Review: ‘Pokemon Scarlet’ and ‘Pokemon Violet’ reveal growing pains in series’ evolution

Fans saw a sea change in the “Pokemon” franchise this year. In January, they tasted a drastically different experience with “Pokemon Legends: Arceus.” That introduced Game Freak’s attempt at a semi-open world full of pocket monsters. It rewrote parts of the traditional experience from combat to story structure but somehow it all worked.

The glimpse of a new approach hyped up fans for the holiday season’s “Pokemon Scarlet” and “Pokemon Violet,” the ninth generation of the series. It promised a full open world and three story paths. Unfortunately, the entries haven’t met expectations and that has led to some toxic backlash, leading to the question: Has the hate gone too far?

A FRANCHISE IN TRANSITION
Yes, the ire for “Violet” and “Scarlet” has gone a little overboard. That’s not to say the games are perfect. These entries have annoying bugs and crashes. The visuals are lacking in spots and several ideas seem half-baked. Instead of the full-blown transformation players expected, the projects are more of a transition as the developers figure out this new stage in “Pokemon’s” evolution.

That’s why “Violet” and “Scarlet” feels forward-thinking in places and backward in others. The campaign is an uneven experience that puts players in the Spain-inspired Paldea region. Their avatars are students at the Uva or Naranja Academy. As in previous iterations, the school names, professors and types of Pokemon change depending on the version.

AN OVERVIEW OF STORYLINES
The entries go through the motions as players meet a rival in the form Nemona, who is a champion trainer. She’s the touchstone of the Victory Road as players travel across Paldea challenging different gym leaders and obtaining badges that let them reliably command higher-level Pokemon. That’s one of the storylines players can explore. A second is the Starfall Street, which focuses on school delinquents. Working with a familiar face who calls himself “Clive,” players have to take down Team Star, which on the surface appears to be the school version of Team Rocket.

The final storyline is the Path of Legends, and it’s the most unconventional as players help a student named Arven search for mystical herbs. It’s the most heartfelt and compelling narrative and it also leads players to the game’s biggest mystery — the dangerous crater at the center of Paldea. It’s also tied to Koraidon and Miraidon, the legendary Pokemon on the games’ cover.

NEW TWISTS TO THE FORMULA
Instead of players obtaining these Pokemon toward the end of the campaign, players start with one of them at the start of the adventure. When they discover these creatures, they’re injured, and through most of the campaign, Koraidon and Miraidon won’t battle, but they can be used for transportation.

The legendaries are essential because Paldea is a huge expanse filled with different biomes, some of which are seemingly inaccessible. Players should appreciate how Game Freak sprinkled in the pocket monsters in a way that made sense with the environment and each other. Herds of Tauros will lumber along a grassy field. A mix of Crabrawler, Wiglett and Kilowattrel loll about the coast.

The way they’re placed creates a Paldea ecosystem that makes sense, and Game Freak spent time giving the pocket monsters new animations that fit their behaviors. Sadly, as great as the Pokemon move, the same can’t be said about the world design and visuals. For as varied as the terrain and towns look, they don’t exactly pop or have much depth to them.

MISSING PIECES TO THE FORMULA
Players can’t enter many buildings, and because of that, there aren’t as many interesting or memorable people to talk to. A region’s charm is more than distinct buildings; it’s also the people who shop in its stores or work inside offices, and without characters anchored to a structure, Paldea feels bland.

Another aspect of the franchise that ends up lost in the shift to an open world is the concept of dungeons. In previous games, players had to venture through maze-like areas and solve puzzles along the way. That’s gone from this iteration, and it’s a lost opportunity for Game Freak to adapt that concept to this new vision.

Thankfully, the developers try to give “Scarlet” and “Violet” more personality through the more complex narratives found in the three paths. The team did a fantastic job creating distinct missions to reach each gym leader on the Victory Road, and finding the truth behind Team Star’s origins was somewhat intriguing in Starfall Stgreet. Meanwhile, Path of Legends had the most emotional storyline.