretty rad moments. It provided a useful tool for squeaking my way through tough battles where my opponents were on the verge of defeating me. And since the effects of Terastallization stick around through the end of battle, I was inspired to make decisive plays during particularly difficult fights, such as those against gym leaders or Titan Pokémon.
While the challenging combat encounters and immersive exploration in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are as good as the series has ever been, they come at a major cost: the game’s performance. The game ran pretty smooth at the start but seemed to become more sluggish and glitchy the longer that I played. These technical issues and bugs never reached the point of making the game unplayable, but they definitely frustrated me. By the time I reached some of the higher level areas near the end of the game, the frame rate regularly dropped noticeably, and the game even completely froze up on me a few times, which was not pleasant even with the auto-save feature preventing any major progress loss.
Astoundingly poor performance aside, Pokémon Scarlet/Violet is still a tremendously enjoyable game. I’ve already invested nearly thirty hours into the game and don’t plan to stop anytime soon. Paldea is a massive region full of as many interesting places to discover as there are Pokémon to catch. This is an excellent Pokémon experience right down to its core that builds in just enough new elements to really stand out from past games; I just hope Game Freak can make things run a little smoother through patches and with the inevitable next game in the series.
SCORE: 4 STARS OUT OF 5
PLAY IF YOU LIKE:
• Pokémon games—duh! If you’ve enjoyed past Pokémon games, you’ll almost certainly love playing Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet too.
• Zelda: Breath of the Wild. If you love playing open-world games, scavenging areas for resources, and gathering materials to make items like in Zelda: Breath of the Wild, you might like Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet for a similar experience.
💬 What’s your favorite Pokémon and why? Leave a comment below with a picture of your personal choice!
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