Pokémon Scarlet And Violet Review: Worth Playing In 2024?

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is the latest entry to one of the longest-running franchises by Nintendo. Featuring the 9th generation of Pokémon, the title combines both innovation and nostalgia. It redefined the classical gameplay recurrent through past entries while retaining the franchise’s essence. 

So, get ready to go on a brand-new adventure across Paldea. Conquer challenges and catch them all, aiming to become a Pokémon Master. The entry revitalizes the stale gameplay and combat that became recurrent in the franchise, and I aim to discuss how it does that in my review.  

Story And Setting

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is set across the region of Paldea. It has twists that will catch you off guard, characters that you will cherish for a long time, and a much darker narrative. Like the traditional Pokémon entries, you must conquer gym challenges and beat the Pokémon League to become a Champion. 

Unlike other mainline titles, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet features an extensive open world. You can take on the gym challenge in any order you prefer. 

That’s not all that the games offered regarding the plot. Additionally, you will be tasked to take on the mischievous Team Star and destroy their bases.

You need to beat the five Titan Pokémon spread across Paldea to obtain Herba Mystica needed to cure Mabostiff, a sickly Pokémon owned by Arven, an essential character in the main plot.

It has twists that will catch you off guard, characters that you will cherish for a long time, and a much darker narrative.”

Once you have completed all three of the above plot lines, you can explore Paldea’s crater, also known as Area Zero, which was previously inaccessible to players.

Here, the finale starts, and the plot takes some serious twists and turns that I unexpected from a Pokémon entry, as plot twists are scarcely seen in past entries. By the end of the final battle, the plot got much more emotional and bittersweet, which I won’t spoil, so play the game to find out. 

Dividing the main plot into three different questlines provides an interesting narrative when it all links to the finale. Plus, taking on the story challenges in any order was something I found less restricting compared to linear narratives in traditional Pokémon entries.

I found the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s story well-crafted and absorbing as it redeemed the dull plotlines often seen in the traditional titles. Additionally, the developers added two additional DLCs related to Area Zero to continue the plot line.

It tied up all the loose ends nicely and introduced many new characters and Pokémon. You can also explore the newly added regions, namely Kitakami Island and Blueberry Academy.

Gameplay

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet retain the similar turn-based combat featured in all main entries. However, it’s not like the entry did not add anything new to Pokémon’s existing combat mechanics. In my opinion, by introducing Terastallization, battles are made much more challenging and complex than in the previous entries.

What makes Terastallization so interesting is that a Pokémon may have a different tera type than their base type. So, players have to consider various intricacies and factors during combat. You can also participate in Tera Raid battles that I found decently challenging as you need to defeat them within a time limit.

Furthermore, the title also introduced Auto-Battle. You can bring out your Pokémon in the wild, automatically defeating the Pokémon roaming around. I found leveling up my Pokémon less tedious due to the newly added feature.

In my opinion, by introducing Terastallization, Pokémon battles are made much more challenging and complex than in the previous entries.

One of the boldest moves for the entry was that it changed its core gameplay by implementing an open-world design to freshen up the franchise that was due for something new. You could now explore the entire map riding on the back of either Koraidon or Miraidon, traversing through skies, waters, and lands.

Still, I think that the world design was very flawed. It was often harder for me to determine the next location to challenge as it lacked mechanisms to lead players toward certain directions.

The Pokémon Centers will recommend a location nearer to you, disregarding your level. You could end up in endgame areas you are supposed to visit much later.

Overall, the gym challenge and the Pokémon League felt underwhelming. Battles were easier if your Pokémon were over-leveled, barely offering a challenge.

However, The Indigo Disk DLC significantly improves that aspect and makes combat more fun and intricate by introducing a new challenge where you will take on the Blueberry Elite Four.

One of the boldest moves for the entry was that it changed its core gameplay by implementing an open-world design to freshen up the franchise that was due for something new.

During the Indigo Disk DLC, you will participate in double battles where you must watch both Pokémon on the field.

I had to develop strategies to beat the Blueberry Elite Four, who used Pokémon with secondary types, making combat more complex and tactical. Indigo Disk DLC proves to be a saving grace for the unchallenging combat in the main plotline. 

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet added the Picnic feature, where you can interact with your Pokémon and have a few wholesome moments.

You can increase the bond with your Pokémon by giving them a bath and feeding them sandwiches. I found making sandwiches a creative element here, as you can test various combinations and try out new recipes to get multiple boosts.

Visuals and Performance

In my opinion, the visuals were aesthetically pleasing at specific points. Especially, Area Zero is a visual feast to explore. Walking around in the cloudy and serene environment was an immersive experience. Furthermore, the design became more aesthetic and colorful as I went lower to find a crystallized environment. 

The Savannah biome has desert-like visuals, the Canyon biome features tall mountains and cliffs, and the Coastal biome displays tropical aesthetics.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet may have designed some great visuals; however, the entry fails regarding performance.

It was overridden with bugs and glitches at launch, and even after some updates, I would often find a glitchy tree along the way. Furthermore, frequent frame drops also made the gameplay a headache. Not to mention the severe issues with fluidity of movement in the title. 

Verdict

I believe Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is an improvement over its predecessors, and developers took specific steps to freshen up the franchise by introducing innovative gameplay mechanics. It was a great idea to make an open-world mainline entry after the success of Pokémon Legends: Arceus. 

While the entry struggles in a few aspects, especially regarding performance and gameplay, it still successfully changed the Pokémon franchise. Especially considering how the series was getting stale, repetitive, and bland.

When it comes to my expectations, the entry did surpass them. The game became a highlight in the series with a darker narrative, innovative gameplay mechanics, and decent visuals. It livened up the franchise for the old fans and became a good starting point for players looking to get into the series. 

This was all about my Review; while you are here, please check out other articles below.

• Rainbow Six Siege Review
• Lies Of P Review
• Sonic Dream Team Review
• God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla Review
• Gangs of Sherwood Review