Pokémon Scarlet Review – Double Trouble

Republished By Plato

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Pokémon Scarlet has some great new ideas that refresh the Pokémon franchise, but they’re buried under inexcusable technical issues, subpar performance, and incredibly dated visuals. It’s a shame, as Scarlet could have been a positive sign for the future of the series, but the unacceptable lack of polish has me worried that Pokémon will never truly fulfill its immense potential.

Pokémon Scarlet
Developer: Game Freak
Price: $70
Platform: Nintendo Switch (reviewed)

I’ve grappled with more recent Pokémon games. I was a kid during the Pokémania of the late 90s, meaning I absorbed every modicum of Pokémon content I could from the start. Around the time Sword and Shield came out, I was worried that the series may be producing games more quickly than the staff reasonably can. Scarlet and Violet seem to have confirmed this, as, despite these titles making some incredible strides, they’re so muddled with performance issues that it all feels like a bit of a wash.

Scarlet certainly brings some excellent ideas to the table as it diverges from the 20+ year Pokémon formula in a way that is refreshing but not out of place. There are three paths to follow: research, Team Star, and Gyms. You can tackle the different sections of these in whatever order you want, though difficulty and enemy levels don’t scale with you, so there’s sort of an order in place regardless.

Research has you learning about powerful rare herbs that are strengthening enormous Pokémon, with each herb expanding your traversal options by making your Koraidon/Miraidon able to swim, glide, and climb. Team Star is made up of slighted students who you battle in order to right wrongs and earn materials. Finally, gyms are the same as ever – battle leaders, get badges, take on the Elite 4, and become Champion. There’s some story after that, but those are what you’ll spend most of the game doing. This attempt at nonlinearity is novel for the series, and it certainly pays off. I’d love to see future Pokémon games keep this structure, as it makes a playthrough feel so much more open and exciting.

“A lot has been done to make this generation different and something of a step forward, which is deeply appreciated from a terminal longtime fan.“

The new Pokémon are largely great, with snazzy designs and some excellent evolutions for older Pokémon like Dunsparce and Primeape. The Paradox Pokémon are incredibly interesting and bring new life to older ‘mons, all while fitting into the narrative snugly. Not every Pokémon is a hit, but the success rate is solid, to be sure. The Terastalize mechanic, which gives new types to Pokémon, is a neat idea, even if most NPCs don’t use it.

Raids have been improved upon from Sword and Shield, with a 100% catch rate and a faster and more exciting battle style that meshes the previous format with Pokémon GO’s. Wild and trainer battles are easier to slide into, even if the camera angles can be a bit weird as a result. The eclectic new characters and light social link system seen in classes work well with the story and add some extra flavor to these entries that wasn’t in previous titles. A lot has been done to make this generation different and something of a step forward, which is deeply appreciated from a terminal longtime fan. Also worth noting is that Toby Fox did quite a bit of music for this generation, which is always a blast to listen to.

Unfortunately, all of this is bogged down by baffling technical problems. Game Freak absolutely needs to be given more time with each mainline Pokémon entry, as this incredible lack of polish is simply not acceptable from one of the world’s biggest and most lucrative franchises. There is rarely any sort of consistent framerate, intense slowdowns occur with the slightest bit of onscreen action, the draw distance is all over the place, Pokémon models clip in and out of mountains and walls, and even the PC boxes lag, taking seconds to show you whether or not you’re in an empty box. It’s baffling, frustrating, and above all, disappointing.

Then there are just odd exclusions, like shinies no longer having a chime or effect on the map as they did in Legends: Arceus (which means they’re now far harder to spot and catch). You can no longer play in Set mode, can’t enter most buildings – making towns feel far less lived-in, can’t contract Pokérus, customize your main outfit, or participate in any non-random or non-friend trades through a GTS. Even Pokémon Centers are just kiosks outside now. I suppose it’s streamlined in a way but at the cost of so much of the world’s personality.

There’s so much good in Scarlet that could have jump-started an incredible new era for the franchise, but the sheer number of bugs, performance issues, and exclusions make it hard to recommend in its current state. Maybe we’ll get patches to smooth out some of these rough edges, but I just never know anymore with Pokémon.

The Final Word
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are so, so close to reinventing the Pokémon series in a brilliant way. They’re just held back by unacceptable bugs and performance issues that simply shouldn’t be happening this frequently in such a monolithic and profitable franchise. I hope Game Freak is able to implement some much-needed patches, as there’s a remarkable diamond in this copious rough.