Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Pokémon Scarlet (ポケットモンスター スカーレット) and Pokémon Violet (ポケットモンスター バイオレット) are 2022 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for the Nintendo Switch. They are the first instalments in the ninth generation of the Pokémon video game series. They were announced in February 2022 and released on 18 November 2022. The games later received a downloadable content (DLC) expansion pass storyline, The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero. The first part, The Teal Mask, released on 13 September 2023, and the second part, The Indigo Disk, was released on 14 December 2023. A post-game expansion, Mochi Mayhem, also known as the epilogue to the DLC and the game itself, released on 11 January 2024.

Unlike previous Pokémon instalments, Scarlet and Violet take place in the Paldea region, which is based on the Iberian Peninsula and features an open world. There are three separate stories the player can complete. Scarlet and Violet introduce 120 new Pokémon, along with two new regional forms and time-displaced creatures known as Paradox Pokémon. It also introduces the Terastal phenomenon, (テラスタル) which allows a Pokémon to transform into its exclusive "Tera Type". The games maintain features from previous modern Pokémon games, including large open areas and Pokémon appearing in the overworld.

Scarlet and Violet received mixed reviews from critics, becoming the lowest-rated mainline games in the series. The games were praised for their open world formula and story, while their graphics and technical problems at launch received criticism. The games sold over 10 million copies in their first three days, making them Nintendo's biggest launch of all time, and 24.36 million copies by December 2023.

Gameplay
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet largely follow the same basic gameplay structure of previous Pokémon games, where players obtain creatures known as Pokémon, primarily through catching and trading, and use them to explore the world and battle other Pokémon trainers. However, a new feature has been added which allows players to choose to battle trainers on paths.

Scarlet and Violet have open worlds, which include both urban areas and open wilderness without borders between the two, unlike previous instalments in the Pokémon series. In addition to this, progression is up to players, with three routes available to choose from, and objectives within routes can be done in any order.

The games introduces 112 new Pokémon, including three new starter Pokémon, Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly, and two new legendary Pokémon, Koraidon and Miraidon. To assist in travel, Koraidon or Miraidon can be used to traverse the environment. Two new regional forms are also introduced, as well as Paradox Pokémon and "convergent evolution" Pokémon: species that resemble other species but are completely different; for instance, Wiglett has similar facial designs to Diglett. A mechanic called "Let's Go" allows the player to send out a Pokémon to roam the overworld and automatically battle wild Pokémon. In addition, the games include co-op play with up to three other players.

Scarlet and Violet introduce the Terastal phenomenon, which gives Pokémon a crystalline appearance and changes their type to match their "Tera Type". It also utilizes special moves such as Tera Blast, which, when used by a Terastallized Pokémon, becomes a move of the same type as the Pokémon's Tera Type.

Setting
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are set in the Paldea region of the Pokémon universe, which appears to be loosely based on the Iberian Peninsula. The region features diverse landscapes including lakes, wastelands, and mountain ranges. A large crater, called the Great Crater of Paldea, lies in the center of the region, which was formed by a meteorite strike centuries before the events of the game. Inside the Crater is an area named Area Zero, where the Terastalization phenomenon was first discovered. The region is divided into 15 different areas spread across 4 provinces; six in the south, three in the east, three in the west, and three in the north. The areas differ in Pokémon; some are only seen in specific parts of the region. Small islands and rock formations are scattered throughout the region's lakes and borders.

Story
In Scarlet and Violet, the player attends either the Naranja (Scarlet) or Uva (Violet) Academy, which has an annual "Treasure Hunt" that encourages students to seek something they treasure by exploring the region. After encountering either the legendary Pokémon Koraidon or Miraidon, who joins and assists the player despite having lost its ability to battle, they are encouraged to participate in three stories: Victory Road, Starfall Street, and Path of Legends.

In Victory Road, Nemona—a Champion-ranked trainer that rivals the player and frequently battles them throughout their journey—asks that they complete the Paldea region's eight Gyms. After defeating the leaders of each Gym, they can reach Champion rank by defeating the region's Elite Four and Top Champion Geeta. After becoming Champion rank, Nemona challenges the player to a final battle.

In Path of Legends, Arven asks for the player's help in locating the five legendary Herba Mystica. To obtain each Herba Mystica, the player and Arven team up to defeat "Titan Pokémon"—abnormally large Pokémon powered up by the Herba Mystica. Later in the storyline, Arven reveals that he wishes to use the Herba Mystica to heal his pet Mabosstiff, who was injured by a Pokémon in Area Zero—the workplace of his parent, either Professor Sada (Scarlet) or Turo (Violet). After defeating all five Titans, he and the player use the Herba Mystica to heal Mabosstiff and regain Koraidon/Miraidon's lost powers. He then challenges the player to a final battle, before being called by the professor to go to Area Zero with either the Scarlet or Violet Book. However, Arven decides that they must recruit further allies before journeying to Area Zero.

In Starfall Street, the player helps shy schoolgirl Penny stand up against Team Star, a group responsible for academy bullying, when Cassiopeia—Team Star's founder and Penny's secret identity—enlists them for "Operation Starfall", which aims to force Team Star to disband by defeating its five squad bosses. They are assisted by academy director Clavell, who aims to discover Team Star's origins while disguised as a student named Clive, and Penny, who wants to monitor the player in-person and guide them as Cassiopeia. They learn that Team Star was founded to counter bullying rather than cause it, and their confrontation with their bullies eighteen months ago caused the bullies to drop out and several academy staff members to resign. After defeating all squad bosses, Penny meets the player in the schoolyard to reveal her identity and challenge them to a battle. After her defeat, Clavell reveals his disguise and offers peace with Team Star, though he subjects its members to community service as punishment for several violations.

After choosing Nemona and Penny for assistance, Arven and the player set out towards the Zero Lab, the professor's laboratory in Area Zero. This unlocks the final story, The Way Home. Inside, they encounter Paradox Pokémon—biological relatives of extant Pokémon from either the ancient past (Scarlet) or far future (Violet). After reaching the laboratory, the professor reveals themselves to be an AI substitute of the true professor, who was killed in a laboratory incident sometime prior to the events of the game. The AI reveals that the original professor created a time machine to retrieve Paradox Pokémon and that they are to maintain it at all costs. The AI urges the player to shut down the time machine to preserve Paldea's ecology, though is forced by its programming to battle them. After initially being defeated, the time machine's security protocols disable Poké Balls in the area, leaving the player with no option except for their Koraidon or Miraidon to defeat the AI's own. This causes the time machine to fail, and the AI travels to the alternate time to allow for the machine's destruction, apologizing to Arven for the original professor neglecting him as a child before departing. Upon returning to the academy, Nemona, Clavell, and Geeta organize a Pokémon battling tournament between faculty and students. After evaluating all previous Gyms, the player emerges victorious in the tournament.

Development
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet started development in late 2019, around the time that Pokémon Sword and Shield released. Toby Fox assisted in composing some of the music featured in the games.

Marketing and release
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet were announced as part of a Pokémon Presents presentation on 27 February 2022, through a partially live-action trailer, which revealed the 3 starters; Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly. Throughout the games' pre-release marketing, several in-universe videos were published by The Pokémon Company, such as a camera trap to reveal Grafaiai, a web seminar to reveal Wiglett, a livestream to reveal Bellibolt, and a short found footage trailer to reveal Greavard.

On 1 June 2022, a second trailer was released, showing the two box cover legendary Pokémon along with more gameplay footage, three new Pokémon, and new characters.

On 3 August 2022, a third trailer was released alongside an overview trailer during a Pokémon Presents. These trailers revealed two new Pokémon, the return of regional variants as showcased with Paldean Wooper, the name of the region, a new battle mechanic known as the Terastal Phenomenon, as well as other details.

During the closing ceremony of the 2022 Pokémon World Championships on 21 August 2022, a new trailer was released that showcased a new Pokémon, Cyclizar, as well as new items and abilities to be used in competitive play.

A fourth trailer, released on 7 September 2022, and titled "Seek Your Treasure!", detailed the three stories the player can experience and three new Pokémon. Characters such as Mela, Brassius, and Geeta also debuted in the trailer.

On 29 September 2022, singer Ed Sheeran released a song titled "Celestial" in collaboration with The Pokémon Company that appeared in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Ed Sheeran's song would later be used in the game credits.

On 6 October 2022, a 14-minute trailer was released, highlighting the unique gameplay between four different players, each going on a different "path" in the story, as well as Farigiraf, Girafarig's evolution.

On 4 November 2022, a special edition Nintendo Switch OLED model with themed artwork was released. On 11 November 2022, a week before the games were released, a Splatfest themed around the three starter types was held in Splatoon 3.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet were released worldwide on 18 November 2022.

On 1 December 2022, Nintendo apologised for the issues players encountered and announced the 1.1.0 update, which fixed some bugs. Update 1.2.0, released in February 2023, fixed a number of further bugs, but also introduced a rare bug which corrupted save files. Update 1.3.0, released on 19 April 2023, fixed further bugs.

On 27 February 2023, the Pokémon Day presentation featured an announcement trailer for "The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero" DLC expansion pack, showcasing the mascot Legendary Pokémon for their respective DLCs, Ogerpon (for the Teal Mask) and Terapagos (for the Indigo Disk). Later in the presentation, it was revealed that an update would be released with new Paradox Pokémon, Walking Wake (based on Suicune) and Iron Leaves (based on Virizion); these can only be acquired by limited-time Tera Raid events.

In August 2023, during a Pokémon Presents presentation, a limited 4-episode web series based on the games, subtitled Pokémon: Paldean Winds, was announced; it premiered on YouTube on 6 September 2023, and ended on 13 December 2023.

Downloadable content
During a Pokémon Presents on 27 February 2023, a two-part downloadable content storyline pack titled The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero was announced. The first part, The Teal Mask, with the Legendary Pokémon Ogerpon, was released on 13 September 2023, and the second, The Indigo Disk, with the Legendary Pokémon Terapagos, was released on 14 December 2023. The DLCs introduced over 230 returning Pokémon that did not appear in the base game, including new Pokémon like Poltchageist and new evolutions for Applin and Duraludon.

In The Teal Mask, based on the legend of Momotarō, the player embarks on a school trip organized by the academy to the land of Kitakami, which would also coincide with a festival in the village, whilst uncovering the truth behind a local legend. In The Indigo Disk, the player studies at Naranja/Uva Academy's sister school, Blueberry Academy, as an exchange student, eventually travelling back to Area Zero. On 11 January 2024, the DLC's epilogue Mochi Mahyem released where the player goes back to the land of Kitakami to catch a new mythical Pokemon, Pecharunt.

Critical response
Scarlet and Violet received "mixed or average reviews" according to review aggregator Metacritic, making them the lowest-rated mainline series Pokémon games.

Publications criticised the games for suffering from graphical glitches and poor performance. The graphics were also considered to be lacklustre, with unfavourable comparisons to other Nintendo Switch titles such as Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Eurogamer writer Oliver Mackenzie called the games "comprehensive technical failures", criticising the games' poor texture quality and crudely modelled environments. Due to the performance issues, some players began requesting refunds of the games soon after launch, which Nintendo granted in most cases. IGN writer Rebekah Valentine adds that the games' innovative design is undermined by the numerous ways they feel deeply unfinished.

GameSpot writer Jake Dekker regarded the non-linearity of the games as their "strength", while Nintendo Life described the experience as capturing the "real magic" of the first Pokémon games, Red and Blue. The latter also praised the story as "wholesome" and offering "genuinely tender moments".

Sales
According to The Pokémon Company, Scarlet and Violet are the most pre-ordered titles in the series' history. Within three days of its release, the games had sold over 10 million copies worldwide, including 4.05 million in Japan alone. The sales figure was the highest of any software on any Nintendo platform within three days, and the best launch of any console-exclusive game in history. The games were the best-selling video game titles of 2022 in Japan. By March 2024, the games had sold 24.92 million copies.