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. Youngsmith361
    Dec 26, 2022
    1
    Game is broken, first Pokémon game I’ve played since diamond and Pearl and wanted that old Pokémon experience again. I have not wanted to play any of the 3D console Pokémon games but decided to give violet a try and I regret my purchase. Buggy game, ugly Pokémon models, 30 fps is a joke, the list problems on but the worst offense is how generic the entire game zones and world look.
  2. Plinio95
    Jan 3, 2023
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. One of the worst Pokémon game ever, it abandons almost all the improvement present in Pokémon Legends Arceus and has eaven a worst grafic desing, the game keeps repeating the same patterns of the 3 main stories again and again, the effect is that, once ended the main line story you'll immediately stop playing the game because the side quests simply doesn't exist just like the post-game because, maybe, you'll have to pay for a DLC in order to capture the 3rd legendary.
    The worst Pokémon game ever!!!    … Expand
  3. Mamarco13
    Jan 3, 2023
    8
    Probablemente el mejor juego de Pokemon de los últimos años. Puedes quedarte con sus malos gráficos o con su pésimo rendimiento; pero me parece que han sentado un precedente por el que si continuan y mejoran los aspectos técnicos pueden darle vida a la saga. Si solo buscas un juego brillante tecnicamente, alejate de aquí; si buscas lo que muchos soñabamos desde niños con PKMN, dale unaProbablemente el mejor juego de Pokemon de los últimos años. Puedes quedarte con sus malos gráficos o con su pésimo rendimiento; pero me parece que han sentado un precedente por el que si continuan y mejoran los aspectos técnicos pueden darle vida a la saga. Si solo buscas un juego brillante tecnicamente, alejate de aquí; si buscas lo que muchos soñabamos desde niños con PKMN, dale una oportunidad a esta historia (la más adulta hasta ahora) y no te arrepentirás. Sobrehateado.… Expand
  4. Tehabi
    Jan 4, 2023
    8
    I have throughly enjoyed my time with the game. Sure there aresome bugs but they are not as prevalent as many make it out to be and some are kinda funny.
  5. Gabrielcvcg
    Jan 15, 2023
    8
    The game is incredibly fun, it has one of the best stories in the franchise along with BW2, but the game fails to be very poorly optimized and rushed, the game has several bugs that can disrupt the player's experience, more, however I recommend the game because at the end of the day he is still extremely fun and innovative for the franchise.I hope that the next games in the franchise haveThe game is incredibly fun, it has one of the best stories in the franchise along with BW2, but the game fails to be very poorly optimized and rushed, the game has several bugs that can disrupt the player's experience, more, however I recommend the game because at the end of the day he is still extremely fun and innovative for the franchise.I hope that the next games in the franchise have more development time so that the experience is immune to bugs or things that can disturb the player… Expand
  6. SolarEclipse
    Jun 8, 2023
    6
    PLEASE STOP CALLING ME MISS ECLIPSE IM NONBINARY

    Other than that it’s fine but the “Miss Eclipse” and the She/her pronouns are driving me insane
  7. yayyay
    Aug 25, 2023
    10
    good game sgfddsxzkdsxpifjspcps;x;jddfsfsfddffdssfddfsdfsdfdfsdffdfsdfsdffd
  8. TheCreb23
    Sep 4, 2023
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The story and gameplay was AMAZING! I really loved all of the story line items, such as AI Turo and Penny as Cassiopeia. The bugs can be annoying, but still so funny and goofy. One of the best Pokemon games I've played.… Expand
  9. SmashGenesis
    Nov 20, 2022
    9
    Game good, performance baaaaaaaad. Like, really bad. Seriously, it's my only problem with this otherwise amazing game.
  10. TJD2
    Mar 5, 2023
    7
    The game is fun to play and the Pokemon designs are pretty good. That said, the game is marred by technical issues and poor performance. The framerate will stutter and the game will slow down to a crawl even when nothing is going on. It feels like a power point at times. The open-world ambition is offset by these issues and they are too glaring to overlook. I wanted to absolutely loveThe game is fun to play and the Pokemon designs are pretty good. That said, the game is marred by technical issues and poor performance. The framerate will stutter and the game will slow down to a crawl even when nothing is going on. It feels like a power point at times. The open-world ambition is offset by these issues and they are too glaring to overlook. I wanted to absolutely love this game, and I like it enough not to return it, but Pokemon Legends Arceus is a much better game that does not suffer these problems. If a patch is not released soon I may not even end up beating this one.… Expand
  11. Tubey
    Feb 3, 2023
    5
    Pokémon Violet is the first game in the series where I've thought "you know, maybe it's not for me anymore." Not because of the technical issues, but because the game is so dumbed down with Exp. Share and auto-battles and the 'open world' aspect is so half-arsed that it just all feels... wrong.

    I loved Arceus, I had high hopes of Violet/Scarlet after seeing it being pitched as a hybrid    Pokémon Violet is the first game in the series where I've thought "you know, maybe it's not for me anymore." Not because of the technical issues, but because the game is so dumbed down with Exp. Share and auto-battles and the 'open world' aspect is so half-arsed that it just all feels... wrong.

    I loved Arceus, I had high hopes of Violet/Scarlet after seeing it being pitched as a hybrid of a traditional game and the new introduced in Arceus, but... while it actually DOES do that to a large degree, it just doesn't work.

    To touch briefly on the technical troubles, yes, it runs terribly, objects and people in the distance are extremely off putting as they half load into existence, and I had one complete system crash at one point, so it's an unoptimised rushed mess. But it's Game Freak, it's what they do, Sword/Shield was similar too, so as a series veteran I basically expect semi-broken games at this point, so it's not as big a factor to me as it would be for someone coming in fresh.

    I like the new Pokémon, no problems there, and the academy system is OK. But... yeah, the game just feels all kinds of wrong and the series is moving in the wrong direction. Yes, your target audience is younger, but you don't have to treat kids like idiots, they know how to play games, they don't need everything to be baby mode.    … Expand
  12. ArcturusDrake
    Jan 1, 2023
    3
    Story: 7/10
    Gameplay: it's pokemon 8/10
    Raids: 1/10 buggy af
    Game stability: 4/10
    Customization: 1/10
    If I Didnt recieve this game as a gift, I would have refunded it.
    Honestly would rather go back to sword over this game.
  13. Hesht
    Dec 29, 2022
    6
    The Good;
    The characters are arguably the deepest the series has introduced. Each of the players’ friends have strengths and flaws, and are even relatable in ways previous games missed.
    The new Pokémon designs are great. There’s a few who stand out above the rest, but it’s definitely one of the better generations for new Pokémon. The map is great, and the open world was implemented in the    The Good;
    The characters are arguably the deepest the series has introduced. Each of the players’ friends have strengths and flaws, and are even relatable in ways previous games missed.
    The new Pokémon designs are great. There’s a few who stand out above the rest, but it’s definitely one of the better generations for new Pokémon.
    The map is great, and the open world was implemented in the best possible way. Where Legends Arceus walked, Violet and Scarlet ran.
    Team Star we’re a nice change of pace from the usual evil team.
    Telling part of the game’s story through going to class and befriending teachers was a good idea. I originally dismissed the school classes as unnecessary until I tried them, and found them very worthwhile in the end.

    The bad;
    Game performance. You’ll be lucky to maintain more than 20 fps in the open world. The longer the game remains open the worse the performance. Closing the game and reopening helps to a degree, but not for long. The performance is the only thing I marked the game down for, so believe me when I say it’s bad. I haven’t played a game with performance this bad since I tried playing Crysis on a Windows Vista laptop with less than a GB of RAM.    … Expand
  14. mrSilkie
    May 29, 2023
    0
    Incredible gameplay changes from the GBA and NDS series, everything i ever wanted bundled into one package.

    I had little performance issues using the R name emu.
  15. tyber16
    Jun 5, 2023
    8
    i didn't met any bug or glitch in my playtrough and for me the frame rate was all right. I played offline so maybe that's why but the gameplay itself is best. This open world formula fits so well to the pokemon franchise and i hope they keep this way. The pokemon rooster is very good too altough i miss gen 1 and 2 pokemons. I'm not an expert, this is my 3rd pokemon game but i liked thisi didn't met any bug or glitch in my playtrough and for me the frame rate was all right. I played offline so maybe that's why but the gameplay itself is best. This open world formula fits so well to the pokemon franchise and i hope they keep this way. The pokemon rooster is very good too altough i miss gen 1 and 2 pokemons. I'm not an expert, this is my 3rd pokemon game but i liked this more than Sword and Shield or Arceus. I miss the voice acting too.… Expand
  16. OurEntity
    Apr 12, 2023
    0
    The reality is this game was given no actual thought. Fact that there is no shiny indication besides visual is problematic. What else is problematic is that when using the front view camera you are unable to see 75% of the actual Pokémon that are spawning around you. You cannot catch shiny Pokémon if you cannot see them. An auditory way of detecting Pokémon should had been incorporated.The reality is this game was given no actual thought. Fact that there is no shiny indication besides visual is problematic. What else is problematic is that when using the front view camera you are unable to see 75% of the actual Pokémon that are spawning around you. You cannot catch shiny Pokémon if you cannot see them. An auditory way of detecting Pokémon should had been incorporated. Also the fact that I cannot get apro ball other than from the stupid Auction house is ridiculous. It's those reasons why I will NOT be paying for the DLC unless the DLC fix the issues I have mentioned.… Expand
  17. Crackfarmer
    Apr 8, 2023
    8
    Whoever rates this above 9 seems like a paid review to me. Even 9 has to be biased by some things I can't wrap my head around.

    Definitely not below a 6, but for sure not a 10. Has plenty of quality of life improvements, yet takes a step back when it comes to variety of Pokémon in the game. Pokédex is a mess with ancient, semi-old and new Pokémon. Same as with Shield/Sword and Arceus,    Whoever rates this above 9 seems like a paid review to me. Even 9 has to be biased by some things I can't wrap my head around.

    Definitely not below a 6, but for sure not a 10.

    Has plenty of quality of life improvements, yet takes a step back when it comes to variety of Pokémon in the game. Pokédex is a mess with ancient, semi-old and new Pokémon. Same as with Shield/Sword and Arceus, but worse.
    Especially when most of them repeat in almost all biomes, with just higher/lower level.

    The performance is awful compared to Arceus or even the not so well performing Shield/Sword.

    Story is whatever, pretty bad written in my opinion. Girl apparently steps outside of her house after 10+ years to meet her neighbor?

    Academy is lame, professors are ugly and annoying, so are pretty much all encounters on the game.
    You can't even tell the gender on a few of them.

    Most of the new Gen 9 Pokémon are garbage, there are a few that are good or at least well-designed.
    But Pokémon in general went downhill after Gen 4.

    Quests/Missions are eh, the “boss” fights are extremely boring.
    Terastallize is faster to do than the Raids in shield, but spammed with particles and a time counter that even ticks down when you're forced to watch the text tell you stuff.
    Many Pokémon are not obtainable offline again.

    Not sure yet, but I haven't found the cord to simulate trades to level up trade-only Pokémon.

    I wish they would step back on creating new Pokémon and rather use the old ones or add some more evolutions to them.
    The open world is not too bad, but mostly empty. Could've been filled with way more Pokémon.

    And the issue with all recent games → gatekeeping Pokémon between both versions. Only obtainable through trade.    … Expand
  18. Hoodude
    Dec 15, 2022
    0
    Unplayable trash. I love Pokemon, I played Arceus to death. But this is a horrible piece of garbage. The camera is terrible, the movement is awful, there's all kinds of graphical glitches, the framerate is poor, the graphics are bad, it's so distracting that I can't even begin to pay attention to the story because it's such a horrible experience just trying to navigate within the game!Unplayable trash. I love Pokemon, I played Arceus to death. But this is a horrible piece of garbage. The camera is terrible, the movement is awful, there's all kinds of graphical glitches, the framerate is poor, the graphics are bad, it's so distracting that I can't even begin to pay attention to the story because it's such a horrible experience just trying to navigate within the game! Ugh. Wish I had not preordered this. Total waste of money, will not be playing this. Time to uninstall. In fact, I think this does it for me. I won't be giving Nintendo any more of my money.… Expand
  19. Rastaffxi
    Dec 22, 2022
    8
    I started playing this game 1 month later from the release, so I did not experience all the bad stuff with it. Yes, it has bugs and glitches as any other open world game.... You cant expect perfection WTF guys???
    The story is great imo, and the open world feels very good... you can explore EVERYTHING in the map, despite some games, and find different pokemon all over the place. It is    I started playing this game 1 month later from the release, so I did not experience all the bad stuff with it. Yes, it has bugs and glitches as any other open world game.... You cant expect perfection WTF guys???
    The story is great imo, and the open world feels very good... you can explore EVERYTHING in the map, despite some games, and find different pokemon all over the place. It is still very far away from a true open world, specially in at this time but it is a very good attempt.
    As a pokemon fan, this game is worth it... but if you are poor, do not buy it!!!    … Expand
  20. ZeoN
    Feb 2, 2023
    8
    Es probablemente la mejor entrega de la saga desde Sol y Luna, lastrada por problemas técnicos. Me hubiese gustado darle menos nota por sus evidentes bugs y problemas, pero el juego es tan sobresaliente en historia, banda sonora, personajes, mecánicas... que me es imposible darle menos de un 80. Muy recomendado para los fans de la saga y de los JRPGs en general si sabes pasar por altoEs probablemente la mejor entrega de la saga desde Sol y Luna, lastrada por problemas técnicos. Me hubiese gustado darle menos nota por sus evidentes bugs y problemas, pero el juego es tan sobresaliente en historia, banda sonora, personajes, mecánicas... que me es imposible darle menos de un 80. Muy recomendado para los fans de la saga y de los JRPGs en general si sabes pasar por alto defectos técnicos.… Expand
  21. Barrator
    Dec 27, 2022
    0
    The game is very good but unfinished. It's still unplayable, 1.5 month after release.
  22. Tortor
    Dec 20, 2022
    8
    My version didn't have all the bugs and performance issues for whatever reason. Played oh most entirely on handheld with an OLED switch.
    My entire play through didn't have a single crash, no lag, nothing. So not really sure what all the fuss was about.
    I really enjoyed my experience with this. I rolled credits I think around 60 hours with 320 Pokémon caught. I loved the collecting but    My version didn't have all the bugs and performance issues for whatever reason. Played oh most entirely on handheld with an OLED switch.
    My entire play through didn't have a single crash, no lag, nothing. So not really sure what all the fuss was about.

    I really enjoyed my experience with this. I rolled credits I think around 60 hours with 320 Pokémon caught. I loved the collecting but getting them all really isn't for me so I'm happy stopping here. I had a full team of dragon Pokémon with a Tsareena as my main team and even then felt quite a challenge. I actually lost more battles in this game more then any other. I also didn't cheese it and kept my Pokémon that I played with consistent with the level to the area and gym and didn't use potions during combat just for the extra challenge.

    This had a good open world feel especially the more movement abilities you unlock. Traversing and stumbling on Pokémon was so much fun. I also really enjoyed grinding to evolve some pokemons to try out and switch up my team a bit. The Lets Go feature was so helpful to help with some grind when I wasn't in the mood.

    Overall, yeah, not mind blowing, Arcaeus is still way better but this was a good game for me that I'd totally recommend.    … Expand
  23. jljosue
    May 12, 2023
    7
    Pokémon Violet presents many interesting and fun ideas, but unfortunately many of them are poorly executed. The premise of three routes or plots in this game seems unique to me, but the ease of many mini-games or challenges presented in Gym Leaders or Team Star discouraged me a bit. While many Pokémon are well designed and recreated in their habitats, the lousy performance of the gamePokémon Violet presents many interesting and fun ideas, but unfortunately many of them are poorly executed. The premise of three routes or plots in this game seems unique to me, but the ease of many mini-games or challenges presented in Gym Leaders or Team Star discouraged me a bit. While many Pokémon are well designed and recreated in their habitats, the lousy performance of the game terribly affects that sense of immersion with the Pokémon you encounter and the gameplay. All of this gave me the feeling that the game definitely needed more time, something Pokémon has been having a lot of trouble with lately, and their recent games speak for themselves. I hope that this in the future will change, and that these Pokémon Scarlet and Violet games will allow the Pokémon Company to rethink their priorities; where quality is above the amount of money they generate by wanting to release games on specific dates so as not to lose the economic business model they have. This business model, by the way, is affecting the company's image regarding the quality of their games. I, as a veteran fan of the Pokémon saga, know that they can do better and give more, and get out of that comfort zone.… Expand
  24. jonantlew
    Nov 29, 2022
    5
    It's fun to play but very buggy and crashes. I wish they'd have taken more time to really make an IMMERSIVE open world experience.
  25. DeadSmack
    May 17, 2023
    0
    While on paper it is a great effort, it simply don't deliver what they wanted. The bugs, the poor optimization, the emptiness of the world can't take this game to the higher grounds. It's such a shame to see my beloved franchise in this matter. Simply not good enough. GameFreak, Nintendo, Investors, someone needs to change.
  26. gamerguy78
    Nov 28, 2022
    7
    I had a ton a fun with the game but it dosent take away from the issues. This optimization is horrible and the glitchs are bad. But with that being said it's still a ton of fun and what I wanted from a pokemon game and I think this game is overhated (Also how do I change my username on this site)
  27. Ert0426
    Jun 11, 2023
    7
    Pokemon Violet could have been a fantastic game and a great leap forward for the Pokemon franchise, however, numerous bugs, graphical errors and oddities, framerate issues, a continued lack of voice acting, some weird omissions of features from previous games like catching pokemon without battling in legends: arceus, and an open world that, while vast and greatly detailed, can sometimesPokemon Violet could have been a fantastic game and a great leap forward for the Pokemon franchise, however, numerous bugs, graphical errors and oddities, framerate issues, a continued lack of voice acting, some weird omissions of features from previous games like catching pokemon without battling in legends: arceus, and an open world that, while vast and greatly detailed, can sometimes feel empty and lifeless. Fortunately, its new quality of life features, like auto battling, the unique designs of the new pokemon, the amount of freedom given to the player, and the new open world can at least keep Pokemon Violet on the level of being a good game, just not what it could've been.… Expand
  28. aleqhz
    Apr 22, 2023
    0
    Honestly, I expected to be disappointed and they did deliver.
    Garbage/10. No need to elaborate.
  29. Govninjo
    May 4, 2023
    10
    Best Pokemon game story and gameplay wise
    Worst Pokemon game technical wise
  30. Jardanes
    Aug 8, 2023
    0
    After the best pokemon game ever (Pokemon Legends:Arceus), the Pokemon company releases their worst game yet. Really bad performance and visuals. It has many bugs that ruins the experience of playing the game. Terastal Pokemon look stupid. The idea of bicycle legendary Pokémon is just ridiculous. The design team should go back to school and learn a few things with the Zelda BotW and TotKAfter the best pokemon game ever (Pokemon Legends:Arceus), the Pokemon company releases their worst game yet. Really bad performance and visuals. It has many bugs that ruins the experience of playing the game. Terastal Pokemon look stupid. The idea of bicycle legendary Pokémon is just ridiculous. The design team should go back to school and learn a few things with the Zelda BotW and TotK teams. They charge you US$60,00 for a R$5,00 game. Huge cash grab.… Expand
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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.
    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
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