Pokemon is a series that has made small leaps over the years with each new generation. While one could argue that this was a byproduct of being a dedicated Nintendo handheld franchise, once the Switch came on the scene, many of us were excited about the possibilities that this hardware would offer. Despite its commercial success sword and shield, A portion of the fan base was disappointed with how low risk these games were. Added to this is a bad taste in the mouth Brilliant Diamond y horn pearl, Which was not the remake we expected. However, with the release of Dr Legend: Archeus, we saw The Pokemon Company take a risk and come up with something never seen before for this property. So it is with Scarlet and Violet In Distant, which is described as the first open-world game for the series, expectations are once again high.
Thus, I recently had the opportunity to play in advance Pokemon Scarlet. Not only was I able to enjoy a small portion of the game ahead of its official release on November 18, but some of my doubts were answered and other questions raised along the way. Considering this generation is doing something completely new in the series, I’m sure you still have a lot of questions about this installment. If this is the case, don’t worry, here I tell you what the next generation of Pokemon looks like
distraction
what later Pokemon Legend: Arceus It gave us the opportunity to explore different areas in a completely free way, the next step in the series was logical, although it surprised us. Although many thought so Scarlet and Violet They must go the way sword and shield, in the sense of providing an online adventure with a few places to explore without limitations, the generation that starts next month will give us a completely open world. This is something I had the most doubts about. How will an adventure work where the order is chosen by you? Will the structures we already know be completely eliminated? Let’s go by part.
In the session I had the opportunity to attend, I had access to a certain part of the map, south of Paldea to be precise. Although everything I could see on the general map seemed trivial, the reality was different, and there were many tasks and distractions to attend to in that initial area. I’m not just talking about the different narrative lines you can do, but there were several cities, battles against trainers, different items to collect, and more. One of the areas I loved the most was the main town.
Unlike other major cities in the Pokemon world, the capital of Paldeia feels alive. Not only is this location bigger than what we’ve seen in Galler’s Motostoke and Hammerloft, but there’s a greater number of locations. From focusing on the customization of the hero, where we find a wide list of clothing options, as well as hair and face layouts, as well as a market to buy food used in picnics.
Similar to other activities that have evolved since then X & Y, Scarlet and Violet They have a way to interact with all your Pokemon, and in this case we have Picnic. Here it’s possible to play, bathe, and raise the friendship level of your companions, as well as prepare food that provides a variety of benefits, from boosting your allies’ strength to improving your chances of encountering a certain type of wild animal. The fun comes in the form of making sandwiches, even though they actually look like cakes. For this, it is necessary to obtain ingredients in the store or on the street and you have to participate in a small minigame where it is possible to combine different meats and spices. It’s a lot of fun, and I can’t wait to see all the options the game has for us.
The road to victory
Now, the main adventure is divided into three main narrative lines. We have Victory Road, which asks us to travel across Paladea to defeat eight gym leaders. For its part, in Path of Legends we have to find and encounter different Pokemon of great status, such as Totem. sun moonor noble encounters in Legend: Archeus. Last but not least, we have Starfall Street, where the opposing team awaits us. As you probably already noticed, these are tasks that we usually have to perform on a mandatory basis in another installment. However, in Scarlet and Violet You make your way, so you can choose only one or two or all three of these three adventures.
In my case, and due to the limited time I had, I was only able to run one Victory Road mission, that is, I faced the first gym leader. note taking sword and shield, you can not only fight against this powerful trainer and that’s it, but you have to participate in a specific challenge that gives great variety to each chapter of this story. Once done, the traditional battle takes place, and this is the best time to talk about this section.
Although the system of rock, paper and scissors that we know so well is still there and Scarlet and Violet Not only is it in charge of including new moves, abilities, and Pokemon that have never been seen before, but here we present Terastalize transformations. Similar to Mega-Evolutions, Z-Moves and Gigantamax, this is the cool mechanic of this installment. In this case, each animal has a specific type, Pikachu is always electric, for example. However, with this transformation, Pikachu can now turn into a Flying-type, not only using more powers, but also removing one of its weaknesses.
The interesting thing is that Terastallize’s transformation is already fixed and, at least as far as I know, it’s impossible to change it, so it’s possible to have a fire pokemon that has access to the fire transformation, which only makes your moves stronger. While this will certainly make several battles in the campaign very interesting, I can’t wait to see how the competitive community reacts to this new addition that will take mind games to a new level.
Open world?
With each installment, Pokemon makes clear its intention to make the experience much friendlier to new players. This is not only limited to making certain mechanics more accessible and easier to understand, but in this case we can see it with open worlds. Not only do you get the chance to complete each of the three narrative lines in any order, but the quest is expanded considerably. As you probably already know, in Scarlet and Violet We can use the legendaries, Corydon and Myridon, to go through the whole of Paldea. These animals allow us to climb mountains, swim in oceans, run across fields, and fly in the sky. It’s a great feeling to have the opportunity to travel through areas that have become an industry standard in a way that we’ve traditionally had to walk, or bike. After all, the map gives us several surprises.
One of my best moments in this early access was launching off a cliff and while slowly descending I saw something special in the distance and my curiosity was immediately piqued. The journey from point A to point A is a thing of the past, and it’s quite easy to be enthralled by some of the surprises the game has in store for us.
On top of all this, my session turned into a raid battle, where, along with two other players, we battled and eventually lost to a large Pokemon. Similar to Max Raid War, Scarlet and Violet They allow us to face giant creatures with the help of three friends, to get a pocket monster with a certain Terrastalize. Interestingly, the battles here are real-time, not turn-based. That is, there is a certain time to defeat the opponent and during that time you can attack or use a command that gives your teammates an advantage. In the event of being stunned, you must wait a few seconds before returning to action.
I can’t wait any longer
In the blink of an eye, my session was over, and I had a hard time letting go of the controller as I wanted to continue playing, exploring, and fighting. This session answered some of my questions about exploration, but I still don’t have a clear answer on specifics. For example, will gyms and other matchups become more difficult as we progress through the adventure? However, it became clear to me Pokemon Scarlet and Violet The most ambitious game in the series.
Terrastalize looks like a breath of fresh air for the combat system. Additional activities, such as picnics, will occupy several of my hours on Palday. Not only does the exploration and open world feel new to it, they work together to reinforce the sense of encountering the unexpected along the way. I can’t wait, I already want to have the full game in my hands and explore every corner of this region. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet They will arrive on Nintendo Switch on November 18, 2022.
