From the announcement of the next Pokemon region's name to the new gameplay gimmick coming in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, August's Pokemon Presents featured a ton of information. While the first half of the 19-minute presentation featured news about The Pokemon Company's other projects receiving updates this year, the latter half was dedicated to the two mainline Pokemon titles slated for November.
While some information shown appears to confirm a few of the leaks that have been spreading throughout the online Pokemon community, overall it gives players a good idea what to expect when diving into the Paldea region when Pokemon Scarlet and Violet launch later this year. In fact, there were a number of big reveals in the August 2022 Pokemon Scarlet and Violet trailer.
Paldea: A Region of Freedom and Discovery
Today's trailer confirmed Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will take place in the brand-new Paldea region. These new titles are the first Pokemon games to be true open-world RPGs, and will let players travel the region with supposedly no restrictions. Players embark from one of two version-dependent schools, either Naranja or Uva Academy, to discover new Pokemon, meet friends and allies, and see all that the region has to offer. In the new trailer, several distinct biomes were shown, ranging from snowy tundra to rocky wastelands and lush plains. As expected, the Paldea region is thriving with Pokemon in all different environments, and the player is tasked with documenting them.
Traveling in Style
The two box art Legendary Pokemon, Koraidon and Miraidon, are introduced earlier in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, and serve as the player's adventuring partner. Not only will they accompany the player as they travel, but players can ride these two Legendaries, each of which have unique forms that allow them to move quickly across land, sea, and air. They can even scale cliffs with ease, making traversing the Paldea region a breeze. While the rumored third Legendary Pokemon was not shown, the two main ones seem to be integral to the core gameplay of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.
A New Style of Gym Challenge and Multiple Stories
Being an open-world Pokemon game means some key changes need to be made. In past titles, players progressed in a set Gym order. However, in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, players can tackle the gyms in any order they choose. The trailer introduced players to one of the Gym Leaders in the Paldea region: Grusha, Paldea's Ice-type Gym Leader who presides over the Glaseado Gym. While it's currently unclear how the game will balance Gym levels, this unprecedented freedom in the Gym Challenge is certainly appreciated.
In addition to the Gym Challenge, players can also venture out to explore two other unknown stories. The Pokemon Presents showcase confirmed Pokemon Scarlet and Violet feature three stories, and while not much is known about the other two yet, some clips from the trailer provide clues about what players might expect. One shot features a futuristic jet-like car that may be tied to one of them, perhaps alluding to the rumors that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet feature themes of the past and future.
Following that, a separate shot showcases one of the new characters, Arven, who is an upperclassman at the player's school. Arven and the player character are investigating a glowing pink plant, which may tie back into the new Terastal mechanic coming in Scarlet and Violet. It certainly wouldn't be a surprise if the game wanted to dive further into the regional gimmick and explain this new feature.
New and Returning Pokemon
It wouldn't be a new Pokemon trailer if it didn't feature monsters for fans to gush about. Today's trailer featured many fan-favorites that are making a comeback, like Houndoom, Arcanine, Sawsbuck (with its multiple forms), and Scizor. Among the returning Pokemon is a regional form for Wooper. Paldean Wooper looks similar to its Johto counterpart, except that it is brown and features a new Poison/Ground type combination, which hasn't been seen since Generation 1's Nidoking and Nidoqueen. While fans currently don't know if Quagsire gets a Paldean form or Wooper evolves into a brand-new Pokemon, this does confirm there will be more regional forms in Scarlet and Violet.
In addition to returning Pokemon, there were also two brand-new monsters shown off in the trailer: Cetitan and Fidough. Cetitan is used by Grusha, a pure Ice-type Pokemon. It has the abilities Thick Fat and Slush Rush, and hopefully this large whale is powerful enough to make some waves as a strong Ice Pokemon for a change. The other newcomer is the adorable Fidough, a dog made of bread that is a pure Fairy type. Fidough has the Own Tempo ability in-game, but its true power appears to be stealing the hearts of everyone on the Internet. Hopefully Fidough evolves into an even bigger, cooler bread dog as it makes its home on everyone's Pokemon team.
Tera Raids and Terastal Pokemon
Last but certainly not least is the new gimmick coming in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet: Terastal Pokemon. As with nearly every other mechanic in the past, Terastal Pokemon only appear in Paldea, and when Pokemon Terastallize, they shine like crystals with a crown-like crystal formation over their head. Terastallized Pokemon feature more powerful moves and boosted stats, making them a strong threat in battle.
All Pokemon found in the Paldea Region can Terastallize, and the process may even change a Pokemon's typing. Every Pokemon features a Tera Type, and the same Pokemon can be found in the wild with different Tera Types. The example given in the Pokemon Presents video is an Eevee who typically would have a Normal Tera Type, but others can be found with types like Flying. Another example is the pre-order bonus that gives players a Pikachu with a Flying Tera Type.
In addition to Terastal Pokemon, Tera Raids are coming to Scarlet and Violet. In these raids, which seem to share similar mechanics to Pokemon Sword and Shield's Dynamax Raids, players work together and battle one powerful Terastal Pokemon. Unlike Sword and Shield's raid battles, Tera Raids are not turn-based, as the four trainers can use moves without waiting. They can also "cheer" their teammates to give stat buffs if their Pokemon doesn't know any supporting moves. There will be various ratings for the raids just like in Sword and Shield, and players can tackle them alone, via matchmaking, or with friends using Link Codes.
A lot of big changes are coming in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, from the new Terastal Pokemon to more details about the Paldea region. While many of the Scarlet and Violet leaks have yet to be confirmed, some leaked information was shown in this lengthy presentation. One thing is for certain: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are shaping up to be quite a unique experience for Pokemon fans, even just going off of this presentation alone. Hopefully fans won't have to wait much longer for more information.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet launch November 18, exclusively for Nintendo Switch.