Pokémon Violet (2022)

I played through the Teal Mask DLC, and I gotta say, I'm really quite impressed with it. When Game Freak is given a chance to actually write dramatic stories with characters that can emote, they do a really great job with it. I'm not gonna say it's pushing for all-time best RPG or anything, but it's definitely a high point in the series.

Generally speaking, I find Pokemon as a series really excels when they can dive deeper into mythology and sci-fi stuff, and that makes sense because that stuff has always been there. A core draw of the series is how you have this quaint, perfect little world with mad science, deities, organized crime and mini cataclysms all kinds happening in the background. When you're given a chance to peak behind the curtain - Distortion World, Ultra Space, Area Zero, etc. - it's like you're seeing the unseen. It's really cool stuff.

Framing a Pokemon story around a local legend and having supporting characters with stakes and motivations is really interesting stuff! Carmine and Kieran are some of the best-written characters I've seen in a Nintendo game, and they're allowed to feel anger and sadness and experience conflict without crossing the line from family friendly to grimdark. And that's a hard balancing act - Pokemon, as a series, tends to keep its writing SO safe that it becomes boring. Gen 5 bucked that trend, then we had Gens 6 and 7 take a step back while still retaining a few cool moments, and then Gen 8 was a series low for writing and scenario. Gen 9, on the whole, is some of the best the series has seen.

I dunno man, people love to shit on Gen 9 for its technical issues, and while all that is definitely valid - and I feel the DLC consistently runs better than the base game, interestingly - there's so much here done right that it makes me optimistic for the future of the series, especially now that they are taking longer between games to ensure a level of polish.

I've been replaying this one to try and get to the event Pokemon distribution running from the 20th to 27th, and I'm kinda surprised at how well this game has held up since playing it at launch.

So long story short, in this new era of Pokemon games having DLC instead of an enhanced third version, I tend to get the game at launch, sell it when I'm done, and then buy the opposite version with the DLC on the cart later down the road. So I beat Scarlet, but now I'm trying to play through Violet to unlock the Iron Leaves distro.

I don't think there's been more whining about a Pokemon game than with this one, and honestly, I find a lot of the reasons to be petty and juvenile... The complaints about graphics and performance are 100% valid. A series with this kind of money behind it really deserves better. But even in that regard, it does improve on Sword/Shield in some ways... One thing I really, really like is how Pokemon have texture to their skin/fur now. In SwSh, they all look like plastic, it's so shitty-looking. But here, Arbok has visible scales and Emboar has distinct fur. Really nice touch, and a big improvement. But the moaning about "Dexit" (not having the full roster) and many other commonly cited issues of this game are just... Ridiculous? If you can't find 6 Pokemon out of a roster of 400 that you would like to use, that's a skill issue. Steamrolling the game with your lvl 100 Salamence from when you were 8 is not a good time. Use something different! Yikerinos.

The structure of the game is fantastic though. I can't say enough how much I love the "one event for every type" structure split between 8 gyms, 5 titans and 5 enemy bases. I do agree with the criticism that all of these should have level scaling so you can do them in any order, but I really enjoy the variety and depth of the content here, in addition to all the roaming Pokemon and QoL improvements.

In terms of criticisms? Terrible performance and piss-poor environment graphics aside, I really don't like the forces "gym challenges", as they are neither fun or deep and always feel like a waste of time. The degree to which you're frankly assaulted by far too many annoying characters interrupting your progress to dump tons of dialogue about absolutely nothing... That can go, too. I understand the performance issues to a degree, dev time was limited. But if we're gonna have all these NPC events, can we at least give them a strong story to work with instead of spouting nonsense about nothing??? The story DOES have some really strong points, but the amount of crap in this game... Yikes.

Still. This is legitimately one of the better Pokemon gens, and even rushing through this game is a good time. A massive improvement over the atrocity that is Sword/Shield, and I've been really enjoying the revisit. I'm excited to see what the DLC has in store!

When this game initially came out I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I could overlook most of the bugs and have never been one to care too deeply about graphics.

Sadly, after about 10 hours of gameplay, the excitement of an open-world Pokemon dwindled. The music is okay but not something I really connected with like in previous titles. I found the world to be bland and empty, and the story really disappointed me.

Despite this, I pushed through to complete the base game's Pokedex and Teal Mask's Pokedex. I was excited to start the Indigo Disk and was happy to see that some Gen 5 music had been incorporated but sadly after about 3 hours of the DLC, I couldn't take it anymore. I was just not having fun. I can't connect with the characters and their motives. The story feels like it is going nowhere despite having an excellent foundation and the graphics make me physically dizzy and disoriented at times.

I am sure some enjoy the game but I am left incredibly saddened that a Company as well off as the Pokemon Company would put out something like this. I am sure there are those at Gamefreak who put their heart and souls into this but I feel as if I have to shovel through feet of soot to even get a glimmer of their passion. I know that they could make something so much better if given the time to breath.

I was very excited for this release especially after they hype that was Legends Arceus. And honestly I wasn't disappointed. Pokemon scarlet and violet have their issues but over all I enjoy what it has to offer.

I loved the story of the game that being said. The story of the game only really happens in the 3rd act of the game. I really wish it was a bigger one from start to finish. When the story took off I got flashback to generation 5 which in my opinion have the best story in any pokemon game.

The DLC also have good storyline though they are very very short. I also love how populated the world is in some cases I think it's better than pokemon Legends Arceus in the way that the world feels lived in.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is sadly not very well optimized is some Cases such as raids. In nearly every single raid there is always some kind of issue. For example, Gastrodon has the ability storm drain but still get hit by water type move in raids sometimes. That should not happen. Or where it just skips your turn for like 3 turns in a row. It's very buggy and gets frustrating to do them.

Game has some minor to major clipping issues as well though I don't encounter them very much myself.

I would say there is a difficulty spike in the games especially when it comes to the DLC (I didn't notice it though because I was already running with max level pokemon at that point).

I enjoy the end game but I love shiny hunting so that creates the end game on its own right there. If you live online battles the end game for you are raids to collect material to make your pokemon stronger (unless you gen your pokemon😒)

Over all I give the game a 4/5 even if I see the problems I love pokemon and I always enjoy my time with the games.

Sometimes, I get this urge to get really into Pokemon: train a balanced, diverse, and powerful set of monsters, and maybe even complete the Pokedex. I think there are really some cool designs out there, and there are interesting combination of abilities and moves that could be made. For some reason, this urge disappears after around ten minutes of playing this game.

A friend and I did the Samurott raid. It was a little challenging, and that made it fun. Big fan of the sunny day and solar beam combo. Reminds me of when I was a child and all I wanted to do was use Venusaur's solar beam.

I rolled off of these games with the same feeling I had with Sun & Moon. I put Moon down 3 trials in and it took me 2 years to go back. With these I at least got to the endgame. I'm wondering if I am just outgrowing the series? Sword and Shield were great games to me, but they coincided with my goal to get a living dex. Now I have little interest in updating it.

All of that being said, how have people felt about the DLC? I really loved both DLCs for Sword and Shield but I was still actively playing when those came out.

last game i enjoyed in the main pokemon series was X and Y

i was pleasantly surprised when I enjoyed this game.

pros despite being glitchy, i love the environments. i love when pokemon games have full and vibrant cities and this game succeeded in that. i also love the open world aspect

The new pokemon are cool and i enjoyed being able to do 3 different stories at my own pace.

one of the best in the game is the characters (which pokemon usually always succeeds at.) The gym leaders are creative and really fun.

the music!! i immediately made a note to download the soundtrack

cons glitchy - updates have made it better but still glitches and pop in. i played zelda on the switch so i know that it is possible to make things look good!

i love the amount of accessories, but it bugs me that i cant change my clothes and it has to stay my uniform. its hard to look coordinated when you will always have yellow and blue required to be part of the outfit. good luck sporting a pink hat and looking good!

it was slightly annoying that only certain hairstyles could have hats and the game didnt tell you which ones so i had to pull it up online. wish if you put a hat on your hair just got tucked in, but instead it refused to give you a hat until you get a haircut

some story stuff was predictable, but i actually didnt see the end game stuff coming so that at least succeeded

all in all, highly recommend

Really more like 2.5 stars.

Honestly I had a lot of fun playing this game but I genuinely could only play it in handheld mode because the graphics would be too awful to bear otherwise.

The lack of level-scaling is both bad and makes no in-game sense. Genuinely baffling, I can't imagine the implementation would be that difficult comparatively speaking. Also I generally feel the game is too easy, I know it's a kid's game but the DS games were more difficult and it's not as though kids have gotten dumber (despite what some people might joke about.)

Area Zero was surprisingly cool, kinda gave me Made in Abyss vibes.

This is a hard video game to review. Is it fun? Yes. Does it have lots of problems that affect negatively the experience and shows a lack of polish that shouldn't be there? Also yes.

I enjoyed playing it, there was obvious passion and effort in innovating the pokémon formula and doing something extremely different from the mediocre and generic experience that was Sword/Shield, and the new mechanics add lots of variety and immersion to a franchise that needed it, but while you are having a blast riding your legendary pokémon through the vast world you will see something that ruins your experience.

For example, the open world looks like a great idea at first, and I liked doing the gyms, titans, and team STAR out of order, but the levels are always the same, so if you defeat the first gym leader at last, she will still have level 14-15 pokémon. This means that there is an obvious sequence you have to follow, and while you can technically defeat the ice gym first, the leader has +40 level pokémon, so the only possible way to achieve that is grinding for hours, and after that, you destroyed the difficulty of the entire game, as the rest of the NPCs will be a lot weaker than your team. This is something that could be fixed easily with a dynamic level system, just give the bosses different levels and move sets depending on your progress and you would have the pokémon game with the best replay value of all time, but it seems Game Freak was too lazy or incompetent to program that.

Also, the open world means that routes and cities are a lot bigger than normal, which in theory sounds amazing, but in execution, it just means that you will have to "explore" lots of empty and generic green fields. Unlike previous games, most buildings are impossible to enter, so when you arrive at a new city the only interesting thing to do is talk to random NPCs, defeat the gym leader if there is one, and continue your adventure right after. While they have distinct designs, they also lack exploration and unique buildings to make them memorable, so you won't find something iconic like Lavender Town, Fortree City, Lumiose City, or Village Bridge.

This is worse when you realize the number of random trainers to battle is a lot lower than in previous entries, and an area that you need at least 15 minutes to fully explore will have at most 5 trainers. What's the point of having huge areas when most of the time the only thing to find are wild pokémon and random items in the ground that you can find everywhere else? And finding all the trainers in an area at first seems like a fun sidequest to do until you realize that the rewards aren't that good, and usually there is a trainer in an obscure zone hard to reach that leads nowhere, so finding them can feel more annoying than challenging.

And the gameplay also has some questionable choices. The Let's Go! mechanic, which allows your pokémon to get out of the pokéball to defeat wild pokémon and retrieve items, is useful for leveling up, but they can't evolve this way unless they are pawmo/bramblin/rellor, who evolve after walking 1,000 steps. This doesn't balance or add anything to the difficulty and is just an arbitrary prohibition.

Also, the Team Star route is easily the worst one, as you have to defeat 30 pokémon in a row using this mechanic to unlock the boss, but you don't get any experience during the ordeal, and walking aimlessly while spamming the shoulder buttons isn't exactly the most fun thing to do. You also don't get experience for defeating the team Star leaders, which is ridiculous. These battles are just like fighting against gym leaders and titan pokémon, so why are they the only ones that don't give even a single point of experience?

Another gameplay mechanic that is badly designed is the Tera Raid Battles, which are a worse version of the Max Raid Battles from Sword & Shield. The difference is that you have a time limit to defeat the pokémon, but at higher difficulties, it's pretty obvious they didn't even bother to beta-test them. Using moves with long animations can make a raid unwinnable, especially if they lower/raise stats, sometimes desynchronization can stop you from attacking for 30 seconds, and it's basically mandatory to terastallize your pokémon to win, but just the initial animation wastes almost a minute, and terra attacks last longer than normal ones.

This means that the best strategy is using cheap and quick tactics, like azumarill with play rough and belly drum, and most of the time you lose because the game bugged or the opponent wasted most of the time in long and useless movements, which is more common than you would expect.

So, as you can see, the game is full of flaws and weird choices, but the worst part is that it can still be pretty fun. Riding your legendary pokémon feels amazing, and the freedom of movement is appreciated in a franchise where previously running was the best option you had. The characters are charming and memorable, which makes the story more engaging despite being as simple as always, especially the Arven route, which is a lot more sentimental than you would expect from the franchise.

There are also lots of quality-of-life additions that pokémon needed a long time ago, like being able to forget and remember moves anytime you want, without needing any item, the possibility of using the Storage System from the menu and not just on specific places, breeding is no longer limited to Day Cares, and you just need to set a picnic to start getting eggs, and so on. These are things that fans had wanted for years which makes the process of raising the perfect pokémon a lot easier and more entertaining.

And you even have some optional content that gives more depth to secondary characters. Did you know that if you complete all the exams in the academy you can hang out with the teachers, learning more about them and helping them to overcome their problems, and when you complete the main story you can hang out with Arven, Penny, and Nemona? I discovered this by complete accident, but it was really fun hearing the story of the school nurse, helping Arven to find a life goal, and watching the battle studies teacher develop her cooking skills. It was like a really basic version of the social links from Persona 3-5, and I wouldn't mind watching this mechanic in the following games.

And that's my problem with Pokémon Scarlet/Violet. They are full of problems, bugs, and bad game design choices that shouldn't exist in the highest-grossing media franchise in the world, but when it works, it really works, and the number of times you get frustrated with all the wasted opportunities is similar to the number of times you are having a blast. It's a shame because, with a little more polish, it could easily be the best pokémon game of all time.

I used to praise Pokemon games because they were always very solid. I never found glitches, problems running the game, and the mechanics were on point. Not with this one... The game is so glitchy, it is very disappointing.

I know they went big and did the open world thing. That is great. The problem is that if having an open world will sacrifice on how solid the game is, then it is not worth it. I was comparing this game to Pokemon Sword, and the difference in how it looks, performs, and feels is very different, in a bad way. Graphics are not great, the movement of the character feels clunky. It even makes me dizzy to play it on the TV. Even Arceus looks and feels better, and I wasn't a big fan of it.

Now, even though I have a rather harsh opinion on this game, let's mention some things that were quite nice. The character development was pretty nice. There was a big roster of people to meet and they had very particular interests, especially in the Academy. I like the idea of having different quest lines to play, and how they used the map.

I didn't feel the main story was solid enough, maybe because I wasn't a fan of future Pokemon.

To begin, a bit of waffling…

I love Pokémon, I always have. I’m one of those geezers, those insufferable hold outs, who was in the right place at the right time for the Pokémon boom. I was 8 years old, I had a red GameBoy Pocket on my person at all times and I had, perhaps ironically, a blue cartridge permanently slotted into it (at least until the yellow one arrived…).

I’ll admit I haven’t played every single spin-off game, but of the mainline titles I own and have played every colour, gemstone, letter of the alphabet, celestial body, and medieval armament. Despite the talk of issues and the red flags I already knew that Violet/Scarlet would be no different. I’m a sucker, and GameFreak has me by the balls. I’ve just got to see more Pikachu!

So, I’ve beaten the game, I’m hyper training my team, and I’m getting into the post-game grind, and I think it’s time for me to commit some thoughts down. Hopefully anything I write here is vaguely interesting or helpful to anyone thinking about jumping into this release!

So, here’s the spoiler warning, I’m not going to hold back. Here we go, the proper review part:

Let’s start with the positives because there are a few! To begin with, the open world is a great idea even if it isn’t totally executed to perfection. After a lengthy introduction to the game, when you finally get to cut loose and explore, it is rewarding and fun to roam around, find herds and outbreaks of Pokémon and look for treasure and items. It can be an empty place where not much happens, but it's a net positive in my view.

Additionally, since the story allows you to pursue any objective in any order you, please it’s a lot of fun happening upon objectives by chance or running into a rare Pokémon in an odd spot that you just happened to wander into

The “evil” team of the game, Team Star, are an interesting take on the usual formula. A group of kids who were bullied at school who banded together to resist the bullies only to end up getting the blame for the problem, you work with the school dean to discover their motives and plots and it’s nicer than the usual world ending fare the series serves up, though Team Yell is tame on that front too.

Another subplot you pursue is that of the Titan Pokémon and helping your pal Arven to heal his injured buddy. The Titan fights are just as they sound, you fight a big Pokémon, it has a bit more health than usual, but they’re usually put down with ease. Arven’s story is the star here, as his Mabosstif slowly gets better throughout the journey, you really feel for the poor guy and it helps to motivate your slog through the unremarkable battles that get you the next bit of the story. That said, the False Dragon Titan is cool.

The main plot sees you battling an evil AI in a time machine which showcases Arven’s mommy and or daddy issues which kind of seems like an afterthought since Arven is not important in the overall plot of the game and the familial relation feels a little shoehorned. It got dangerously close to “end of the world” nonsense, but it was fine overall.

The new Pokémon designs are fun, I’m a big fan of Charcadet and his evolutions even if they are bit “edge lordy”. Terrastalizing your Pokémon is a fine addition though at this point in the series I can’t fathom why GameFreak feel the need to continue making up new Mega Evolution replacements instead of simply sticking by that superior mechanic and iterating on it.

Moving on, Scarlet and Violet have their share of issues. Most of which many are already aware of. Performance issues, visual lag, weird glitches, and bugs, these are all issues where mileage may vary. Some bugs are funny, weird animation glitches that don’t really impact your ability to progress or detract from the gameplay of the game. If that stuff amuses you then it’s just fine, I had a few laughs. Animation hitches and slowdown can diminish enjoyment though, and they are bad in some spots. I’ll never forget my first experience walking into a town where, as you enter, you walk over a hill, and it reveals a great big windmill that towers over the town and animates at maybe 5 frames per second. It’s janky.

While I have mentioned that the open exploration is great it also has its own drawbacks. It’s very uneven, its easy to over level while pursuing one of your objectives only to return to a plot thread you left behind and find it well beneath you. Personally, I started with Titans and gyms and breezed through Star raids as a result. Not by any fault of the game, really, perhaps if you’re the sort who jumps between activities and plans their journey better it’s not an issue, but I found myself not really paying attention to the other markers on the map as clearing a gym would always result in me looking for the next one.

Star Raids start strong, they showcase the new free battle system where you can send out your Pokémon and let them auto battle trash mobs and collect EXP while you continue to move about the field. This system is an excellent addition, and the first few Star Raids are fun but eventually they become a chore. Every raid plays out the exact same way, you fight the door guard, you fight 30 trash mobs, you fight the leader and a giant car. It’s the same giant car every time. It just feels like a huge waste of potential, the vehicles could have all been different, the typing of each challenge could have played a bigger role, something. It’s just too repetitive.

Where the Star Raids are a repetitive chore the Gym Tests are varied but no less a chore. From pushing a giant olive into a basket to psychic emotional Simon Says, to ordering a secret menu item, it’s nice to have a variety but some challenges are better than others. The ghost gym is just a series of battles, like older games, some gyms have no battles at all. Hopefully this is something they iterate on, the old gym formula has been around for a long time and could use a change but some of these are just a little too simple.

Tera Raid battles are a newish iteration on Sword and Shield’s Dynamax Raids but somehow worse. The timer mechanic makes for a more restrictive battle that pressures players and it’s real unforgiving at times. When a Raid Pokémon gets into a series of time-wasting actions you can’t do much other than watch your precious time tick away. Sometimes the lag and connection issues to other players seems to result in the enemy taking up to 5 turns before you can even choose an action. It also seems restrictive due to the enemy’s unlimited ability to remove your buffs and debuffs at any time even as it puts up its shield, hits you, and burns your timer down.

This adds to the nuisance of getting a clear, it feels needlessly difficult at times for a children’s game. Pokémon will have massive health pools where it feels like you need to buff up but just as quickly as you set up it eliminates your buffs and yet without the buffs your moves will never outpace the timer with or without the time-wasting AI actions. It’s not entirely odd for Pokémon to take an established mechanic and make it worse but this one is particularly egregious in my mind.

Maybe, in time, with some patching and some work, GameFreak can polish this game up. As it is right now, it’s a weird one. I’ve had a ton of fun playing through but that’s in spite of the issues and the unfun elements I’ve run into. It’s hard to recommend the game, but I also wouldn’t say to totally avoid it. It’s one of those titles where you just need to follow your gut. If you can look past the bad and the ugly there is quite a bit of good to find and enjoy.

I really feel like this game is for most of the people is a big no but for the people that just want to have fun and walk around, catch some pokemon and discover random items/misteries in a really big open world its great game to play.

Pros:

• Big Map.
• Cool narrative/ main story (Arven best Char)
• Challenging late game raids.
• Cool events. (7 Star raids)
• More to do in the main story.
• Grind feels more consistent.

Cons

• Some non-breaking bugs (at least for me).
• So little to do in the post game.
• The world feels like needs more life or content.
• Picnic/Sandwich mechanic wasn't that enjoyable

The game does not work well. Missing animations. Pop in. Frame drop. Lag.

Pretty much unforgivable given the intended scope of the game. At least cyberpunk shot for the stars graphically. So many lies in this era of gaming.

There are some areas of the game that run really well. And I feel like that has something to do with needing to capture footage for trailers.....

It's a shame because playing the game there is something special here. It's what I imagined Pokémon to be in my childhood. I expect the next console game to be great but this isn't it.

After playing Pokémon Legends: Arceus, my main conclusion was that it potentially signaled a bright future for the Pokémon series, and that I didn’t mind it if they continued to pursue that gameplay in future titles. Now that I’ve seen the credits roll on Scarlet, my feelings have been confirmed: the old Pokémon catching and battling systems just do not cut it for me anymore, even when reframed in a lovely non-linear open world.

To better understand Scarlet/Violet, it’s helpful to see them as follow-ups to Sword/Shield, rather than January’s Legends: Arceus. You travel from town to town, collecting badges and building your Pokémon team. You take on a dastardly team of villains, complete a Pokédex and discover the secrets of your region—all standard Pokémon stuff. But Scarlet/Violet do introduce a big shakeup. After seven generations of completely linear paths and one generation of being teased by the half measure that were Sword/Shield’s Wild Areas, we finally get a truly open world in a Pokémon game, and it’s glorious. Paldea has most of the things you expect from a Pokémon world, but without any of the barriers. You are free to explore as you wish and tackle objectives in any order, gated only by your capability.

Paldea is Scarlet/Violet’s strength. I loved exploring the region and discovering each of the unique towns and the characters therein. I loved getting lost in the wilderness and finding cool new Pokémon. I especially loved that I could challenge myself by taking on Gyms, Titan Pokémon and Team Star Bases that might be slightly out of my team’s reach.

Scarlet/Violet are good Pokémon games. They are certainly an improvement over Sword/Shield, which I felt played it much too safe. But while playing, my mind never stopped going back to Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and how it’s such a better take on open world Pokémon. Scarlet/Violet take the standard Pokémon gameplay and surgically transplant it into an open world while keeping a lot of the core systems intact. Legends: Arceus goes the extra mile to change the core catching mechanics into something much more modern and immersive.

The most glaring deficiency in Scarlet/Violet is the most fatal: the Pokémon themselves. Pokémon feel like dull trading cards mindlessly roaming the world, waiting to be collected. Your only option to interact with them is to battle, which is initiated by walking into them, or by using a janky Pokéball throw that just reminds me of the far superior throwing mechanics of Legends: Arceus. In that game, Pokémon are so much more dynamic. The player has complete control over when to initiate battle by throwing out their own Pokémon. Your interaction options are far greater—you can throw balls to try to catch them, or berries to try to feed them. Hostile species attack you, not only bringing those terrifying Pokédex descriptions to life, but also making the player feel like an actual part of the world. It’s truly night and day.

The actual flow of battle also feels so much better in Legends: Arceus. Battles in that game are a brisk affair, admittedly in part due to its simplified mechanics. Scarlet/Violet return to the sluggish pace that soured me on Sword/Shield. Transitions are a little better now that battles take place in the open world, but you’ll still be sitting through lots of text-based messages that could really be conveyed more succinctly by an icon on the screen somewhere (Status changes, for example). One thing I REALLY missed was the Dragon Quest XI-esque ability to walk around during battles, something that gave the player something to do during battle animations and generally made you feel much more immersed in the world.

I will give Scarlet/Violet credit where it’s due and mention a few things that I think it does better than Legends: Arceus. Paldea’s openness and non-linearity give you a sense of freedom that I really hope they stick with in the future. I liked how all of the traversal options are merged into a single rideable Pokémon now, instead of the annoying assortment of rideable beasts in Legends: Arceus. The Let’s Go mechanic is a neat idea to cut down on grinding, and it has potential if they can make it feel less janky to use. Tera Raid Battles are a really fun improvement on Max Raid Battles, and Terastallizing is probably the best of the new battle mechanics they have introduced since Generation VI. Finally, much like in Sword/Shield, I can truly feel the love and appreciation that went into Paldea. There’s tons of references to Spain, a country that I love, so it feels extra special to me.

Scarlet/Violet just make me feel a little empty. I can’t hate them, because they have good ideas that I hope can be fleshed out moving forward. I can’t love them either, because they strip away so many things that made Legends: Arceus my favorite Pokémon game since the DS era. Then there’s the visual and performance issues that everyone knows about.

I do think these are good Pokémon games, and at the end of the day, it’s easy enough to just turn my brain off and enjoy them for what they are. You may be thinking, “You’re being too harsh on these games for not being Pokémon Legends: Arceus.” Sure, but I find it impossible to review games in a vacuum. To me, new games exist in the context of games that came before. In that light, Scarlet/Violet disappointed me and make me confused as to what Game Freak’s vision for the future of the series even is.

I loved the first three Pokémon generations (see me pictured above), but the series slowly lost me after that point. The 7th and 8th generation games were pretty boring for me. Even the acclaimed 4th and 5th gens, despite mechanical improvements, never really stuck with me and couldn’t hold my attention when I revisited them recently. I thought I might never love one of these games again, and that I’d just grown out of it or whatever. Luckily, this new generation brought the exact shake-up that the series needed to win me back.

What would normally be one long, relatively linear Pokémon story has been broken up here into three parallel ones that come together at the end. I loved being allowed to approach things in whatever order I wanted, whenever I wanted as part of a big open world. With free roaming unconstrained by story progress, no random encounters, and no forced trainer battles, the chill collection side of the game really opens up. I ended up with by far the most Pokémon I’ve ever caught, and collecting them was my favorite part of the game.

This isn’t Pokémon Go, though. The actual stuff you do in the three storylines is not a huge departure from the kinds of things you’d do in the classic Pokémon games. They just feel so much better pacing-wise now that you can approach them from any direction at any time. On a few occasions, I ran into something that I was wildly over-leveled for, like my final gym which probably should have been around my 3rd. In general, though, I regularly threw myself into things I was under-leveled for, which made for some fun and tense bits of strategy.

The main quests did leave room for improvement in their objective design outside the big battles. Little challenges required to unlock each gym battle or Team Star boss fight are sometimes okay, but often lackluster and awkward to execute. And the big Titan Pokémon you hunt just don’t provide much of a memorable chase or tracking challenge—a missed opportunity for something closer to Monster Hunter. Both Titans and regular Pokémon would benefit hugely from more dynamic behavior in the world, since they are the thing that can make the open world interesting.

I was surprised to enjoy the story as much as I did, mostly owing to the characters, who are some of the series’s best and have a lot of funny moments. What also surprised me was just how much I liked the Pokémon, one of my favorite sets of new ones ever with some cool and quirky designs. They brought back a good balance of old ones here, too, even changing some of them in ways that give them more style and identity.

The game’s presentation and visuals have good aspects, especially when viewed in handheld mode. Either way you view it, though, textures are often bland and poor quality, and the performance definitely gets choppy, even slideshow-esque for distant objects. The camera is often put at awkward angles, though is easily moved. Animations can be stiff and outdated. The absurd visual glitches being shared around the web were not as pervasive as I expected, with only one goofy bug like that in my playthrough. It’s not a great-looking game though, by current standards.

They did a good job mechanically, at least. The big new battle mechanic, “terastallizing”, feels pretty fun and well-balanced to me, with nice visual design and interesting implications for Pokémon’s typing. Very rarely in this game did I feel like some mechanic was a nuisance or an unwanted relic of the past. I think where they drop the ball on quality of life is just the clunky map menu, which I hope gets improved in a patch.

There’s no doubt that this game needed a lot more polish and care put into its visuals and technical side, but I found all that fades away in the moment. While I hope that soon we get a Pokémon game that can be recommended without major caveats, I personally found this to be one of the most fun entries the series has ever had. This is a divisive entry for sure, but if you can even win back a jaded fan of the first couple generations, you’re at least doing something interesting.