Pokémon Scarlet & Violet
- November 18, 2022
- GAME FREAK
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are an ambitious take and while the open world and density of the Pokemon world are nailed the story feels like a background element and performance issues are constant
"Pokémon Scarlet & Violet" is an open-world Role Playing Game where players can explore, battle, and catch Pokémon seamlessly in various towns and environments. Embark on an adventure with up to three other players, and meet new Pokémon including the starters: Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly. Many more new Pokémon await discovery, encouraging players to share the joy of exploration with friends and family.
Nintendo Switch
Reviews
- Pokémon Scarlet and Violet introduce a massive open world that allows for engaging exploration and non-linear gameplay, providing players with the freedom to tackle challenges in their own way.
- The game features some of the best character designs and storytelling in the series, with memorable characters like Arven and Penny, and a diverse cast of new Pokémon.
- The core gameplay mechanics, including battles and catching Pokémon, remain addictive and enjoyable, with new features like Terastallization adding depth to the experience.
- The games suffer from severe performance issues, including frame rate drops, visual glitches, and a lack of polish that detracts from the overall experience.
- The open world feels poorly implemented and lacks personality, with many areas feeling empty and underwhelming, leading to a disjointed sense of adventure.
- Some gameplay elements, such as quest objectives and level scaling, are inconsistent and could have been better designed, resulting in frustrating moments for players.
- gameplay19 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet introduces an expansive open-world experience with engaging mechanics, co-op play, and a branching narrative that enhances player freedom. However, the game's potential is marred by performance issues, a lack of polish, and some underwhelming design choices, leaving players eager for future improvements in the franchise. Overall, while the core gameplay remains solid and addictive, the execution feels unfinished, overshadowing the innovative aspects.
“Pokémon Scarlet and Violet largely deliver the open-world RPG experience fans barely dared dream of for decades, with a huge, lively map and a surprisingly engaging trio of stories nicely complementing the franchise’s rock-solid core mechanics.”
“Nonetheless, it has never felt better being a Pokémon trainer than it does in Gen IX, thanks to the smoothest mechanics yet and quality-of-life improvements.”
“The open-world gameplay of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is a brilliant direction for the future of the franchise, but this promising shift is sabotaged by the numerous ways in which Scarlet and Violet feel deeply unfinished.”
“Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is an imaginative reinvention of the iconic Pokémon adventure, with a heart-wrenching story and a real sense of soul, which is let down by sloppy mechanics, half-fulfilled ideas, and disappointingly common cut corners.”
“Performance issues that seriously impede both visual fidelity and gameplay, systems should have been refined more before release, a lack of polish that feels too amateur for the largest gaming franchise in the world.”
- optimization18 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are ambitious entries in the franchise, but they are significantly hindered by severe performance issues, including inconsistent framerates, poor visuals, and numerous glitches. Many players find the lack of polish and optimization unacceptable for a major title, leading to a frustrating experience despite the game's engaging content. Overall, while fans may enjoy the gameplay, the technical shortcomings detract from the overall enjoyment and immersion.
“We really hope Game Freak can figure out how to smooth out the series’ ongoing performance issues on Switch because they'll certainly rub some players the wrong way — and they’re going to become a serious detriment over time.”
“Yes, the game has more than its share of technical issues, but its shortcomings are largely cosmetic and the folks most excited to play probably aren’t going to be that bothered about its pixel count or performance.”
“Pokémon Violet offers a ton of familiar and enhanced fun, but the lack of polish and outright unacceptable performance let it down as one of Nintendo's most iconic franchises.”
“Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are ambitious new entries in the franchise that are held back by abysmal performance issues.”
“Performance issues that seriously impede both visual fidelity and gameplay, systems should have been refined more before release, a lack of polish that feels too amateur for the largest gaming franchise in the world.”
- story15 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The story in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is characterized by its non-linear progression and the ability to explore three distinct storylines, which adds depth and player agency to the experience. While the game features a diverse cast of characters and engaging moments, some players feel that the overall narrative can feel secondary to gameplay mechanics, with mixed reviews on execution and pacing. Despite these criticisms, many appreciate the imaginative reinvention of the Pokémon adventure and the emotional weight of certain story elements.
“Arven and Penny are among the series' most remarkable characters. The legendary mascot is the series' most endearing, with top-notch NPC designs. The ability to tackle the three storylines in any order desired gives players a sense of embarking on a fresh, true-blue Pokémon journey.”
“Non-linear story progression, an excellent cast of new Pokémon, and story subverts expectations.”
“Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is an imaginative reinvention of the iconic Pokémon adventure, with a heart-wrenching story and a real sense of soul.”
“Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are an ambitious take, and while the open world and density of the Pokémon world are nailed, the story feels like a background element and performance issues are constant.”
“Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is an imaginative reinvention of the iconic Pokémon adventure, with a heart-wrenching story and a real sense of soul, which is let down by sloppy mechanics, half-fulfilled ideas, and disappointingly common cut corners.”
“Some dull quest objectives, level scaling needed work, a tech disaster.”
- graphics14 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have been widely criticized for their poor quality, including rough visuals, inconsistent performance, and frequent frame rate dips. Many reviewers noted significant technical issues and a lack of polish, which detracted from the overall experience, particularly in the open world that feels empty and poorly implemented. Despite the game's strong core design, the graphical shortcomings overshadow its potential, leaving players disappointed.
“If you're a Pokémon fan and can look past the graphical and performance issues, you'll likely have as good a time as I have.”
“It's a shame that so much of the conversation is going to revolve around its graphical and technical shortcomings; if it weren't for that, these would be the best main series Pokémon games since HeartGold and SoulSilver on the DS.”
“The frame rate is constantly dropping, the visuals are abysmal, and there is no excuse for the unfinished state of the game.”
“Ugly visuals and an all around lack of polish detract from what is an incredibly strong, compelling, and well-designed core adventure, one that represents the series' strongest outing in a very long time otherwise.”
“There are unforgivable graphical issues, and despite endless charming creatures and characters, the open world itself lacks nearly completely in personality or a sense of progression.”
- music7 mentions
- 86 % positive mentions
- -29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising the fantastic soundtrack that features a mix of engaging tracks, including notable contributions like an Ed Sheeran song. Players find the music enhances the overall experience, complementing the addictive gameplay and diverse open world. Overall, the soundtrack is described as a highlight, ranging from enjoyable to standout "bangers."
“The music is fantastic.”
“Fantastic soundtrack.”
“The soundtrack ranges from inoffensive to a straight-up banger.”
“They really had to put an Ed Sheeran song in this game.”
“Frequent visual hiccups and glitches often detract from the lively world.”
“No battle tower makes it difficult to test competitive strategies in a safe environment.”
- stability7 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with reviewers noting a plethora of bugs, glitches, and performance issues that detract from the overall experience. Many feel it was released in an unfinished state, suffering from poor optimization and visual setbacks that hinder gameplay. Despite these flaws, some players still find value in the expansive content available, though the technical shortcomings are hard to overlook.
“Arguably the ugliest first-party release by any major publisher in a very long time; buggy, janky, and broken, to the point that it feels like it was released before it was finished; regressions to game flow compared to Pokémon Legends.”
“Poorly optimized, with more bugs and glitches than Pokémon, no shiny sound effects, missed voice acting opportunities, unskippable in-game cut scenes, and poor texture placements.”
“Not only is the game still not quite up to the level of something like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, released over five years ago on the same system, but it is, at least at the time of writing, riddled with visual glitches and performance issues.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
"Pokemon Scarlet and Violet" offers a heartfelt narrative that reinvents the classic Pokémon experience, evoking strong emotions through its story and character depth. However, the emotional impact is somewhat undermined by technical issues and unfulfilled potential in gameplay mechanics.
“Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is an imaginative reinvention of the iconic Pokemon adventure, with a heart-wrenching story and a real sense of soul.”
Critic Reviews
Pokémon Scarlet & Violet
Pokémon Scarlet & Violet's high points are among the series' best, but its lows, spanning across both bugs and design choices, are too egregious to ignore.
79%Pokemon Violet and Scarlet Are Some Truly Rough Gems
Explore a wide-open world at your own pace, battle and try to catch wild Pokemon, and encounter the Legendary Pokemon Koraidon in the Pokemon Scarlet game and Miraidon in the Pokemon Violet game. Pokemon Violet and Pokemon Scarlet certainly don’t put their best feet forward. They run rough. Visual downgrades are clear. But ultimately, once you settle in, they’re certainly full Pokemon games.
70%Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Review
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are an ambitious take and while the open world and density of the Pokemon world are nailed the story feels like a background element and performance issues are constant
85%
