Are Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Worth Playing? – The Ultimate Guide
The Short Answer
Yes, I recommend giving Pokemon Scarlet and Violet a try despite their flaws. As the first open world Pokemon games, Scarlet and Violet get a lot right in terms of gameplay freedom, multiplayer fun, and quality of life improvements. The new region of Paldea has charm and many secrets to uncover. While technical issues and repetitive environments bring the overall experience down, patient players will still find an enjoyable journey and strong Pokemon formula underneath. Casual fans or those new to the franchise are likely to have the most fun exploring the world. Competitive battlers may want to wait for updates and DLC to improve gameplay depth. But with reasonable expectations, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet offer a solid experience.
Key Facts and Statistics
Review Scores
- Metacritic: 72/100 (Scarlet), 73/100 (Violet)
- OpenCritic: 73 (Scarlet), 74 (Violet)
- IGN: 8/10
- GameSpot: 6/10
Sales Records
- Fastest selling Nintendo Switch games: over 10 million copies sold in launch weekend
- Biggest Pokemon launch to date
Game Length
- Main story: 30-40 hours
- Completionist playthrough: 80+ hours
The Good – Enjoyable Aspects
A Whole New World to Explore
The open world design is perhaps Scarlet and Violet‘s biggest strength. Instead of being confined to routes, you‘re free to explore the diverse Paldea region however you want. Trek through lush forests, traverse arid deserts, climb snowy mountains, and visit lakeside towns in any order. This open-ended approach is a refreshing change from prior linear Pokemon RPGs. You‘ll uncover hidden nooks and treasures at your own pace. Seeing Pokemon roaming the overworld is also engaging.
More Freedom and Flexibility
With gyms and story objectives available from the start, Scarlet and Violet give you flexibility in how to progress. Feel like taking on the fire gym first? Go for it. Want to focus on Team Star bases early? You can do that too. This freedom reduces the feeling of being on rails and lets you tailor the experience. The lack of random encounters also lets you choose when to battle wild Pokemon. Overall, Scarlet and Violet capture the spirit of adventure better than any prior Pokemon game.
Multiplayer Fun with Friends
Scarlet and Violet expand multiplayer options to benefit from the open world design. You can seamlessly see and interact with friends online or locally. Join them in exploration, trade Pokemon, battle each other, or team up in Tera Raids against powerful monsters. The new Let‘s Go feature also lets friends join you on your journey for added fun. Scarlet and Violet get multiplayer right by making it easy to connect whenever you want.
Familiar and Fun Pokemon Formula
Underneath the changes lies the same enjoyable Pokemon loop. Catching new monsters, training up a battle-ready team, defeating gyms, and unraveling a villainous plot are all familiar elementsexecuted well. The 100+ new Pokemon designs are interesting, and regional forms like Paldean Wooper put new spins on classics. Customization options let you better express yourself too. Scarlet and Violet prove the Pokemon formula remains addictive when given more freedom.
The Bad – Issues to Keep In Mind
Technical Problems and Bugs
The most common criticism is Scarlet and Violet‘s technical performance. Reviewers cited frequent framerate drops, clipping through objects, and textures popping in late. Load times when transitioning areas were painfully long too. These issues seem tied to pushing the Switch hardware to its limits with the big open worlds. The performance problems worsen the sense of repetition and make exploration rougher. Patches have helped, but more optimization is needed.
Environments Lack Variety
While Paldea is wide open, the actual environments you‘ll explore lack diversity. Many zones reuse the same grass and dirt textures endlessly. Towns blend together with similar architecture. There are few unique landmarks or intriguing dungeons to discover. The world feels big but empty rather than dense with engaging locations. A bit more environmental variety would have gone a long way to make exploration consistently exciting.
Battles and AI Need More Challenge
Veteran Pokemon fans may find Scarlet and Violet surprisingly easy. EXP Share is always on by default, letting your whole team level up quickly. The friendly AI also makes few competitive moves. With smart team building and type coverage, you can sweep most major battles without too much tactics. Players seeking serious challenge may get bored. Including difficulty settings could have helped here. The streamlined battles seem tailored for casual fans.
Postgame Content Feels Limited
A common recent Pokemon complaint applies to Scarlet and Violet too – the postgame feels light on content. Once you beat the story, there are not many lengthy side quests or challenging endgame goals to pursue. The primary postgame activities are competitive multiplayer, completing the Pokedex, and mopping up remaining side quests. Previous games like HeartGold offered deeper postgames to extend longevity.
The Verdict
While flawed, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet get more right than wrong by delivering the core Pokemon experience in an open world. The technical issues and repetitive environments are lamentable shortcomings, but the improved freedom, multiplayer, and streamlined gameplay make journeying through Paldea enjoyable. Patience and an open mind will help overlook the current weaknesses. Scarlet and Violet lay the groundwork for what could become an incredible open world Pokemon RPG down the line. For now, they provide a solid experience that kept me engaged for over 50 hours, despite the need for more polish. I recommend Scarlet and Violet for fans ready to explore a beautiful new region and have some multiplayer fun catching Pokemon with friends.