The latest Pokemon Scarlet and Violet trailer has set the community abuzz, with it revealing new Pokemon, new plot elements, the region name of Paldea, and more. Indeed, there's still plenty Game Freak needs to show, but for fans who were eagerly awaiting another trailer, it seems safe to say that it delivered.
Interestingly enough, this trailer paid plenty of attention to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's mascot legendaries, Koraidon and Miraidon. These legendaries are unique in a couple of ways, but they break from tradition in one major way.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Legendaries: The When, if Not the How
Koraidon and Miraidon essentially replace HMs in the upcoming Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, serving as the way that players can climb, fly, go across water, and more. There are certainly some limitation players haven't seen yet, as it was revealed that players will get Koraidon and Miraidon early on for this purpose. This is the first time, ever, that Pokemon fans have gotten a legendary near the start of the game.
Indeed, in every title before, they typically serve as part of the big climax related to the enemy team. Players have to beat Team Rocket before they can get Ho-Oh or Lugia in Gold and Silver, Team Magma/Aqua are after their legendaries in Ruby and Sapphire, Dialga/Palkia are at the top of Mount Coronet in Diamond and Pearl, players have to beat the Elite Four/N to get Reshiram/Zekrom in Black and White, and so on. Now, players do actually encounter Zacian/Zamazenta early on in Pokemon Sword and Shield, but this encounter is just foreshadowing and nothing more. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are the only games where players have their legendary basically the whole time.
Now, it should be noted that allowing players to use a legendary right out of the gate would be a completely broken idea. Some fans think that, while players will have Koraidon and Miraidon early on, they will not be able to use them in a battle until players are a certain way through Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's three storylines. This makes perfect sense, and even if they are not usable in battle, fans will still have a legendary early on in the new games.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet release November 18 for Nintendo Switch.