Pokemon has entertained and delighted audiences of all ages for decades now. Many new and old fans are now getting to experience a brand new way of the very well-known pokemon video game series. Both Pokemon Violet and Scarlet are being offered on the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite for roughly $50-$60 USD.
Both Violet and Scarlet take place in the Paldea Region. The region is influenced heavily by Spanish countries throughout the language and music players can experience in the game. Unlike past pokemon games, this one allows players to experience 3 paths: Victory Road, Starfall Road, and Titan Road. The game is open world and has over 100 new pokemon and over 300 old pokemon to fill out the Pokedex. Each path can be completed in whatever order the player sees fit but all 3 paths must be fulfilled before the ending of the game is complete.
In my experience of the game, I noticed many good and bad things. Game Freak worked hard to push out a game with brand-new features and some ultimately flopped while others soared to new heights. We will break down the game and its features into five categories: graphics, sound, gameplay, story, and unique and special features.
Graphics
Pokemon Violet has some of the best graphics for pokemon games but I also feel it is severely lacking compared to other Nintendo Games. The newer Mario games such as Mario Party Superstar has better-quality graphics. This may be because the game was rushed out to meet a deadline or the fact that the game developers just didn’t care enough to make them slightly better in areas. I will say certain pokemon battle moves are chef’s kiss.
Game Freak did make amazing character designs for the gym leaders. I personally loved Larry, Iono, and Tulip. I feel all of the gym leaders and characters were done amazingly. I will say, I personally did not like Penny’s character design with the two-toned hair. (I can say that because I have two-toned hair).
One area that Game Freak struggles with is some of the newer pokemon designs. The starter evolutions and the two “legendary” pokemon are unique but the everyday other pokemon are not. I found myself gravitating back to old pokemon as someone who designs their team based on looks more than stats.
Sound Design
Now for sound, I do not have much to say. The sound is about the same for everyone pokemon game, often keeping a tradition on how the music in certain areas such as pokemon stops is done and I have no complaints.
I will say battle music is outstanding. I personally had to pause and just listen when my first gym leader terastallize her pokemon. The subtle inspiration from the Spanish cultures in the music was perfect and immersed me so much into the new world of the Paldea Region.
Gameplay
This is the area I have the most to say. Gameplay in this specific game is 50/50. The fact that I knew the bugs in this game were bad before I bought it says a lot. Also seeing a floating psyduck in the middle of a town is so unimmersive.
I loved the open world/nonlinear aspect of the game as the open world is one of my favorite subgenres of games but maybe we could have a few more loading screens in towns if it helped with the lagging issue. In every town I entered no matter how big or small, I was always experiencing laggy and robotic-like NPCs. Speaking of loading screens, why specifically are the Team Star loading screens after battling the bosses 10x longer than other loading screens in the game?
Battling in the game is so much fun though. I do not know if the game levels the area you go to based on which area you go to first but I always felt I was at the right gym at the right moment, even when I jumped around the map. Battles were not easy but were not hard either. I had to strategize and practice type matching well to win, but for players who do not like to do that, I feel they would be able to beat the game as well.
Overall, I feel this game was rushed out and because of that, players will always experience bugs and performance issues but overall will not take away too much from the gameplay experience.
Story
The story for Pokemon Violet and Scarlet was perfect for a pokemon game. It fit well within the world and was easy to follow. From a story standpoint outside of the franchise, it was cliche and predictable. This is easily forgiven since it's literally a pokemon game. Now I will do my best not to spoil but I will say, if you think something is happening, it most likely is.
I will say the final story point was amazing. I was sucked in even with the cliche tendencies and was invested in the story. (SPOILER WARNING) I did enjoy the fact that our ‘Legendary” pokemon are just normal pokemon from the future. It brings a new twist on how I viewed legendary pokemon.
Special/Unique Features
Finally, let's talk about some special and unique features of this game. First, I enjoyed the idea of tera pokemon. I loved the crowns the pokemon got and how pretty they looked, but from a gameplay standpoint, it was a little too much like mega pokemon.
Being able to take any of the 3 paths at any point in whatever order was also a nice touch. As an Elder Scrolls fan, I very much enjoyed the semi-control of what my character was doing at a given time. The paths all meeting up at the end to face the final story point was also perfect. I absolutely love when things are connected.
One unique feature I found super cool was the raids on tera pokemon. Being able to battle alone or with other players against a semi-boss pokemon was amazing and added to the gameplay experience, even more so when all the main paths are complete.
Final Thoughts
Pokemon Violet and Scarlet are fantastic, unique games like no other pokemon game of its type. The game lacks in some areas but not enough to take away from the gameplay experience. I believe all types of gamers will thoroughly enjoy this game, even if they are new to Pokemon or gaming. This is easily a game you could play in just a few sittings and have a great time.
Do I think this game is good for a bad gamer?
Yes. This game is just challenging enough for anyone at any skill level to enjoy the game without being too easy. It is not frustrating even in the harder parts of the game and is super fun to invest yourself in. Overall I give this game a solid 8/10.
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