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. queerCoded
    Jan 2, 2023
    4
    Can be fun but when the main city in your game is 95% unopenable doors and functionally identical restaurants that don't have an actual interior, just a menu, then you know the game needs longer to cook. It's interesting but every town slaps you in the face with how empty it is. It gets depressing, frustrating, and discourages exploration of the cities, which is not great in a game aboutCan be fun but when the main city in your game is 95% unopenable doors and functionally identical restaurants that don't have an actual interior, just a menu, then you know the game needs longer to cook. It's interesting but every town slaps you in the face with how empty it is. It gets depressing, frustrating, and discourages exploration of the cities, which is not great in a game about exploration. This is obviously not the only problem with the game but I think it exemplifies the problems caused by the fact that this game needed at least another year of development. The annual releases that pokemon has moved to have come with a drop in quality that has been rearing its head recently.… Expand
  2. Frashure11
    Jan 1, 2023
    2
    Raids with multiple players are completely broken and frame rate drops below 30 regularly during normal play. I try to play raids with friends and every match we can’t communicate because each of us have different things going on in our games.
  3. 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
  4. metajol
    Dec 31, 2022
    0
    Dead world might be a better descriptor than open world. A soulless disappointment. Buildings are menus, interacting with npcs as you would in previous games is out the window. Plenty of what character dialogue is there is already painfully dated upon release, and despite an academy setting begging to be loaded up with sidequests, they dropped the ball there. It feels like an expositionDead world might be a better descriptor than open world. A soulless disappointment. Buildings are menus, interacting with npcs as you would in previous games is out the window. Plenty of what character dialogue is there is already painfully dated upon release, and despite an academy setting begging to be loaded up with sidequests, they dropped the ball there. It feels like an exposition dump followed by 'b line towards x for y, or b line towards c for d'. As someone who loves cooking systems in games, the sandwich mechanic and food animations are a lugie in the face treated as a snowcone. People praise the bland blorbo-bait characterization in this game, forgetting that the world of pokemon is meant to have character too.… Expand
  5. 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
  6. 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.
  7. Rimuru12
    Dec 30, 2022
    0
    its like a cheep low buget game for how big Pokémon is and how much money they make the pokémon game should be some of the best games on the switch
  8. Denistxo
    Dec 30, 2022
    4
    Buenas ideas mala ejecucion, el juego tiene buena historia, personajes y musica, pero parece que los desarrolladores lo han creado usando el gluteo izquierdo porque no me parece normal las bajadas de frames que hay, tengo 100 horas jugadas registradas por la consola y en el juego me marca que son 80 eso quiere decir que e perdido 20 horas de juego gracias al lag, otra cosa que hay queBuenas ideas mala ejecucion, el juego tiene buena historia, personajes y musica, pero parece que los desarrolladores lo han creado usando el gluteo izquierdo porque no me parece normal las bajadas de frames que hay, tengo 100 horas jugadas registradas por la consola y en el juego me marca que son 80 eso quiere decir que e perdido 20 horas de juego gracias al lag, otra cosa que hay que mencionar es los crasheos que te da, e perdido horas de progreso porque el programa se cierra cuando le da la gana sin razon aparente.
    El poping, los laggeos y crasheos hacen que este juego sea en mi opinion uno de los peores de la saga sin duda    … Expand
  9. dark0153
    Dec 30, 2022
    0
    Broken online gameplay
    Frame skipping animations for NPC
    Low stability (crashes)
    **** pixelated graphics
  10. nttung762000
    Dec 30, 2022
    8
    The gameplay is very attractive, the story is unique and meaningful, all the characters are interesting, and the post-game is not boring
    However, there are still disadvantages such as the camera is not flexible, the open world being sketchy, poorly optimized
  11. Elevas
    Dec 30, 2022
    1
    I get that the higher ups insisted this game needed to come out a few weeks before Christmas, but Christmas 2023 would have been more appropriate given how much work this game still needed.
  12. Fluffydoggo
    Dec 30, 2022
    2
    It had potential, it could have easily have been the best pokemon game ever. If they had just delayed it till it was ready. The graphics look so dated as well. The concept was great, the execution of that concept was not.

    I just hope that gamefreak, nintendo and the pokemon company learn from this mistake. Though I don't hold my breath for that. Maybe I'll return to pokemon, if the next    It had potential, it could have easily have been the best pokemon game ever. If they had just delayed it till it was ready. The graphics look so dated as well. The concept was great, the execution of that concept was not.

    I just hope that gamefreak, nintendo and the pokemon company learn from this mistake. Though I don't hold my breath for that. Maybe I'll return to pokemon, if the next game is actually completed when it comes out.

    If not we'll it's a shame, but I can't keep accepting mediocre games. From such a well known and rich company too. They could easily do so much better, but chose not too.    … Expand
  13. Thegamedev
    Dec 29, 2022
    1
    The game was filled with bugs and glitches and was poorly disgined the textures looked plan and the game ran at what looks to be 24 frames per second the story was average at best everything felt like a chore to play I do not recommend playing this game . If u want a good game to play with amazing story I recommend pokemon black and white or final fantasy or even something like elden ring
  14. MrBum
    Dec 28, 2022
    3
    Performance: laughably terrible.
    Open word: a jumbled mess.
    Difficulty curve: a snaggle-toothed saw. It's like Nintendo sent down the directive to Gamefreak to make the next Pokemon game open world, but none of them had any clue what that actually meant. The game is a hot mess and a prime example that not everything HAS to be open world. There is no direction in the open world, you    Performance: laughably terrible.
    Open word: a jumbled mess.
    Difficulty curve: a snaggle-toothed saw.

    It's like Nintendo sent down the directive to Gamefreak to make the next Pokemon game open world, but none of them had any clue what that actually meant. The game is a hot mess and a prime example that not everything HAS to be open world.

    There is no direction in the open world, you are free to roam around anywhere. BUT. If you look at the levels of the trainers/gym leaders/titans, there is a very clear path they really wanted to take. Why then not just make a more traditional guided play though? Why have an open world at all? And why for all that is holy do they not have any indication that you are not where you're supposed to be until you get your teeth kicked in by enemies way higher in level than you?

    Those are all cornerstone open world design elements that have been utterly bungled.

    The performance of the switch is notoriously terrible, but this monstrosity takes the cake. Constant non-stop hitching, stuttering, and wildly variable frame rates plague every corner of this honestly quite ugly open world. It's so bad that it constantly takes you out of the game.

    There are a few good things added this generation, but all the terrible failures make me no longer care.

    What a disappointing experience.    … Expand
  15. thompsonmelo
    Dec 28, 2022
    2
    And a worse game than the previous ones, the fight by turns remains the same without modifications that make the game more fluid, only now with at least 500 bugs throughout gameplay and fps in constant drops and more controlled Pokémons
  16. gian_pkr
    Dec 28, 2022
    0
    I love pokemon but the quality of the Game is really unacceptable: bug, glitches, framerate drops, bad graphics and animations. After this Game I will not buy pokemon games anymore cause I really dont trust the brand anymore. And the worst is that after month is not even fixed. So disappointed by Nintendo.
  17. DeanTheOne
    Dec 27, 2022
    0
    Bruh, people are sleeping on this game. It's amazing, especially the official soundtrack. The gameplay's also really good. The only iffy part is the Pokédex, which is still really decent. Don't judge a book by its cover, even if it's got a laggy cover.
  18. Drewski69
    Dec 27, 2022
    4
    One of the best stories out of any Pokémon game but the performance issues are just too much. I’ve still racked up 80 hours but have just given up on completing the Pokédex at this point just because the game doesn’t have much endgame material and it’s getting tedious.
  19. Umbra30
    Dec 27, 2022
    4
    PROS:
    - Open world pokemon game
    - Wild exploration improvement - Accessibility improvement - Good soundtrack CONS: - Ugly graphics, Pokemon X/Y (2013) looks better - They changed the iconic humans art style from the series (why? It's like removing Akira Toriyama's art style from Dragon Quest saga) - NPCs design are ugly with few exceptions - Bad performance, some crashes, bugs    PROS:
    - Open world pokemon game
    - Wild exploration improvement
    - Accessibility improvement
    - Good soundtrack

    CONS:
    - Ugly graphics, Pokemon X/Y (2013) looks better
    - They changed the iconic humans art style from the series (why? It's like removing Akira Toriyama's art style from Dragon Quest saga)
    - NPCs design are ugly with few exceptions
    - Bad performance, some crashes, bugs and frame drops
    - The new pokémon design is ridiculous and they don't look like monsters anymore (a half motorcycle lizard? who had this idea? a 5 years old kid?)
    - The new cities are forgettable, they have no content, the houses no longer have interior, there is no reason to explore
    - Gym challenges are pathetic
    - Visual issues like texture pop in or NPCs and distant objects running at 5 FPS

    CONCLUSION:
    - Rushed game with good and bad decisions, sacrifices quality in favor of innovation    … Expand
  20. Papalee516
    Dec 27, 2022
    8
    This game is being criticized solely for bugs that rarely interrupt game play and graphics that are consistent with the series past offerings. Despite nothing actually being wrong with the graphics, entitled basement dwelling Trolls who have yet to mentally develop past the age of 9 are screaming at their mommy about how "ugly" these games are. They are incredibly well written for PokémonThis game is being criticized solely for bugs that rarely interrupt game play and graphics that are consistent with the series past offerings. Despite nothing actually being wrong with the graphics, entitled basement dwelling Trolls who have yet to mentally develop past the age of 9 are screaming at their mommy about how "ugly" these games are. They are incredibly well written for Pokémon titles, the graphics are fine and in tune with what we've come to expect graphically from a Pokémon game, the region is fun to explore and the new creature designs are outstanding.… Expand
  21. GreenTekken42
    Dec 27, 2022
    1
    Pokemon never really stood out to me. Its insane how a series this Popular can get away with recycling objects and models from previous games as well as being a buggy mess
  22. Barrator
    Dec 27, 2022
    0
    The game is very good but unfinished. It's still unplayable, 1.5 month after release.
  23. PMG-Writer
    Dec 27, 2022
    8
    Nintendo could be releasing two more interesting games for the Switch with Pokémon Crimson and Purple. The storylines turned out well and propel us well through the game. The new features also work well and the approaches are fitting as well. Thanks to the simple game concept, both games are just fun and it motivates enormously to keep playing. The graphical presentation is rather weak andNintendo could be releasing two more interesting games for the Switch with Pokémon Crimson and Purple. The storylines turned out well and propel us well through the game. The new features also work well and the approaches are fitting as well. Thanks to the simple game concept, both games are just fun and it motivates enormously to keep playing. The graphical presentation is rather weak and we actually hoped for more. At least the background music can score points again. Those who would like to play with Pokémons again should take a closer look at "Pokémon Crimson and Purple". Other players should rather try out the title at the moment.… Expand
  24. OwenBingChillin
    Dec 26, 2022
    1
    I can't believe that people still support GameFreak. They've released so many crappy games.
  25. Quackduck15959
    Dec 25, 2022
    0
    Last time I remember, I enjoyed playing the Pokemon games. Now? I don't really get the same vibes. This game has a serious amount of issues. I ended up clipping through the world twice in the first few hours of my playthrough. It didn't get better. Later on I learned that this game suffers from a memory leak which makes this game progressively get more laggy and I would have to close andLast time I remember, I enjoyed playing the Pokemon games. Now? I don't really get the same vibes. This game has a serious amount of issues. I ended up clipping through the world twice in the first few hours of my playthrough. It didn't get better. Later on I learned that this game suffers from a memory leak which makes this game progressively get more laggy and I would have to close and reopen the game. It's kinda ridiculous to me how Gamefreak does this to their beloved franchise. I don't care if they're going to fix this game later. They released the game at one point and I expect it to be finished. I do not agree with their business and I don't want to pay sixty dollars for their products. If you enjoy these kinds of games, then go ahead. I just can't see why this is worth supporting.… Expand
  26. GuilhermePinhei
    Dec 25, 2022
    5
    Graphics horrible, pkmn designes worst, good stories but far away from a good game
  27. KingPaladin5591
    Dec 24, 2022
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I can't even explain the pain I feel about this sad excuse of a pokemon game the main function and gimic take so long in battle by time it's finished I've lost the match and the no way you can enable skip battle animation like in sword and sheild pokemon can spawn in the wall. This seems more like a poorly made fan game than a actual addition to the pokemon title lineup and its sad Nintendo and game freak should feel ashamed they forced this pile of trash out… Expand
  28. ApexRacingPR
    Dec 24, 2022
    3
    It is hard to look beyond the horrifically outdated graphics of this game, which are more reminiscent of something from the early 2000s rather than the early 2020s - the reason its hard to look beyond is the atrocious performance issues that ruin the game at every turn.

    This game was not built to run on a console as under-powered as the Switch, and it struggles constantly in both    It is hard to look beyond the horrifically outdated graphics of this game, which are more reminiscent of something from the early 2000s rather than the early 2020s - the reason its hard to look beyond is the atrocious performance issues that ruin the game at every turn.

    This game was not built to run on a console as under-powered as the Switch, and it struggles constantly in both handheld and docked mode. Alongside the frame rate issues are a wealth of bugs that constantly either break the game or severely hinder progress.

    Frankly it is an unplayable mess and one that I had to ask for a refund for.

    Beyond the graphical issues and the horrendous performance, the game still doesn't feel as ambitious as it should be, and neither the storyline or the scope of the game stand up to other open world competitors in 2022.

    In my opinion, its time Pokemon games were made for PC and other consoles if the series is to match what the fans want. This approach of constant compromise and minor updates feels like a way to capitalise and profit from an increasingly restless fanbase.

    Unless you are a hardcore Pokemon fan, avoid this game - and, even then, I'd still give it a miss.    … Expand
  29. KingRoombaTC
    Dec 24, 2022
    4
    The game seems to be very fun and fairy interesting, but is filled with bugs, glitches, performing issues and is visually unappealing. Don't recommend it.
  30. ProjectHMF
    Dec 24, 2022
    0
    Game sucks cock and balls

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Awards & Rankings

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#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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