Pokémon Scarlet and Violet review: Growth and growing pains

Each generation of Pokémon brings a new region to discover. But with the open-world design of Pokémon Scarlet and Purple, instead of just getting an updated map with a linear path from start to finish, we have feels like there is a vast countryside to explore. Then you add a deeper story with three branching paths, plus a bunch of quality of life improvements and tweaks to the traditional Pokémon format, and you have a game that's great to get lost in, even with the title's unfortunate performance issues. .

Welcome to Paldea

As always, the goal in Pokémon Scarlet and Purple is to become the best. However, what's special about this generation is that you're also a student at a nearby academy (Naranja in scarlet, Uva in purple), where you'll meet the other important characters in your story, or in this case, stories. Nemona is a type of big sister who serves as both a rival and a guide as you try to become a Pokémon League champion. She's way nicer than Hop from Sword and Shield,and she helps you learn some of the basics of combat, which is useful because you don't spend much time in class.

Sam Rutherford/Engadget

Then there's Team Star, which is sort of this generation's equivalent of Team Rocket, except this time the gang is more like an after-school club with a bad reputation and way too much funding. Finally, there is Arven, the son of the new teachers (Professor Turo or Professor Sada depending on your version of the game), who is in search of the legendary Herba Mystica, magical plants unique to Paldea.

Of course, the journey to collect eight gym badges and defeat the Elite 4 is easier than ever (well, as much as it can be in an open-world game). But learning the motivation behind Arven's search for Titan Pokémon almost brought me to tears. And by introducing special large Pokemon, the game has the freedom to add a new type of battle beyond your battles with trainers and wild monsters.

Sam Rutherford/Engadget

Meanwhile, for the Starfall Street storyline, Scarlet and Violet use this twist to introduce yet another twist to Pokémon battles. Instead of battling a handful of minions one-by-one, you use your top three Pokémon to take down waves of off-screen enemy monsters, much like a Pokémon-themed auto battle that plays out more like a test of endurance. than the game's traditional turn-based combat. And at the end, you face each crew's boss before finding out what made them join the team in the first place, which ultimately leads to a surprisingly amazing redemption arc healthy.

The big impact of this is that by having three storylines instead of one, Scarlet and Violet are able to tell a bigger story from multiple angles unlike so many previous entries. And I think that approach really pays off because the paths that have nothing to do with becoming the number one trainer provide some of the most heartwarming moments the show has ever produced.

So much room for activities

After nine generations, I finally caught my first shiny in a normal game. Note: The Salamence line is only available in purple. Scarlet gets the Tyranitar line instead.

Sam Rutherford/Engadget

Apart from the multiple storyline...