The Pokemon franchise is already having a huge year with Nintendo and Game Freak releasing Diamond and Pearl’s prequel.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus was the franchise's first attempt at an open-world experience, whilst also giving traditional mechanics a massive overhaul. The newest titles, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, look to build upon the new foundation that has been created by Pokemon Legends: Arceus.
Ahead of the release of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Nintendo invited Mirror Gaming to a hands-on preview session, where we got to take a deeper look at what players can expect from the new game when it's released on November 18.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet takes place in the Paldea Region, which is made up of several different biomes. It's the first ever fully open world in a Pokemon game and we got to experience a small section during the hands-on preview.
I was given the freedom to explore anywhere within this section, and even though it was only a glimpse of what the game has to offer, there was a lot to explore. I was able to traverse the areas surrounding Levincia and Artazon using Koraidon or Miraidon who have all the abilities of Legend Arceus’ rideable Pokemon rolled into one.
This made getting around the map effortless, allowing me to check every little detail I was allowed to. There are also fast travel points allowing players to get to key locations in an instant.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet includes quite a few quality-of-life changes that fans of the series will fully welcome. What I found very interesting is that now, the map will show players what Pokemon are within that area, which is very handy as you are tied to the Pokédex location option.
Trainers will also be able to let their Pokémon follow them on the map, have picnics and use emotes gestures.
All the major story locations are marked on the map making them easier to find and plot your course. I am all for this accessibility but it did feel like the game was spoon-feeding me a lot of information.
Another big change is that players will be able to initiate trainer battles at their own pace, meaning that the game won’t force you to battle if you make eye contact with another trainer. This new system will certainly alleviate some of the unwanted load of the battles the older games would force players into, which could get frustrating, especially when exploring caves.
That being said, this may take some of the thrill out of the game, simply because in past titles it could be exciting going through a gauntlet of trainers and being pushed to the edge to formulate new strategies against unknown enemies. Players will now be able to create TMs by using League Points and material dropped by wild Pokémon. The joy of this is that players can make as many as they like, provided they have enough materials.
This is a fantastic new addition that removes the limitation of having to decide which Pokémon will be best suited for the one particular TM the game used to give out. Players will be able to see Pokémon running across the map, however, they can only be caught by battling them. The developers have not included the ability to catch Pokémon outside of battle, like in Legend Arceus.
Pokémon battles will once again take place in turn-based format where the fastest Pokémon will have the advantage of going first. The new special battle technique in this game is the Terastal Phenomenon which crystallises Pokémon, changing their base type and granting them access to new moves.
This is a great new feature that broadens that strategic element of battle. I am looking forward to seeing in more detail how each Pokémon will change with this new technique. Wild Tera Pokémon can also be found on the map, but they can’t be directly caught until they have been reverted back to their original form.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will no longer have a linear path for players to follow, instead, there are three story options to choose from during the adventure. Each story path will allow players to collect badges from major story points.
Victory Road will be the most familiar to fans of the series as players will have to battle against Paldea's eight gym leaders. During this preview, I was able to take on Brassius, the gym leader of Artazon town. But before I could face him, I had to participate in a mini-game which involved finding Sunflora.
It was a very simple task, and I am very interested to see if all the gym battles have extra story elements like this to bolster their sections. Path of Legends will see players embarking on a quest to find Herba Mystica, a rare health-restoring herb unique to Paldea.
Along this journey, players will have to battle Titans, which are giant versions of certain Pokemon. During this preview, I was able to battle Klawf, who provided a much more intense challenge than the normal version.
Starfall Street features some of the game’s antagonists called Team Star, who are rebellious students that players will have to defeat. I was able to face off against Mela, their leader and Starmobile. This story path looks like it will offer the most unique challenge out of the three and I am looking forward to how it progresses.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet gives players the freedom to choose which story they want to tackle at any given time with each location marked on the map. What will be interesting to see is how progression works in the game and if players will be able to face off against strong gym leaders and enemies from the get-go.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet also introduces a new multiplayer mode called Tera Raid battle, where players will have to defeat a Tera Pokémon within a time limit.
Much like the raids in Sword and Shield, these battles can be in a group of four players online.
Union Circle is the new Online multiplayer system that allows up to four players to adventure with each other. This system will enable players to battle, trade, take pictures and even explore the region together.
However, players won’t be able to complete story moments or battle against wild Pokémon or trainers together. But it was great to see the different styles of battle available which included Single, Double and Multiple modes.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s new direction to an open-world format is certainly an exciting time for the franchise. Even though the hands-on preview showed only a glimpse of what fans can expect, from what I did experience, the game is could be on course to reach new heights.
