Pokemon Scarlet

 Switch
User Score
3.4

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 3197 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 755 out of 3197
  2. Mixed: 290 out of 3197
  3. Negative: 2,152 out of 3197
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  1. ORNITOMUSIC
    Sep 11, 2023
    5
    Juego que se ha pasado al mundo abierto, con algunos aciertos, pero empeorandose conforme avanza el juego;
    Me gustan los mapas, son muy bonitos.
    Pero las misiones son repetitivas, faltan los puzzles que tanto caracterizaban la saga, los poblados estan vacios, los npc son vagos y no te dan recompensas, no incita a ir a hablar con ellos… la dificultad es irrisoria… en definitiva un juego que    Juego que se ha pasado al mundo abierto, con algunos aciertos, pero empeorandose conforme avanza el juego;
    Me gustan los mapas, son muy bonitos.
    Pero las misiones son repetitivas, faltan los puzzles que tanto caracterizaban la saga, los poblados estan vacios, los npc son vagos y no te dan recompensas, no incita a ir a hablar con ellos… la dificultad es irrisoria… en definitiva un juego que podría haber sido mucho mejor con más cariño. Prefiero que se alejen del mundo abierto pero enriquezcan mas mundo.    … Expand
  2. fnenamg
    Sep 8, 2023
    6
    The effort was good, but there are many shortcomings. and i love polteageist
  3. TJohn
    Sep 1, 2023
    7
    As far as Pokémon games go it was fun. The school setting was brilliant, the characters are some of the most memorable to me since Gen IV, and the setting of Paldea is probably one of my most favorite Pokémon regions. The 3 main questlines, and free roaming of the map is also a welcome change over the old stories that were more linear. I liked the new Pokémon as well. The battling is funAs far as Pokémon games go it was fun. The school setting was brilliant, the characters are some of the most memorable to me since Gen IV, and the setting of Paldea is probably one of my most favorite Pokémon regions. The 3 main questlines, and free roaming of the map is also a welcome change over the old stories that were more linear. I liked the new Pokémon as well. The battling is fun as usual, and I love that all the Pokémon are running around in the world.

    When I think about it, I really like the game, but it's held back by some really aggravating choices by the developers. Chief among these issues is the graphics, they are terrible. Character and Pokemon models are generally fine, but most of the textures are downright awful, characters and pokemon really close to you walk at like 5 FPS and the pop in is obnoxious. I actually think SwSh had better graphics than S/V, or at least they were more consistent and the issues less noticeable. A lot of people complained about FPS drops and bugs but neither of these were much of a problem for me. I never experienced a crash, and the FPS drops were noticeable but never lasted for very long and didn't impact my enjoyment of the game. When I see games like TOTK, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, DQXIS, etc. running on the Switch and looking great, it really makes me angry that this game looks so bad and has such obvious graphical problems.

    I also wished they incorporated the Legends Arceus style of catching and battling, as that was more fast paced and fun. It's another aggravating decision by the developers, as the technology already exists and has already been applied to another Pokemon game and proven to work... it's just strange that they didn't add it to this game.

    So yeah, I actually really enjoy this game, but I can't give it more than a 7 with all the obvious cut corners that the development team made to get it out. It's a fun game, no doubt held back by executives pushing tight release windows on the development team. 7/10    … Expand
  4. Kirbo1777
    Aug 23, 2023
    6
    The game is clearly trying to do something, but some of the textures look rushed. As well as the occasional lag that happens, especially when at the lake.
  5. toastmonster64
    Aug 20, 2023
    5
    Scarlet is overpriced and just generally not a fun game. Bugs aren't too much of a problem, although they can be annoying.
  6. sideshownate
    Aug 13, 2023
    6
    The technical issues are rough but not very present. This game has fun and unique characters that create some interesting boss fights.
  7. Cavs4MVP
    Jul 27, 2023
    7
    It's definitely a fun game but it needs WAY more polish. The story and designs are actually really good but it's just disappointing that this game was rushed. I would still recommend though.
  8. MisterWizard
    Jul 20, 2023
    5
    This game was enjoyable, but it is sadly so rushed. I heard that they made this in only 1 year, why gamefreak? Games don't take that much time to make anymore. There are so many glitches and the game looks awful, and that's not deu to the switch (take BotW and TotK for an example). It's ok, if you like Pokémon, give it a try. It just had so much more potential.
  9. GT9
    Jul 17, 2023
    5
    I recently played Pokemon Scarlet and I have to say, it was just okay. The graphics were decent and the gameplay was fine, but it didn't really stand out to me. I found myself getting bored after a while and not really feeling motivated to continue playing. Overall, I would give it a 5 out of 10. It's not terrible, but it's not amazing either.
  10. TKSwiz
    Jul 15, 2023
    7
    Scarlet and Violet are very difficult games to rate. It some ways, they represent the lowest point of the series, such as the many performance issues that pretty much ruin any possibility of the world being immersive. And performance issues aside, the game is still pretty ugly, being completely outclassed by nearly every other 3D adventure game in the modern day, including lots of indieScarlet and Violet are very difficult games to rate. It some ways, they represent the lowest point of the series, such as the many performance issues that pretty much ruin any possibility of the world being immersive. And performance issues aside, the game is still pretty ugly, being completely outclassed by nearly every other 3D adventure game in the modern day, including lots of indie ones. The music is also a relative low point for the series, as there is not much memorable here aside from a few standout tracks that unfortunately do not come until late into the game. All that being said, I still think this game is worth checking out for any fan of the series, provided you can look past the huge performance issues. The layout and formula of the game works better than ever before, and I found it more fun to explore the world and catch Pokemon than ever before. The open world structure definitely could have been done better, as you are heavily discouraged from breaking too far off of the intended order of events. The story is a big step up from almost every other Pokemon game in my opinion, but it is still just okay overall. There are a good amount of characters that are at least somewhat interesting, but I found one of the three main plots of the game was extremely bland to the point where I completely stopped paying attention. That being said, the ending of the game is very strong, to the point where it was somewhat easy to forget the boring parts before that. As far as the new Pokemon go, I think there are a lot of great and fresh additions. The game still suffers from a lot of issues that have been plaguing the series since the Gen 1, namely dumb trainer AI and the game being way too easy in general. There is a big decrease in the number of required filler trainer battles, however, and I believe it works strongly to the games benefit. The end result is a game that is generally a lot more engaging than any entry since Gen 5. Overall, while there is a lot here to criticize, I still believe that at its core, this is the best Pokemon has been in quite a while. That's why it is such a shame that this return to form has been completely wasted by an embarrassing amount of technical problems and overall presentation issues.… Expand
  11. CapitanQwark
    Jul 9, 2023
    7
    Buen juego de Pokemon, increíble monster catcher, e increíble mapeado del juego principal con montones de cosas que hacer. Lo malo es que el rendimiento es muy pobre. Tiene muchos bugs y la historia se percibe incompleta. También decir que el postgame es muy triste y que prácticamente hay zonas del entorno que están sin terminar. Decir que no hay prácticamente ni un solo lugar en el queBuen juego de Pokemon, increíble monster catcher, e increíble mapeado del juego principal con montones de cosas que hacer. Lo malo es que el rendimiento es muy pobre. Tiene muchos bugs y la historia se percibe incompleta. También decir que el postgame es muy triste y que prácticamente hay zonas del entorno que están sin terminar. Decir que no hay prácticamente ni un solo lugar en el que puedas entrar, casi todo el juego es al aire libre y en cuanto consigues la pokemontura, el rendimiento empeora aún más y se siente cada vez más vacío. No hay a penas legendarios. Otra cosa positiva que decir es que tiene montones de tramas principales que se van desarrollando de forma natural y una gran banda sonora. También decir que los combates están chulos, pero la cámara es malísima.… Expand
  12. Resoul
    Jun 21, 2023
    6
    Making all none story trainers optional and removing random grass pokemon kinda makes the game less fun and boring but aside from auto battling and raid battles just not really working the gameplay is good as for the 3 stories the sandwich one which is a real/main story is good the team star story sucks and i wish it was optional and not force on the player to finish the main story andMaking all none story trainers optional and removing random grass pokemon kinda makes the game less fun and boring but aside from auto battling and raid battles just not really working the gameplay is good as for the 3 stories the sandwich one which is a real/main story is good the team star story sucks and i wish it was optional and not force on the player to finish the main story and the gym leaders one which isn't really a story is fine, some of the gym leaders are cool and some are not and there isn't a actual story its just battling gyms which is fine most players don't care for the story and only play for the battles but what is not fine is that none of the stories are optional and you have to do all three to finish the game i mean at least have the team star stuff be opitonal as it just sucks all around with the only good part of it being Chive, the gameplay sucks because it doesn't really work the characters i either don't care about or just don't like, the writing is on par with gen 8's post game which is one of the worst written things ever the penny twist isn't a real twist as it can be seen from the very start and even if you don't some how see it coming the game just ruins the twist anyways if you do the team star stuff last and as for Penny she is just the worst not only is she like the characters from the gen 8's post game and should be put in jail for her crimes shes also unlikeable and has what has to be the worst team of any pokemon boss fight… Expand
  13. NightmareYT
    Jun 2, 2023
    6
    Boy this is going to be a tough one to review for me. I love Pokémon. Since I was a kid I've cared about the anime, the games, and the TCG for so long. So it hurts to say, other than the main story, this game is just so boring, I've been shiny hunting a ton because I'm a completionist and love the satisfaction from getting a shiny that I want. But the game is just really boring after youBoy this is going to be a tough one to review for me. I love Pokémon. Since I was a kid I've cared about the anime, the games, and the TCG for so long. So it hurts to say, other than the main story, this game is just so boring, I've been shiny hunting a ton because I'm a completionist and love the satisfaction from getting a shiny that I want. But the game is just really boring after you complete the surprisingly great main story.

    Let me talk about the main story real quick because it might just be the greatest in the entire franchise. I love the ability to play 3 storylines and complete them all for them all to come full circle and have a great ending. This is the only Pokemon game that has ever made me come close to crying at how sad some parts were. I don't want to spoil much because it's so fun discovering things for yourself.

    Now gameplay. This game is a buggy mess. Shi**y frame rates, terrible lighting, and just some awful bugs. I've seen some bugs where people's characters will just start having their head spin, or having their legendary become gigantic or just straight up disappear. It's inexcusable bugs that should never have made it past production. But if you can put those aside, it's just a Pokémon Game.

    Even though I didn't really like Legends Arceus all that much due to my own person opinions on the game, it was still an innovation in the Pokémon franchise. But even though many people LOVED this game, they barely took anything from it and decided to make the game completely different. Like, let me throw my pokeballs in the overworld, let me walk around during battles, let me hear OVERWORLD SHINIES SPAWNING!

    Also there's no voice acting still. Game Freak had Ed Sheeran money but not voice actor money...    … Expand
  14. gabynuozzi
    Jun 1, 2023
    6
    Un juego que le falta pulirlo, el Lets go se ve muchísimo mejor y es de años atrás. Lo deje de jugar al mes, compra lamentable
  15. Marioipod13
    May 25, 2023
    5
    Technically I like the game but it has numerous technical performance issues that make it very difficult to play comfortably. The battery on the switch drains like you won't believe playing this, and of course I really don't like the dex cuts.

    Additionally, Nintendo should not be cutting out entire postgames and selling it back as DLCs. They did this with Sword and Shield too; Platinum    Technically I like the game but it has numerous technical performance issues that make it very difficult to play comfortably. The battery on the switch drains like you won't believe playing this, and of course I really don't like the dex cuts.

    Additionally, Nintendo should not be cutting out entire postgames and selling it back as DLCs. They did this with Sword and Shield too; Platinum had a postgame nearly double the size of the postgame in the DLCs.    … Expand
  16. guicalistrato
    May 24, 2023
    6
    this could have been goty if it had one more year in development. wonderful ideas but poorly executed. this game could have been way more than it is.
  17. Grdran
    May 16, 2023
    5
    Not rating it higher because it has performance and noticeable issues.

    Not rating it lower since I personally didn't get the game breaking stuff.

    If you brave through it, it's a pretty ambitious story, especially in the post game.

    Other than glaring frame rate issues and other things I could easily ignore because they didn't break the game, it's pretty fun.
  18. Taken_Hades
    May 16, 2023
    6
    -5/10 story
    -6/10 gameplay
    -6/10 environments
    -5/10 characters
    -8/10 music
  19. boo453
    May 15, 2023
    5
    This game has a lot going for it but it needed longer in the oven. The open world is great and the story is the best we've seen in a Pokémon game for a long time. There's no scaled progression despite being able to do the gyms in any order, so even though you can go "anywhere you want", you could end up at a high end gym as your first thing, only to breeze through the other gyms. It alsoThis game has a lot going for it but it needed longer in the oven. The open world is great and the story is the best we've seen in a Pokémon game for a long time. There's no scaled progression despite being able to do the gyms in any order, so even though you can go "anywhere you want", you could end up at a high end gym as your first thing, only to breeze through the other gyms. It also runs really bad, and there's tons of glitches.

    One more year in dev and qa, this could have been really good, but the performance issues really hold it back    … Expand
  20. JustAGameGuy
    May 14, 2023
    7
    A brilliant game held back by glitches. Exploring and catching Pokémon is fun, the story - while not the strongest in the series - is still one of the best so far, and the Terastal mechanic adds a layer of depth to battling never before seen. However, the excellent core experience is held back by glitches galore. Constant frame dips, Pokémon spawning inside walls, crashes, a bug thatA brilliant game held back by glitches. Exploring and catching Pokémon is fun, the story - while not the strongest in the series - is still one of the best so far, and the Terastal mechanic adds a layer of depth to battling never before seen. However, the excellent core experience is held back by glitches galore. Constant frame dips, Pokémon spawning inside walls, crashes, a bug that results in save data being corrupted, and more. All these issues held back what could have been one of the best games in the entire series.… Expand
  21. Protomario
    May 12, 2023
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Pokemon Scarlet takes players on an exciting adventure through the enchanting Paldea region, delivering an engaging gameplay experience reminiscent of the beloved Pokemon franchise. With its immersive storyline, diverse cast of characters, and captivating features, this game offers a fresh and thrilling addition to the Pokemon universe.

    The game begins as players, taking on the role of a new resident in the small settlement of Cabo Poco, prepare to embark on their studies at the prestigious Naranja Academy in Mesagoza. The introduction of Nemona, the head of the student council and a Champion-level Trainer, sets the stage for a dynamic partnership as both players and Nemona choose their starter Pokemon to train and journey alongside each other.

    One notable feature in Pokemon Scarlet is the Terastal phenomenon, which grants the ability to transform and empower Pokemon using the Tera Orb. This mechanic adds depth and strategy to battles, allowing players to enhance or alter their Pokemon's natural attributes according to their innate Tera Type. It opens up a range of possibilities for team customization and adds an extra layer of excitement to every encounter.

    The game's narrative branches into multiple storylines, each providing a unique perspective and set of challenges. Whether players choose to follow the Victory Road, Path of Legends, ★ Starfall Street ★, or The Way Home, they will find themselves engrossed in an immersive world filled with intriguing characters, unexpected plot twists, and impactful decisions. The branching paths offer replayability and encourage players to explore different storylines, ensuring a fresh experience with each playthrough.

    Paldea's Gym challenge, a staple in the Pokemon series, makes a return in Pokemon Scarlet. The eight Gym Leaders, with their diverse Pokemon teams and distinctive battle styles, pose exciting challenges for players to overcome. The non-linear nature of the game allows players to tackle the Gym challenge in any order they prefer, granting a sense of freedom and personalization to their journey.

    The Elite Four and the Top Champion provide formidable adversaries, testing players' skills and strategy to the fullest. The intense battles against these powerful Trainers are both satisfying and rewarding, showcasing the growth and development of the player's team throughout their adventure.

    In addition to its engaging storyline and challenging battles, Pokemon Scarlet features multiplayer functionality, allowing up to four players to explore the world together, trade Pokemon, and engage in thrilling battles. This multiplayer aspect enhances the social experience, making Pokemon Scarlet a fantastic choice for friends to embark on their Pokemon journey side by side.

    The Paldea region is richly designed, boasting visually stunning environments and a diverse range of Pokemon species to encounter and capture. The attention to detail in the game's graphics and sound design immerses players in a vibrant and captivating world, bringing the Pokemon universe to life in a new and refreshing way.

    While Pokemon Scarlet shares similarities with Pokemon Sword and Shield, it stands on its own as a unique and captivating experience. Its engaging storyline, innovative features, and polished gameplay make it a must-play title for Pokemon enthusiasts and newcomers alike.

    Overall, Pokemon Scarlet delivers an enthralling adventure set in the Paldea region, inviting players to explore, battle, and uncover the mysteries that await. With its immersive world, engaging gameplay, and captivating storyline, this game undoubtedly deserves a place among the best in the Pokemon franchise. Get ready to embark on an unforgettable journey in Pokemon Scarlet!    … Expand
  22. LikeFahrenheit
    Apr 29, 2023
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Some say this game would be the best game in the series if it weren't for the technical problems. Why? because it's open world where there is hardly anything to do outside the story? Because the story is one of the best that GF has written, when they have a track record for subpar storytelling? The game has little to offer in gameplay and content. No contests, no Pokethlon, no pokestar studios, no musicals, not even a damn battle facility - a first for a new generation since Diamond and Pearl back in 2006! There is nothing to keep me entertained outside of catching Pokemon and battling trainers once. But at least we can make sandwiches. Seriously there's more entertainment in transferring Pokemon to Gen 5 with that mini-game than there is with sandwich making. Making curry in SwSh had more effort and actual gameplay than sandwich making.

    Paldea is a big region, and I like that, but damn is it ugly. low-res textures and just weird, jarring edges to cliffs and riverbanks. the buildings are hideously low-res up close. The region and towns look like they were modeled by a novice. But the Pokemon and characters have never looked better in 3D (by GF standards at least), compare to how they look in Legends Arceus is almost night and day.

    I don't know where people are getting this "best story" nonsense from. before Area Zero, the only real story is that with Team Star and the character backstories you learn as you progress, and that is something I think GF did well on, is characters (for the most part). Team Star was interesting to learn they were just bullied and ostracized, and Penny's motivations for doing what she did were understandable, only problem is you really have no stake in their story at all. You're just told to defeat them. It'd be nice if Team star was planning on something big that involved you personally, gave you a legitimate and urgent reason to fight them. In the end, it's the best narrative in the game but that's not saying much.

    Nemona's story, or rather the gym challenge, isn't a story at all. It's the typical fare for Pokemon. battle 8 people then face the Elite 4. there's hardly anything interesting going on. There's hints of dissatisfaction with Geeta but that goes nowhere. Nemona herself is a one note character, it's nice to see a rival this enthusiastic about battling, but that's all there is to her. It's be nice if she felt stifled by Geeta then she would overcome the champion to become one herself, but she's already the champ at the start of the game. She doesn't have an arc.

    Arven's story was nice, his reason for hunting herbs, but again it doesn't really involve you personally. not a whole lot anyway. you're involved indirectly through the Koraidon. But in the end the story reaches its climax in Area Zero where for some reason Nemona and Penny tag along. There is no reason for those two to be in Area Zero, they have no stake, no ties to the crater, but Arven arbitrarily says you need them to aid you. Why is Nemona there? She craves battling strong Pokemon, Geeta has a Pokemon from the crater. why not have her seek out tough Pokemon to be more like Geeta, as a final test to see if she's worthy of being champion? Why is Penny there? because the elevator didn't work? you all take Koraidon down there anyway. Why not have her admire the professor for her technical prowess and want to meet her? Simple motivations and characterizations like this can do wonders in story telling that GF for some asinine reason refuses to do. they rarely go the extra mile anymore in their games and this is one example.

    So the "plot" only really happens at the end where the AI professor tells you that Paradox Pokemon if run amok would cause ecological devastation to Paldea. Only problem is that Donphan already is on the surface but doesn't do anything, so where's the danger? A good way to involve all three storylines together is to have paradox pokemon gradually become more prevalent around Paldea. People are afraid of the damage they are causing. So Nemona helps the gym leaders defend the towns, Penny asks Team Star and the other trainers around the region to help, And you and arven in the endgame head to Area Zero to face off the professor (along with Nemona and Penny who now have a reason for being there). Instead of one decent story that ties everything together, we have 3 disjointed narratives that culminate in a subpar finale.

    This cannot be the game GF intended to make, when there is obviously so much room for improvement. Rushed, and uninspired there is no way Scarlet (and Violet) are the "best if you ignore the glitches". I critiqued this game minus the bugs and it still came up short in the worst way.    … Expand
  23. Cesarantony
    Apr 26, 2023
    6
    The game have some softwere issues, but if they had more time i think the would be a great pokémon game
  24. Linkarinka
    Apr 23, 2023
    7
    Pokémon Escarlata, pese a los fallos técnicos que posee, es un gran juego que, aunque tiene un gran mapa de mundo abierto, está vacío. No por ello es malo, ya que está bien estructurado y logra llevarte a donde quiere de una forma bastante orgánica. La historia no es nada del otro mundo, pero dentró de los estándares de la franquicia está bastante bien. Con un gran diseño de criaturas yPokémon Escarlata, pese a los fallos técnicos que posee, es un gran juego que, aunque tiene un gran mapa de mundo abierto, está vacío. No por ello es malo, ya que está bien estructurado y logra llevarte a donde quiere de una forma bastante orgánica. La historia no es nada del otro mundo, pero dentró de los estándares de la franquicia está bastante bien. Con un gran diseño de criaturas y una banda sonora bastante decente, en mi opinión, es de los mejores juegos de Pokémon pese a lo que diga una buena parte del fandom.… Expand
  25. TheNapol
    Apr 1, 2023
    7
    This game is very overhated, although their arguments are VERY valid. The game is so glitchy, buggy, and doesn’t look like it should be made by THE MOST successful media franchise ever. Also the visuals in the wild looks like it was from the ps3. But although, Koraidon and Miraidon make the experience way better. A big problem with Pokémon is how is feels so slow when you move, but theThis game is very overhated, although their arguments are VERY valid. The game is so glitchy, buggy, and doesn’t look like it should be made by THE MOST successful media franchise ever. Also the visuals in the wild looks like it was from the ps3. But although, Koraidon and Miraidon make the experience way better. A big problem with Pokémon is how is feels so slow when you move, but the legendary fix that problem. I also loved exploring and going to gyms that I was way behind for. Also, love the new quality of life updates. This game would be objectively the best Pokémon game and way more positively accepted by the community if they just spent more time fixing the visuals and the bugs and glitches.… Expand
  26. RiftSilver
    Mar 20, 2023
    7
    Pokemon Scarlet and Violet push the franchise forward, while also holding the franchise back.

    The most glaring flaw in Scarlet and Violet is evident right at the start, the performance issues are a major problem and actively distract fr0m the game experience. With good performance as rare as frame-drops are in many other first party Nintendo titles, it's a near constant fight to ignore    Pokemon Scarlet and Violet push the franchise forward, while also holding the franchise back.

    The most glaring flaw in Scarlet and Violet is evident right at the start, the performance issues are a major problem and actively distract fr0m the game experience. With good performance as rare as frame-drops are in many other first party Nintendo titles, it's a near constant fight to ignore the issues to attempt to enjoy what else there is to like here. With pop-in, level of detail, texturing issues and flickering characters, Pokemon spawning inside of walls and camera clipping, there is rarely an instance where you won't be finding issues. Compare this to GameFreaks previous entry Legends Arceus, and you have to wonder how it all went so horribly wrong as many of the issues experienced here are non-existent there. While performance will affect many others differently, it affected my overall enjoyment greatly, and is inconsistent with what the previous entries led me to expect.

    The Open World is a great addition to the series, with the ability to choose your own path within reason, and choose whether or not you want to fight your way through higher leveled areas right away and have your own challenge, or start lower and work your way up. I often found myself getting lost within the world and continually catching new Pokemon and finding ways to battle Pokemon sometimes nearly twice my own level. While sometimes areas feel a little barren, for the most part I think the areas were pleasant to visit and enjoy. Proper Pokemon scaling is a welcome addition, although sometimes a nuisance for smaller Pokemon as the lock-on feature is again, not as polished as the previous entry, and while Let's Go is a great way to battle, collect materials, shiny hunt and have Pokemon follow you, the distance at which your Pokemon will disappear fr0m you and some speed issues make it feel less like a companion feature, and more like a utility to be used sparingly. Picnics are a fun idea, although also marred with technical issues that are noticeable enough, I often view this as a utility for shiny hunting or breeding alone.

    While I enjoy riding the title Pokemon and developing its powers, the encounter system feels half-baked compared to Legends Arceus. Throwing Pokeballs fr0m a distance and accompanying repositioning of your trainer to fit into a proper battle area feels clunky, and while the battles themselves maintain a competitive based formula, they also feel lacking. Contact animations are noticeably absent for many moves where they existed within Legends, and the battle system camera, while rotatable, results in some odd visual issues at times that would have been better solved with either a moveable trainer, or a completely dynamic fixed camera similar to what already existed within gym battles. Multiplayer ends up being an enjoyable feature, exploring the world around your friends and seeing their progress is great, and being able to breed Pokemon with your friends without the need to trade is a neat addition.

    The story is one of the better within the Pokemon Series and benefits with an air of mystery around certain aspects that reminded more of how Souls games might approach the history and lore of the region rather than your typical Pokemon game. This is definitely a highlight of the game, and something that actively kept me going despite performance issues. As of the current update, much of the story aspects are left unexplained, and so we can only theorize as to what is to come in future updates (hopefully alongside performance improvements).

    The characters within the game itself are also very enjoyable, each Gym Leader, main character and teacher within the world with their own personality and interactions within their respective sphere that made it much more enjoyable to visit with characters than some of the recent entries.

    Despite all my gripes with the game and how it would have benefited greatly fr0m extra time in development, the good aspects of the game remain one of the more memorable entries in my mind. If GameFreak can patch up the performance and many of the bugs, I think the entry could be one of the finest the series has to offer. However, at the moment, it fights against itself and becomes an entry that was marred by the franchises own dependence on a fixed release schedule. I can only hope that GameFreak allows themselves more time for future entries, as well as invests heavily in better technical prowess. As the evolution of gameplay continues, the technology needs to do the same to continue pushing the series to new heights, instead of holding it back.    … Expand
  27. OlilovesMovies
    Mar 15, 2023
    5
    Pokemon Scarlet is the worst game I've ever loved. It's honestly hard to properly review a game like this, because from a purely critical perspective, it is an absolute mess. How a game from the largest franchise in the world can be released in such a state is beyond baffling. It could possibly be excused if the game was gorgeous, but it's biblically ugly!

    However, I haven't enjoyed a    Pokemon Scarlet is the worst game I've ever loved. It's honestly hard to properly review a game like this, because from a purely critical perspective, it is an absolute mess. How a game from the largest franchise in the world can be released in such a state is beyond baffling. It could possibly be excused if the game was gorgeous, but it's biblically ugly!

    However, I haven't enjoyed a Pokemon game this much since Heart Gold/Soul Silver! The story is vastly improved on previous entries and I haven't been this motivated to "Catch them all" in a long long time. The gameplay loop is absolutely captivating.

    The fact that this game came out and actually stopped me from playing God of War Ragnorok is insane, and that is not to imply for one second that this is a better game, but there is something completely enchanting about it.

    I wish, this could be a warning to the Pokemon company, that they can't keep releasing games like this, but the truth of the matter is, they have no reason to try any harder. The games will always sell well.

    But if, IF they could take the time and effort to release a Pokemon game that took the timeless gameplay and merged it with a gorgeous functioning world, it could be one of the best games ever made.

    Instead we have Scarlet and Violet, a very confusing generation of vastly contrasting qualities.    … Expand
  28. smurfman26
    Mar 5, 2023
    7
    I personally find the game fairly fun just like its predecessors, but it does have a few glaring flaws. For example, on release it was a buggy and confusing mess, especially on the mount. This made the gameplay and story less fun if you are able to see some random pokeball model halfway through the floor during a cutscene. Other than the glitches and its competitive scene being prettyI personally find the game fairly fun just like its predecessors, but it does have a few glaring flaws. For example, on release it was a buggy and confusing mess, especially on the mount. This made the gameplay and story less fun if you are able to see some random pokeball model halfway through the floor during a cutscene. Other than the glitches and its competitive scene being pretty crazy, Pokemon Scarlet/Violet are fun games. I would recommend-ish.… Expand
  29. LivTheKirby
    Mar 3, 2023
    6
    Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are fun games, and I appreciate how those working on the game have been trying to make the games more open world. I love the majority of the new Paldea mons and the characters all have their own personalities and just feel more life-like to me.

    Of course, the game has its issues and controversies. First off, THE LAG. DEAR LORD, THE LAG. There is a LOT of lag in    Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are fun games, and I appreciate how those working on the game have been trying to make the games more open world. I love the majority of the new Paldea mons and the characters all have their own personalities and just feel more life-like to me.

    Of course, the game has its issues and controversies. First off, THE LAG. DEAR LORD, THE LAG. There is a LOT of lag in the games, some versions are worse off than others when it comes to lag, however it's unfortunate how many of the places are hard to traverse due to how the game chugs in areas with a lot of Pokémon.

    Second off, just like Sword and Shield, not every Pokémon is accessible. Sure, it's not the worst thing, especially to those who don't really care about using Pokémon from older games, but it's a shame to those who are attached to an old mon of theirs, and how some people get a bit upset if their favorite isn't in the game (mine isn't in SV yet, upsettingly, but hopefully it'll return in the DLC)

    I grew up with the Pokémon series, ever since I first played Omega Ruby on my 3DS. This game is great, but it's another showcase on why the games need to be worked on a bit more before they release; a year of development isn't enough time anymore.    … Expand
  30. mepphy
    Nov 20, 2022
    7
    Enough time has passed and 1.2 fixed something, the game has grown on me a bit but there Is still a lot to do. Map Is still bad overall but framerate not being on 9-10 is a step up xD

    now can i also Say i liked the three main character and the last story. Everyone is likeable and story isn't that complicated Difficult is... well still baby mode rpg, hope we can get an hard Battle somehow
  31. Daniel1516
    Feb 24, 2023
    7
    esta culero mazizo lleno de errores en ocaciones ni se puede disfrutar Puntuacion(3) .

    Nueva reseña el juego con las actualizaciones esta bien ya no estan tantos problemas tecnicos pero se ve la verdad muy mal a comparacion de otros de la misma nintendo yo en lo personal se siente algo vacio la idea es buena    esta culero mazizo lleno de errores en ocaciones ni se puede disfrutar Puntuacion(3) .

    Nueva reseña el juego con las actualizaciones esta bien ya no estan tantos problemas tecnicos pero se ve la verdad muy mal a comparacion de otros de la misma nintendo yo en lo personal se siente algo vacio la idea es buena pero como que le faltaron ganas para que este bien implementada    … Expand
  32. Kyred
    Feb 16, 2023
    6
    I'm writing this from the review of someone who has been playing the games since pearl, & been a fan since the very beginning thanks to the anime. I have played almost every generation of pokemon, retroactively or remade & experienced a large number of the changes that the franchise has gone through. The graphics changing over time, as well as the main gameplay loop shifting when newI'm writing this from the review of someone who has been playing the games since pearl, & been a fan since the very beginning thanks to the anime. I have played almost every generation of pokemon, retroactively or remade & experienced a large number of the changes that the franchise has gone through. The graphics changing over time, as well as the main gameplay loop shifting when new mechanics are added & removed. With gen 9, this will be my 6th pokemon game to experience around it's release.

    Pokemon Scarlet, the version I got specifically, was definitely a game. To help break it down, mimicking the 3 story paths of this game, I too will give 3 scores to reach my final answer.

    First off, the story, one the main draws of any game, regardless of genre. It blew me away, plain and simple. Of course there were twists here and there, who someone actually was, what their plan was this whole time & what they were planning to do.

    Path of legends was the first one for me to do and, for most of it, I already knew what was coming, as many, many people spoiled it before I had my own chance to play it. Regardless of knowing it beforehand, the parts in between that I hadn't seen myself, as well as the ending were new to me, & worked effectively. I truly believe this one needed a blind play through, much like star street, to be enjoyed to the fullest.

    Speaking of star street, I knew who certain folks were, as it was somewhat obvious. What did get to me though, was the entire story behind and around team star. There was no sign beforehand that could have prepared me for the roller coaster & honestly relatable story of Team Star. Honestly, all the teams throughout the series have had some grand goal. Reset the universe in their own image, expand the land & sea, reach across dimensions to capture rare & exotic creatures to manipulate for their own needs. But this one? This team? Actually hit me. It's one that, as an adult, I understood, & know that a lot of kids will actually be able to care about for once. One that, anyone really, should on some level be able to insert themselves into. That is if they're not a youtuber who skips all the dialogue and only notices one line mentioning one of the bosses being a rich kid.

    Victory Road was. Well it was the standard fanfare of every game in the series. 8 gyms, to then face the elite four and champ with a rival to face every few gyms or so. Well, with the twist of being able to face them in any order there is no right way to go after them. However, the gyms levels & teams are already set. They don't adjust based on how many badges you already have, even with taking into account victory road badges alone. I'd be lying if I wasn't disappointed, as I had hoped we would finally see a true difficulty scaling that the other games never had. Gym leaders, and elite four(which fall into the same trap) aside, there's your rival, Nemona. She's probably the best in a long time. While people have been craving those edgy & snide rivals, Nemona continues the trend of a supportive and positive one, but in a way that's. Actually fun? She's battle obsessed, self aware & genuine. She even sees losing to you as the best thing because you're actually a challenge and, let me tell you, she gets challenging later on.

    Now, when all 3 paths are done, there's of course after game. Yeah can't say what happens there without spoiling but it. It was intense. There were twists I didn't imagine and honestly, this made Sc/Vi the best written mainline game in a good long while.

    The story collectively was 8/10 for me. There were issues here and there, but honestly it was. Wonderfully well written.

    Now, the graphics. GOD THE GRAPHICS. I'm gonna use Sw/Sh and Arceus as a comparison. Sc/Vi tries to ditch the cartoony lines the other 2 had & it's to it's own detriment. Pokemon look wonderful, but the human characters, including a few of the main cast, kinda. Look bland? It really feels flat there. The quality almost felt like what I would expect from Su/Mo, 3DS games. There was a lot of low quality textures blown up, including logos for banners the size of your character, then 5 minutes later the same texture but vectored? So it was very. Inconsistent. This isn't including bugs, which can be patched out, I can't say the same for the shadow and textures though. There's horrendous pop in, genuinely feet in front of your character, and frame drops from looking at a wall vs the vast ocean.

    Overall? 3/10. If it were patched out, then I would change that.

    Now comes the pokemon. Save for a few. That were just very basic, like a lawn flamingo, they felt the most fun they've ever been. Except for Skeledirge. That's just a red crocodile... Without revealing any designs, they felt genuinely fun and creative.

    9/10

    The game felt rushed. It had 3 years, where BoTW, another open world game, had 6. I genuinely believe if they had more time, they could do amazing things, & this hints at that.

    6.5/10    … Expand
  33. Lumber_Jones
    Feb 16, 2023
    6
    overall this game is fun and what feels like a quarter baked attempt by The Pokemon Company. The game itself looks good, until you start to look at the things in the background that are supposed to make the game feel more alive and you notice the slideshow style flapping of Starraptor wings, or other trainers/pokemon moving at 3-5 frames per second. The story backtracks on itself at theoverall this game is fun and what feels like a quarter baked attempt by The Pokemon Company. The game itself looks good, until you start to look at the things in the background that are supposed to make the game feel more alive and you notice the slideshow style flapping of Starraptor wings, or other trainers/pokemon moving at 3-5 frames per second. The story backtracks on itself at the last possible moment because TPC decided to stop making a good point. While some features in the game help to make it feel better, such as being able to change your move set anywhere in the world or allowing your monsters to run free and make grinding less annoying. taking away the ability to drop eggs off on a daycare and the godawful online experience that is raid battling help to make this a more taxing entry in the series. I did enjoy two of the three main story lines, and I liked the direction that some of the gameplay features took but at the end of the day this was a more dissapointing entry and I hope that TPC takes the time they need to work on a game instead of going to a once a year release cycle.… Expand
  34. Shaun90
    Feb 10, 2023
    7
    A step in the right direction for future pokemon games. The open world and story improvements from previous games are a plus, unfortunately this game runs terribly. Very low frame rates and other bugs are a massive concern. The open world can be boring at times with it being empty of any character. Also the new pokemon designs are awful, with the exception of a few, in my opinion.
  35. estockw1
    Feb 7, 2023
    5
    I played Pokemon Red when I was six years old. It was decently challenging but completely within my ability to play and beat. If a six year old could beat the original games, there is really no need to make the new ones easier, especially SO much easier. You can swap out Pokemon between your party and the boxes at any time, so there's no challenge in traversing a large distance betweenI played Pokemon Red when I was six years old. It was decently challenging but completely within my ability to play and beat. If a six year old could beat the original games, there is really no need to make the new ones easier, especially SO much easier. You can swap out Pokemon between your party and the boxes at any time, so there's no challenge in traversing a large distance between Pokemon centers without your whole party fainting. Most trainers only have one Pokemon and are often a one hit KO. You can fly right off the bat so you're never at risk of your party fainting outside of a few moderately tough boss fights. The have is still fun and I'm enjoying it, but there's zero challenge in it anymore and it's frustrating because there are probably as many adults who play Pokemon as there are children, and the original games were still more than accessible enough for children. There was no need to strip out any degree of challenge. Also Team Star aren't even bad guys. The whole thing is just Pokemon in ultra baby mode.… Expand
  36. eeyk
    Feb 6, 2023
    5
    Game is fine, not too much tutorials but the frame rate is horrible also the story is just too mild,
    It the same animations it's lazy, also the world is kinda empty this game would be fine if it was released in 2013 on the wii u, but in 2022 this can't be accepted.

    Next game must be better or am finish with pokemon games.
  37. thedarkheart007
    Feb 5, 2023
    7
    Excellent games at the narrative level, acceptable in the gameplay and bad technically
  38. Agmaer
    Feb 4, 2023
    6
    This game. Was enjoyable, but definitely had its faults, the Pokémon were amazing but some of the scenery looked weird to me, and the performance is NOT good, at random times the game game slows do to the point. It sometimes stripes control from you and you’re forced to close the game, this happened to me and I lost a bunch of Pokémon, (though you could argue that I should’ve saved) butThis game. Was enjoyable, but definitely had its faults, the Pokémon were amazing but some of the scenery looked weird to me, and the performance is NOT good, at random times the game game slows do to the point. It sometimes stripes control from you and you’re forced to close the game, this happened to me and I lost a bunch of Pokémon, (though you could argue that I should’ve saved) but it’s not all bad, one thing I liked about the game was the story and music, Pokémon games tend to struggle with story so it was nice to see a story that actually got me invested. I think the game is worth trying but beware of performance issues and bugs that may hurt your experience… Expand
  39. TheNewGuy
    Feb 1, 2023
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. We get a new generation of Pokémon every few years, and Generation 9 might just be the most divisive one yet. Pokémon Scarlet (And Violet because Metacritic doesn't let you review both Pokémon games at once, you have to review them separately) is a game that I knew going in that I would have some glaring issues with, but surprisingly, I don't think this game is that bad. I usually start with the good stuff first, but I'm switching things up this time and starting with the bad stuff. First and foremost, the graphics and frame rate might just be considered a safety hazard. This was made by a team that has continuously put out quality titles since Pokémon's inception. While Sword and Shield did have their fair share of issues, those don't even come close to how atrocious Gen 9 is in the graphics department. There's really no excuse here! I know Pokémon is the biggest media franchise on the planet, but Game Freak really should've delayed the game and taken some extra time to polish everything up before the final release. Another thing that really bothers me is the lack of voice acting. This may be a weird point to bring up, but I feel that Pokémon is a franchise that would benefit greatly from voice acting. Take the big twist at the end of the game where it's revealed that the professor has been dead the whole time and is nothing more than a robot. This scene would have been even more surprising that it already is if there was voice acting alongside it. Same goes for the scenes with Arven and his Mabosstiff. The scenes are really awkward when there's just music and dialogue boxes and no voice acting to speak of. This is a feature Game Freak really should implement in the future. But that's it for the negative stuff. Now for the positives. As per usual, the character designs are fantastic. Game Freak continues to get more and more creative with the professors, rivals, gym leaders, etc. I especially like Larry, the normal type gym leader, who's literally just a regular guy, nothing special about him. The new Pokémon introduced in the Paldea region are a mixed bag, but the ones that really stand out to me are some of the best designed Pocket Monsters in the series! Finally, the music. While most of the music in the game is pretty decent, the tracks composed by Toby Fox are the real highlights here. I really love the Zero Lab battle music at the end of the game. Overall, this game has issues, a LOT of issues, but I still thoroughly enjoyed my time with the game. And if Game Freak can get it's act together and polish up the game in a future update, that would make this one of the best Pokémon games in the series!… Expand
  40. Prizmeta57
    Jan 31, 2023
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. MY DONG IS MASSIVE!?! This game is like a big Monkey, but Donald Trump has committed war crimes? Go and play a real game like… Expand
  41. Santi2277
    Nov 22, 2022
    7
    Pros:
    - Pokémon in 3D
    - extense world with a variety of areas - ride Pokémon, fly, climb, jump - gameplay feel like in classic games - character customization - online mode Cons: - graphics and performance - team star is unnecessary, maybe other secondary better missions - designs more for adult like in Arceus - some dynamic action battle like in Arceus (mixed with turn classic ones, maybe    Pros:
    - Pokémon in 3D
    - extense world with a variety of areas
    - ride Pokémon, fly, climb, jump
    - gameplay feel like in classic games
    - character customization
    - online mode
    Cons:
    - graphics and performance
    - team star is unnecessary, maybe other secondary better missions
    - designs more for adult like in Arceus
    - some dynamic action battle like in Arceus (mixed with turn classic ones, maybe on the giant Pokémon missions)
    - throwing pokéball like in Arceus
    - more number of Pokémon that you could ride
    - more clothes in character customization    … Expand
  42. Akk3d1s
    Jan 22, 2023
    6
    This game can be an 8, but due to the technical issues i subtracted some points. Games in this state shouldnt be released. Its extremely laggy and that hasn't changed at the time of this review and i fear this will turn people away within the first moments launching the game...That aside, the game has a LOT of potential and it gets addictive once you make peace with the poor performance asThis game can be an 8, but due to the technical issues i subtracted some points. Games in this state shouldnt be released. Its extremely laggy and that hasn't changed at the time of this review and i fear this will turn people away within the first moments launching the game...That aside, the game has a LOT of potential and it gets addictive once you make peace with the poor performance as unlike sword and shield, it actually has quests you are interested in finishing within an interesting world...Its just sad this one wasnt left in the oven for a few more months...… Expand
  43. eric1031
    Jan 19, 2023
    6
    The overworld has lag.
    The gym leaders and dominant pokemon are too easy.
    There are bugs and some of them crash the game. Like the bug if you put the menu when there is blizzard.
    The shiny pokemon is sad because you dont know when they appear them in the game and you have to put attention to all pokemon.
  44. Trainer_100jin
    Jan 9, 2023
    6
    In general, it is still a fun pokemon game to play. Other than that, everything just looks like it is a game in 2000 rather than 2022. Looks OK if you're on the Switch screen, looks super pixel-ish on TV. But again, still had fun with this game.
  45. gonzalo_arg
    Jan 4, 2023
    6
    Interesting concept of freedom, first time in a main Pokemon game. As a veteran player used to classic linear Pokémon games, one may feel a little lost at the biggining but you’ll eventualy catch up and know where to go and keep up with the level required for each gym fight or Star base.

    A very fun and enjoyable game, however, the technical issues ruin the experience. I know the Switch is    Interesting concept of freedom, first time in a main Pokemon game. As a veteran player used to classic linear Pokémon games, one may feel a little lost at the biggining but you’ll eventualy catch up and know where to go and keep up with the level required for each gym fight or Star base.

    A very fun and enjoyable game, however, the technical issues ruin the experience. I know the Switch is already outdated (2017 cheap hardware and we’re in 2023) but they should’ve pulled off a better job given the size and the money of The Pokemon Company. Graphics are so poor, framerate is annoyng, droping down to 15 fps or even worse.    … Expand
  46. Robertinho123
    Jan 3, 2023
    7
    I like the games, even though they're very buggy, but I don't get why it's open world if there's no level scaling. The order you play it in is very important if you don't want to be massively over or underleveled, so at least make the Pokemon Center recommend the ideal order instead of the closest by...
  47. WesleyChen
    Jan 1, 2023
    7
    I have to say that the game's content did exceed my expectations, but the frequent frame drops and model conflicts everywhere were devastating to the experience, in addition to this there are many design flaws, which are very apparent after playing Arceus. And I don't even suspect that GameFreak is optimized for the switch at all.
    The question now is, will they update a follow-up patch    I have to say that the game's content did exceed my expectations, but the frequent frame drops and model conflicts everywhere were devastating to the experience, in addition to this there are many design flaws, which are very apparent after playing Arceus. And I don't even suspect that GameFreak is optimized for the switch at all.
    The question now is, will they update a follow-up patch for these issues, or is this half-baked product all we're going to get? And they still planning to sell DLC for this?

    Follow-up: After experiencing all the game flow, I must say that even with such number of problems, Pokemon Scarlet & Violet is still the BEST Pokemon game I have played ever.    … Expand
  48. DavaRobin
    Dec 31, 2022
    7
    putting aside the graphics and the bugs, this was the boldest Pokemon in terms of history, game play and characters, with the main plot twist at the end, so i give it a solid 7, and i hope that Game Freak keeps this way in the following games
  49. ShadowRose
    Dec 31, 2022
    6
    A good twist on the classic Pokémon games however feels rushed and runs poorly. If you're a Pokémon fan I recommend if not maybe choose sword or shield over this as it overall has less problems with game performance if you do not mind this like me go ahead you can pick it just a fair warning as it is very buggy.
  50. GuilhermePinhei
    Dec 25, 2022
    5
    Graphics horrible, pkmn designes worst, good stories but far away from a good game
  51. Ho11ow
    Nov 21, 2022
    7
    A fantastic game throttled by its poor performance. Hopefully post launch patches will fix this, as the game itself is top notch. Personally I could look past a lot of the issues as the game was just so much fun, but for some people the frame rate issues and occasional crashes will be too much.
  52. AlexMakesToast
    Dec 23, 2022
    6
    Pokemon Scarlet = 6/10
    ......................................................
  53. Moustique
    Dec 22, 2022
    7
    It is really fun playing this, but we all know how awful the performance is. This creativity and all these ideas for the new rival, gym leaders, trainers, Pokémon and story are great, but the little things let this game look/feel like garbage
  54. theangryscapula
    Dec 22, 2022
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Having completed the main story, the post game, and prepped a team and battled to master ball in online ranked I can now confidently say this game was a massive disappointment.

    For additional context, I really enjoyed Sword and Shield, feeling that while flawed, those games made up for their shortcomings to become a product greater than the sum of their parts. I cannot say the same for Scarlet and Violet.

    It's unfortunate because as many reviewers have correctly pointed out, these games are pretty fun! The open world concept actually translates well for Pokemon, and compared to Legends Arceus the world design feels dynamic with lots of twisting paths and verticality. It is easy to get lost in this game --in a good way. Terastalizing, while goofy, is an interesting idea for competitive battling. Giving many weaker or overlooked Pokemon new strategies to find relevance on teams.

    But the bad things are truly bad. Forgive me, I'm shallow, but the graphics are a nightmare. I feel conflicted because Pokemon at its core is intrinsically asking a lot of the development team. What other video game has 400 main characters that all need to be lovingly realized with animations, textures, and personality enough to make someone fall in love with them. But the decision to push for more realistic textures AND a large immersive open world in a game this complex with such a rapid development cycle seems incredibly misguided. Enumerating all the ways in which the 'look' of the game is a failure from animation to textures to performance would make this review too long to publish, but suffice to say, it's bad.

    But even beyond the obvious visual and performance issues the game has major problems. Many aspects of the game are just not very fun to engage with. My personal biggest offender was online raids. A key element to post-game play that is so comically broken, glitchy, and frustrating I almost gave up trying to prepare a competitive team to try out ranked battles before writing a review. (I just wanted an ability patch! Is that so much to ask?) So many aspects feel like rough draft ideas, from hilariously trivial Team Star camp raids, to underwhelming and bizarre picnic and breeding mechanics, to gym challenges that are so short and have such unsatisfying controls that I by the time I figure out if I'm doing what the game wants -- the minigame is already over. I cant help but feel we are playing a beta of a game that should be releasing in 2025. Thankfully the game has a LOT of content so some of the weaker aspects can get shuffled into the pile and forgiven, but the lack of focus here, the wasted hours developing needless experimental trivial nonsense at the expense of core game mechanics is so ludicrously out of control I can't lay the blame at the feet of anyone but the game's leadership. Whoever was in charge of the scope and timeline of this game's development failed. Massively.

    Ultimately, Game Freak, The Pokemon Company, and Nintendo have shown their hand. Their format of releasing new games so rapidly no longer works with games so large and complex. Something must change. Either Game Freak is given more time to develop a more polished product, they scale back the complexity of what a console Pokemon game is, or they change format entirely. For me, seeing how successful the open world model is, and understanding The Pokemon Company's desire to make a big pile of money, perhaps its time to start thinking about that Pokemon MMO again. Final Fantasy 14 managed to pull itself out of the fire with regular updates and expansions, could something similar happen for Pokemon? Certainly not on THIS game engine. But I hope Nintendo/TPC/GF see the failure here and have the will to change course.    … Expand
  55. Asgard0822
    Dec 19, 2022
    5
    loving the open world and new mechanics.
    No order of gym is nice but pointless if the gyms have a set level, so there is just a hidden order.

    BUT: Pokemon as a franchise really shouldnt deliver such an graphic disaster.
    The money is there, just no motivation to finish the product i guess?

    And when your game releases, its messed up the pokemon home support only launches 5 months later....
  56. 0nearmedbandit
    Dec 18, 2022
    7
    I got the game a few days after it came out, and had a lot of people to play with and I've put in about 100 hours now and seen pretty much everything the game has to offer. I'm about to dive into competitive battles soon as well after I'm done breeding a good team.

    This game was a lot of what I wanted pokemon games to be like and I'm happy with some of the decisions that were made, but    I got the game a few days after it came out, and had a lot of people to play with and I've put in about 100 hours now and seen pretty much everything the game has to offer. I'm about to dive into competitive battles soon as well after I'm done breeding a good team.

    This game was a lot of what I wanted pokemon games to be like and I'm happy with some of the decisions that were made, but I did still have a few gripes about certain characters, the lack of voice acting, and the performance of course.
    Ultimately, I have loved nearly all of the major moments of my experiences with this generation, so much so that I might go back and get a copy of Violet as well.
    I'm also doing a second playthrough in Japanese on my second profile. The dialogue is only a bit above my comprehension level, and they use Furigana, so it's easier to understand. Because I've only been studying for a few years and I'm still at a grade school level with the language. This game seems like a good game to try to play in Japanese, for what that's worth.

    I am sad about the presence of these performance issues and some of the issues it had caused when I did certain activities such as shiny hunting, etc. So I've docked a few points for it, but ultimately the changes to the formula and the way the gameplay loop feels, It got me to actually enjoy the first pokemon game since Sun/Moon, or gen 1-3. I still hope they fix some things in the future with this game, but even if they don't, I'm still excited about where the series seems to be heading. Cautiously optimistic at least.    … Expand
  57. Chastizer
    Dec 15, 2022
    6
    With the 9th Generation of Pokémon we are finally beginning to see the foundation of what a truly next generation Pokémon game could be, however it is done with the presentation, graphical fidelity, and performance of an Itch.io porn game. Compared to what a game of this caliber should be, this was a tech demo.

    I was truly ready to write this game completely off, until the very last leg    With the 9th Generation of Pokémon we are finally beginning to see the foundation of what a truly next generation Pokémon game could be, however it is done with the presentation, graphical fidelity, and performance of an Itch.io porn game. Compared to what a game of this caliber should be, this was a tech demo.

    I was truly ready to write this game completely off, until the very last leg of the game where it began to bare it's fangs. To be quite honest, the whole game should just be structured like that last portion. In fact, I feel like the game would have been better off for it. That doesn't mean that you couldn't have wide open areas to explore and find Pokémon. I feel like a true middle ground could be reached if in the next generation of Pokémon they went the route of Xenoblade Chronicles and had massive areas interconnected with one another instead of one giant map that must be loaded in at all times. The world of Xenoblade 1 manages to still feel massive and interconnected despite it's loading zones.

    Performance aside, there are a lot of problems I have as a long time Pokémon fan that I would like to see addressed. Not nearly enough post game, no difficulty options, missing features that we've literally had since the GBA, A lot of the Pokedex still missing to likely be sold back to us.

    While Area Zero was a blast to play through, after I was done with it I couldn't help but feel frustrated at how I had to sit through hours of mediocrity just to get to the good part. The whole game should be the good part. While I did have fun doing menial things prior to Area Zero. Looking back I can't help but wonder why there was such a clear difference in effort in these two parts of the game.

    I love Pokémon, the series is a jewel and I know everyone wants to see it shine. We keep telling them how to polish it, but for some reason the jewel keeps getting rubbed in the dirt. Area Zero was the feint glimmer of hope shining off the jewel, reminding me that with polishing, the highest grossing media franchise on the planet could release something they can be proud of.    … Expand
  58. AbyssGG
    Dec 13, 2022
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. El juego es divertido, tiene probablemente la mejor historia hasta ahora en lo que va de las recientes generaciones 3d, pero esto queda opacado debido a los glitches, bugs, texturas, caídas de fotogramas, entre otras.

    Es irónico que el juego no pueda correr ni siquiera a 30 fps estables, llegando a tener caidas de 15 fps cuando llegamos a ciudades al haber caminado por rutas, los fotogramas a los que se mueven los npc y algunos elementos del entorno (molinos, banderas, entre otras) son pobres, tiene muchos problemas de popping e incluso spawns bugeados de pokemons (aparecen dentro de edificios inaccesibles, paredes, dentro de los cristales del area cero e incluso debajo del agua).

    Y en cuanto a la personalización de nuestro personaje, me encanta el poder modificar el aspecto de este, pero me parece bastante pobre los conjuntos a poder usar, teniendo 4 de estos en total (todos feisimos por cierto).    … Expand
  59. Ruizon
    Dec 11, 2022
    7
    It's not a bad game... Honest!

    I really wish I could score this game higher and I know a lot of people feel the same way. There were a lot of expectations and nearly all of them fell short and feel like a missed opportunity. First of all let's hit hard, performance. Oh boy did they really mess up here. I've seen more advance games run better on weaker platforms so there no excuse. Zelda    It's not a bad game... Honest!

    I really wish I could score this game higher and I know a lot of people feel the same way. There were a lot of expectations and nearly all of them fell short and feel like a missed opportunity.

    First of all let's hit hard, performance. Oh boy did they really mess up here. I've seen more advance games run better on weaker platforms so there no excuse. Zelda BotW on the WiiU runs better than this and I played that from start to finish (+DLC) so I know. Now don't get me wrong, in the main wild areas there is little faults in performance but then you get so many glitches it still takes away from the experience. I've fallen through the floor more than once and others have had worse. It's not all bad and definitely patchable but GameFreak need to step up.

    Open world is a lie. I don't mean this to seem harsh but they could have done this better in so many ways. 3 Stories to complete but, in order to actually enjoy all the stories and not be caught short in level, or be overpowered, you have to follow the route the lead you on. This game could have done with a level scaling system based on badges earned. Want to do the Titan storyline first, ok but the gym leaders and Team Star will gain more levels on their teams for each badge you earn. Want to become Champion, cool, however the titans grow in difficulty. Each badge should be attainable at whatever point in the game but the next one should be a challenge. I've felt the sting of doing things out of order and I was overlevelled for gyms and underlevelled for titans. Level scaling can be done, I've seen it in other games too. And as for Nemona... Please, for the love of everything, let me set up my team first before you pounce on me again.

    The Story progression. I have no problems here. Lots of heartfelt stories, lots of comedic segments and even a few cliché moments but, all in all, a good time. I was really impressed with the Titan storyline and the champion path was a good time too. Even the team star story has more depth than I expected based on previous titles. The game doesn't fall too hard. You can't cater to all tastes but they really tried to do something for everyone.

    Battling and Grinding. This game handled this fine. You have to grind a little bit with enough trainers in the wild areas it was never too much and there were many new Pokémon to collect. Experience share should definitely have been optional but that point is well shared before now. Some Pokémon didn't give you a chance to get away and you were stuck in a battle loop with the aggressive ones. A moment of invulnerability to run away if you didn't want to fight would have helped but, overall, not really an issue.

    Overall - this game is not bad. Is it great, no! It has some glaring issues and was released before it was ready with some amazing oversights that could have improved people's overall enjoyment. Is it a bad game, no! With a great storyline and in depth characters this game shines when it gets there and you take a moment to really feel what's going on. This game is a mediocre experience and, for all intents and purposes, is a Pokémon game at heart. Battles, gyms, evil teams and a rival have always been a thing, add to that the Titan story and you have a fully fleshed out experience if you can look past the other issues.

    Does this game deserve the bashing it's getting, no. People wanted more, I get that, but this isn't a bad game! It's lacklustre and upsetting, especially to long time fans, but it doesn't deserve the hate it's receiving!    … Expand
  60. Suffering_BC
    Dec 11, 2022
    5
    I really had fun with the game but getting bullied and made fun of because of these buggy mess. Even the patches don't make it better. It's a shame that's so unfinished because I really liked the story. But hurting the Fans is Gamefreak's thing now. Stop bullying your fans since bullying is a thing you point out in this game
  61. robache
    Dec 11, 2022
    7
    pokemon scarlet is an excellent game with an history incredible but it's not finish and he look horrible, in 2022 it's not possible
  62. JulienK06
    Dec 11, 2022
    6
    Could have been one of the greatest Pokemon games of all time, sadly ruined by the difficulty and the amount of bugs
  63. ZYMROD
    Dec 9, 2022
    6
    ANALISIS POKEBUG 2022

    Después de 30 horas de juego. Este cumple en el aspecto jugable, pero resta demasiado los errores técnicos que terminan lastrando la experiencia e inmersión provocando uno que otro bug que no justifica su valor de USD 60. Quizás si hubiesen atrasado el lanzamiento a Enero o Febrero, se hubiera mejorado su rendimiento y evitado la sensación agridulce del    ANALISIS POKEBUG 2022

    Después de 30 horas de juego. Este cumple en el aspecto jugable, pero resta demasiado los errores técnicos que terminan lastrando la experiencia e inmersión provocando uno que otro bug que no justifica su valor de USD 60. Quizás si hubiesen atrasado el lanzamiento a Enero o Febrero, se hubiera mejorado su rendimiento y evitado la sensación agridulce del lanzamiento.

    LO BUENO
    - Modo captura y farmeo experiencia.
    - Seudo mundo abierto decente.
    - El concepto de recompensas de la pokedex.
    - El mapa paldea es bastante interesante y dan ganas explorar, pese a los bugs.
    - Los entrenadores ya no te agobian sino que tu decides si los enfrentas.
    - El post game es mas interesante y ofrece mayor reto que la sendas de la historia principal
    - El foso de paldea que es la única instancia para conocer el trasfondo de los 3 NPC principales.
    - La simplificación de las pokemonturas.
    - Facilidad para obtener Shinys.

    LO MALO
    - Comida NFT que da cringe con la animación.
    - Lideres de gimnasio que carecen de carisma y dificultad
    - Alto mando ridículo y soso.
    - Rival patosa y sociópata.
    - Bugs que merman la experiencia.
    - Modo competitivo roto por bugs y estadísticas chetadas.
    - Team Cringe (Star) cuya ruta es la mas tediosa y sus personajes rayan en lo patético.
    - La música es bastante Meh! salvo los temas del team Star.
    - La ropa de niño pijo del protagonista.
    - Falta personalización en vestimenta, cada tienda ofrece lo mismo solo que con otro color.
    - Ciudades sin alma ni presencia en el mapa Paldea. Cada ciudad no ofrece nada relevante y son muy olvidables.
    - Pokemon de Paldea no son interesantes, salvo los bichos del foso.
    - Tera cristalización no aporta nada relevante, si solo hubieran dejado la cristalización sin gorros no seria tan poco inmersiva.
    - La canción de los créditos que le resta epicidad al esfuerzo de terminar el juego y que lo convierte en algo mas genérico. Teniendo temas como el del Team Star que haría mas pasable verlos ya que no se pueden saltar y lo otro es silenciar TV.
    - Problemas de texturas y de cámara durante los combates.
    - Evolución de Finizen a Palafin es un problema sino cuentas con gente en circulo unión.
    - Circulo Union ,Modo Online cooperativo, suele producir errores críticos que crashean el juego o bugean texturas. (Recomendable deshabilitar autoguardado para evitar que se corrompa partida)
    - Las clases de la academia son irrelevantes, no aportan mucho a la experiencia y esta desaprovechada .
    - La zona DLC que no tuvieron el descaro de esconder e incluso se puede visitar con el Glitch del agua bajo el mapa o ver con el bug de la cámara. (Es la zona gris con líneas punteadas).

    Conclusión POKEBUG 2022 parece mas una demo técnica que un juego AAA

    * Si te gusta Pokemon o creciste con la franquicia, te recomiendo pillarlo de segunda mano o en oferta porque a precio completo no vale la pena.    … Expand
  64. RalphTheFrog
    Nov 30, 2022
    5
    Its fun. Definetely not perfect, but fun. They were much more ambitious with this game, but because of this they left behind various things that used to be garunteed with every Pokémon release (like running properly)
  65. OhNoItsSenpai
    Dec 8, 2022
    5
    The rumors are true. This game is an absolute broken mess. It seems a lot of people are ready to forgive Pokemon while Cyberpunk was crucified and refunds were demanded. I however have no obsession with Nintendo so here's an honest review. This is the worst running game on the switch in dock mode, it feels like it should have never been released on the switch. It's crashed more thanThe rumors are true. This game is an absolute broken mess. It seems a lot of people are ready to forgive Pokemon while Cyberpunk was crucified and refunds were demanded. I however have no obsession with Nintendo so here's an honest review. This is the worst running game on the switch in dock mode, it feels like it should have never been released on the switch. It's crashed more than Legends Arceus which is a superior pokemon game,… Expand
  66. Keorus
    Dec 8, 2022
    7
    El nuevo juego de Pokémon para mi es un acierto de compra. Muchos dicen que hay bugs y los he visto, pero yo no los he sufrido, asi que no puedo informar sobre ello. La historia es mas que aceptable y han apostado por cosas nuevas y diversas.

    Lo bueno: El mundo me encanta y a mi porlomenos no se me acaban las cosas. El sistema de Pokémon montura es todo un acierto para recorrer el mundo.    El nuevo juego de Pokémon para mi es un acierto de compra. Muchos dicen que hay bugs y los he visto, pero yo no los he sufrido, asi que no puedo informar sobre ello. La historia es mas que aceptable y han apostado por cosas nuevas y diversas.

    Lo bueno: El mundo me encanta y a mi porlomenos no se me acaban las cosas. El sistema de Pokémon montura es todo un acierto para recorrer el mundo. Los nuevos diseños me parecen muy bonitos. Las incursiones me parecen super bien hechas en cuanto a dificultad. El multijugador es muy recomendable.

    Lo malo: El sistema de captura me hubiera gustado que fuera como el Pokemon Arceus, sin tener que entrar en combate. El sistema de crianza nuevo a mi no me gusta. Algunos fallos de rendimiento en personajes que estan lejos. Hay gente que usa programas externos para conseguir las cosas faciles.

    Mi opinion es que es un juego muy divertido, que puedes disfrutar solo o acompañado y con uno de los mejores competitivos de nintendo.    … Expand
  67. cHughes
    Dec 7, 2022
    7
    An encapsulating story filled with lovable characters creates an utterly fantastic campaign, followed by the best ending sequence of the Pokémon series to date makes Pokémon Scarlet an extremely enjoyable experience for Pokémon fans. This is in addition to a wide array of fantastic new Pokémon designs and new ‘Paradox Forms’ which are a great idea to switch up the norm. Unfortunately, thisAn encapsulating story filled with lovable characters creates an utterly fantastic campaign, followed by the best ending sequence of the Pokémon series to date makes Pokémon Scarlet an extremely enjoyable experience for Pokémon fans. This is in addition to a wide array of fantastic new Pokémon designs and new ‘Paradox Forms’ which are a great idea to switch up the norm. Unfortunately, this game is let down by the frustrating performance issues which are inescapable when playing, from the Windmill in Artazon to Pokémon lagging in the wild, the game is extremely hard to watch and is not as pleasing to the eye as Pokémon Sword and Shield.
    This being said, Pokémon Scarlet is a fantastic of example of how to structure a main series Pokémon game, but also of how important the performance of these games are. Overall however, the game is extremely enjoyable and is a worthy addition to the series.    … Expand
  68. Dominy
    Dec 6, 2022
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Preso al day one con tante aspettative, mi sono ritrovato a giocare sicuramente un gioco abbastanza innovativo rispetto ai precedenti sul piano dell'avventura. Però poi la storia, per quanto carina, finisce subito ed il post game è davvero una noia. Non c'è letteralmente nulla da fare. Shield me lo sono giocato fino all'ultimo giorno, con il piacere di giocare e fare competitive, qui mi hanno tolto il gusto.
    Peccato.    … Expand
  69. TAKOB3ll
    Dec 6, 2022
    6
    The grafic are the lowest of all the franchise and technical really need a patch. Its feel like unfinish game. But story and the pokemon are probably the best i see before gen5
  70. Paige712
    Dec 6, 2022
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Ok so let me say this alongside Arceus is the most fun I’ve had since Black2/White 2 playing Pokémon.

    It is a very addictive gameplay loop and hopefully the direction going forward. Story as well is amazing, especially the area zero stuff. On par with black/white imo.

    Characters are great too, more fleshed out and 3 dimensional. Especially Arven. And Rika makes me feel things lol.

    New Pokémon are weird and wacky and I kind of love it lol. Palafin is a precious boy that must be protected! The additional unique typings was neat too.

    QOL improvements are a blessing! Being able to just buy competitive items instead of needing BP is so so nice!

    Issues I have though are gym leaders and major battles outside the area zero ones are pretty easy and could be more challenging. They definitely need to bring back the difficulty settings (implemented better though) from Blk 2/wh2. Also cities are basically just backdrops. Hardly any indoor areas to explore which is such a shame. And most restaurants are just glorified menus.

    And of course the biggest gripes I have is with the performance itself. This game needed another 6-12 months to iron out the bugs and to better optimise it. The frame rate is honestly unacceptable imo. Development Crunch needs to end!! Graphics are poor for the overworld no doubt but the textures of the Pokémon and characters are top notch so that’s a plus.

    Overall here’s my ratings.

    Positives:

    - Addictive gameplay loop
    - Great story and characters
    - Pokémon feel more alive in the overworld which is awesome!
    - New Pokémon are neat.
    - QOL improvements are great!

    Negatives:

    - Performance number one issue. Should have had more time and better optimising.
    - Poor overworld graphics
    - Lacking in proper challenge.
    - Lack of indoor areas to explore in cities. Menu shops galore.

    FINAL RATING: 7.5/10    … Expand
  71. AzuraFeraligatr
    Dec 6, 2022
    6
    The game itself was extremely entertaining, being able to roam where I felt and being able to watch the Pokemon in the overworld was enjoyable to me. This was the first Pokemon game I have finished since the Ruby/Sapphire remakes, excluding Arceus.
    I found playing the game in handheld mode helped make a lot of the bugs less noticeable and i was able to play the game and enjoy it well    The game itself was extremely entertaining, being able to roam where I felt and being able to watch the Pokemon in the overworld was enjoyable to me. This was the first Pokemon game I have finished since the Ruby/Sapphire remakes, excluding Arceus.
    I found playing the game in handheld mode helped make a lot of the bugs less noticeable and i was able to play the game and enjoy it well enough. Playing on my 4K Samsung TV was out of the question however. All flaws where on full display and caused me headaches.
    If not for the bugs and the inability to play in docked mode, this would be a 9/10 game for me. The open world is a massive step up for the series, but the lack of scaling detracts from this improvement.
    Overall, I rated this game a 6 because I did have a lot of fun playing the game, although it could have been improved with level scaling to give it a more "choose your own adventure" feeling. The flaws in the game are unacceptable and i shouldn't be limited to playing in Handheld mode just to get a good gaming experience.    … Expand
  72. zagger999
    Dec 6, 2022
    7
    While a plethora of bugs do make this game to play at times and it needed more time before it came out, this is genuinely the best Pokemon game to come since it has become 3D. The bugs are what ways this score down. Otherwise, this is a 9 out of 10 game that can compete with the best Pokemon has ever done game-wise and story.

    So much was done right. Game Freak needed more time and    While a plethora of bugs do make this game to play at times and it needed more time before it came out, this is genuinely the best Pokemon game to come since it has become 3D. The bugs are what ways this score down. Otherwise, this is a 9 out of 10 game that can compete with the best Pokemon has ever done game-wise and story.

    So much was done right. Game Freak needed more time and wasn't given it by the Pokemon Company. Since that wasn't given, the game is in this state because the anime and TCG are coming soon.    … Expand
  73. ayzelto
    Nov 29, 2022
    5
    A game that could have easily been a 9 ends up being a 5. The story itself is great, but the technical aspects are just too bad sometimes. There are moments in the game that is very frustrating, and the whole experience is just destroyed.

    Anyway, I still think it's a good game and I hope they can fix these major things with the updates (if that's possible)
  74. KRUS93
    Dec 6, 2022
    5
    Saved by the fact that the mechanic of catching, training and battling Pokémon is fun. The ambition of the game was right - Pokémon has been crying out to be fully open world, and the game does a great job of making the world feel alive with Pokémon roaming the world in appropriate habitat. The story is vanilla at first but really kicks up a notch too. Unfortunately though, the performanceSaved by the fact that the mechanic of catching, training and battling Pokémon is fun. The ambition of the game was right - Pokémon has been crying out to be fully open world, and the game does a great job of making the world feel alive with Pokémon roaming the world in appropriate habitat. The story is vanilla at first but really kicks up a notch too. Unfortunately though, the performance of the game is distracting. The character models look amazing, but the world looks like it was handed over to the interns, which ruins the immersion. With more polish and a year or two more in the oven, this could have been the perfect Pokémon game. If only TPCI would prioritise quality over quantity for once.… Expand
  75. Maglenar
    Dec 6, 2022
    7
    Though the graphics are in need of improvements, this lastest installment in the Pokemon universe is a dramatic improvement from Pokemon Arceus. The story line is fun and self-driven, with numerous ways to enjoy your adventures in Paldea.
  76. IronWolfFang
    Dec 6, 2022
    6
    As always... they are heading in the right direction but they are still far from the game the pokemon community wants. What I will say is the performance issues are inexcusable. They have one console to work on so the game should come out perfect performance wise, anything else is just lazy money grabbing
  77. grimreapersims
    Dec 6, 2022
    7
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  78. writer1062
    Dec 5, 2022
    7
    스토리가 굉장히 깔끔하게 잘 나왔고, 등장인물의 캐릭터성도 좋지만 버그와 최적화가 아쉬움. 개발기간을 좀 더 늘린 뒤에 디버깅에 신경쓰면서 천천히 발매했으면 더 좋게 나왔을 것 같음.
  79. Zski
    Dec 3, 2022
    7
    I really appreciate the effort to try to continue to shake up the Pokémon formula for the better, but even with the performance issues aside (which I did not find to be that bad), the execution was a little underwhelming. To address the performance complaints that everyone has with the game - the issues are there, but they literally do not impact the game by any means. I did experienceI really appreciate the effort to try to continue to shake up the Pokémon formula for the better, but even with the performance issues aside (which I did not find to be that bad), the execution was a little underwhelming. To address the performance complaints that everyone has with the game - the issues are there, but they literally do not impact the game by any means. I did experience some slowdown, I did experience a few bugs, but they weren’t bad enough to break the game or even hinder the experience. If you’re playing Pokémon for a next gen experience that performs at 60fps, then you are really losing touch with what the core attraction of Pokémon really is. I didn’t find the performance and glitches to be any issue at all.

    However, the game itself feels like a step in the right direction with a very poorly executed concept. Open world Pokémon is exactly what everyone dreamed of since the Gameboy days. I just found the world to be incredibly uninspiring and hollow. I started off really excited to explore the map, but as I continued on I realized that the exploration just felt a little aimless. I appreciate that the game gives you many overarching objectives - completing the Pokédex, collecting all the gym badges, battling Team Star, and battling the titans gives some variety to the overall objective. But exploring uninspiring terrains just to find waves of the same Pokémon over and over somehow made the game feel linear in an open world. After awhile I found myself just going straight for objectives, not even caring about exploring. Which is a shame, because even Arceus felt like it had more push for exploration. It’s still a great game that offers tons of content. I just felt like the effort to move to open world was a bit weak, so it kind of took away from the existing magic formula that made the series great to take it in a direction that wasn’t fully fleshed out. After Arceus, it’s a step in the right direction, I just wish we didn’t have to wait another generation (or more) for the direction to be fully realized into what it’s capable of being.    … Expand
  80. ashthewolf
    Dec 3, 2022
    5
    This game had great potential,which was ruined in the state this game released in.
    The characters ware great,the story was amazing, and the gym leaders ware some of the best.
    Out of the 3 beginning quests 2 ware incredible and the last one was alright. I love how you can befriend the teachers to learn more about them. The classes' ware interesting (Other than arts and language), The    This game had great potential,which was ruined in the state this game released in.
    The characters ware great,the story was amazing, and the gym leaders ware some of the best.
    Out of the 3 beginning quests 2 ware incredible and the last one was alright. I love how you can befriend the teachers to learn more about them. The classes' ware interesting (Other than arts and language),
    The bugs and performance is what ruins the game.

    I want this to be a learning experience for game freak and Nintendo because the game does a lot of things,but oh boy did they **** a lot of things wrong too!
    If it wasn't for the bugs and the performance it could have been one of the best Pokémon games.    … Expand
  81. FlameHaze10
    Dec 2, 2022
    6
    Pros:
    - Open world
    - New Pokemon
    - Decent Story
    - Design

    Cons:
    - Asset pop-in
    - FPS
    - Switch hardware
    - Nemona is weird
    - Too easy

    Verdict:
    - NSW need upgrade
  82. Zu343
    Dec 2, 2022
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Zu viele Bugs und Glitches. Das Spiel ist unfertig erschienen. Die Story und die Musik sind Super. Hätte das Spiel mehr Zeit bekommen, hätte es ein Meisterwerk werden können. Es ist aber leider keins geworden.… Expand
  83. Syhlcam
    Dec 1, 2022
    7
    Pokémon Écarlate / Violet sont des jeux incroyable à deux doigt d'être des équivalents à Breath of the Wild pour Pokémon. Mais ces jeux souffre d'un manque de travail cruel sur la technique, qui pénalise l'expérience de jeu. Des textures horribles, des ralentissements et bugs, des choses évitables mais qui l'ont pas été.

    Et c'est dommage car derrière, les jeux offre un bon open-world    Pokémon Écarlate / Violet sont des jeux incroyable à deux doigt d'être des équivalents à Breath of the Wild pour Pokémon. Mais ces jeux souffre d'un manque de travail cruel sur la technique, qui pénalise l'expérience de jeu. Des textures horribles, des ralentissements et bugs, des choses évitables mais qui l'ont pas été.

    Et c'est dommage car derrière, les jeux offre un bon open-world qui pousse à l'exploration. Un monde ouvert qui est généreux en objet, en Pokémon et en environnement. Un jeu qui offre également plusieurs quêtes intéressante, apportant parfois des nouveautés pour la série principale. Et qui se fini sur une quête très narrative qui nous transport dans une ambiance originale pour la licence. Le tout sur une bande sonore exceptionnelle et avec l'utilisation intéressante de la téracrystallisation.

    Mais on peut également noté que la personnalisation est certes bien amélioré mais déçoit sur certain aspect. Que la difficulté non basé sur le joueur facile l'expérience de jeu. Et que les cinématiques manque de doublage pour qu'elles soient plus impactante.

    En clair, Pokémon Écarlate / Violet sont de très bon jeu, qui propose un vrai pas en avant pour la licence Pokémon avec un bon open-world, mais c'est aussi des jeux qui souffre de leurs techniques.

    FULL TEST : https://www.geekexperience.fr/jeux-video/avis/avis-pokemon-ecarlate-violet/    … Expand
  84. Andrix92
    Nov 30, 2022
    5
    The worst Pokémon title on Nintendo Switch.
    The map is empty while the open-world is a bag full of bug, pop-up effect and elements moving at 5fps.
    There’s no level-scaling and the most of the story is so ripetitive and boring…wtf r’u thinking about while developing this game GF!?
  85. smahlt
    Nov 30, 2022
    7
    It's pretty decent. The gym questline is your typical pokemon affair, but the other two main quests and the finale quest are decently interesting. It's a shame the pokedex only has 400 mons, but gotta sell that DLC I guess.

    Now onto the technical aspects. It has framerate issues, but I've rarely encountered any massive glithces that everyone else seems to go on and on about. I firmly    It's pretty decent. The gym questline is your typical pokemon affair, but the other two main quests and the finale quest are decently interesting. It's a shame the pokedex only has 400 mons, but gotta sell that DLC I guess.

    Now onto the technical aspects. It has framerate issues, but I've rarely encountered any massive glithces that everyone else seems to go on and on about. I firmly believe they are overexaggerating them to get clicks and views. The game is not broken, but it is rough.    … Expand
  86. dilearmo
    Nov 30, 2022
    6
    The game is very good.
    The stories, new Pokémon and the overall idea of the game is very fun, but the performance issues are a major problem.
    Constant drops in FPS, graphic bugs and even the game crashing...
    The Pokémon Company has an incredible huge amount of money and other resources, this kind of problems should never happen on a game of the moat profitable IP in the videogame industry...
  87. gahan99
    Nov 30, 2022
    6
    Great Game of Pokémon, sorry about The technical issues, but a funny game.
  88. ason313
    Nov 29, 2022
    6
    Great Pokémon game in terms of structure, gameplay, & roster but the tech issues are pretty unacceptable. Hopefully can be patched up over time but they should be embarrassed they released it like this and fans should feel rightfully insulted. Crazy to see one of their premier exclusives seem so poorly optimized on their own system.
  89. BQert
    Nov 28, 2022
    6
    There are a lot of good things about this game, but a lot of design choices as well hindering the games massively.

    The world is vast, it's an actual open world game with three interesting stories to follow. The main characters of these stories are great, but everything around it kind of falls flat. The gym leaders are quite bland, the titans could've had a larger impact on the    There are a lot of good things about this game, but a lot of design choices as well hindering the games massively.

    The world is vast, it's an actual open world game with three interesting stories to follow. The main characters of these stories are great, but everything around it kind of falls flat. The gym leaders are quite bland, the titans could've had a larger impact on the surroundings. Team Star is great, although the minigames of clearing out a base get repetitive and the final battle is quite boring too. The new Pokedex is great, a lot better than previous generations.

    Roaming around has never been so fun while searching for new Pokemon in their natural habitat. The game is rewarding people to go around and catch as many Pokemon as you can, and filling up the Pokedex is a lot of fun.

    Spoken about habitats, that's where the biggest downside of the games lies. The world is ugly. The graphics are on par with Colosseum and XD:GoD, the nature is empty and exploration doesn't really get rewarded with secrets or anything. The cities are bland and forgetful. The game runs horribly too, there is not a minute where I don't dip below 15FPS or some graphical glitch occurs. I've had the game crash on me twice, losing some hours of progress the first time as I turned auto-save off... Lesson learned.

    Overall, it's a great direction the new Pokemon games go in. The open world aspect of exploration is incredible, and pokemon is the perfect IP to combine this with. But a big as a company TPC is, the game should not be this bad graphically and performance wise. The core of pokemon is still there, but the soul that made the other games so much fun is kinda getting lost in trying to make the 3D open world a possibility.

    Story: 8/10
    Gameplay: 7/10
    Graphics: 3/10
    Performace: 3/10
    Fun: 8/10    … Expand
  90. Zeldacrafter
    Nov 28, 2022
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It’s a very fun game, and I love being able to explore all the cool areas right off the bat, but accidentally walking into some gym and realizing it’s level 40 with your level 10 Pokémon really doesn’t feel good, and the game doesn’t progress with you, so you need to follow a path that isn’t there to really enjoy it, if you look up a guide on the order of the gyms it’s fun though.… Expand
  91. Shirohae
    Nov 28, 2022
    5
    The Openworld-Cocept would be perfect for Pokemongames, but the technical performance of scarlet/violet is just a no-go.. also the openworl is kind of empty. Hopefully they refine this concept for the next gen *fingers crossed*
  92. Jgc13
    Nov 28, 2022
    5
    I honestly was excited to try the open world pokemon formula they are going for. But I just cannot stand for this. Game freak has time and time again disappointed with their lackluster releases but this is just an outrage. An honestly good game idea is bogged down by just the most horrible performance I've experienced in a game so far in my life. The frame rate is horrible, the cameraI honestly was excited to try the open world pokemon formula they are going for. But I just cannot stand for this. Game freak has time and time again disappointed with their lackluster releases but this is just an outrage. An honestly good game idea is bogged down by just the most horrible performance I've experienced in a game so far in my life. The frame rate is horrible, the camera works like absolute crap and the bugs are way too frequent to be ignored. This game is incredibly fun but it just makes me sad how broken it is and how little Game Freak cares… Expand
  93. frederik1478
    Nov 28, 2022
    5
    I had a ok time with the game but most of them come in the last 2 hours when you go to a certain place .

    Is open world kind of boring and small it was not really that interesting to explore and I think the graphics are well. Below what you would expect from a game of this price. This game should have more time in development is feels like they didn't have enough and I enjoyed Pokemon    I had a ok time with the game but most of them come in the last 2 hours when you go to a certain place .

    Is open world kind of boring and small it was not really that interesting to explore and I think the graphics are well. Below what you would expect from a game of this price.

    This game should have more time in development is feels like they didn't have enough and I enjoyed Pokemon archers way more than this.    … Expand
  94. Patrick95
    Nov 27, 2022
    7
    Dejando a un lado los bugs, una de las razones por la que no le doy mejor nota. Lo considero una mejora con respecto a "Espada y Escudo" o "Leyendas: Arceus". Es el primer mundo abierto REAL de la saga y eso hace que sea sin duda un juego muy divertido de jugar, además, poder jugar con tus amigos y recorrer Paldea juntos es una delicia con no demasiados límites que hacen que estos dosDejando a un lado los bugs, una de las razones por la que no le doy mejor nota. Lo considero una mejora con respecto a "Espada y Escudo" o "Leyendas: Arceus". Es el primer mundo abierto REAL de la saga y eso hace que sea sin duda un juego muy divertido de jugar, además, poder jugar con tus amigos y recorrer Paldea juntos es una delicia con no demasiados límites que hacen que estos dos puntos sean los mejores del juego.

    Sin embargo, la trama me ha parecido simple y sosa, me gusta que al menos sea coherente, pero ha sido una trama bastante ausente durante el 90% del juego. Todo ocurre básicamente al final, y lo que ocurre tampoco es que sea muy bueno, aunque sí es mejor que otras tramas de la saga como las de 8ª generación o 6ª. Tampoco me gusta el balanceo de niveles. El juego no tiene un crecimiento de niveles coherente, lo que provoca que superes antes de tiempo, sin querer, gimnasios o pruebas que aún no debías (porque realmente se superan fácilmente, es Pokémon), esto hace que todas las pruebas anteriores se vuelvan extremadamente fáciles y aburridas de superar. Si van a seguir creando mundos 100% abiertos, la saga necesita urgentemente un escalado de niveles, o al menos, un diseño de niveles coherente y natural por muy libre que sea. Tampoco me ha convencido la gran falta de postgame, que esta vez es real.

    A pesar de mi problema con los niveles, la trama o el postgame, el juego es en general muy divertido, me parece una buena primera experiencia de Pokémon en mundo abierto y creo que van en buen camino para crear el posible "Pokémon definitivo" con el que todos soñamos. Le daría algo más de nota si no hubiese salido con tantos bugs y problemas técnicos. Una pena.    … Expand
  95. LINK_____
    Nov 27, 2022
    5
    I like how it finally feels like an open world game but the amount bugs is absolutely horrendous and the graphical issues are terrible. It would be a 100/100 game if it were to be a Wii game form 2007 but for todays standards its an insult to the community.
  96. GabrielMZ24
    Nov 27, 2022
    6
    The big problem with SV is clearly the graphics and the endless amount of bugs present in the games. This being a big problem, for a true Pokémon fan the game has many positive aspects. The story is entertaining and the three paths are well interrelated with each other at the end, plus we can consider that it is the first time that there is no real evil in the game. The Pokémon designs areThe big problem with SV is clearly the graphics and the endless amount of bugs present in the games. This being a big problem, for a true Pokémon fan the game has many positive aspects. The story is entertaining and the three paths are well interrelated with each other at the end, plus we can consider that it is the first time that there is no real evil in the game. The Pokémon designs are generally very pretty, especially Scarlet's paradox. Lastly, even though the graphics are terrible, the game map design is relatively good. The only problem is that it is often too empty. In short, the game's graphical and performance problems are unacceptable, but Game Freak still knows how to entertain from the point of view of the story and the designs of the Pokémon. For me a 6 is more than fair, but these problems cannot be repeated in the future.… Expand
  97. Lordxyer
    Nov 26, 2022
    7
    Estos 2 ultimos titulos de esta gran saga hacen muchas cosas bien, nos presenta la innovacion de Pokemon leyendas Arceus y un mundo abierto muy conseguido, donde te dan ganas de perderte y recorrerlo de arriba a abajo. La premisa de que puedas ir a cualquier lugar desde el inicio es muy divertida al inicio, aunque luego te das cuenta que al fin y al cabo debes visitar los gimnasios antesEstos 2 ultimos titulos de esta gran saga hacen muchas cosas bien, nos presenta la innovacion de Pokemon leyendas Arceus y un mundo abierto muy conseguido, donde te dan ganas de perderte y recorrerlo de arriba a abajo. La premisa de que puedas ir a cualquier lugar desde el inicio es muy divertida al inicio, aunque luego te das cuenta que al fin y al cabo debes visitar los gimnasios antes que nada para que los Pokemon puedan obedecerte.
    Este juego se ve muy empañado por el tema fps, tiene muchisimas caidas y un rendimiento que te saca de la experiencia, que recalco que es magnifica, pero ver NPC'S moviendose a 3fps le resta mucho al juego.
    Ojala saquen algun parche que logre estabilizar los fps y algun bug grafico y el juego pasara de ser un 7 a un 8/9.    … Expand
  98. NotAsBigPharma
    Nov 26, 2022
    7
    On a technical level, this game's a mess. Low quality models and textures, bad LOD/pop-in, many frame-rate stutters, a good hand full of areas with persistent slow-down, weird animation jank, etc. There's also the bummer of the slowness of the battle system, with many messages for stat changes/field effects/etc. that Legends Arceus had solved. All that said, exploring the game's open worldOn a technical level, this game's a mess. Low quality models and textures, bad LOD/pop-in, many frame-rate stutters, a good hand full of areas with persistent slow-down, weird animation jank, etc. There's also the bummer of the slowness of the battle system, with many messages for stat changes/field effects/etc. that Legends Arceus had solved. All that said, exploring the game's open world and being able to tackle the three stories as I wanted, proved to be a really enjoyable experience. The game's three story paths, as well as the final "true ending" path that unlocks after finishing the first three, all combine to give Scarlet/Violet the best story of any main series Pokemon game. Granted, that's not really saying a lot, but this was the first time a Pokemon game actually elicited any emotions from me. All-in-all, despite all the technical problems, Pokemon Scarlet & Violet left me satisfied, and eager to get back to filling out the Pokedex.… Expand
  99. eincello86
    Nov 26, 2022
    5
    Also an sich ist es ein gutes Pokémon Spiel. Das Ding ist es ganz einfach, dass man sich keine Zeit mehr nimmt um den Fans optisch und technisch mal ein richtiges Brett zu liefern! Die Switch hat einiges drauf und nach sieben Jahren kann kein Entwickler mehr sagen er käme mit der Technik nicht klar! Aber die Pokémon Company ist nur auf Kohle aus! Wenn es möglich wäre würden die jedesAlso an sich ist es ein gutes Pokémon Spiel. Das Ding ist es ganz einfach, dass man sich keine Zeit mehr nimmt um den Fans optisch und technisch mal ein richtiges Brett zu liefern! Die Switch hat einiges drauf und nach sieben Jahren kann kein Entwickler mehr sagen er käme mit der Technik nicht klar! Aber die Pokémon Company ist nur auf Kohle aus! Wenn es möglich wäre würden die jedes Quartal ein Hauptspiel raushauen um noch mehr Geld zu machen!… Expand
  100. MaxiRSilva
    Nov 26, 2022
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I don't really understand why The Pokémon Company doesn't do anything to help out Gamefreak, maybe allowing them to hire more people, ask for help from other companies or just barely anything.
    It's been an issue since long time ago, but it just kept getting worse. The engine is way too under-developed, they should either focus on improving it or ditch it and try a new one, but my question stands: why don't they ask for help from other companies? Or at least make an alliance or colab or whatever.
    This game, not gonna lie, has a very nice and refreshing gameplay. It is basically what the game needed to evolve a bit from the formula, it could have been a masterpiece and the best pokémon game ever, but unfortunately the execution dies from the engine performance. Sort of reminds me to what Cyberpunk 2077 was on their launch, but worse in terms of how it looks and performs.
    And no, is not an issue from the hardware, the issue is the game engine itself. I don't really like to compare, but one of the recent games released for Switch, NieR Automata, which was originally released for PS4 and Xbox One, performs amazingly well even with so many particles and enemies on screen. And that is one of so many examples that Nintendo Switch can offer.
    Gamefreak, stop being so lazy and hire more people and do something about the engine, it just doesn't work. Please understand.

    *edit*
    I just finished the area zero arc, and wow... I was feeling bad after giving it that low of a score, this game deserves more appreciation so I think I'll just go ahead and rate some aspects of it:
    Being a technical disaster needs to be addressed and kept present, so on that part it gets 3/10 (because it works and is playable, but feels worse than an indie)
    I want to give it a 10 on the music department but since some songs aren't quite memorable I'll just go 9/10 (area zero arc is definitely a 11/10).
    Story gets a 9/10: I'd separate this game into 2 sections, the 3 main roads and area zero. The 3 main roads arc is fine, specially Arven's story. Team Star is good and the league road is just there, feels lacking to be honest but it is what it is. But after you finish them, you get to the Area Zero arc, and wow, finally something amazing storywise in pokémon since Black/White and it caught me off guard, maybe because of the 1st section being lighthearted.
    Mechanics are 8/10: They're definitely the best in the franchise, it would have been a 10/10 if it wasn't affected by the technical issues the game engine has. These mechanics are what Pokémon needed and I hope they keep it and improve it even further for the next gens.
    I'd cover more stuff but these were the main ones I thought were the most important for me, and now the final score I give this game is 7/10. I hope Pokémon Company takes this backlash the game is receiving as a lesson and hopefully they will decide to help out Gamefreak getting more funds for development.
    And lastly, I totally understand why there's much hate around this game, we've been coming from previous games that were also technical disasters (although not as much) and had so many stuff cut out that is just natural that the anger comes from back then (myself included), so seeing that this one is so unfinished, then this kind of stuff happens.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2022

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 118 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 56 out of 118
  2. Mixed: 60 out of 118
  3. Negative: 2 out of 118
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 24, 2024
    60
    Not a bad game. It still has its solid core, new Pokémon, and what's worked for years continues to work. The open world is a questionable addition in my opinion. [Issue#324]
  2. VideoGamer
    Dec 14, 2023
    70
    Pokemon Scarlet and Violet take the long-awaited step into a fully open-world, but one poorly implemented and marred by frustration. A compelling story and characters are a saving grace in what is ultimately a fun game, but Pokemon's attempts at modernising continue to fall disappointingly short.
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  3. Het Nieuwsblad
    Jul 31, 2023
    20
    A square wheel spins more smoothly and fluidly than this game. If three Pokémon or characters come into view at once, the whole game creaks and falters. Edge-off unplayable. And that's a shame. Because the addition of an open world is "on paper" a puffy idea to refresh the franchise. No more linear walking that takes you past gyms and ever stronger and different Pokémon, gotta catch 'em all. You can go wherever you want. With some tactics, you can take on some very tough challenges with Pokémon that aren't nearly strong enough. Fun! Except this game just wasn't ready. It's shameless that Nintendo and Game Freak are still throwing it on the market. Nevertheless: 10 million games sold in just three days.
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