The ninth generation of Pokémon is upon us: find out if Scarlet and Violet are worthy of the red and white torch in our review
Try as we may to defend the previous pair of major stocks, it is evident that Pokémon Scarlet and Violet represent a possibility of revenge for the development team: if it has been worthily exploited or not, then, it is something that we will try to understand in our review. There should be no doubts, given the premises during the marketing campaign: from the first trailers to the latest leaks, everything should have led to an empty net goal. Not for this, however, we must take for granted the success of the two games. The benefit of the doubt doesn’t go one way.
You would probably have preferred a more over the top incipit, in which to anticipate a double-digit vote at the end of the ballot. That’s not the case. The multifaceted development team GAME FREAK he has shown with side projects that he has excellent game design ideas, when he is free from the chains imposed by the IP holders. This is demonstrated by pearls such as Harmoknight, Pocket Card Jockey and that Drill Dozer that never reached our shores. But as far as the magnum opus is concerned, the pocket monsters do not compromise: November, at any cost. With all due respect to the programmers who, understandably, stumble to keep up.
and then let’s start
The first bars of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet surprised us positively in an aspect that confirms our excellent first impressions in the review phase. Once the language was selected, we were offered eight possible faces and the possibility of customizing our features. As in a good self-respecting Dark Souls, this gives us hope: it’s nothing essential for the game (until Crystal Version we’ve always been a child, period), but it’s a symptom of treatment. The narrative pretext, however, takes over only after having developed every aspect of our avatar.
The plot, as we have already had the opportunity to appreciate in due time, is divided into three different cloths. The academy (Orange in Scarlet, Grape in Violet) serves as glorified tutorial, but soon the “extracurricular activities” give us free rein. We can alternate the story of Ask for itwhich sees us face the various gyms, to that of Pepe (dedicated to the legendary cover) and to that of Cassiopeia (focused on the evil team on duty). This trick allows the player to not only decide which must-have aspect of a Pokémon game to prioritize, but also to obtain for the first time one medal for each of the 18 types. Not bad!
Asalto a un mundo abierto – Review Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
Given the amount of topics to be addressed in this review, let’s talk briefly about the cornerstones of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. The foundations are the same: as in any Role playing game, the exploration of the overworld alternates with the appropriate turn-based battles. The latter are managed (with various levels of success) directly in the game map itself, as was the case in Legends: Arceus. The launch of Poké Balls in the overworld and the stealth mechanics also return from the same game, and to make this progress impressive compared to Sword and Shield is also the newborn open world.
The region of Paldea, theater of play, is the first to be explored in complete freedom. Linearity, at least in appearance, has completely gone down the drain. We will discuss the variousquasi” later, but in general the feeling of being able to see and reach distant destinations is a breath of fresh air. The map hosts all the points of interest, including the dens where to face the Raid Teracristal. The latter, also visible in-game as beacons similar to the Dynamax Dens of Galar, allow us to obtain creatures with a Teratype (usually) different from their belonging elements, further opening the strategic horizons of the competitive scene.
Medalla de (dudoso) valor – Review Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
So let’s start with the classics eight medalsthose of the Gym challenge. Their incarnation of Galar remains valid: a test, which may or may not include fighting, before the confrontation with a Gym Leader specialized in a certain type. There’s no arguing about this: team that wins, you don’t change. However, facing the game in co-op (and we will also talk about this) we asked ourselves a question. There has been a lot of talk about the possibility of tackle the gyms in any order in the period leading up to the release of the game: will this actually be the case? The answer came from the Psychic-type Gym.
Reaching the city concerned is not impossible in itself, but we have often and willingly noticed that if we had unlocked the necessary skills for our mount we would have saved ourselves several troubles. The local fauna tried to warn us with its level, which suddenly went from 12 to 41, but the cold shower was provided by the first trainer of the Gym. Her level 39 squad (at a minimum) speaks volumes: no, no Gym Leader matches his strength to the challenger’s medals. And every medal carries with it team obedience and more tools on the shelves of shops. Pity.
El Pepe – Review Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
We also put Pepe’s side quest under scrutiny. The type of challenge is more comparable to the Trials of the Captains seen in the last quartet of 3DS games, namely Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. Instead of having to defeat a team, this time the target is a single Pokémon, which to leave no room for doubt is defined “dominant”. Our success leads to a new recipe, with which the expert chef Pepe will create a delicacy for the legendary intent on caracollarci (Koraidon for Scarlatto, Miraidon for Violetto). We take this opportunity to talk (well) about kitchen in the game.
Camping in the overworld (where there are no characters or slopes, at least) allows us to pamper and entertain our team members, as well as giving the inevitable Ditto and eventual spouse the intimacy necessary to churn out egg. The kitchen allows us to prepare the dishes necessary to increase the birth rate and other values with which to help us in the adventure, as well as to take care of every compatriot who still has life points. The sandwiches for the legendary, exclusive to Pepe, however, are used for something else: as we anticipated, unlocking some exploration skills. In other words, NMs are also present (in disguise). Ohibò.
La estrella de la esperanza – Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Review
Despite the pattern we thought we saw, we also grilled the local Troublemaker clique to figure out what their rewards were. In the case of the Team Starthe bases to be attacked make use of a new mechanic (nicknamed “Let’s Go!”) with which it is possible to send one’s creatures forward in such a way that fight independently without our input. We have to recognize that this dynamic helps streamline two very repetitive aspects of the series, namely the usual local team “base raid” and, more commonly, the grinding against wild Pokémon in the same area.
As for the rewards that come with each challenge to Team Star, they consist of the permission to create more TMs. In fact, the Technique Machines to learn the moves benefit from a newborn crafting mechanics, available at every Pokémon Center (downscaled to an outdoor gazebo for game design reasons). Indeed, capturing or defeating a creature allows you to obtain materials, with which you can then create new Technical Machines. Predictably, this also means that the records have definitely returned to their detestable incarnation single use. As for the Team Star bases, they too feature a unique challenge rate for all players: the linearity is there, it’s just disguised well. Alas.
Juega conmigo – Review Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
While the promise of a free order to face the game hasn’t been delivered, it still remains to be seen whether the multiplayer gave the franchise its “MMO moment.” The answer is… sort of. The interiors of many houses (and shops, scaled down to menus) have given way to a greater emphasis on the ambitious marriage between open world (no separate battle screens) and simultaneous exploration. As evidenced by the interpenetration of the polygons, however, the experience is not exactly as immersive as the trailers let us assume. In fact of co-opHowever, it does its job.
Simply put, we see other players as our own circle (openable at the “Poké portal” also responsible for trades, battles and Secret Gifts, as well as in the vicinity of each Pokémon Center) but we can’t actually interact with it. Other players’ Teracristal Raids appear in our overworld, but the game reminds us that some of them are not “ours”. Collaborating for Raids, facing each other in battles and exchanging Pokémon are therefore all actions that pass through the bureaucracy of the Poképortal, although the co-op helps us to limit them to the confines of our circle. On the one hand, this simplifies many steps in the game; on the other, the aftertaste of missed opportunity there is everything.
Tipo Bicho – Review Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
Okay, let’s get the Donphan out of the way in the room. Since the copies of the game were leaked on the net, various horror stories have been circulating along with the information about the various bug who are tormenting the new adventures. Based on our experience, we unfortunately have to confirm that technical problems make themselves felt. Let’s be clear: these are often more isolated cases than anything else, so the vultures hoping for the equivalent of Cyberpunk 2077 will be disappointed. At the same time, however, beyond the transparency dictated by the free camera i slowdowns they make themselves felt.
We mostly encountered them in extended sessions and co-op; combining the two resulted in an unflattering one crash of the game. It rarely happens that a game published by Nintendo tells us about “software closed due to an error”, but we are sure that within a few months these two paragraphs will be rendered irrelevant by the due patch of the case. In this regard, we also trust in good post-launch support for the game via DLC (free or not). We are happy to see real help to the competitive scene with Minds readily available, but also surprised by not see any Tower-like Battle in the postgame.
No todo lo que duele es malo – Review Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
Giving in to cynicism at this point would be easy, but there are several facets of the gaming experience that we haven’t touched on to fast track the most pressing issues. Firstly, contradicting what we said earlier about the postgame, we have to further praise the little touches that make the game very attractive to the competitive community. The (unfortunately now usual) cut to the fauna restricts the…