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. 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
  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. Frank160tr
    Jan 6, 2023
    2
    Troppo ripetitivo, ogni singola quest si svolge allo stesso modo della precedente della medesima categoria, poi un gioco pokemon con così tanti dialoghi inutili è pesante.
  4. Mogmog000
    Jan 24, 2023
    2
    Towns have little character and mini-games are boring.
    There are few attractive Pokémon.
    There are too few semi-legendary Pokémon and too few types of clothing.
  5. HeheReviews
    Jan 31, 2023
    2
    There is too many stories going on and the intro is way to long, please don’t play
  6. kenziishy
    Feb 5, 2023
    2
    Honestly I'm just tired of the bugs and glitches. It was fun at first but it got old and when it restarts my battles or traps my characters I start to lose interest. It looks awful, plays awful and I'm sad because I had such high hopes for it. Perhaps it's time to let Pokemon go, it was a good run after all.
  7. NGCB
    Mar 8, 2023
    2
    Easily the worst Pokémon game, and it’s not even close. I give this game 2 points because I like the open world IDEA, and most of the new Pokémon have good designs. But after finishing the game, I felt like I’d been robbed for buying it. S/V looks and runs like a bad PS2 game, legitimately makes Arceus look like Elden Ring when you compare screenshots. I bought the game because I thought IEasily the worst Pokémon game, and it’s not even close. I give this game 2 points because I like the open world IDEA, and most of the new Pokémon have good designs. But after finishing the game, I felt like I’d been robbed for buying it. S/V looks and runs like a bad PS2 game, legitimately makes Arceus look like Elden Ring when you compare screenshots. I bought the game because I thought I could overlook this, but it’s impossible to miss because your CHARACTER’S SPEED is tied to the frame rate…which constantly dips between 10-15 FPS. So you really feel when the game is chugging along. Graphics aren’t everything, but they’re far more important to create a compelling open world to explore. It’s hard to get immersed with an open world slideshow that doesn’t even have pretty slides. It’s probably the most disappointing game I’ve ever played.… Expand
  8. Guevara0032
    Feb 18, 2023
    2
    I don't want to be cruel, but I always speak the truth and Pokemon scarlet and purple are to say the least... disappointing, it's not the worst game I've ever played, but the worst games are from indie studios with a budget of 3 dollars and 50 cents.
    As good points it has the story and the music.
    As bad ... the rest
  9. royvaldez147
    Feb 27, 2023
    2
    Even without taking into account the bugs the game doesn't offer much in the long run. It is an expansive world, but feels surprisingly empty. Combine that with its various glaring issues and a story that is quite forgettable and you get an entry that leaves you feeling like nothing was really accomplished in the end.
  10. Alcaman
    Jun 13, 2023
    2
    You had 1 job , one ! deliver the product in a finished state , i guess beta testing is not important before launching games nowadays , THIS is the prime example of a company going from 0 to hero and 0 alll over again , i'm just gonna stick to what went wrong here and why a rating of 2 is very lenient , aren't you ashamed of selling an exclusive title at full price that is not workingYou had 1 job , one ! deliver the product in a finished state , i guess beta testing is not important before launching games nowadays , THIS is the prime example of a company going from 0 to hero and 0 alll over again , i'm just gonna stick to what went wrong here and why a rating of 2 is very lenient , aren't you ashamed of selling an exclusive title at full price that is not working properly ? i know it's a game for kids , but do you have to be so predatory ? there's a lot of people that will defend this YES there's new pokemon and new mechanics and a new map , but the game is so poorly optimized that we can't enjoy it ! not to mention the random crushes , random bugs.. EVEN BUGS THAT DELEVE YOUR SAVE DATA , NINTENDO! do you have any idea what it means to lose all your save data of 450+ hours ??? UNACCEPTABLE ! i can't even do my EV training at caseroya lake because the fps drops bellow 5 !!! have you try battling in water ? also why remove the shiny sound and sparks ? this game is a step back from legends Arceus , absolutely disastrous and unacceptable , do better or give the IP to a studio that can manage porting a **** 3D game on switch , take a lesson from Retro studios of what quality is !!!!… Expand
  11. 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.
  12. Nilaul
    Dec 7, 2022
    1
    Although the game is fun, it is unplayable due to glitches, bugs and poor optimisation. Nothing to do with how powerful the switch is, but developers simply not going though their code and properly optimizing it, as evident by other more demanding switch games both running perfectly and looking great. Performance like this is unacceptable.
  13. xblackdemonx
    Dec 7, 2022
    1
    The framerate is horrible. The game bugs very often. The game textures are very bad. It looks like a PS2 game. It feels like the game is still in early access.
  14. 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.
  15. PaulGR
    Nov 20, 2022
    1
    We are beta-testing a Pokémon open world for them.

    Technical Issues: - Performance is atrocious for a triple-AAA company releasing on a stable console OS. - The game has serious fps drops on my new Switch OLED. I get drops that feel as low as 4-8 fps, and the game seems to barely be above 25 fps. It’s giving me a headache. - There are shadows flickering all over the place. NPC    We are beta-testing a Pokémon open world for them.

    Technical Issues:
    - Performance is atrocious for a triple-AAA company releasing on a stable console OS.

    - The game has serious fps drops on my new Switch OLED. I get drops that feel as low as 4-8 fps, and the game seems to barely be above 25 fps. It’s giving me a headache.

    - There are shadows flickering all over the place. NPC and Pokémon shadows are barely 10 pixels each. It feels like trying to run a PC game on low because you do not meet the recommend specs.

    - NPCs move around like robots at 3 FPS like a slideshow, unless you are very close to them.

    - Many times the camera clips underground and you can see the abyss below. This happens often in trainer battles that are on elevated ground.

    - On several occasions I have fell through the floor and had to hard-reset my Switch OLED because I was stuck in the “falling” animation.

    - Character movement is so weird and clunky. You move like a robot too, snapping into a locked position when ascending/descending. Movement isn’t fluid and realistic.

    - Lighting is as bad as it gets. Many times the time of day causes your character to look pitch black (even though you are white). Other times the lighting causes your character to look completely white like a ghost.

    Weird Graphics:
    - Graphics are atrocious in my opinion. I’d rather have the more cute, bright and “cartoony” style of SwSh than this more “realistic” style mode. It’s creepy because Pokémon now look like actual real animals.

    Empty "Open" World:
    - The world is big but barren and depressing. There is no depth and detail to anything. The world is as big as the ocean but as deep as a puddle. There is just nothing to see or do, other than traverse large distances that are empty of content.

    - The cities are hollow and devoid of content. The majority of the NPCs can’t be interacted with, and all the stores pop-up Trade UI menus to buy and sell. There are no store interiors any more. They didn’t even design a simple clothing shop.

    - The game is supposed to be "open" world saying you can do anything you want. That's a straight lie. There is a specific course set for you as nothing scales to your level/badges. What is the point of reaching a gym only to find out that your level 20 Pokemon have to face level 50 Pokemon, without ANY sort of indication that where you are going is the "wrong" place. This forces you to either follow the set path, or grind levels to beat an over-leveled gym, while returning back to previous gyms to find out your now level 50 Pokemon have to face level 10 gym leaders.

    Character:
    - Character customization is terrible. There are only 4 outfits that are just ugly. Tights pants that are orange with stripes? Who thought of that? It’s like you are wearing clown pants. Every player looks the same now. There is zero diversity. Zero role playing value. The accessories you can change (gloves/hat/bag) are a few recolors that feel pointless since the main attire is disgusting. SwSh had the best clothing options, especially with the DLCs. You could role-play as anything. Not any more. You are stuck wearing clown-pants with suspenders throughout the game.

    Pokémon:
    - The new Pokémon are mediocre. They are literally a pig, a flamingo (named Flamigo), and a few birds. It looks like Animal Planet. Not a Pokémon game.

    Verdict:
    This is definitely an early alpha version of the game released to the public. People need to start getting fired at Game Freak because this garbage is not a video game. This is really sue-able; especially if they do not offer refunds    … Expand
  16. Maglen
    Nov 21, 2022
    1
    Gamefreak hasn't changed their formula for decades and the chickens are finally coming home to roost. In Arceus, most people thought that it was a decent game with good bones to build on but Scarlet and Violent went in the complete wrong direction

    Basically, this is a decent Pokemon game absolutely marred by technical issues that won't be easily fixed. It seems like this game was    Gamefreak hasn't changed their formula for decades and the chickens are finally coming home to roost. In Arceus, most people thought that it was a decent game with good bones to build on but Scarlet and Violent went in the complete wrong direction

    Basically, this is a decent Pokemon game absolutely marred by technical issues that won't be easily fixed.

    It seems like this game was rushed to meet a deadline and wasn't properly tested.    … Expand
  17. SammyHauguth
    Nov 19, 2022
    1
    I had so much fun Friday and Saturday. But now, It's impossible to catch Pokémon, the Pokémon are in level 17 and I can't even use Ultra balls to catch them, I wasted almost all balls I had, and Ultra Balls ain't CHEAP! And they just brake free all the time, I always get the Pokémon I want to catch to 1 HP, but that ain't working. So am already started to just stop playing this **** game...
  18. Galiansias
    Nov 20, 2022
    1
    I've bought every game in the series since Pokemon Red/Blue and it's an absolute SHAME how Gamefreak has left by the wayside year after year, the desire to live up to their flagship franchise, Pokemon.

    Nintendo Switch has shown potential as a console with games like Zelda, Metroid or Xenogears, and yet with Pokemon Scarlet/Violet it feels like a game from 15 years ago, being generous.    I've bought every game in the series since Pokemon Red/Blue and it's an absolute SHAME how Gamefreak has left by the wayside year after year, the desire to live up to their flagship franchise, Pokemon.

    Nintendo Switch has shown potential as a console with games like Zelda, Metroid or Xenogears, and yet with Pokemon Scarlet/Violet it feels like a game from 15 years ago, being generous.

    Not to mention the bugs, glitches, popping, lack of animation, and total disinterest of the developer to pamper their game and appreciate their fans.

    Disappointing at all levels. I hope that top executives of the company leave the company on their own after this insult to the saga and the fans.    … Expand
  19. Avs
    Nov 23, 2022
    1
    Come on, Game freak. COME ON! If you don't respect the franchise, who else will do? I bought the game very happy and after a few hours of playing I'm feeling scammed.
  20. vgmkyle
    Nov 25, 2022
    1
    To the parents: If you have a choice for your kid between Pokémon and Sonic choose Sonic. The Pokémon game is an absolute mess, and it will no doubt disappoint any kid that opens it from under the Christmas tree.
  21. DaReaIFreak
    Nov 23, 2022
    1
    The potential is there but gets completely lost in glaring issues with performance, physics, bugs and outdated graphics. Also this game has a really weird obsession with sandwiches (there are legitimately more sandwiches in the game, than this generation has for new Pokemon (excluding recycled Pokemon)).

    This generations gimmick is surprisingly good and will most definitely bring    The potential is there but gets completely lost in glaring issues with performance, physics, bugs and outdated graphics. Also this game has a really weird obsession with sandwiches (there are legitimately more sandwiches in the game, than this generation has for new Pokemon (excluding recycled Pokemon)).

    This generations gimmick is surprisingly good and will most definitely bring another layer of depth to the competitive scene. But while competitive battles are automatically in set mode they removed the option for set mode from the game for yet unknown reasons.

    The power creep is too big in my opinion and allows you to sweep nearly all gym battles with a single Pokemon even while being under leveled.
    And in my opinion the most annoying mechanic, the friendship mechanic, giving you completely unfair critical hits, status heals or keeping you alive when your Pokemon should die is still in the game and can't get disabled...

    During my 15 hour playtime so far the game crashed 4 times and I fell out of the map 2 times which never even happened once in any previous Pokemon game. Not to mention an obvious memory leak which as today still didn't get acknowledged as a bug (but E4 music being bugged got recognized). I contacted the Nintendo support and received as answer that they are not aware of any performance issues or bugs with the game ... which is alarming in my opinion, making me think that the performance and bugs will not get patched during the lifetime of this game.

    While it may have been the first "open world" game for Gamefreak it is not the first 3D game and not once did they manage to deliver since their jump to 3D. As the biggest franchise in the world they should be able to get help from Nintendo or Monolith which developed really beautiful and well performing games for the Switch already.

    It honestly felt like I was alpha testing the game instead of playing a 60€ AAA title. I don't know how the game got green lighted for release in this state and it feels like there was no QA at all. I honestly expected more from a 60€ AAA title.
    While I was getting my hopes up with Legends of Arceus Gamefreak decided to crush those hopes with a lifeless, buggy, unfinished release of Pokemon Scarlet.
    Simply sad    … Expand
  22. adrii9715
    Nov 20, 2022
    1
    What makes a Pokemon game great? I would say the Pokemons themelfs. So, i'm gonna go straight to the point, this is the weakest and ugliest generation of all. Almost the 50% of Pokemons are from other games, and the new ones are mostly ugly af.

    So, as a Pokemon game = 1. As a game itself, Game Freak has done it again, they are selling PS2 games as news, and even worse because, not    What makes a Pokemon game great? I would say the Pokemons themelfs. So, i'm gonna go straight to the point, this is the weakest and ugliest generation of all. Almost the 50% of Pokemons are from other games, and the new ones are mostly ugly af.

    So, as a Pokemon game = 1.

    As a game itself, Game Freak has done it again, they are selling PS2 games as news, and even worse because, not the graphics, but the performance is even worse that what we are seeing throughout the entire game.

    So, as a game = 0    … Expand
  23. 9to10Gaming
    Nov 20, 2022
    1
    Should be criminal to release a game with such a bad performance.

    Besides that it’s very dull and repetitive
  24. MasterLoot
    Nov 20, 2022
    1
    Absolutely atrocious visual, performance, and bug issues that would only be acceptable from a small indie game. No reason the most profitable media franchise in the world should have a game this messy. Sadly, even the open world gameplay has issues related to scaling and player freedom.

    Nintendo, GameFreak, Pokémon Company…get it together. After the fiasco that was Cyberpunk 2077, no game    Absolutely atrocious visual, performance, and bug issues that would only be acceptable from a small indie game. No reason the most profitable media franchise in the world should have a game this messy. Sadly, even the open world gameplay has issues related to scaling and player freedom.

    Nintendo, GameFreak, Pokémon Company…get it together. After the fiasco that was Cyberpunk 2077, no game this big should release in this state.    … Expand
  25. Kingsvell
    Nov 20, 2022
    1
    Be careful with fan reviews. They're not being honest... The game is almost unplayable. The open world concept is good, the gameplay overall is ok. But, everytime you`ll have performance issues that completely kills the experience! Large shutterings and fps drops hitting less than 10 fps. BOTW, game from 2017, has incredibly better performance than Scarlet. The game is fun, but itsBe careful with fan reviews. They're not being honest... The game is almost unplayable. The open world concept is good, the gameplay overall is ok. But, everytime you`ll have performance issues that completely kills the experience! Large shutterings and fps drops hitting less than 10 fps. BOTW, game from 2017, has incredibly better performance than Scarlet. The game is fun, but its difficult to digest those issues. Its unaceptable a company release a game that only have 2 chipset to build of (Switch Lite and Switch V2/Oled).… Expand
  26. plop159
    Nov 24, 2022
    1
    the poor technical aspect ruins the whole game !! And even if it's super ugly, the framerate is always below 30FPS....
  27. Dtizet
    Nov 21, 2022
    1
    it came worst developed than previous entries, this is the time to finally demand The pokemon company and gamefreak a real commitment to the players.
  28. krythix
    Nov 19, 2022
    1
    Pokemon Scarlet is an unoptimized and half baked game that clearly needed more time in development. I can't help but feel that Nintendo/Gamefreak rushed this game out pre-maturely to slot it in with the holiday sales window for 2022 when it clearly needed to be delayed. The game targets 30 FPS but often fails to achieve that with frequent glitches and dips into the single digit framePokemon Scarlet is an unoptimized and half baked game that clearly needed more time in development. I can't help but feel that Nintendo/Gamefreak rushed this game out pre-maturely to slot it in with the holiday sales window for 2022 when it clearly needed to be delayed. The game targets 30 FPS but often fails to achieve that with frequent glitches and dips into the single digit frame rates. I attempted to catch a Psyduck only for pokeballs to glitch through the ground and the camera angles to show a 'black' zone outside the bounds of the map. Nintendo slowly chips away at the 'Nintendo seal of quality' with each modern mainline Pokemon game released these last 5 years. Nintendo has shown their hand and they are more than willing to sacrifice on quality to make a quick buck at player's expense. Cannot recommend this game in good faith unless it recieves considerable patches to improve performance. I criticize the game so harshly because i care deeply about this franchise and want to see it improve into the game fan's truly deserve.… Expand
  29. cepanutis
    Nov 19, 2022
    1
    Que una franquicia de este calibre con la capacidad económica y los recursos de los que dispone a su servicio tenga las narices de presentarse con semejante basura a nivel técnico en un exclusivo de la consola es para no volver a comprar un producto suyo nunca más.

    Que Gamefreak le haga un favor al mundo y se aparte del desarrollo porque es evidente que no están ni cerca de dar la talla    Que una franquicia de este calibre con la capacidad económica y los recursos de los que dispone a su servicio tenga las narices de presentarse con semejante basura a nivel técnico en un exclusivo de la consola es para no volver a comprar un producto suyo nunca más.

    Que Gamefreak le haga un favor al mundo y se aparte del desarrollo porque es evidente que no están ni cerca de dar la talla en ningún sentido. Que haya empresas como Monolith haciendo auténtica magia con la Switch y aún queden ingenuos diciendo que la culpa es de la potencia de la consola... respetaos un poco al menos.    … Expand
  30. Norwinds
    Nov 19, 2022
    1
    The saddest part about this is that this game could be REALLY FUN if it was no bugs, fps drops, and more polish in general. But playing at 15 fps the entire game and seeing npcs dissapear, bugging myself into the enviroment, etc, just makes my head very dizzy and I can't really enjoy it.
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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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