Pokemon Scarlet & Violethave now been released and have been met with mixed reviews fromPokemonfans. Praised for their story and graphics,the games have received criticism, mostly directed toward the bugs.
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Despite this,Pokemon Scarlet & Violethave performed well in sales and the games do have some great elements within. Its predecessor,Pokemon Legends: Arceuswas well received among the community, but there are a few things thatScarlet & Violetdo better which improve on some of the features.
10Streamlined Ride Pokemon
Legends: Arceusbrought fans some interesting ridePokemonmechanics, andScarlet & Violetimproved on this with the introduction of Koraidon and Miraidon. The Hisuii-based games had a differentPokemonfor each of the different ride mechanics: surfing, gliding, digging, etc.
InScarlet & Violet, the ride Pokemon do them all,unlocking each skill after the defeat of a titan Pokemon,meaning gamers can straight away unlock all of the powers and ride freely throughout Paldea before even defeating a single gym.
9Raids
Introduced inPokemonSword & Shield, raids were a great way to get XP and catch some Pokemon that were harder to find. InSword & Shield’s case, fans could encounter a Pokemonthat could Gigantamax. InScarlet & Violet, this was replaced withterrestrial Pokemon in Generation 9.
Raid just wasn’t a thing inLegends: Arceus. The closest thing fans got is the space-time distortions. These aren’t quite the same, however, they serve the same purpose of catching rarer Pokemon, without the idea of a big battle to do so. This givesScarlet & Violetthe edge.
8Multiplayer
One ofScarlet & Violet’s big features in the games is the massive improvement in multiplayer. For the first time in aPokemongame, the player can directly play with others within the main section of the game and not just in a separate room like in games prior.
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In the Hisuii-based games, there was no such multiplayer like this. It is completely new for generation 9, so it is a massive plus forScarlet & Violet. Gamers will want to get involved with the multiplayer to trade and battle others andto evolve the much-requested dolphin Pokemon Finizen.
7Graphics
The graphics inScarlet & Violetstill need some work, but they are an improvement onLegends: Arceuswith improved textures and animations. The terrestrial Pokemonanimation deserves much credit here, with a bright and colorful transformation that is stunning when viewed on the Nintendo Switch.
Using Magnemite as an example, the muted tone in the previous game is replaced with a shiny metal-like texture in Paldea and it better reflects how the electric Pokemon would look in real life. Theimproved texturesdefinitely add to the immersion of the game.
6Customization
Legends: Arceusdid offer some customization. Gamers could customize the player from the start to how they want their player to look and then customize the outfit within the game.
This returns inScarlet & Violetwith more options. Players can now choose their phone case, and bag and even customize their picnic set. In Paldea, gamers can now completely have the game the way they want. This matches the RPG style of the game, allowing it to be played exactly how their heart desires.However, there is still room for development and some fans feel these games have missed the mark.
5Storyline
The storyline is a massive improvement overLegends: Arceus, chief among them are the gyms. Gamers can once again battle through the gyms and take on the elite four to be the champion and a Pokemon master.
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Not just that, the actual story is an improvement with the lore of paradox Pokemon and the Great Crater of Paldea being great additions to the franchise. There is a lot to do in Paldea, more so than inLegends: Arceus, which has one storyline and side quests. Gamers can work to complete the Pokedex, but this is also there inScarlet & Violet.
4Three Main Quests
InPokemon Scarlet & Violetthere is much more to do, the three main quests are set to keep players of the game busy for a while. These activities includecompleting the gyms, taking down the evil team, and battling the titan Pokemon.
Operation Starfall offers a completely new style of Pokemon, raiding the bases utilizing the auto-battle feature is a fresh new addition and helps to add variety to the game.Legends: Arceus, of course, did not have this feature with anything close to it. Hopefully, this is a feature ofPokemongames for many years to come.
3More Pokemon
Four hundred Pokemon roam the lands of Paldea,with 107 new ones to collect.Some old favorites return to Generation 9 with new moves to use in battle. This is just less than double the amount found inLegends: Arceus, which has 242 in the Pokedex.
The sheer number of those famous creatures is enough to keep gamers more than occupied in the quest to complete the Pokedex. IfScarlet & Violetfollow thePokemon Sword & Shieldtrend, more will be available in upcoming DLCs, so get those Ultra Balls at the ready!
2Map
InPokemon Scarlet & Violetthe map is massive, with several areas to explore of all different terrains, the player can seamlessly navigate from one part of the map to the other. InLegends: Arceusthat is not achievable. Each area is its section and gamers must go back to Jubilife Village to go to each different location on the map.
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This is where the new game improves on its predecessor. The map itself on the Rotom phone is also much better and easier to navigate when it comes to selecting where to go and what to do in the game’s menu.
1Fast Travel
Fast travel has a massive improvement inScarlet & Violet. Players can instantly teleport to an area they have been to before, all across the map of Paldea. Searching for Pokemonand locations has never been easier.
Like older generations with the fly HM, the fast travel is not reserved for just Pokecenters, the player can go to pretty much every location in the game, including the lighthouses at every compass point in Paldea. This is an improvement on the tedious fast travel inLegends: Arceus, which involved the player having to go to several locations and not having everything on one map.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violetis available now on Nintendo Switch.
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