Early Thoughts and Speculations on Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
I’m not normally one to speculate about new Pokemon games. After all, I only really play Pokemon GO, which is currently in spooky mode. But after having played Pokemon Sword, I think I cam finally look forward to a new Pokemon game. So far, I’ve liked what I’ve seen with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. But I do have some thoughts.
What I don’t have are any pictures, so have this picture of the Kanto starters. Because I’m pretty certain we’ll get some new form for Charizard.
Not seen many new Pokemon
Cyclizar in particular stands out. It’s a Dragon/Normal type that, well, seems to be used as the main mode of transport in the new game. Now, using Pokemon for transport is nothing new. Sword and Shield had you carried around by Corviknights. In previous games, we’d have Pokemon that knew Fly or Dig. But the dragon bike seems really weird.
Lechonk on the other hand is adorable. I’d totally use an Everstone on it. But apart from that, we’re actually kinda in the dark about the new Pokemon. What we’ve seen in trailers are scenic shots of Pokemon we already know. I mean, I’m glad I’ll be able to get a Houndour in Scarlet and Violet, and seeing Growlithe is always nice (because it is a cute doggo). However it would be nice to see a field of new Pokemon too. Even if they’re hard to see and are more of a teaser than anything else.
The Terastallizing Effect looks overpowered and kinda ugly
Actually that’s not completely true. The initial crystallization is pretty neat. Like a diamond coat around a Pokemon. That bit looks cool. What I don’t like are the massive diamond crowns that appear on a Terastallized Pokemon. They look ugly and out of place. But the crown also looks stupidly tall. They look especially stupid on small Pokemon, they end up with crowns nearly the size of their heads.
Terastallized Pokemon seem kinda overpowered too. Some Terastallized Pokemon actually have their types changed. In one of the preview trailers, we see a Gallade use a fighting move on a Tyranitar, but it misses because the Tyranitar is Terastallized and suddenly has the Ghost type. Which fighting is unable to hit. My question though is whether Terastallization only happens on certain Pokemon, or if it’s like Dynamax and everyone can do it. Considering how a pre-order bonus is a Pikachu that can Terastallize and knows Fly, I’m guessing it won’t be for everyone.
The cover Legendaries look neat
They’re, like… motorbike dragons? I’m not quite sure. I definitely prefer the purple one though. The red one feels too organic to have a massive wheel in its chest. The purple one at least looks like futuristic and better designed for being a motorbike. Still, I’m surprised they are dragon types. We’ve had a lot of dragon type legendaries, the last one being Eternatus in Sword and Shield. I like dragon types, but surely these guys could have been steel types instead? Or maybe even normal types. We haven’t had a normal type legendary Pokemon in a while.
If/when I do get either Pokemon game, I’ll definitely pick the purple one. I dunno, it just seems a tad more regal. And also makes a bit more sense. While Violet seems more technology-based, Scarlet seems to go straight for instinct. Either way, I am looking forward to seeing how this game pans out. And, hopefully, it might actually provide some actual challenge this time.