Pokémon Scarlet and Violetmay have gotten a lot wrong at launch, but beneath all the bugs, glitches, and somewhat questionable game design were some truly exceptional ideas. In fact,Scarlet and Violetmanage to get a lot right that previousPokémongames have always struggled with. While its open world isn’t exceptional, there is a delightful quality to its exploration, and while it doesn’t have the strongest characters individually, when they come together, they make for the series' most memorable cast.
Warning. This article contains spoilers for the ending of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet’s base game.There are, therefore, a lot of lessons that the Gen 10Pokémongames can learn fromScarlet and Violet, both good and bad. In order for theGen 10 games to avoid failing, they need to takeScarlet and Violet’sbest qualities as much as they must avoid their worst. Namely,Scarlet and Violet’svery best feature, something that I feel is often overlooked, must be used heavily in the Gen 10Pokémongames; otherwise, they risk falling into the same trap as all of their predecessors.
Gen 10 Pokémon Needs To Copy Scarlet And Violet’s Ending
It Is By Far The Best Part Of Those Games
Pokémon Scarlet & Violet’sendingis easily the best part of the game. Of course, those who’ve played the DLC will know that the adventure carries on even after the base game’s credits roll. However,before players even reach Kitakami or Blueberry Academy, they first must come up against an AI-controlled version of the Pokémon professor they’ve been talking to the entire game, one that ultimately turns on the player after they attempt to switch off its time machine, the same one that has been bringing all of the Paradox Pokémon to the region.
This ending isn’t just a cinematic spectacle, one filled with amazing music, a great boss fight, and enough twists and turns to make even M. Night shiver, it is also preceded by a very different style of gameplay as the player, accompanied by three companions, explores a new area largely filled with aggressive Pokémon. Here, it doesn’t feel as if the player should catch them all, but rather that these Pokémon are more akin to enemies in a JRPG, and the companions following the player as they run around helps cement this feeling.
There are a lot ofterribleScarlet & Violetfeaturesthat the Gen 10Pokémongames need to leave firmly in the past, but this ending is not one of them. In fact, the style, tone, and pacing of this ending, coupled with its many narrative innovations - at least within thePokémonfranchise - such as having meaningful companions, more cinematic sequences, and making Pokémon feel more like enemies than friends that need to be caught, should serve as the blueprint for theGen 10Pokémongame’s narrative.
Pokémon Narratives Have Suffered For Too Long
They Usually Aren’t The Focus
I know that the general sentiment aroundPokémonnarratives is that they don’t need to be particularly impressive so long as the surrounding gameplay is fun enough, but I find that somewhat frustrating.Pokémonhas the potential to tell truly great and inspired stories, and, in a handful of instances, has come close.Black and White’score narrative goes in interesting directions, but is let down by the limited presentation afforded by the DS. Similarly,Sun and Moonhave a relatively strong narrative hampered by the limitations of the 3DS.
However, beyond those few examples,thePokémongames have almost always had terrible stories delivered in the most bland and boring way possible. This is largely because, for a very long time,Pokémonhas felt outdated, its lack of voice acting or good cutscene direction making it feel like a game from several generations ago. When the likes ofFinal Fantasy 7,Chrono Trigger, andXenogearsfrom the 90s are surpassing the narratives of modern-dayPokémongames, you know there’s something wrong.
With the impressive power of the Switch 2, Game Freak should be more ambitious with its storytelling, taking inspiration from not just other games within this genre, but also the iconicPokémonanime that has been surpassing the games in terms of storytelling for decades.
It isn’t like Game Freak is incapable of telling relatively decent stories, as even their spin-off game,Little Town Hero, is fairly interesting, full of life, charming characters, and humor. Nintendo also has a lot of strong support teams, like Monolith Soft, who are well-versed in telling good stories and who could always collaborate with Game Freak. Yet, despite all of this talent, thePokémongames continue to squander their narrative potential for seemingly no reason.
With the impressive power of the Switch 2,Game Freak should be more ambitious with its storytelling, taking inspiration from not just other games within this genre but also the iconicPokémonanimethat has been surpassing the games in terms of storytelling for decades. If there is just one thing theGen 10 games must abandon, it is the terrible storytelling that has plagued the series for nearly three decades now.
Gen 10 Pokémon Should Be Inspired By JRPGs
Their Stories Should Feel Epic
As aforementioned,Game Freak could always look to JRPGs for inspiration on how to tell a cinematic narrative withinPokémon’sframework. This has actually happened before withPokémon Colosseum, a game many regard as the series' attempt at apingFinal Fantasy. That game was extremely well-received, although somehow it remains anunderratedPokémonspin-offthat more people should definitely play. While the Gen 10 games can’t go in quite that direction,Scarlet and Violethave certainly laid a more modern JRPG-inspired groundwork for it to build on.
Introducing voiced cinematic cutscenes, side quests, and companions that you build meaningful relationships with would go a long wayin makingPokémonnot only a more interesting experience, but one that a new type of audience may gravitate towards. It would also help it stay on top of the creature collector competition, which has slowly begun beatingPokémonat its own game by implementing all of the key features that it is missing.
Pokémon Legends Z-Aisn’t adding a lot of these much-needed features, but if Nintendo makes theGen 10 games Switch 2exclusives, then they could be the first games in the mainline series to break expectations and tradition and do something unexpected, bold, and new. They could take the series in a fresh new direction, one that still appeals to a younger audience, while also offering a more nuanced experience, not unlikeMonster Hunter Stories, and akin to whatPokémon Scarlet and Violethad attempted, at least in their closing moments.
