Pokemon Scarlet and Violet honest review. Is it worth buying?
Hello there lovely P politics from Nintendo live here and today we’re Reviewing for you Pokemon scarlet and Violet on the Nintendo switch this Review was originally written by the Wonderful Alana haggs for Nintendelife.com and has been adapted For video by me but anyway that’s more Than enough waffling let’s Dive Right Into things Thank you If there’s one thing we always hope for With a brand new Pokemon Generation it’s A sense of childlike Wonder of course It’s not always a guarantee especially With a formula that has been followed Consistently for the last 26 years but We always start a new generation with Our fingers crossed that will be Charmed Out the gate by the new creatures to Collect in a whole new region to explore And if anything has come close to Recapturing that magic we felt when we Discovered our first Pokemon world in Red and blue it’s Pokemon skeleton Violet’s vast and open paldia region It’s been a while since we felt like a Kid stepping out of our Pokemon house And just looking at the world and Savoring the taste of Adventure despite Some pretty significant technical Stumbles this introduction to generation 9 nails that even if it’s not the new Pokemon Revolution that Legends Arceus
Felt like scarlet and Violet’s promise Of being the main series first open World game isn’t a false one every inch Of pal dear is our hours for the taking And we’re ready for adventure just like The little kids who booted up their game Boys for the first time and took their First steps in Kanto Adventure awaits And it’s right on our doorstep Except things don’t start that way You’re a kid who’s just moved to the Paldia region does that sound familiar But instead of setting off on a brand New Pokemon Journey you leave home with Your new neighbor and friend nimona to Join either the Naranja or Uber Academy And I’ve probably mispronounced that but Regardless of pronunciation they’re both Pokemon schools in the paldea region and They’re tied to your version on the way To the academy you bump into a Mysterious and powerful Pokemon to ride On all the ride on depending on your Version who protects and accompanies you And after meeting the teachers and Students at the Academy you’re soon sent On a treasure hunt as they call it to Find your own personal treasure out There in valdira it takes a while to get To this so-called treasure hunt though Scarlet and Violet’s opening hours drag Leading up to the big moment of Freedom This feels particularly bizarre after Sword and shield managed to at least
Somewhat streamline the tutorials a bit And with limited traversal abilities at The start we had to really push through To make it through to the academy but It’s worth it for just how much the World is up to you your only goals are To complete three main objectives beat All of the gyms find the mystica herbs And take down team star the location of All these are marked on your map and you Can do them in whatever order you want That’s right no more structured approach If you want to go to the most Northerly Region at first then just do it the only Thing you need to do is beat the three Main paths to unlock one final part of The game one of the most surprising Aspects of scarlet and violet is the Stories each of the three paths has its Own narrative that ties either into the Characters the academy or paldia itself And all knit together into a wholesome Package there are some genuinely tender Moments and many other characters have Personalities that are conveyed well Both through the cutscenes and story Moments your Rivals and other NPCs are More involved than ever and this is also A Pokemon game that isn’t afraid to Surprise you don’t get us wrong there’s Suddenly nothing spectacular and it’s Still more than weird that there’s no Voice acting though we want to give Special mention to the Box out Stars
Corydon and miraidon they have moments Of vulnerability and if you can believe It adorableness as they look worried or Even nuzzle up to other characters They’re frankly some of the best Legendaries in the series ever of the Three paths Victory Road will be the Most familiar to veteran Pokemon Trainers collecting eight gym badges is Pretty much the Pokemon rite of passage And it’s mostly the same here except Instead of making your way through a gym Puzzle you’ll need to participate in a Gym trial before you can take on the Leader these can range from Rolling an Oversized Olive around a maze to taking Part in a stream and battling Pokemon Trainers and it helps to change up the Formula a tiny bit and we found most of Them pretty fun you can also do the gyms In whichever order that you want which In some ways means that the game’s Difficulty is at least a little bit in Your hands if you want your first gym Leader to be the one with level 30 Pokemon then you can absolutely do that But with the caveat that you’ll have to Eventually deal with that level 15 gym And it’ll be even more of a piece of Cake in a game where the recommended Order isn’t much of a challenge it was a Nice surprise when we stumbled into a Higher level gym and actually had to put Up a bit of a fight in order to secure
Victory the gym fights themselves May Lack the stadium level spectacle of Sword and shield but it makes sense Given the variety of tasks you’re taking On the other two routes offer a little Bit more in terms of variety compared to Your standard Pokemon gameplay path of Legends sees you take on Titan Pokemon To find the urban mystica of the three Paths this was the most disappointing to Us and is certainly a step down from Legends arceus’s Alpha Pokemon battles All you have to do is find each of the Titan Pokemon fight them once chase them Fight them again and that’s it because All of these are new Pokemon it feels Pretty momentous when you find them but They go down easily fortunately this Room may just have the best story of the Three which had us tearing up a little Bit at times the first time we have done So in a Pokemon game since black and White Starfall Street then is the Biggest change from previous Pokemon Games and it utilizes the game’s brand New let’s go mechanic which is not to be Confused with the let’s go games with The first three Pokemon in your team you Have to defeat a number of Pokemon Within the team’s base in 10 minutes by Sending your Pokemon out into the Overworld to chip away the opposing team It becomes more of a hunt and if you Don’t have a type advantage or a decent
Pokemon it could also be a bit of a roll Of the dice the only way you can heal is By using vending machines and if all Three of your Pokemon’s health is Reduced to zero you fail and you have to Try again succeed and you get to take on The base’s leader who charges out in the Most audacious Pokemon car you’ve ever Seen essentially though all three routes Are just different ways of dressing up The series standard of collecting Badges And fighting strong trainers which is What we’ve been doing in Pokemon for Yonks now however we’re glad that you’re Not locked into any one of these routes At any time and you can pick and choose Just when to take on what you might Decide to do all of the gyms first or Vary it up and jump between the Objectives but it never feels checklisty In the way that some open world games do Instead you’re left to find things by Happenstance even with every education And objective already marked on your map We definitely popped down a way marker At times so we had a good idea of where We wanted to go but we wandered off the Beaten path way too many times and That’s the biggest Joy of scarlet and Violet aldia is your personal Pokemon Playground it’s a huge canvas where you Can do whatever you want and go wherever You want it’s not segmented into Separate zones like in Arceus and only
One area is gated by story so you can Really just go anywhere once you have The ability to get there to get these Abilities you’ll need to upgrade your Trusty companion bike Pokemon to ride a Normal ride on which will happen Naturally as you progress through the Game otherwise the world is in the palm Of your hand and there are secrets such As hidden items rarer Pokemon and much More besides that you will also uncover As your living breathing Pokemon bike Gets better we’re also swept up in Paldia’s gorgeous tunes and rhythms with Undertales Toby Fox taking on even more Arrangements and Melodies after showing His chops and sword and Shield’s Fantastic Tower battle music his work is Instantly recognizable to fans from Funky Jazzy Tunes to Electric fast-paced Melodies there are also multiple Variants of the battle themes and Overworld music to fit the location or Whether you’re riding your Mount or not There are some fairly varied segments of Paldia that you can dive into every nook And cranny of a big sprawling desert a Mountainous Tundra a lake that looks Like it could swallow you up and even a Bamboo Thicket there’s plenty to explore Then although that’s not to say it’s Perfect as much as we loved wandering Around the open world there were no real Landmarks or spectacles in the region we
Were hoping for something significant Like an oversized tree a crater or even A unique rock face or carving aldeo will Likely be remembered for its scope and Size but if the bamboo forest is the Most memorable location outer places We’re not permitted to discuss then this Spanish-inspired Locale loses a bit of Its luster and here’s where we need to Address what has been consistently the Biggest sticking point of scarlet and Violet up to its release performance Some of the trailers haven’t been the Smoothest to say the least and our Hands-On preview of the game raised Questions as to how paldia would look And run on switch when in its final form Having now played the full game with the Day one patch applied we have to say That scarlet and violet can look and Feel rough when you’re exploring the Open world Legends Arceus had its fair Share of issues and an inconsistent Frame rate but there are multiple times When the blurry visuals and low FPS Threatened to rip us out of the Experience here it’s especially Distracting when you’re riding cried on Ride on speeding off into the distance As the visuals struggle to run at a Consistent frame rate and the scope and Beauty of pal dear is lost in a mess of Foggy visuals both docked and undocked The frame rate of Pokemon and other
Moving elements in the world reduces the Further you move away from them a common Technique used to improve overall Refresh rate but much more noticeable Here given the relative Simplicity of The environment compared to the smaller Bustling worlds in stuff like Kirby and The Forgotten land when you’re inside Buildings and in battles the game can Look pretty good you can see streaks of Hair and characters the stitches and Threads in their clothes and even the Shiny slipperiness of Wiglet and the Texture of a mareep’s wool in battles Characters and Pokemon look relatively Clean and crisp for the most part and They all burst with personality through Their stances and interactions although Many battle animations are still Incredibly stiff and just feel like an Afterthought Pokemon models sometimes Disappear in thin air or repair and drop From above you as well there are times That scarlet and violet almost look like A real step forward visually for Pokemon But then it loses itself in a mirror of Pixelated textures and technical issues Especially if it’s raining or snowing Game freak isn’t recently famous for its Performance prowess and whilst the frame Rate and other issues will certainly Irritate some players for us the Developer gets away with it just thanks To things it does get right with the
Open world approach and Myriad other Details the game’s wavering performance Did nothing to diminish the excitement Of discovering all all the new Pokemon That scarlet and violet has to offer as In Legend Arceus wild Pokemon appear in The Overworld so you can spot them as They huddle in a grassy field or dip Into one of the ponds flying Pokemon Swoop down from the sky with some bugs Dangling from the trees other monsters Will even chase after you just the act Of filling up your Pokedex which looks Like a rack of elaborate Pokemon Magazines complete with characterful Photos of each pocket monster is a Delight and the thrill of having a tiny Little Fido or monstrous for adderiff Approach you with murderous or cuddly Intent still doesn’t feel old after Legends Arceus earlier this year Otherwise battling and catching is no Different compared to previous Mainline Games find your Pokemon in turn based Battles catch them if you want Etc in Addition trainer battles are now Optional which works because we usually Didn’t want to be distracted from just Riding around in the wild you’re able to Initiate fights just by talking to the Trainers but they’re not gonna stop you In your tracks we’re lamenting the loss Of the ability to catch Pokemon by Simply throwing Pokeball at them but we
Love the addition of something we Touched on earlier let’s go by tapping The R button you can direct the Pokemon At the front of your team to attack wild Pokemon for a short period of time it’s Much snappier than entering a battle and Is excellent for when you specifically Don’t want to catch them all over and Over and over you can start to feel a Bit of a monster for knocking out all These wild creatures minding their own Business or feel guilty as your Pokemon’s Health drops low and they Start to feel tired complete with a Pitiful noise that pierces your heart You can also just send them off to pick Up an item when you’re feeling Particularly lazy and you just want to Cruise Along on your slick poker bike It’s a fabulous mechanic for building up Materials to create TMS more on that in A moment or leveling weaker Pokemon Quickly whilst you soak in the world Even more and there’s still so much more To talk about paldia’s unique mechanic To rasterization may have had us raising Our eyebrows before release and Visually It might lack the Grandeur of Dynamax Pokemon but it adds much more strategy To combat than we were initially Expecting for something that just pops a Pretty hat on so rasterizing in battle Causes the Pokemon to become that Terror Type so a Pikachu with a water Terra
Type will go from being electric to Being you guessed it water this also Means that if that Pokemon uses a move That matches its Terror type it’ll be Even more powerful used in the right Situations and with the right Terror Types this can be devilish and we were Shocked by just how much we enjoyed Being battered in raids by those moves Speaking of moves we were initially Worried about the TM machine yes that’s A technical machine machine a new Crafting mechanic in the game and Returning to the idea of one use only TMS however the abundance of materials And the fact that you can find tiens Just laying around the world meant that They never really felt like an issue Gotta admit though it’s a little bit Annoying that you won’t know what Materials you need to create your TM Until you own them these machines are at Every Pokemon Center in paldia as well Which are abundant basically it’s rarely Something you ever need to grind for Unless you have no idea what you’re After but then it’s back to the magic of Digging around palthea to games aren’t The only thing you can make though when Pokemon’s culinary step forward from Gala’s curries is sandwiches you can set A picnic up out in the Overworld Interact with your Pokemon including Giving them baths play ball make tasty
Bocadillos I’ve probably butchered that Pronunciation as well in a cute if Awkward little mini game you can follow Said recipes or try and make some unique Flavors such as egg depending on the Ingredients you use to construct your Succulent sub you’ll get different Benefits such as boosting experience for One type of Pokemon or increasing the Drop rate of items from a particular Type and even Terror raid boosts there Are tons of these to experiment with so Even our wonkiest sandwich felt like it Helped us fill our bags and our Pokemon Up even just a little bit one part of The game we weren’t able to test prior To launch was multiplayer although we Were able to sample it briefly during Our initial preview you can invite Friends to join you in your travels Although how much mileage you get from It will be down to how you choose to use It beyond the traditional trading and Battling of years past you you’re not Given a whole lot of guidance having Said that if you just want someone to Join you for a ride along the game Doesn’t place any major restrictions on You it’s safe to say that there is a lot To take in with paldia then even if You’re thorough and make it through to The end you’ll still be finding items Trainers Pokemon and little Vistas Throughout the region it’s familiar and
Fresh at the same time and even though Its three path approach doesn’t stray Too far from the formula this feels like A big step in the right direction for Pokemon after Legends Arceus and Scarlet And violet we think open world Pokemon Should be here to stay there are still Plenty more ways we’d like to see the Pokemon franchise evolve but Pokemon Scarlet and violet has as excited about The series future we really hope game Free can figure out how to smooth out The series ongoing performance issues on Switch because they’ll certainly rub Some players up the wrong way and They’re going to become a serious Detriment Over time however scarlet and Violet is most fun when you’re just Exploring the world and while there are Small details and improvements to the Pokemon formula it still plays it pretty Safe in a few areas regardless things Point towards a promising future for Gen 9 and Beyond it’s a smaller step than we May have hoped for especially Considering what Legends Arceus did but It’s definitely one in the right Direction You’ve reached the end of the review and That means it’s time for Alex’s personal Thoughts and Yeah I really wanted to love this game But the technical things the performance It’s just too much for me to be able to
Ignore I feel I’m generally fairly Forgiving when it comes to you know sort Of like poor performance and things like That But this is just going too far even for Me I I just I can’t push through and Enjoy the game properly it keeps keeps Pulling me out it was a joy to find and Catch a new Pokemon see it evolve all That sort of thing you know brand new That’s what I love about Pokemon But it’s all wrapped up in this package This world that looks Bland and the Frame rate is genuinely atrocious if From what you’ve seen from the video you Think well that looks absolutely fine to Me then you’re gonna have a blast with This but if you are sensitive to that Sort of thing I would seriously issue Caution and it’s not fun for me to say That I was bouncing around between Finding new Pokemon and you know going To a new area to just being completely Frustrated and just wanting to not play The game anymore it’s really thoroughly Disappointing how it runs if game freak Can fix all this with patches post Launch then I’m gonna be over the moon But I’ve got a horrible feeling that They’re just not and something maybe the Engine just isn’t designed for this and It’s it’s struggling to run it’s a shame Because there are good ideas in here and It’s all just being overshadowed by poor
Performance technical issues camera Problems and just overall a significant Lack of Polish
