Last November, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet were released for Nintendo Switch as the first so-called open-world Pokémon games. These are non-linear games in which players can freely explore the environment as they collect Pokémon characters.
Reviewers and gamers alike have generally agreed that the games succeeded in introducing changes that were long overdue such as free roaming, a less linear adventure and a large amount of collectables. But they also criticised the games’ appalling visuals and technical failures. These failures – known as “glitches” – are moments when the game fails to behave as intended. Instead of chomping on a sandwich, for example, a character might be seen munching thin air.
The original Pokémon games, Red and Blue (1996), had their fair share of glitches too. This included “MissingNo”, an unofficial critter that could be found by deliberately using glitches. But times have changed since the first games. Pokémon is now a global behemoth and must meet fans’ high expectations for visual quality.
