Pokemon Violet

 Switch
User Score
4.0

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 2050 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 635 out of 2050
  2. Mixed: 205 out of 2050
  3. Negative: 1,210 out of 2050
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  1. ZangBang
    Dec 3, 2022
    3
    38/100
    Pokémon Violet's open-world map is heterogeneous, both visually and structurally, and offers a seamless exploration with great emphasis on layered vertical progression, rich of treasure to encourage exploration, progressively expanded through mobility upgrades. Even so, the world feels disappointingly dull at its core, due to Pokémon almost never interacting with each other or the    38/100
    Pokémon Violet's open-world map is heterogeneous, both visually and structurally, and offers a seamless exploration with great emphasis on layered vertical progression, rich of treasure to encourage exploration, progressively expanded through mobility upgrades. Even so, the world feels disappointingly dull at its core, due to Pokémon almost never interacting with each other or the environment. on top of their slow, passive reactions to the player's presence. Furthermore, most of the treasure throughout the region of Paldea is redundant or functionally useless, leaving only the discovery of the new Pokémon species to act as the main incentive for exploration, but they're not enough to carry the entire journey. The new open-world progression allows players to tackle the various challenges in any order, but the lack of level scaling virtually strips the player from any real agency lest they'll retroactively make the other challenges terribly easy, which happens anyway since the game's difficulty offers no excitement whatsoever outside from venturing dangerous areas. The game tries to add flavor to its fights through the Terastalization mechanic, which adds a decent twist to strategies, and to add flavor to its trials with various minigames, but these are excruciatingly, embarassingly simplistic. Customization received a massive downgrade, with a lot less clothing options. The story is bland and offers very little substance, that is until the last few hours, when it haphazardly unveils its true potential and interesting concepts in a rush.    … Expand
  2. ascendent
    Nov 19, 2022
    3
    I was really hyped by the game since I starded seeing battle animations. For me this is a key point. It was a turn down to see that Pokémon moves were far worse than Sword and Shield, ignoring Arceus. I think this ruin the overall experience. It's quite obvious they didn't pay attention to thay compared to the previous games.
  3. MastroQQ
    Dec 2, 2022
    3
    The day you gonna actually fix performance issue (especially fps ones), you gonna get a good rate. The story is beautifull yet, the framerate ruining part of my explorative experience.

    Fix it, Slowpokes.
  4. CheeseWarlock
    Dec 18, 2022
    3
    The negative reviews are certainly justified. There actually is a 2+ hour dialogue fest that gates you from actually playing the game. Third scripted battle with my rival, and Spriggy drops right through the world. That was one of several game breaking bugs I had the displeasure if discovering. HOWEVER; there are some things that really make me wonder what this game could have been. TheThe negative reviews are certainly justified. There actually is a 2+ hour dialogue fest that gates you from actually playing the game. Third scripted battle with my rival, and Spriggy drops right through the world. That was one of several game breaking bugs I had the displeasure if discovering. HOWEVER; there are some things that really make me wonder what this game could have been. The soundtrack, for example, is very good. Not the BEST Pokémon score, but it’s pretty dang good. Arven’s storyline/questline and character are spectacular. And of course, Fidough’s very existence is a blessing.

    This game is a mess. There are bugs, glitches, and cut corners everywhere. The big overarching story is a slog to get through. The first few HOURS of the game is all dialogue and cutscenes that can’t be skipped. I solemnly yet whole-heartedly say that I can’t recommend this game. It’s a shame, but this is an absolutely awful addition to such a beloved franchise.    … Expand
  5. Descoses
    Dec 3, 2022
    3
    Este juego con cada bug que sale se hace cada vez mas y mas injugable,con texturas decepcionantes para una empresa como game freak,lo unico rescatable es la historia y las animaciones pero pedia actor con voces pero tampoco,ya ni se que pensar
  6. kamic
    Nov 22, 2022
    3
    horrible graphics, horrible artstyle, decent pokemon, ok music, too easy battles, mediocre story, insanely horrible performance, low detail, decent, but shallow open world (no entering houses etc).

    honestly a pretty bad game.
  7. bocles
    Nov 22, 2022
    3
    When the game runs smoothly (which is rarley) its decent to roam around, the expansive open wild areas are fun to roam around and catch pokemon. The story, like every pokemon game after black/white 2, is uninspired and weak. Battling is fine, but the fixed camera is a step down from arceus. A lack of character desgn is disappointing and the school setting adds nothing to the story. TheWhen the game runs smoothly (which is rarley) its decent to roam around, the expansive open wild areas are fun to roam around and catch pokemon. The story, like every pokemon game after black/white 2, is uninspired and weak. Battling is fine, but the fixed camera is a step down from arceus. A lack of character desgn is disappointing and the school setting adds nothing to the story. The biggest dealbreaker is the constant gameplay glitches, graphical errors, and worst of all the terrible frame drops. The graphics are also just sad, crazy how this multibillion dollar franchise looks worse than games that cameout on the switch in 2017.

    For the love of god Gamefreak and TPC, PLEASE TAKE YOUR TIME ON YOUR GAMES. If Gamefreak just took an extra year for developing their games instead of releasing on every goddamn year they could create quality and polished pokemon games that run well and look good.    … Expand
  8. Lunatic7
    Nov 19, 2022
    3
    After Arceus I expected more, I believe the game is better than Sword and Shield, but some things from Arceus are no longer here. The ambient world of the game has very bad FPS, it could be better and it's not the switch's fault, because we have other JRPGs with a much prettier open 3D world.

    I don't know how some serious review managed to give this game a 100.
  9. Murtor
    Nov 19, 2022
    3
    I just rage quited on Twitch while playing this abomination called Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. This "game" is an abrasive paper for the eye and a laxative of good taste. It is literally the worst experience I had in more than 30 years of gaming.

    The graphics are an imposition, the poor performance a kick in the groin for any gamer. Content has been removed (again) in favor of new    I just rage quited on Twitch while playing this abomination called Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. This "game" is an abrasive paper for the eye and a laxative of good taste. It is literally the worst experience I had in more than 30 years of gaming.

    The graphics are an imposition, the poor performance a kick in the groin for any gamer. Content has been removed (again) in favor of new content. And this new content works grotty. As a player, I'm unable to throw a Pokéball up a hill because the aiming mechanic of Legends Arceus has been taken out. The auto combat feature sometimes works or it doesn't. Ambushing Pokémon no longer has any appeal, as I can't throw empty Pokéballs either. I have to cancel evolutions every time I level up. In this texture mud, I repeatedly traipse over Pokémon that I just can't see. And the great audio feature that made finding Shinys in Legends Arceus easier is also gone.

    The game character is an empty shell. Thirty years now I've been playing video games. And it's the second time now that I would have loved to hammer the A button in a role-playing game instead of drowning in this tidal wave of platitudes and these dull attempts at fraternization. Watching the unsightly slush that is supposed to represent grass grow is more interesting than any NPC I've run across. If you have trouble reading, you won't be served a soundtrack here either and will have to slog through text box after text box after text box.

    NPC's move as slowly as the entire game feels. It's sluggish to the point of falling asleep. The open world has no appeal when I do end up being compelled to do exactly what you've been doing in Pokémon games for more than 25 years: collecting medals. Because exploring and finding new Pokémon is ruined by the leveling system. I can't go and collect and use whatever I want afterwards. Because I absolutely need a medal to control this new and powerful Pokémon. Exactly the opposite is the appeal of an open world. To venture into dangerous terrain and then take home some particularly good loot. But I can't have that very loot. No, I have to go back to doing what the developers want me to do. The freedoms are as limited as some rooms in this game. They have several doors, but I can't open them for unknown reasons, such as the door in my own house to the garden or the master bedroom. With this setting, there is no need for these doors in the first place.

    Pokémon Violet and Scarlet is a sandpaper to the eye and a purgative of good taste. If there were an invective award for video games: This game would win the main category for two years. Because that's how long the experiences made will haunt one's nightmares.    … Expand
  10. Cocosaurio
    Nov 19, 2022
    3
    I love Pokémon, but since we spent real and hard earned money on it the least we deserve is a functional complete game, there is absolutely no excuse for such an important ip to deliver half baked games, textures and frame drops are just embarasing for a 2022 game
  11. Radixtrator
    Nov 19, 2022
    3
    The technical issues of this game make it wholly unenjoyable. Cyberpunk was a technological marvel in comparison
  12. jaemisu
    Nov 20, 2022
    3
    bruh this game is awful reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
  13. Raphtaliaa
    Nov 20, 2022
    3
    Idea is good, but execution is terrible. The bad performance, as in low fps and lag, is giving me an actual headache. I love Pokémon, and I really want to enjoy the open world, but that's really difficult when the bad performance is giving me a headache. This is the first Pokémon game that I consider returning and getting a refund.
  14. JP0094
    Nov 20, 2022
    3
    This game needed more time to polish. This is a multi billion dollar company that churns out a game with dropping frame rates, terrible texture quality and just so so many bugs (I fell through the map). Just stop making games altogether or give the job to a company who know what they're doing.
  15. NortyLawty
    Nov 20, 2022
    3
    There is a foundation for a good game here, with lots of fun and interesting new Pokémon designs.
    Already existing Pokémon have benefited from some updated models too, with added detail that can look great.
    Disappointingly, that same passion was not put into the rest of the game. The game is plagued with technical and graphical problems, as well as bland open world exploration,    There is a foundation for a good game here, with lots of fun and interesting new Pokémon designs.
    Already existing Pokémon have benefited from some updated models too, with added detail that can look great.
    Disappointingly, that same passion was not put into the rest of the game. The game is plagued with technical and graphical problems, as well as bland open world exploration, objectives with very little focus or direction, and a fairly dull story.
    Playing this game feels like beta testing an open world expansion for Pokémon Sword/Shield. Far from the exciting new generation of the highest grossing franchise of all time that was promised.
    Game freak have taken several steps backwards after the interesting shake up they brought us with Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and in future would definitely benefit from a much longer development cycle.
    Overall, a disappointing experience that I cannot recommend to anyone except hardcore Pokémon fans, interested in catching some exciting new Pokémon designs.    … Expand
  16. oliiver_k
    Nov 20, 2022
    3
    The story and mechanics of the game are great, I can say that it is one of the best, but the game arrived completely broken, full of bugs, terrible FPS and there is no excuse for that, not even because of the console not be powerful as there are much prettier and well made games released earlier. GameFreak slipped a lot in refinement.
  17. CEX_MYLFOCLAST
    Nov 20, 2022
    3
    There is no excuse for a game of this quality to be released by such a well known and popular franchise. This would be borderline acceptable for a $10 indie game, but charging $60 for this is robbery and taking advantage of your fans.
  18. rrqq92
    Nov 20, 2022
    3
    There seems to be a fun game under all the performance issues, but at the state this was released it is just unacceptable. Headache inducing frame drops, graphical glitches, ugly graphics, and most important of all: terrible lag when any action happens. Battles are slow and clunky as it takes a while for every animation, message or UI element to happen. There are so many nice things inThere seems to be a fun game under all the performance issues, but at the state this was released it is just unacceptable. Headache inducing frame drops, graphical glitches, ugly graphics, and most important of all: terrible lag when any action happens. Battles are slow and clunky as it takes a while for every animation, message or UI element to happen. There are so many nice things in this game it really is a shame it works so badly. And it's an insult to the costumers they released it in this state.… Expand
  19. el_raviolo
    Nov 22, 2022
    3
    Would be great if the game was finished. It is sadly not. The game mechanics are great, but the bugs...
  20. PandaInDaGame
    Nov 20, 2022
    3
    This game has amazing ideas... One of the best mechanics they created using the idea of the mega evolution which naturally evolved into this one (really, will make competitive quite better and funnier). But, doing it open world just spoils the entire level design, it's a nice idea but poorly implemented, they didn't add a level cap or something like scaling levels to yours, so you canThis game has amazing ideas... One of the best mechanics they created using the idea of the mega evolution which naturally evolved into this one (really, will make competitive quite better and funnier). But, doing it open world just spoils the entire level design, it's a nice idea but poorly implemented, they didn't add a level cap or something like scaling levels to yours, so you can easily break easily the game. Not gonna spoil story or so, it's quite nice, not high level but enjoyable.

    I would rate it a bit higher because of those nice things, they don't annoy me enough to not enjoy the ride, but the moment you notice they are a AAA franchise, they sell full price of an AAA, it looks worse than some indies and they don't really innovate that much as indies do... and give you this badly optimized game, which is even more criminal if you think that they literally developed it to work with Nintendo Switch, it's not a port like a third party. A Game that is exclusive and does not work perfectly fine in it's console is a failure.. That plus nonexistent post game that they will probably sell apart as a "DLC" just like they did with Sword and shield.. Still, it's called Pokemon so even if this one is a disaster they will keep selling millions and decreasing the quality because they can.    … Expand
  21. CrisSlay
    Nov 20, 2022
    3
    One of the worst mechanics I’ve ever played. Lento, con demasiados fallos.
  22. 12347not
    Nov 20, 2022
    3
    I'm surprised at the number of people who say the game is great besides the performance. Even if the game wasn't constantly on the verge of falling apart at the seams, the game mechanics and presentation are extremely lacking. Nothing wrong with liking it anyway, considering how people feel about pokemon. This is a fun game for some, but it is in no way a good game.
  23. Sofa1990
    Nov 21, 2022
    3
    Yes, the game is going in the right direction and yes, the game is quite fun and has its upsides...but still I just have to say that the game is a disgrace, a cheek and an insult to all fans.

    The Pokémon brand is the most valuable media franchise in the world with an estimated combined turnover of 100 billion US dollars. They have all the money, all the power and all the ability to make    Yes, the game is going in the right direction and yes, the game is quite fun and has its upsides...but still I just have to say that the game is a disgrace, a cheek and an insult to all fans.

    The Pokémon brand is the most valuable media franchise in the world with an estimated combined turnover of 100 billion US dollars. They have all the money, all the power and all the ability to make the best games ever for what is arguably the largest and most passionate fan base in the world. But they're kidding us by making bad games over and over again knowing "You idiots are going to buy it anyway."

    Graphics and performance are sub-par. And we all know from games like Breath of the Wild that the Switch can do more. And by God we finally deserve more from the most powerful franchise in the world!
    Everyone who claims that the graphics aren't that bad is lying outright. It looks terrible, has performance drops all the time and you have the feeling you are playing an alpha at best beta game. The game is not finished, it is an early access title.

    I've gotten to the point where I hate being a Pokemon fan because I spend my money on **** Because I "have to" spend my money on bad games simply because I'm a Pokemon fan. It just makes me sad.    … Expand
  24. nunotm
    Nov 21, 2022
    3
    Pokémon needs to take a page from Zelda's book: delay the game until it lives up to the brand's name, there's only so much that the fan base will be willing to put up with... and these games might just be the franchise's critical point.
    The game promises SO MUCH and what it promises is quite interesting!! The world design, the new 'mons, the breakup with the traditional "pokémon    Pokémon needs to take a page from Zelda's book: delay the game until it lives up to the brand's name, there's only so much that the fan base will be willing to put up with... and these games might just be the franchise's critical point.
    The game promises SO MUCH and what it promises is quite interesting!! The world design, the new 'mons, the breakup with the traditional "pokémon experience"... I mean, how can the 10yo child in me NOT fall in love with seeing pokémon live and interact in the overworld...
    But, unfortunately, the game is simply not good... no matter how good the ingredients are, if a chef does not have the proper technique, the dish comes out just wrong... and these games do leave a bitter taste in your mouth. Personally, my tipping point was when i saw a waterfall worthy of a PS1 game. Seriously, it REEKS of placeholder content that they willingly pushed out on consumers. And that's just disrespectful, both towards the consumer, but also to the franchise and the gaming industry. Cannot and must not be excused.    … Expand
  25. Lymjym
    Nov 21, 2022
    3
    Created a new account just to rate my disappointment. Game would be good if it weren't rushed and pushed out just to meet the deadline. Just look up online to see all the glitches, poor performance the game has. For a "AAA" game, this needs to be better. If you can look past it's issues, definitely a fun game. But for it's price? It looks unfinished. I know game tried to implement whatCreated a new account just to rate my disappointment. Game would be good if it weren't rushed and pushed out just to meet the deadline. Just look up online to see all the glitches, poor performance the game has. For a "AAA" game, this needs to be better. If you can look past it's issues, definitely a fun game. But for it's price? It looks unfinished. I know game tried to implement what fans have been asking but to release the game as final product in its current state? Meh. I know its a step in the right direction for pokemon but please stop rushing your games. It's performance is so bad. I just hope they would release patches some time in the future. But knowing the company behind this, I doubt it. They might even put it behind a paywall claiming it's a "dlc". Regardless it's fun. I just try to ignore some of the notable issues. But its not worth the price. This ain't "AAA" game.… Expand
  26. dohpamine
    Nov 21, 2022
    3
    This game feels half done. The potential was definitely there, but it’s lacking SO much. It’s unacceptably glitchy, and lots of areas of the map just feel empty. Stuff doesn’t always load properly, textures are missing. It’s a bit of a mess. I’ve been playing Pokémon for a long time, and this is easily the worst of the modern iterations.
  27. jasen34375
    Nov 22, 2022
    3
    A big wasted opportunity. As the first Pokemon game set in a true open world, you'd expect there would be tons of mechanics that would make use of all the available freedom, but nope, the game still plays the same as SwSh and somehow has downgrades when compared to their latest title, Legends of Arceus. All they really did was increase the size of the world, so instead of a linear routeA big wasted opportunity. As the first Pokemon game set in a true open world, you'd expect there would be tons of mechanics that would make use of all the available freedom, but nope, the game still plays the same as SwSh and somehow has downgrades when compared to their latest title, Legends of Arceus. All they really did was increase the size of the world, so instead of a linear route with many paths to explore, you get an empty and, most of the time, ugly overworld with a few mob spawns here and there. Story wise it's really mediocre even for pokemon standards, they tried to tell some weird tale about bullying, but it boils down to the generic (and almost verbatim) "the true treasure was the friends we made along the way", while making the characters seem they were the true villains in the end, even after their redemption.
    I'm not even going to talk about the performance and bugs in detail, this game is riddled with them and you are probably tired of hearing complaints at this point. Cut content from previous titles? There are a bunch of these too.    … Expand
  28. Tabish
    Nov 26, 2022
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Ok once you get through the first hour but 120 billion franchise should have been better!… Expand
  29. AsimovXCV
    Nov 23, 2022
    3
    El juego prueba algo distinto a lo antes visto en la franquicia pero tiene tremenda cantidad de bugs y le falta pulir demasiado para ser un juego decente de una franquicia que bien podría dar más de su parte.
  30. ayoade
    Nov 23, 2022
    3
    awful performance. should not have released in this state. game is kidna ugly, uninspired open world. pokemon designs are excellent though.
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Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2022

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 118 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 55 out of 118
  2. Mixed: 61 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.
    Read full review
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