Pokémon experiencing another surge in popularity just now. From the games being huge hits to the trading card game being all the rage once again. It’s perfect timing then that The Pokémon Company have just released Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

The pair are the first instalments in the ninth generation of the series. However, it’s only been 10 months since the outstanding Pokémon Legends: Arceus which makes Pokémon Scarlet and Violet feel a bit rushed in more ways than one.

Considering that the team isn’t the biggest in the world, them putting out three main line instalments in the space of 12 months. That’s very much a red flag situation. And Scarlet and Violet have very much got the short end of this very poo covered stick.

Rough Trading

Right off the bat these games are extremely rough with a list of issues, almost as long as the catalogue of pocket monsters found in your trusty Pokédex, to the point that Nintendo have acknowledged this with the launch of the game’s first post-launch patch.

We are talking everything from pop up, slow down, screen tearing, clipping, collision detection, flickering and low res textures. And that’s just the ones we can think of off the top of our head, it’s honestly a shock to see a top tier Nintendo game in such a state, as we can’t think or remember one being this rough in the past.

But none of them are “game breaking” so to say, but when they come together they impact the game in the worst way possible. Now to their credit…the game is starting to be patched, so hopefully in the coming weeks and months it will find its footing.

Blowing Hot as Well as Cold

As under all these issues there beats the heart of one of the best mainline Pokémon games to date – complete with all the addictive gameplay and game design you would expect from a game in the series.

You get a huge open world to go and live out your Pokémon dreams, however you see fit or best still with the new four-player co-op drop-in/drop-out feature, where you can team up and adventure together or stay in the same world and go your own way. This is the stuff seven-year-old me could only have dreamt of.

Branching Poké Paths

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet also take a new look at how you can complete the game, as there are three main paths you could take. The first is the standard defeat gym leaders and then the best trainers in the land to become the very best.

The second sees you having to defeat the games new bad guys by bringing down their organisation. And the third is by capturing a number of legendary Pokémon rumoured to be in the world.

With each section of the game being so linear, you are free to attack these paths as you want. Meaning if you want to take on the hardest gym leader or the biggest,baddest titan. Good luck to you.

But it’s the fact you can that shows just how open the game is and that you truly tell your own story, which fulfils ambitions set way back with Pokémon Red and Blue.
Scarlet and Violet also introduces 103 new Pokémon to the already beefy list, numbering more than 1000 now.

With the new batch on the whole having some really striking and memorable designs and catching them takes on a very Legends path. And you catch them all in real time, spotting them as you explore the world.

Missing in Action

Oddly, you can’t sneak up and catch them without going into battle, meaning you will have to fight every one you want to catch. There are also a few other Legends features that have been dropped from the gameplay.

For example, selecting which Pokémon you send into battle first, with Pokémon Scarlet and Violet defaulting to the first one in your team now. The ability to run from fights is now locked behind a menu.

Though Pokémon Scarlet and Violet do have their own nice quality of life touches that do play a part in making things run smoothly. It’s just odd that some of Legends‘ better features have been dropped here.

Signature Style Done Wrong

Visually, the game is a strange one. It has some of the signature style, but it takes the simplistic aesthetic too far. exploring wide open areas, with only a handful of trees and rocks to break up the vast expanse of nothing. It’s extremely jarring when you think the Switch can run the likes of the Xenoblade Chronicles series. Games are infinitely more detailed and more technically demanding.

Music-wise, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is as you would expect; outstanding. Though, criminally, there is no voice acting. A few lines here and there would have made a real difference at times.

Especially if you see the example that some fans and voice actors have posted online. These clips really highlight the missed opportunity to add depth but also some emotion to the game as a whole.

The Pokémon of Fire and Ice

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are truly hot and cold games. On one front, they are a technical mess. The games seem so unpolished and unfinished that it’s a shock that these are mainline Nintendo games.

But on the other they are extremely well designed. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet bring the series forward while fulfilling years of promises. All while giving you tonnes of content and becoming very addictive once they get their hooks into you.

It’s just a crying shame it’s all been rushed out the door. Patches are coming and some day. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will be a great chapters in the series. But if you have to play the pair now, be ready to dig through a mountains worth of Snorlax poo to get there.