After the launch of Pokemon Legends: Arceus, fans hoped that Nintendo and Game Freak might finally be on a new course to evolve the Pokemon franchise. Set in a period before Gym battles and the Elite Four, Arceus focused on studying and catching Pokemon in the wild. Well, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet return to the tried and true formula of Pokemon, for better and worse.

Although Scarlet takes some elements from Arceus, the game is similar to previous Pokemon installments. Players will explore the Paldea region, which is filled with many different environments, from blistering sandstorms in the desert to luscious green fields. Equipped with your handy Rotom Phone, it’s time to once again try to become the best there ever was.

Choose Your Starter

As is the case with every Pokemon game, you’ll need to choose your starter from three different Pokemon: Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly. The three starter types are still Grass, Fire, and Water, but given how you can choose different places to start in Paldea, it would’ve been nice to have Game Freak finally switch up the starter types. Alas, we have the usual options at the start of the game. But because of Scarlet’s flexibility, choosing which type you want might be a bit challenging, depending on how you want to play the game.

Once you’ve picked your starter, your rival, Nemona, will naturally select the Pokemon who’s weak against yours. For someone who claims to know all about Pokemon battles, it’s a bit of a head-scratcher why they’d choose the Pokemon that will constantly lose to you. As students of the prestigious Naranja Academy, you’d assume Nemona would’ve been smarter than that. Nevertheless, now that you’ve claimed your first pocket monster, it’s time to set off into the world of Paldea.

Exploring Paldea

The region of Paldea is a massive, spacious area to explore. With 12 cities and towns to visit, there’s a multitude of places to check out. Unlike previous Pokemon games, Paldea is more of an open world than a linear one. Another significant change in Scarlet is the freedom the game gives you. There are three major tasks for you to complete throughout the game: collecting Gym badges, defeating the villainous Team Star, and gathering Herba Mystica. You can choose whether to focus on beating all the Gyms and becoming a Pokemon Champion or helping Arven defeat Titan Pokemon for the Herba Mystica. 

Paldea’s sheer size might be intimidating if you didn’t have your trusty stead. In the game’s early beginnings, you’ll hear a Pokemon cry out in pain. After rescuing it and feeding it a sandwich, the Pokemon will grow fond of you and join your team in a unique capacity. Koraidon is a legendary Pokemon that you can ride throughout the region, and as you grow stronger, they’ll be able to traverse all over.

New Twist for Battles

Each new Pokemon game adds a little wrinkle to battles, and Scarlet is no different. Say hello to Terastallization. Using a Tera Orb, you can supercharge one Pokemon in a battle to have a crystallized appearance and enhanced attacks. However, Tera Orbs can only be used once before needing to be recharged at Pokemon Centers. This new addition adds a layer to battles, similar to Mega Evolutions and Dynamax from previous games. It’s crucial that you strategize how you activate the Tera Orb because if your Pokemon is defeated while Terastallized, you won’t be able to use it again.

Pokemon Centers are found in the wild, typically on the outskirts of major cities and towns. Not only do these areas serve as fast-travel points, so it’s essential to check out as many as possible, but they also have Poke Marts and crafting stations to create TMs. Typically, there will be a man in a suit standing by the centers that will give you rewards for battling a certain number of trainers or collecting Pokemon.

Verdict

Pokemon Scarlet is a fine game that most die-hard fans of the series will enjoy. While Game Freak didn’t do much to differentiate Scarlet from the other mainline games, there are enough additions from Arceus that make the experience somewhat special. Pokemon are seen grazing in the wild instead of having random encounters, and trainers won’t stop you in the middle of the road to battle. Having the freedom to choose which of the three tasks you want to pursue gives Pokemon that layer of complexity that was sorely needed. However, the Pokemon formula is quickly becoming stale, and Game Freak needs to do more to rejuvenate the series.

Final Score: 6.5/10

Pros:

• Pseudo-open world
• Many different environments
• Exploring Paldea on Koraidon
• Three main tasks to complete
• No random encounters

Cons:

• No voice acting
• Still the same three starter types
• TMs can only be used once
• Overall Pokemon formula becoming stale

A copy of Sonic Frontiers was purchased by MP1st, played on Xbox Series You can read MP1st’s review and scoring policy right here.