As a young fan, my dream Pokémon game contained three important features – returning to an old region like in Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal, destroying buildings with Mewtwo and escaping the chains of the route system, so I could explore a region to its very core. While I’m begrudgingly coming to terms with the fact that an instalment containing two regions may never occur again (still holding out hope for the Mewtwo dream), an open-world Pokémon game has finally arrived in the form of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet review
- Publisher: Nintendo, The Pokémon Company
- Developer: Game Freak
- Platform: Played on Switch
- Availability: Out on Switch on 18th November
Gone are the days of neatly organised routes funnelling you from Gym to Gym, for, after completing the games’ opening chapter, you’re free to venture anywhere. Paldea is the largest region the series has seen so far – ranging from green fields to a windswept desert to a bamboo grove – and, upon leaving the city of Mesagoza for the wilds, it does feel like you’re on the cusp of a grand adventure.
All of the locations you can glimpse in the distance are reachable and, while you can set a destination on the overworld map, the mini-map will only show a marker pointing in its direction. How you reach your destination is up to you; creating the sense of carving out your own journey, rather than following a set path like in previous Pokémon titles. Though you will often find yourself being distracted by the siren call of a new Pokémon to catch or an item to collect and, before you know it, you’re wandering through a new location.
Navigating Paldea never feels like a chore either, in part thanks to your legendary Pokémon mount – Koraidon in Scarlet and Miraidon in Violet – allowing you to travel faster and to places your little human legs could never reach. You’ll gradually unlock the ability to climb cliffs, swim up rivers and glide down from mountain peaks on this Pokémon’s back. Koraidon and Miraidon are, effectively, the embodiment of HMs in Scarlet and Violet. Though, sadly, Strength is not part of their arsenal. The result is that none of Paldea’s incredibly brown caves hold the same complexity as those found in past games, like the Seafoam Islands or Mount Coronet. But, by utilising the legendaries’ other abilities, these areas at least avoid the corridor-like nature of the caverns in Sword and Shield.