Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet are getting raked over the coals by fan reviews. The Metacritic ranking right now is still in the green with the 70s, but that could change. As much as there is to fault with these new games, there is also a lot to love.
Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet provide players with exactly what they want with a new iteration of games. There’s an open world to explore and it’s filled with tons of unique creatures. Not all of them are winners, like other aspects of the games, but they are still worth checking out. With some patches, these Pokemon games could be amazing.
8 More Autobattle Options
Among the new mechanics in Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet are the autobattles which allow one Pokemon in the field to fight as an AI companion. As great as the autobattles are in these games, there could be other improvements to the battle mechanics.
The turn-based combat has needed autobattle options for ages now. This series is way behind the RPG trend that started over a decade ago. Implementing one now would help makes these games feel more modern.
7 Experience Upgrades
There is another issue with the autobattles that feels like a monkey’s paw situation. Experience gained from defeating a Pokemon in the field is significantly less than when faced with a normal combat situation. The experience gained should be the same but that doesn’t make mathematical sense. Pokemon stored in the boxes do not gain experience as has been the tradition since the dawn of the series. This should change in these games to help keep these creatures up to date with the player’s progress.
6 Voice The Series Already
The anime of this series has almost been around as long as the games. There is an established voice cast that Nintendo and Game Freak are familiar with in many languages. Why then are the games being held back with text conversations as if this were the early polygonal days on N64?
Granted, there are a lot of characters in Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet which would take a long time to record audio for now. A patch for the games would take a long time, but the developers should consider it at least and for future titles as well.
5 Fast-Forward Options
The fast-forward button often accompanies games with autobattle features. For example, another recent RPG on the Switch, Tactics Ogre: Reborn, has an autobattle function along with a way to speed up battles.
Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet should offer players the chance to increase the speeds by double the amount at the least and a quadruple option at the most. A fast-forward button would come in handy during conversations as well. Related, some cutscenes can be skipped but they are few and far between, so more segments deserve a skip button too.
4 Remove Battle Animations
It’s surprising how far this series has gone since Pokemon Red and Pokemon Blue launched in North America in 1998. The games are fun with most of the main mechanics feeling familiar such as the emphasis on playing against types.
However, everything is more streamlined now in these new games, except for one thing. These games removed the option to take out battle animations which have been a staple feature forever. Please, put this option back in as it helps speed up battles since there is no fast-forward button yet.
3 Catch Pokemon Like In Pokemon Legends: Arceus
One of the best things about Pokemon Legends: Arceus was that it allowed players to catch Pokemon without battling them. This helped speed up the process of collecting these creatures. The open world in that game allowed players to see every Pokemon running around which was also a big step forward.
While Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet do allow players to see Pokemon in the wild, battling them is the only way they can be caught. It’s a shame and assuredly it would be hard to change that mechanic now with a patch. There is nothing wrong with wishful thinking though.
2 Send Pokemon On Missions
There is another tactic that the developers could do to increase the autobattle experience. They could set up a way Pokemon could be sent out on missions. This could also solve the problem of Pokemon sitting in boxes without the ability to gain experience.
Teams of up to six Pokemon could be selected for small tasks akin to how assassins were sent out in Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. That game is a decade old now and surely Nintendo and Game Freak could improve upon these older mechanics. Teams of three can be made to take out Team Star, so the ability is there for more.
1 Speed Up Battle Transitions
Increasing the speed of these games is the number one goal these next few patches should focus on. Besides the obvious changes of fast-forward buttons and removing battle animations, the developers could shorten transitions into combat too.
Even though Pokemon are running around the open fields, there is still a lengthy transition to battle. The Pokemon yell, players throw out their party, options are chosen in battle, and so on. Is there no way to eliminate these animations too, or at least give players the option?
Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet were released on November 18, 2022, and are available on Switch.