Pokemon Scarlet and Violet did follow through on aiming to be among the series' most ambitious games, but in doing so it seems that the multiple competing gimmicks wound up overwhelming the gameplay experience and undervaluing the core ideas. In recent years, Game Freak has by its own admission stated that it wants to deliver a unique experience with each game it releases, explaining away the reasons why Z-Moves and Dynamaxing have remained generational exclusives. But with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's abnormal amount of gimmicks, this unique experience is being lost in the mix.
Ahead of the games' official launch, rumors were already circulating about what Gen 9's unique gimmick was, making it difficult for fans to pin down the exact truth behind the numerous Pokemon Scarlet and Violet leaks. Speculation about Paradox Pokemon and talk of gemstones, however, turned out to be true and then some. Scarlet and Violet's gimmicks range from the version-exclusive ancient and future forms of select Pokemon, Terastallization changing Pokemon types mid-battle, a "fake" twist on regional variants, and even storylines around Team Star and Titan Pokemon. With so many unique ideas at play, it seems that Scarlet and Violet had bitten off more than they could chew.
Breaking Down Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Gimmicks
Though there's plenty to go through, Gen 9's various gimmicks can be broken down into several key components which could hint back to Game Freak's original intentions. For example, some players argue that Scarlet and Violet's Paradox Pokemon replaced traditional fossil Pokemon, and Titan Pokemon are likely to have been carried over from Pokemon Legends: Arceus' Noble Pokemon as part of Game Freak's approach to open-world design. An antagonistic team, Team Star in this instance, was also a staple of the series, and its absence would have been more readily noticed than an underwhelming addition as a third storyline.
Moreover, in a likely attempt to subvert players' expectations for new regional variants, a new concept of "regional fakes" (which are also known as "convergent evolutions") was introduced in Scarlet and Violet. Despite consisting of only a handful of Pokemon, it will open the door for future games to break from fans second-guessing new Pokemon based on leaks alone. Terastallization then was likely intended to be the centerpiece of the games, as alongside the likes of Mega Evolutions, Z-Moves, and Dynamaxing, it too was Scarlet and Violet's unique battle mechanic. However, the lack of coherency between all these disparate gimmicks has meant none shined as brightly as they should have.
Why Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Gimmicks Feel Mismatched
The main reason behind why earlier gimmicks had worked well in previous Pokemon games is because, to some extent, these mechanics had been central to the games' stories. For instance, in Pokemon Sword and Shield, Dynamaxing was connected to Eternatus and Galar's mythos of its Zacian and Zamazenta, while Gen 7 had allowed its Ultra Beasts to take center stage and introduced Pokemon to the multiverse. Even when faced with multiple gimmicks at once, such as regional variants and Z-Moves alongside Ultra Beasts, they had been balanced between simple in-battle gimmicks with unique moves to a range of new forms and Pokemon to discover.
For Scarlet and Violet, this crucial balance is missing. As mentioned, Terastallization is presented to players as the games' defining gimmick as it's introduced early on, players encounter Tera Raids throughout their journey, and Gym Leaders all use it for their final gambit. But while there's a vague assertion that Terastallization connects to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Area Zero and possibly Paradox Pokemon in some way, the main game never explores this further, leaving fans guessing between leaks of a third Legendary and rumored DLC that this will finally reveal the phenomenon's origin.
As a result, other gimmicks feel like afterthoughts or half-explored concepts. For example, there were only five Titan Pokemon and these were boiled down to standard run-of-the-mill Pokemon battles and not the arena-style gameplay of Legends: Arceus. There are also only two new lines for regional fakes that comprised of four individual Pokemon, with incidentally just as many actual regional variants. But the real victim was the eleventh-hour introduction of Scarlet and Violet's Paradox Pokemon, where between a rushed final story and time travel revelations, they are given little time for players to enjoy. As such, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's underwhelming endgame points to DLC for more.
Why Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's DLC is a Double-Edged Sword
As it stands, no further regional variants or fakes seem to be planned for future content, Titan Pokemon can't be fought again at their literal titanic scale, and updated Tera Raids have been mixed at best. In short, for all that Scarlet and Violet aimed to do, they became overwhelmed and missed the mark. Now fans can only hope the upcoming Pokemon Scarlet and Violet DLC will better showcase its gimmicks with all-new Legendary Pokemon, with some strongly suggested to be Paradox Pokemon of two Legendary trios and an unknown third. Given how gimmicks until now were competing with each other, it does seem hopeful that at least two will be expanded in the DLC.
However, it's disappointing that in order to get the game's full experience players will need to pay for additional content they should have already had just to better understand a world they'd half been introduced to. Case in point, it is clear that Game Freak was attempting something unique with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Paradox Pokemon, likely emulating its Ultra Beasts' success due to similar naming conventions and abnormality. But only granting players access to Area Zero and by extension Paradox Pokemon towards the game's end means they don't get to fully enjoy having these unique Pokemon on their team as there's little else to do story-wise in-game.
Therefore, putting Scarlet and Violet's third Legendary Pokemon behind a paywall when they could further connect to Paradox Pokemon or the Terastal Phenomenon is more salt to the wound, as this feels like they should have been included in the base game. For example, Eternatus was directly connected to Dynamaxing, so while fans might have been disappointed to not have access to its Eternamax form, being able to still battle and catch Eternatus was just as good for the game's story. So sequestering this potentially significant Legendary to DLC does give players more to work with, but it may come with a bittersweet price tag.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now for Nintendo Switch.