Pokémon Scarlet and Violet review: a step back for the open-world era

all pokemon scarlet When Violet It stumbles in their attempt to lead the series into a new chapter, but the most obvious of these is that a more compelling, ultimately better blueprint for the series’ future has come to light with its release ten months ago. It was already laid out for this purpose. Pokemon Legends: Arceus.

Arceus As the series has always felt thematically, we stuck to making the world of Pokémon in a mechanical sense appealing to explore. It unfolds a fluid traversal and action-driven combat system, shaping it into one of the most exciting experiences the series has yet to offer. scarlet When violeton the other hand, They go out of their way to make the modern Pardea area feel more alive. to do. But really doing those things never sings like it did Legend: Arceus.

pokemon scarlet When violet Struggling to create a sense of freedom more than Pokemon Like the recent mainstream games in the series pokemon sun When Moon, When pokemon sword When shieldThis time around, the world is your cloister, and it’s intended to allow you to follow questlines across the map at will. It became clear that many of these promises of freedom were shams.

scarlet When violetThe central hub of is the academy in the middle of the map. Naranja Academy or Uva Academy, depending on whether you’re playing. scarlet Also violet, Respectively. (I played violet for this review.Academy serves as an ancestor for many scarlet When Violet stories big and small.

Inside the school, I met teachers and staff who were willing to share their wisdom and stories. While the social he simulation elements aren’t quite as deep as RPGs like Persona, I appreciate Uva Academy’s sense of community. I felt compelled to learn more about my teachers (like Clavell, the academy’s eccentric director) and classmates (like Nemona, my gung-ho and supportive rival).

All the relationships I have had with my teachers have been successful, but the majority of relationship building scarlet When violet takes place in an open world that spans three main routes. All Academy students are sent to this area to find their “treasure”, one of which is to defeat eight Gym Leaders with Nemona.Her one task in taking out the base performed by scarlet When Violet Designated Evil Group, Teamster. The third is helping Arven, the son of a regional professor, conquer the giant Titan Pokémon that have been spawning around Pardea. scarlet When Violet Not only do they have great characters and world building, but their seriously flawed open world design betrays them.

Image: Game Freak/The Pokémon Company, Nintendo via Polygon

Initially, it doesn’t matter in which order you approach these three stories. But when you start traveling through Pardea to earn 8 gym badges, these challenges not only do not cater to players who can reach them at any point in their journey, other root. For example, a team star barricade blocking my path could only be taken down by defeating the boss at a nearby fortress. In another case, I came across a trainer and a wild Pokémon whose level was way above the team I was building.I spend most of my playtime violet Tackling these routes with disorientation and whimsical precision would only result in sudden spikes in difficulty, or segments where your opponent’s Pokémon were dozens of levels lower than you.

Due to the nature of open world games, you invite to certain areas, but not others.However scarlet When violet It lacks many of the methods that previous Pokémon games used to indicate if you’re in the danger zone. Without seeing that astronomical level. Just go through the entire cutscene and encounter the unwaiting combat on the other side. scarlet When violet There are many scenes where Director Claver assures his students that they are always ready to pursue their own goals.What is the disconnect between scarlet When violet What you promise and what you actually allow.

These frustrations are exacerbated by the fact that: scarlet When violet do not consolidate some of the Legend: Arceus‘Changes in quality of life have made interacting with open areas manageable, satisfying and fluid.

scarlet When violet You can cross Pardea on the backs of Collidon and Milidon. The two Legendary Dragon-type Pokémon gain a set of exploration abilities as they progress. But these vehicles never achieve the agility of the local Pokemon you encounter on your journey. Legend: Arceus — cumbersome and slow, even when flying over landscapes. I used fast travel points more often than riding on Miladon’s back.

Image: Game Freak/The Pokémon Company, Nintendo via Polygon

one of its biggest failures scarlet When violet took a step back from of Arceus Action-based Pokémon catching mechanics.they borrow from of Arceus The stealth system allows you to crouch or sneak behind an unsuspecting Pokémon before throwing your own monsters for a preemptive strike. But there is no way to point the Pokeball directly at the target. There is no way to catch Pokémon without engaging in combat.and certainly nothing to match of Arceus Evolution of the core catch-up mechanism. scarlet When violet You can’t get close to pure joy Arceus Infinite worlds are discovered by exploring, collecting and recording.

At a more detailed level, scarlet When violet It introduces a unique spin on the series’ combat mechanics. Especially in his new Terastal form, he can change or enhance a Pokémon’s elemental type to try out new tactics. Even when playing against trainers in single player, it was satisfying to see new strategies unfold. In one case, the gym leader terastalized Sudwood (usually a Rock-type Pokémon) against a Grass-type opponent. But the Terastal form only put me on my hind legs. Suddenly I was defenseless.

Most of Pokemon’s generation change gimmicks The game’s offers tend to be short-term power boosts, often accompanied by impressive changes and new lore.compared to sword When of the shield Gigantamax feature and X When wise Mega Evolutions, Terastallizing feels like it could have lasting Pokemon strategic effects competition scene. Fundamentally, the mechanics are calculated and strategic, opening up so many possibilities for how individual Pokémon change during battle.

Image: Game Freak/The Pokémon Company, Nintendo

The biggest redeeming factor I can attribute despite the promise of this combat feature scarlet When violet is still that sentence, Legend: Arceus, builds towards a truly excellent and compelling endgame.Despite my frustration with its structure, mechanics, and the fact that it looks and runs like a half-baked GameCube game for the most part (even outside of open world areas, character animations nearly stop There were some examples – level of movement movement), I still left scarlet When violet I’m fascinated by its character relationships and the tightly connected theme of finding one’s own joy in the vast and wild world of Pokémon. Among the best stories the series has ever told, I hope what comes next continues scarlet When Violet story lead.

i’m leaving Scarlet & Violet While there’s a lot of excitement about what lies ahead, it’s still an odd phenomenon to see a series enter a new generation while grappling with its identity as a whole. Pokemon Legends: Arceusfor all its strengths, It was a piece of sand from a Pokemon microchipof Almost yearly machine. But it was very promising in its fluid exploration, intuitive capture, and integrated system.look scarlet When violet A 10-month delay is more than just a little disappointing.

At its baseline, it’s an attractive enough Pokemon The game with the most memorable story of the series.But in retrospect scarlet When violetI find myself looking back and thinking Pokemon Legends: Arceus Be more affectionate. It had a few loose screws of its own, but I tightened more. scarlet When violeti hope that Arceus It lays the groundwork for the next outing in the series, even if there are lessons to be learned in the fields of Pardea.

Pokemon Scarlet Violet It will be released on Nintendo Switch on November 18th. This game was reviewed using a pre-release download code provided by Nintendo. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not affect editorial content, but Vox Media may earn commissions on products purchased via affiliate links.discoverable Additional information on Polygon’s Ethics Policy can be found here.