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
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. OneSomeGuy
    Jan 9, 2023
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I have not yet beat it but the open world concept is great and the Pokedex is very diverse. It has everything I want in a Pokemon game. the recycling of background characters is whatever I don't mind but when you can see two identical characters on screen at the same time it kind of ruins the moment but super minor. One thing though when you first spawn in your house you can basically walk up to any item and press "A" and get a little info on whatever you are looking at which I really like but it does not seem to continue through the rest of the game which is a bummer.… Expand
  2. fabinho12
    Jan 10, 2023
    10
    the games are good actualy i fell like the hate in this game is principaly due to people thiking the after legends: arceus all pokemon games whould just become or japonese art old styled design, the fact is that the games have a bunch of life quality improvements, the pokemons spawns generaly looks natural and you can actualy get fun playing the game, the mojor problem isn't the glithesthe games are good actualy i fell like the hate in this game is principaly due to people thiking the after legends: arceus all pokemon games whould just become or japonese art old styled design, the fact is that the games have a bunch of life quality improvements, the pokemons spawns generaly looks natural and you can actualy get fun playing the game, the mojor problem isn't the glithes that normaly only happens in multi player and the mojority of the time don't affect the game play, but really the fact that the game is a bunch about pokemon, that may sound weird but pokemon games have a bunch of human interactions in their gameplay overall, most in citys and towns, but this game is a lot about the open world exploring the map and the nature, and thats expected from the first real open world game in the series, so really in my opinion most of the time people just say things with no sence cause obviously if they took 5 year to make the game it would be better but the ones that say that simply don't "play the game", yes they make to the end of the history but thats not really playing, completing the pokedex, hunting shiny, battling other players and participating in events thats playing the game, the ones that really do that shouldn't have to wait 5 years so they can make a game with a good history and cotent that focus in the history, cause things made to the post game can and have been done in this like 1 year time span, just so the game look a little better and you can enter all the homes just to hear a old lady saying to you that she likes to cook cakes, out of that the competitive scene needs to be take in account, like this games introduced amazing pokemon and reduced the stall that have been a "problem" in singles, so the games completely make their job not in being the best game ever that wow "if u don't play u should kill your self, now sell your mom to buy it", but in opening new doors, being fun, taking further the concept of online events, maaking easier to trade if u don't have friends and introducing new mons to the competitive, so overall they are good games that i would certly recomend to a friend play and i'm sure that if he just played it like a normal person he would have fun.… Expand
  3. SwanRonson111
    Jan 11, 2023
    10
    A mix between Arceus and a traditional pokemon game that kept me engaged from beginning to end. Small performance issues, mostly graphical but nothing that reduced the fun I had playing this installment. I suspect the performance issues are mostly caused by the switches weak hardware and Nintendos refusal to release a modern console/online services. Definitely worth playing!
  4. ErwannLechat
    Jan 14, 2023
    10
    Bonjour, tout d'abord, effectivement le jeu possède pas mal de bug, mais perso, je n'ai jamais eu de bug, j'ai du avoir beaucoup de chance. Je mets un bon gros 10/10 car ce jeu est très bon, il est même excellent, je ne me suis pas autant amusant sur un jeu pokémon de la série principale depuis la 6g. C'est un jeu en monde ouvert avec beaucoup d'amélioration par rapport aux précédents jeu.
  5. Shiro23
    Jan 15, 2023
    10
    There are some bugs and frame rate problems, but this is the best pokemon game ever made.
  6. ga001
    Jan 18, 2023
    10
    Very good game story. despite the performance issues (most of them a fixed in the update) this game very good
  7. Tetcher
    Jan 18, 2023
    9
    The story is really good. Not perfect but I was invested. So many quality of life changes. Misses a couple opportunities (like group release). Couple bugs but nothing that really ruins the experience. Overall it's about as 9/10 as you can get. Almost perfect.
  8. gpguipacc
    Jan 27, 2023
    10
    Jogão! apesar dos problemas ele te prende do inicio ao fim não acreditem na midia ela mente
  9. Susolive
    Jan 28, 2023
    9
    Uno de mis pokémon favoritos. Lo jugué casi del tirón. Súper divertido y el mundo abierto está muy bien pensado.
  10. Romeo009
    Feb 22, 2023
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. De los mejores juegos de Pokémon que he jugado pese a su mal rendimiento … Expand
  11. Vxxid
    Apr 13, 2023
    0
    it's just **** the worst game I've ever played. **** Game Freak. It is not even worth 9 dollars
  12. Okdan
    Apr 28, 2023
    0
    **** trash, better play the og diamond and pearl bro. Or if you want to play comp just play showdown.
  13. Niltrio
    May 5, 2023
    9
    This game is truly a step in the right direction for the Pokemon franchise. Despite the reported performance issues and glitches ( which, in my case, weren't game breaking at all, but mild inconveniences ), it's the first true non-linear, open world Pokémon game. The tera gimmick, although a downgrade from megas, is an upgrade from Z-moves and Gigamax, allowing for more competitiveThis game is truly a step in the right direction for the Pokemon franchise. Despite the reported performance issues and glitches ( which, in my case, weren't game breaking at all, but mild inconveniences ), it's the first true non-linear, open world Pokémon game. The tera gimmick, although a downgrade from megas, is an upgrade from Z-moves and Gigamax, allowing for more competitive strategic opportunities. The pokemon designs work and experiment with new ideas ( palafin, tatsugiri-dondozo to name a few ), plus the Paradox designs bring new life to beloved mons from past generations. The weekly raid events help to keep the players engaged.
    The only downside are the performance issues, which makes it hard to justify the full price tag, but i don't think the game should be downgraded for it, and instead it should be judged by what it is: a well-executed modernization of the beloved, tried and true Pokémon format.    … Expand
  14. dbegonja18
    May 16, 2023
    1
    Very bland. Nothing like arceus. Very glitchy seems rushed. The environment is boring.
  15. ScreenS
    Jun 5, 2023
    10
    The best modern Pokémon game, and the standard by which causal open world games will be judged.

    One of the strongest assortment of new Pokémon, Garganacl and Lokix are some of my new favorites. The story and characters were actually really well written and after the joke that was Leon we actually have a competent and believable champion who commands respect. The ability to fight an gym in    The best modern Pokémon game, and the standard by which causal open world games will be judged.

    One of the strongest assortment of new Pokémon, Garganacl and Lokix are some of my new favorites. The story and characters were actually really well written and after the joke that was Leon we actually have a competent and believable champion who commands respect. The ability to fight an gym in any order actually means that for the first time in over 15 years the game has some actually challenging moments. (Level scaling would run this TPCi please don’t add it)

    Honestly the only negatives are the auto trainer battles are so mindless they might as well not exist, and so many Pokémon new and old feel so power crept it’s almost comical. E.g. why are both convergent species worse than their labor original? Why was Tinkaton given almost no attack and one of the worst signature moves ever? Why is Iron Jugulis weaker than Hydreigon?

    The fact that Terastallizstion is the only battle gimmick to be agreed upon to be good, is really impressive, and it truly is a lot of fun to use even if staying the same type is the right call 90% of the time.    … Expand
  16. RatingRating
    May 27, 2023
    8
    These idiots are saying that this games are bad because of glitches? HAH! These people are just sloppy gen wunners who don't know what they are talking about. If the glitches in Gen 1 are "Charming" and "Nostalgic", then go play Cyberpunk. But I will give you one thing, the framerate SUCKS.
  17. Disvolti0d
    May 27, 2023
    9
    It's fun, but performance and bugs, glitches... aren't fun. Let's say I'm giving this a 9 because of the review bombing it's getting. They should really fix this before getting on with the next one.
  18. Pokegaming
    May 29, 2023
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I think this is the best game that Gamefreak has made in a while. I love the story, love the music, even if it was buggy, I found it fun. Better than Sword and Shield and barely better than Legends Arceus.… Expand
  19. RealKritic
    Jun 3, 2023
    10
    Awesome game I love it keep them coming! Probably the best Switch game ever it's perfection. So much freedom and things to do!
  20. Jonnybravo222
    Jun 26, 2023
    2
    Man... Gamefreak needs to step it up big time. The world feels empty, the performance is the worst I've ever even seen. Just an absolute dumpster fire.
  21. Mrimaginary
    Feb 21, 2023
    2
    Most games deal in either/or. Either you can have great graphics, or you can have a huge world. Either you can have full voice acting, or you can have lots of dialogue, or a compromise with some Voice acting. On the other hand, modern Pokémon is: Neither.

    You have a technically broken game. The first truly open map is nice, but its still basic, lacking interesting exploration or    Most games deal in either/or. Either you can have great graphics, or you can have a huge world. Either you can have full voice acting, or you can have lots of dialogue, or a compromise with some Voice acting. On the other hand, modern Pokémon is: Neither.

    You have a technically broken game. The first truly open map is nice, but its still basic, lacking interesting exploration or atmosphere. Visually this looks like roblox, a free online game. You have couple of flat textures copy pasted on surfaces as if by an amateur. When you walk into major cities, like the the electric gym, it's like you are looking at the concept notes of a place. It would be cool, if it was actually finished. As it is, the flat textures look ugly everywhere, there are hardly any interiors and barely any foot traffic. Whatever NPCs that walk around look like broken automatons because of the framerate. How do you immerse the player in a bustling, high tech city setting when the visual details, frame rate utterly fail to create that atmosphere? The only thing that comes through and works well is the music. Compare this to other games, like the hubs in Splatoon that also try to convey a busting urban area - It's embarrassing by comparison. They even took away the extensive wardrobe customization

    In order to offer meager modernization in the form of 3d, open worlds, Pokemon has regressed beyond belief in almost every other regard. The flow in Legends Arceus, where battles were seamless and wouldn't chug along with each notification "X was paralysed!" Stopping everything one by one is abandoned, and again now Pokemon is excruciatingly slow, slower than before because of the performance. How do you offer such a technically basic world, lacking features, and also have it look this bad and ALSO not even run well?

    I understand Gamefreak and Pokemon Company can make a lot of money regardless. The brand is strong. But for how long? And why are they comfortable with disrespecting their own brand so much? Pikachu is like Japan's mickey mouse. The highest grossing entertainment franchise, Pokemon is like a cultural institution and a form of soft power for Japan. Following on with the Disney comparison, which is globally deeply associated with American culture, you would never see a major Disney film with poor production. They might not be good films always, often formulaic. But across the animated work, star wars and marvel, the production will be professional and high quality. It goes to show how empty and nihilistic corporate Japan is, that they do not treat their own cultural treasure of Pokémon with the same grace. Eventually the brand will be weakened by this.

    The good: The open world structure is nice, the narrative is more fun than most previous entries too. They have refreshed how professors, legendries and more fit into the Pokemon world. It's far behind other games still - Even games aimed at all ages - But there is some more thoughtful worldbuilding than previous entries. The formula works well with an open world and the 3 non-linear mission paths. It would not be hard to make this game fun and acceptable, and it would not be especially expensive or time consuming. But the technical issues and sheer sloppiness are just so distracting, it continually impedes any immersion for me. Like I said, every area feels like concept notes, not even a Beta state of the game. It literally feels like a free online game, but its full retail instead. Every step forward in terms of modernization seems to be a new low for GameFreak and Pokemon.    … Expand
  22. 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
  23. 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
  24. 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
  25. 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.
  26. muttsy13
    Nov 28, 2022
    3
    Had my save deleted from the memory leak issue the game right now has so many bugs but the gameplay before i lost my save was enjoyable and a good change bar the no way to rematch the elite four id wait till its patched to buy the game
  27. 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
  28. 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
  29. HunterXJacob
    Nov 29, 2022
    2
    Game substance is moving in the right direction however it is just barely playable in its current state. This company makes too much money to release games in this state. Please game freak fix this game. It will be my last purchase otherwise.
  30. LMD
    Feb 7, 2023
    3
    An awful, unfinished, bare mess.

    Its open world is an interesting mechanics, but it is empty, laggy, ugly, and useless. The controls are ridiculous; who in the hell thought summoning your mount had to be on the PAUSE button? and the menus are a headache to navigate, but they look cool. The three-part story is also pretty fine in itself, it's just getting through that is bad. The new    An awful, unfinished, bare mess.

    Its open world is an interesting mechanics, but it is empty, laggy, ugly, and useless.
    The controls are ridiculous; who in the hell thought summoning your mount had to be on the PAUSE button? and the menus are a headache to navigate, but they look cool. The three-part story is also pretty fine in itself, it's just getting through that is bad. The new Pokémon, mounts included, look good despite the graphics. But the rest is ugly, waving in the ground, performs like hell. There is waaaaay less content than Breath of the Wild, and it runs worse.

    One of the worst Pokémon games for sure, and it might be where I decide to buy them only when a properly made Pokémon with care and more than a year will release. Until then, not a dime on Pokémon anymore.    … Expand
Page:

Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2022

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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.
    Read full review
  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.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »