Pokémon at its core has always been a linear experience with a few side paths here and there that players could take. Although open in terms of exploration, the progression of Legends Arceus was still linear in terms of story and progress. Then comes along Scarlet and Violet, which boasts the first truly open world for Pokémon. Questions have been on everyone's mind: how would it be handled? Would it work well? How many bug Pokémon were there going to be in this new region? The important questions continued to rage on and now we finally have the chance to take a closer look at just all that the Paldea region has to offer.

The story opens with the protagonist trainer getting to meet the director of the new academy they will soon be attending. He has come in person to get them ready for school and begin it with a Pokémon of their very own. After meeting up with the neighbor Nemona and having a leisurely walk around, the player runs into an injured Pokémon who seems powerful but extremely weak. They aid each other and meet a excitable young man named Arven who calls the beast by its name, being either Koraidon or Miraidon depending on the version chosen. Arven entrusts the player with the legendary but says it's too weak to battle and can only be a traveling companion at this time. Continuing along with Nemona to the academy leads to the introduction of a variety of other characters, a school filled with classes and finally after all is said and done the opportunity to finally head out into the brand new open world.

When it was claimed this title is open world, that was true. Although the beginning is plot-wise linear to progress, there are plenty of open areas awaiting to be explored. After getting through some more introductions , players are given their box legendary that they can now ride upon and explore. The world is open at this point and players can progress in any direction. This legendary dragon is still weak so it can't do more than briskly run around and jump. It's able to do a lot of traversal that allows players to get out far, with the only things stopping them usually being larger jumps or water that can't be crossed just yet. There's no level scaling here to its benefit, as players progress through areas they'll begin to find higher level Pokémon which give them a clear warning that they're heading into dangerous territory. This is true of the trainers scattered throughout the region who won't approach the player themselves but are not afraid to carry stronger Pokémon for those who may walk a dangerous path. What's great is that those that are careful can get far in any direction they want to travel as long as they're careful, and catching high level Pokémon may be difficult but isn't barred at all. Of course, Pokémon that are too high level cannot be used until gym badges have been obtained throughout the journey. In equal or lower leveled areas, trainers are also able to send out their Pokémon using the new Let's Go feature that allows a Pokémon to fight or collect items on the ground during travel. This just helps Pokémon feel like even more useful companions in addition to being able to see their cute faces even more.

Right from the get-go players are pulled in three different directions, or three treasures they can chase after. This includes the gym challenge from Nemona who is eager to see the player become a champion-level trainer like them. Arven requests help taking down mysterious titan Pokémon which seem to relate to a plan known as the Herba Mystica. Then there's Cassiopeia, a mysterious figure who has hacked the player's phone and requests their help taking down Team Star, a group of delinquents who seem to be causing a bit of trouble here and there. With all the points of interest slapped on the map, any direction can be taken to head towards these activities. Like mentioned before, there's no level scaling to speak of, so each of these challenges have set levels with each having a good indication of the challenge based on the wild Pokémon outside. Regardless of the direction the player goes they'll steadily be headed in a way that leads them into fighting, getting stronger and taking on nearby challenges if they so choose. Each path has its own story line which do ultimately come together in little ways and manage to each have fun and unique identities. Gym challenges are the most familiar as it's simply tackling gyms after overcoming a small challenge. The titan path has players trying to find giant Pokémon that are feeding off the Herba Mystica which has caused them to grow gigantic. After taking them down, the legendary companion is able to eat some and regain some of their power which gives new movement options. Finally Team Star has players heading into a base and fighting off a wave of grunts using the Let's Go battle mechanic with a team of three before facing down the leader of that area in a normal battle. It's a wonderful amount of variety that makes it so challenges don't grow stale and keep the player on their toes for what's coming next.

While out in the field, it wouldn't be all too surprising for a weary traveler and their Pokémon to get hungry and need a break. Fortunately, that's where picnics come into play. This brand new mechanic allows players to let their Pokémon out for a break where they can walk around, play together and maybe even mysteriously produce an egg. This is also where players can make sandwiches, an entirely new food-based buff for this title. Through the entire campaign players can find food vendors who will sell ice cream, sandwiches and more that offer buffs to finding or fighting Pokémon. These can also be made as sandwiches in picnics with players needing to purchase ingredients and figure out what might make a good meal. Players can also find recipes they can make if they have the ingredients or simply try to craft their own and see what type of outcome they get. It's fun to experiment, especially given they buffs last half an hour so there's plenty of reason to go back and try more.

Like so many titles before it, Scarlet and Violet introduce a brand new mechanic to make battles flashy and offer new strategies to learn. This time around it's known as Terastillizing. Every Pokémon has a Tera type and is naturally capable of this phenomena as long as the trainer carries a Tera Orb to cause the change. A Pokémon that has Terastillized changes to a solo type, often a type they themselves already have, and gain only the weaknesses and resistances of that type in addition to getting an attack boost if the same attack type is used. The benefit to this in particular is that players can stumble upon crystal dens that are home to various powerful Terastillized Pokémon that are powerful and often have a Tera Type that's not their own, making them a formidable opponent. Four players can go into these dens and work together to take down the Tera Pokémon in order to capture them and reap extra rewards. These can be done solo with NPCs or online with others, with various levels determining how difficult each one will be.

It cannot be overstated how wonderful the soundtrack for these titles are. The music of Pokémon titles always tend to be a highlight and it's presented all too perfectly here where every track has the perfect feel to events ongoing and just make great listening when traversing land, sea and mountains. The character and Pokémon models have seen massive upgrades and while most of the buildings and details look fantastic, there are some muddy-looking textures. It can't be overlooked that there's obvious pop-in and performance hiccups from time to time, but generally there were few instances where it actually felt outright atrocious, but individual tolerance for these kinds of performance issues can vary. The online also comes into play here and there's improvements and missing choices. There's still no easy way to simply trade or easily connect with friends as everything still requires codes, but it's all quick and easy. Getting into a lobby with three other friends actually doesn't effect the performance to any noticeable degree and it's a blast running around with friends and being able to do story events without having to disconnect. The connection we participated in was also able to be tested with a friend in Australia and the connection still remained stable, which was a pleasant surprise given poor experiences playing with people around the world in other multiplayer titles on Nintendo Switch.

Closing Comments: 

While Pokémon Scarlet and Violet may not be a perfect experience, it's still an absolute delight in almost every way. Memorable characters and storylines are the highlight that pulls together the open exploration, which is truly impactful. It's hard to stop playing with every corner having a Pokémon hiding and potentially something new to find along the way. A trainer can go through every area and still miss one or two hidden surprises that are so much fun to uncover when coming back. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are the best titles in the franchise in over a decade, with the only thing holding them back being performance hiccups we hope manage to get fixed down the line.