From the announcement of the nextPokemonregion’s name to the new gameplay gimmick coming inPokemon ScarletandViolet, August’s Pokemon Presents featured a ton of information. While the first half of the 19-minute presentation featured news about The Pokemon Company’s other projects receiving updates this year, the latter half was dedicated to the two mainlinePokemontitles slated for November.
While some information shown appears to confirm a few of the leaks that have been spreading throughout the onlinePokemoncommunity, overall it gives players a good idea what to expect when diving into the Paldea region whenPokemon ScarletandVioletlaunch later this year. In fact, there were a number of big reveals in the August 2022Pokemon ScarletandViolettrailer.
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Paldea: A Region of Freedom and Discovery
Today’s trailer confirmedPokemon ScarletandVioletwill take place in the brand-new Paldea region. These new titles are thefirstPokemongames to be true open-world RPGs, and will let players travel the region with supposedly no restrictions. Players embark from one of two version-dependent schools, either Naranja or Uva Academy, to discover new Pokemon, meet friends and allies, and see all that the region has to offer. In the new trailer, several distinct biomes were shown, ranging from snowy tundra to rocky wastelands and lush plains. As expected, the Paldea region is thriving with Pokemon in all different environments, and the player is tasked with documenting them.
Traveling in Style
The two box art Legendary Pokemon, Koraidon and Miraidon, are introduced earlier inPokemon ScarletandViolet, and serve as the player’s adventuring partner. Not only will they accompany the player as they travel, but players can ride these two Legendaries, each of which have unique forms that allow them to move quickly across land, sea, and air. They can even scale cliffs with ease, making traversing the Paldea region a breeze. Whilethe rumored third Legendary Pokemonwas not shown, the two main ones seem to be integral to the core gameplay ofPokemon ScarletandViolet.
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A New Style of Gym Challenge and Multiple Stories
Being an open-worldPokemongame means some key changes need to be made. In past titles, players progressed in a set Gym order. However, inPokemon ScarletandViolet, players can tackle the gyms in any order they choose. The trailer introduced players to one of the Gym Leaders in the Paldea region:Grusha, Paldea’s Ice-type Gym Leaderwho presides over the Glaseado Gym. While it’s currently unclear how the game will balance Gym levels, this unprecedented freedom in the Gym Challenge is certainly appreciated.
In addition to the Gym Challenge, players can also venture out to explore two other unknown stories. The Pokemon Presents showcase confirmedPokemon ScarletandVioletfeature three stories, and while not much is known about the other two yet, some clips from the trailer provide clues about what players might expect. One shot features a futuristic jet-like car that may be tied to one of them, perhaps alluding to the rumors thatPokemon ScarletandVioletfeature themes of the past and future.
Following that, a separate shot showcases one of the new characters, Arven, who is an upperclassman at the player’s school. Arven and the player character are investigating a glowing pink plant, which may tie back into thenew Terastal mechanic coming inScarletandViolet. Itcertainly wouldn’t be a surprise if the game wanted to dive further into the regional gimmick and explain this new feature.
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New and Returning Pokemon
It wouldn’t be a newPokemontrailer if it didn’t feature monsters for fans to gush about. Today’s trailer featured many fan-favorites that are making a comeback, like Houndoom, Arcanine, Sawsbuck (with its multiple forms), and Scizor. Among the returning Pokemon is aregional form for Wooper. Paldean Wooper looks similar to its Johto counterpart, except that it is brown and features a new Poison/Ground type combination, which hasn’t been seen since Generation 1’s Nidoking and Nidoqueen. While fans currently don’t know if Quagsire gets a Paldean form or Wooper evolves into a brand-new Pokemon, this does confirm there will be more regional forms inScarletandViolet.
In addition to returning Pokemon, there were also two brand-new monsters shown off in the trailer: Cetitan and Fidough. Cetitan is used by Grusha, a pure Ice-type Pokemon. It has the abilities Thick Fat and Slush Rush, and hopefully this large whale is powerful enough to make some waves as a strong Ice Pokemon for a change. The other newcomer is the adorable Fidough, a dog made of bread that is a pure Fairy type. Fidough has the Own Tempo ability in-game, but its true power appears to be stealing the hearts of everyone on the Internet. HopefullyFidough evolves into an even bigger, cooler bread dogas it makes its home on everyone’s Pokemon team.
Tera Raids and Terastal Pokemon
Last but certainly not least is the new gimmick coming inPokemon ScarletandViolet: Terastal Pokemon. As with nearly every other mechanic in the past, Terastal Pokemon only appear in Paldea, and when Pokemon Terastallize, they shine like crystals with a crown-like crystal formation over their head. Terastallized Pokemon feature more powerful moves and boosted stats, making them a strong threat in battle.
All Pokemon found in the Paldea Region can Terastallize, and the process may even change a Pokemon’s typing. Every Pokemon features a Tera Type, and the same Pokemon can be found in the wild with different Tera Types. The example given in the Pokemon Presents video is an Eevee who typically would have a Normal Tera Type, but others can be found with types like Flying. Another example is thepre-order bonus that gives players a Pikachuwith a Flying Tera Type.
In addition to Terastal Pokemon, Tera Raids are coming toScarletandViolet. In these raids, which seem to share similar mechanics toPokemon SwordandShield’s Dynamax Raids, playerswork together and battle one powerful Terastal Pokemon. UnlikeSwordandShield’s raid battles, Tera Raids are not turn-based, as the four trainers can use moves without waiting. They can also “cheer” their teammates to give stat buffs if their Pokemon doesn’t know any supporting moves. There will be various ratings for the raids just like inSwordandShield, and players can tackle them alone, via matchmaking, or with friends using Link Codes.
A lot of big changes are coming inPokemon ScarletandViolet, from the new Terastal Pokemon to more details about the Paldea region. Whilemany of theScarletandVioletleakshave yet to be confirmed, some leaked information was shown in this lengthy presentation. One thing is for certain:Pokemon ScarletandVioletare shaping up to be quite a unique experience forPokemonfans, even just going off of this presentation alone. Hopefully fans won’t have to wait much longer for more information.
Pokemon ScarletandVioletlaunch November 18, exclusively for Nintendo Switch.
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