I do not know why I did this, but I purchased Pokémon Violet on the day of its release. I have not been kind to the previous main-line Pokémon games, but maybe, just maybe, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet could be decent. I am a jaded Pokémon fan who just wants to play a universally decent Pokémon game. As of writing this post, I have finished playing Pokémon Violet, and I have some thoughts about this latest entry.
I am going to get the bad out of the way first. This game feels unfinished, but not in terms of game content. Because of the strict development cycle set by The Pokémon Company, Game Freak only has a set amount of time to create a functioning Pokémon game. It is obvious that Game Freak cut corners, not because of a lack of time, but a lack of effort. The overall graphics of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are awful, and there is no questioning this. The entire landscape, from the ground to the sky (and everything else in between) looks so artificial, cheap, and nothing remotely resembling a satisfactory game. Game Freak has not optimized these games to run at 30 fps, and these games run noticeably slower than 30 fps for significant stretches of the playthrough. The slow framerate and oversaturated color palette even gave me headaches for playing longer than an hour. For comparison, Breath of the Wild came out five years ago, and had none of these issues. How can Game Freak release a game like this? Game Freak could have done with using an extra year to polish Scarlet and Violet and make Legends: Arceus the main Pokémon release of 2022.
I only have one positive thing to say about the graphics on Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. I like how the textures on the actual Pokémon look. In Sword and Shield, the Pokémon textures looked cartoonish and more of an animated style. In Scarlet and Violet, the Pokémon textures look more realistic and stand out. You can even see fur on some Pokémon, and I like that attention to detail even if the overall graphics leave much to be desired.
I am glad that there is a continuing of the open-world concept from Legends: Arceus, and exploring the land of Paldea did not feel boring at all. It seems like there are new Pokémon to find in every little nook and cranny with some cool designs on some of the new Pokémon, and I appreciate the wonder that Scarlet and Violet have given me. The music is similarly solid and complement the game well. The tutorial is also short and minimal, and the games do not waste time on getting you out to the open world to catch Pokémon.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet had a renewed focus on the story not seen since the likes of the Generation 5 games, and I generally liked the overall story. You have the typical gym challenge where you earn the eight badges then challenge the Elite Four and Champion, but there are also two other 'main missions' that form a significant part of the Scarlet and Violet experience. Your rival is likable in this game, but the rest of the main characters are a bit hit and miss with their personalities and motivations. As decent as the overall story is, it sorely highlighted the need for voice acting. I cannot believe Game Freak has not implemented voice acting in a main-line Pokémon game yet, and it is such an easy solution to make these games better. It is grating to see a long cutscene where you see the characters move their mouths, but there is no sound coming out of their mouths, especially that the dialogue is significantly better than that of Sword and Shield.
To sum up my opinion of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, I think that they are the best main-line Pokémon games since Pokémon Black/White/Black 2/White 2, but the terrible graphics and slow framerate sour the experience. There is a lot to like in these games, including a much-improved story, stellar music, and an open world worth exploring. However, it is hard to enjoy these things when the visual presentation gives you migraine headaches. The sad thing about all of this is I do not know if this will be enough for the Pokémon Company, or Game Freak, to emphasize producing a quality Pokémon game, because this is not a quality Pokémon game. Despite all these valid criticisms, Scarlet and Violet will sell millions of copies, which will produce millions of dollars in revenue, and that will be the only thing the Pokémon Company and Game Freak will see. Are we as consumers the ultimate idiots for purchasing what is an unfinished game?
Maybe we are the idiots.
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