Few games are as anticipated as a new core Pokémon release, and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are no exception. The pair of titles have been in the limelight ever since their reveal, with The Pokémon Company taking a drip-feed approach to marketing the titles. Screen Rant was invited to go hands-on with Nintendo Switch’s upcoming Pokémon Scarlet during a recent preview event in New York City.
Pokémon games have found themselves in a weird spot recently. The lack of a full Pokédex in Pokémon Sword and Shield resulted in fans threatening to boycott the product. In the end, the games shattered sales records and laid the groundwork that Scarlet and Violet are now built – and it’s a good thing, since the open-world-inspired Wild Area of the previous entries is now the main premise for Scarlet and Violet‘s Paldea region. The entire game is now a sprawling open world teeming with monsters, trainers and collectibles.
The demo starts off with several brand-new Pokémon in the trainer’s possession: Wiglett (holding an Everstone), Armarouge, Cetitan, Farigiraf, and the recently-revealed Bellibolt. Each has its own strength and was fine-tuned to best assist with the tasks within the demo, but the real star of the game was the massive open world that begged to be explored. Hopping on the back of Pokémon Scarlet‘s cover monster Koraidon, the Paldea region quickly became a playground. The legendary Pokémon is capable of carrying players on its back as it runs across the land, with shades of Pokémon Legends: Arceus‘s Ride Pokémon traversal mechanics (swimming, climbing, gliding) coming into play depending on the terrain.
Spread throughout the world are wild Pokémon, trainers looking for a battle, and items just waiting to be discovered. During a short hands-on session, never-before-seen wild Pokémon were in abundance and freely pranced (or waddled) around the environment. Like pre-Arceus entries, entering a battle was as simple as walking into one of the Pocket Monsters to trigger a traditional turn-based conflict. Unlike the out-of-place mini arenas that players found themselves teleported to when confronting a Pokémon, the creatures will battle right where they’re found. This keeps the action rolling rather than disrupting it to execute an encounter, and the end result creates a much more immersive battle scenario.
Battling, catching, and evolving monsters are still core focuses, but there’s a nice twist to the gameplay this time around. Namely, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s three main story routes. Yes, gone are the days of progressing through a linear narrative. Instead, the focus is now on exploring and taking on one of three story-related challenges at leisure. The three paths in question are Victory Road (the Gym-based storyline), Path of Legends (where Titan Pokémon battles and crafting take center stage) and Starfall Street (where players battle the new villainous faction Team Star).
The freedom to spearhead a Pokémon Gym or challenge at any point in the adventure is also a welcomed one, albeit somewhat of a hollow gesture. The gameplay won’t scale the levels of the wild Pokémon or offer a Gym Leader that matches levels of a trainer’s team. This more or less ensures that – unless someone wants to spend hours grinding EXP – tasks will be done in a predictable order. Fortunately, passive battles can now take place to do just that, where a single Pokémon from the player’s party is sent out to battle wild mons without entering into a traditional encounter. How freeform the paths end up being in the final game remains to be seen, but it’s ultimately a welcomed option for fans looking to craft their own adventure.
While on the topic of crafting, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s Picnic mechanic and its sandwich building mini-game might end up being a show stealer. Much like camping in Sword and Shield, the core purpose of the Picnic option is to rest Pokémon and increase their friendship levels. But the sandwich building feature turns what would otherwise be a remedial task into one of the best gameplay additions to the franchise in recent memory. While adventuring, players will learn new sandwich recipes and gather ingredients for this mini-game. When it comes time to actually build a towering sammy, players will whip up a sauce and try their best to stack as many items on the bread as possible. The end result was nothing short of hilarious, as tomatoes and lettuce toppled off the ham-heavy monument to gluttony – with laughs erupting from Nintendo Treehouse staff in the vicinity.
Much like that moment, it’s nice to be able to share in the excitement of the Pokémon games with others. Developer Game Freak is well aware of this, which is why Pokémon Scarlet and Violet feature co-op multiplayer so prominently. While the ability to roam around the world with colleagues wasn’t available during the demo, the option to enter a Tera Raid Battle alongside three other players was. While these may appear to be following in the steps of the Sword and Shield‘s Max Raid Battles that came before, the developers have been listening to fans and tweaked how these events operate. Instead of taking turns attacking a wild Pokémon, players can get several moves in. Now, a move could be an attack or a cheer that restores health or boosts attack power.
Everyone participating is (or should be) paying attention to how the battle is unfolding because a massive timer is counting down from the top of the screen. This countdown is reminiscent of the Raid Battles in Pokémon GO, and it helps make for a significantly more engaging battle as players race against the clock to defeat a common foe. It’s easy to see how this feature will hook players, as it looks set to become a major draw for those that want to grind for particular creature. Upon completing the Tera Raid Battle, players can then attempt to capture the defeated Pokémon. Of course, this isn’t just any Pocket Monster, it’s a creature that can Terastallize – the latest battle gimmick of the franchise.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s Terastallization Phenomenon is the newest means of supercharging a Pokémon mid-battle. Essentially, the trainer lifts a device over their head dubbed the Tera Orb and the monster transforms into a crystallized version of itself, donning a crown indicating which type it is. If the process sounds a bit lackluster, that’s because it’s visually not as significant as Mega Evolution or Gigantamax forms. However, where this mechanic gets interesting is in the fact that Terastallizing can actually change the Pokémon’s type. In one instance, a Gym Leader transformed the Rock-type Sudowoodo into a Grass-type Pokémon during the demo.
It’s easy to see how this will impact battles and play into the meta of the game. Competitive play could become much more interesting with Pokémon able to shift types mid-battle. Fortunately, the feature isn’t easily spammable, as it can only be used once before needing to be recharged, and the ability to change a Pokémon’s type requires a special version of the creature that can usually only be captured during Tera Raid Battles. As previously stated, Scarlet and Violet‘s Terastallization lacks flare or meaningful form changes, but it will impact the meta of the franchise significantly and that’s where its appeal lies.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet look to be the most ambitious entries in the series yet. This truly open-world Pokémon game features branching story paths, multiplayer, and (bizarrely) an incredible sandwich-making mode. Suffice it to say, the titles are well worth getting excited about.
Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet arrive exclusively for Nintendo Switch on November 18, 2022. Screen Rant was invited to a preview session in New York City for the purpose of this article.
