Pokemon Scarlet

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is exactly how you adapt years of tradition to the current design formulae. The game is living proof that each and every change is a perfect chance to take a step forward. In that specific sense, the risks that Nintendo undertook have certainly paid off: the ninth Pokémon generation will certainly be one to be talked about for years. Paldea is not about representing a culture, but those of us who live within it. I can only be proud to belong to a place that is seen with so much beauty from the outside. Long live Pokémon, long live Game Freak and long live all of those that made happen this beauty of a game.

With their open world concept of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Game Freak does a great job! Nearly from the start on, the players are free to explore the diverse region of Paldea Tuipulotu and in the way, in which order they want to deal with the main story mission branches. There is some room for having an imbalanced gaming experience in that. But thanks to a clever world design with some natural boundaries the game is as good (or worse) as its predecessors on that point. The biggest weak spot consists of the technical flaws mainly based on the limited hardware power of Switch. Still these imperfections can't ruin an overall great experience Pokémon fans will love.

The huge expansion and changes to the single player campaign are great, the size of the world and the joy of exploration are the best in the series, and the new Pokemon and battle mechanics introduced all sing. However, it’s just impossible to shake the thought of how much better the game would feel if it was on more powerful hardware, or simply ran acceptably on Switch.

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet takes the next step for the franchise thanks to the lush open world. Even the new Terastallizing mechanic is great fun, although it is kinda a reskin of an earlier mechanic. Amazing music and some smart design choices make it a game you can't miss. At least, that is what we would've said if the performance wasn't as bad as it is.

Anyone who can overlook the difficulties will still have fun with the new generation. After all, the core remains collecting medals and completing the Pokédex, which is also entertaining in the new editions, coupled with the open structure. Maybe the Pokémon Company will be able to fix the current construction sites for the tenth generation in a few years.