10 things I want in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Hey everyone! Arihead here from Electronic First. Today, I’m gonna talk about the 10 things I want in the upcoming main Pokémon titles: Scarlet and Violet. As a long time Pokémon fan, I’ve been quite satisfied with the formula for years. I know some of you guys are tired of it though. After all, they’ve been presenting the same formula year after year. In fact, they’ve been publishing mainline games practically every year for a really long lime. And it’s no surprise, given the sales, even for Pokémon Sword and Shield, which was met with mixed reviews. However, since Gamefreak’s hit release, Pokémon Legends Arceus, they showed us that their formula has a lot more room to grow. 

When push comes to shove, they care enough to add the mechanics and things we longtime fans want. That’s why we’re doing this video today. Now of course, you might think some of the things I’m about to say are inconceivable for a Pokémon game, but did anyone expect them to revamp the catching system and world exploration in Legends Arceus? Honestly, I was very surprised with the many cool features added in that game, some of which are hard to live without, after getting a taste of it. Before we start though, be sure to check out our website. At Electronic First, we provide you with the best games at the best prices, including the many Pokémon games you are fondly familiar with.

10. True Open World Elements

Let’s face it, it’s 2022. EVERYONE is doing it at this point, and there’s a lot of reasons why you’d want this in a Pokémon game. Since time immemorial, they’ve romanticized the idea of a great Pokémon journey, where a kid leaves home from their mother and nonexistent father, with barely any money and just a lvl 5 starter Pokémon from their local professor. And you know what? I love it, every bit of it. Call it nostalgia; call it what you want, but every Pokémon main title astounds me to this day. But in the modern age, every great adventure practically demands an expansive open world. With the rate of their releases, it might not be realistic to expect this. If there’s one thing Gamefreak is lacking though, it’s certainly not in their resources or creativity. 

I would even welcome the open world bloat we see in other games. If anyone does it, I’ll naturally berate them for their poor design choice, but not Pokémon. Oh, they get special treatment. The mere thought of how epic it would be traveling across the land, searching far and wide, without having to sit through load screens at all overshadows the inevitable flaws that come with rushed development. Actually, why don’t we all envision what a Pokémon game would be like, adopting 10 of my ideas in this list? It only makes sense, right?

9. Voice Acting

If they ever design a true open world game, then voice acting is practically a must. I mean, they even did it with Breath of the Wild, right? And besides, many of us who watched the anime series are familiar with it and wouldn’t mind seeing this in future titles. I know fans would definitely love it. There’s a reason why open worlds almost always add voice acting, and that’s because they are designed to fully immerse you in their world. This would definitely work well in Pokémon. After all, there are all sorts of interesting characters in the games. I think Gamefreak does a great job at this. They need only take the next step. So, what does an open-world with voice acting need next?

8. Divergent Storytelling

When playing a mainline game, the story is a one-way street and plays out like a novel. And while each version may offer some degree of difference, the story remains structurally the same. Gamefreak is presented with the perfect opportunity to create stories with impactful decisions, causing diverging paths. After all, Pokémon is ultimately a story-driven franchise, with so much lore that it’s almost impossible to remember it all. Just look at the Pokédex entries and see for yourself. They’ve put a lot of thought into building their world. It’s quite possible that no gaming mythos is as detailed and intricate as the world of Pokémon. If they can put this much energy into the lore, then maybe they can create more interactive narratives. 

I’m hopeful about it. And this would also boost the game’s replayability. Yes, I said that right. “Replayability in a Pokémon game? But Arihead, you’re not supposed to replay Pokémon!” Well, that’s because they tend to add a lot of endgame stuff for you to do. The thing is, it’s like a different game at that point. Maybe you’re playing online, or maybe you’re min-maxing your Pokémon, but in the end, some of us still want to explore, train, and see the story unravel again. That’s part of why Nuzlocke challenges are so popular. It’s more than just a challenge. 

It’s experiencing the game again, with a fresh new twist to keep it more interesting. If Gamefreak wanted to, they could achieve this result with interactive narratives, as I was saying, and maybe even New Game+ stuff.

With just these three things, the game becomes radically different. But it’s the type of change that can introduce a lot of new players and maybe even older people to enjoy Pokémon. Some of the best games in recent memory have this level of innovation, like Breath of the Wild and Elden Ring. They gave us something we didn’t even know we needed. And you know what? Pokémon Legends Arceus did that too, to some extent. In spite of all the problems I mentioned in our Legends Arceus Worth a Buy episode, the game was met with glowing reviews. Why? Well, innovation. Enough of it to outshine the blatant issues with the game and delight even its most critical pundits.

7. Everything good about Legends Arceus

“Let’s take everything good about this game and make it the new standard for future releases.” That is, of course, what I am hoping the creators are doing. For context, I recommend watching our Pokémon Legends Arceus Worth a Buy episode, so you can see where I’m going with this. But basically, we want to roam around and maybe do quests. We wanna catch Pokémon, but not just in battle. Legends Arceus made running around the field and catching Pokémon in a 3d space a reality. The real reason why the catching system was so good is probably because that’s the objective of the game: to catch all the Pokémon, as lord Arceus has stated. But what about other titles, with the common goal of beating the Pokémon league and triumphing over the evil bad guys trying to destroy the world and stuff? Will we be getting this in Scarlet and Violet? Would it be a deal breaker? Well, for some, it might be. 

Never has exploration been so fun in a Pokémon game, especially with all the mounts we could use while traversing the many areas of Hisui. But that’s the good stuff. Call me old fashioned, but I’m not a particular fan of the game’s battle mechanics. Strong style and Agile style are imbalanced and they removed held items. Instead of adding more depth to the combat, they made it feel volatile to tell you the truth, with how speed mechanics and such work, perplexing even Pokémon theorycrafters. This is not a comment on the game’s difficulty. In fact, Legends Arceus was very easy. I just preferred the old combat mechanics. Maybe it’s because I’ve devoted a lot of time into playing competitive Pokémon, but I don’t see how this new combat system makes the game better.

6. Mounts

Yes. I know mounts were present in Legends Arceus, but they could definitely improve this aspect a lot. Instead of letting us ride a select few “noble Pokémon”, why not allow players to ride their own Pokémon? That would really add to the game’s immersion. I’m not sure how they could go about doing this. After all, Pokémon learn all sorts of random moves they probably shouldn’t. Maybe it’s time for them to clear up the age-old question “how come Doduo and Dodrio learn to Fly when they don’t even have wings!?” Dodrio can probably flap their heads around, but how does Doduo fly? Does it twirl its neck at great velocity, propelling you to the air like a helicopter? You’ve got some explaining to do, Gamefreak.

To recap, I’m wishing for divergent storytelling, everything good from Legends Arceus, better mounts, voice acting and an open world to see and hear Doduo performing the impossible. It’s already unbeatable.

5. Better Character Customization

Tell me, have you always wondered why every protagonist looks almost exactly the same? You can’t say the same thing about other characters found in the various games. Why is that anyway? They give you a self-insert type of character, but without the customization options you know they are capable of providing us. Accessories aren’t enough, and neither are the meager skin tone swaps we got from Sword and Shield. How about a change of eyes, other facial features, height, weight. What if I wanna be plumpier, huh?! The point is, we like variety, and they could do more in this respect.

4. Companions

On the topic of variety, wouldn’t it be great to have companions along with you in your journey? No, not just your beloved Pokémon. I hate to say it, but try as they might, the Pokémon are mostly devoid of personality. It felt a little better in Legends Arceus though. The journey can be, at times, a little lonely to be honest. I always liked the story bits in Pokémon games, which would sometimes result in a double battle, teaming up to foil the evil team’s plan. These bits were such fun, and I wish we had more of them. Well, introducing companions would make things very interesting. Not only would there be more opportunities for dialogue, but this could perhaps introduce nuance to the story and maybe even make double battles relevant outside of the competitive scene. But in order for this to work, each trainer should have their own specialty.

3. Trainer Abilities

Just think about it! You, the trainer, order Pokémon around as they faithfully follow your orders. They probably long for the day you help them in battle, aside from intense overmedication. Enter: Trainer Abilities. By pulling your own weight and actually doing something, you can now buff your team or debuff your enemies. It’s a little difficult to design this sort of thing without breaking the balance of the game, but it would definitely make us all the more creative, building entire teams around trainer abilities to develop the best strategies. And to put these strategies to good use, why not use them at harder difficulty levels?

2. Difficulty Levels

Pokémon can be very easy or quite hard, depending on your experience and aptitude. Regardless, people are often not content with the difficulty levels. I, for one, would like to be challenged more. Make opposing Pokémon higher leveled, give them useful moves, or better yet, allow the AI to swap Pokémon! This arcane ability is somehow only available to you. Even the most experienced trainers, the Elite Four, are not aware of this ten thousand IQ move. There have been some modes, like Battle Maison and other challenge areas where the AI was capable of swapping. This doesn’t occur in the main game though. Why not? Significantly improving the enemy AI at higher difficulty levels would be amazing. 

Likewise, dumbing them down at lower difficulty levels is a possibility. If you wanna be challenged, fine. If your desire is to fight an intellectually deficient AI, that’s fine too. Everyone deserves to play at their preferred difficulty level. Of course, I can understand if this is contrary to the developers vision. If they want the game at the normal difficulty level, I fully respect their decision.

But enough talking about AI, what about actual players?

1. Multiplayer Ranked

Our final plea to Lord Arceus is… Bringing back Multiplayer Ranked. Trust me, Pokémon Sword and Shield has a lot of problems, but this one isn’t one of them. I’m not a big fan of the rules though, but rules can change. Also, the competitive Pokémon community is one of the most dedicated I have come across in my gaming career. They’ve dissected the games down to a science. And when there are over 900 Pokémon and all sorts of mechanics most people are unaware of, you know it for a fact. I’ve been there, and let me tell you, Pokémon is serious business. 

Well, that sums up the top 10 things I want in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. What do you guys think? To reiterate, this would be a game with True Open World Elements, Voice Acting, Divergent Storytelling, Everything Good from Legends Arceus, Better Mounts, Better Character Customization Options, Human Companions, Trainer Abilities, Difficulty Levels and bringing back Multiplayer Ranked. Do you think all of these things would make for a great Pokémon game? And you know, I’d also love to hear the 10 things YOU want in Scarlet and Violet. It’s always nice to see what you guys think. Let us know in the comment section below. We really wanna hear from you. Stay with us at Electronic First, where we give you info on the latest and upcoming games. 

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This is Arihead, signing out! See you guys in the next one!