The official description for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet starts by acknowledging some key changes the new games will be making compared to prior games. For example, like in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Pokemon will appear within the open world. They’ll be seen “in the skies, in the seas, in the forests, on the streets – all over!” However, that’s where Game Freak has apparently drawn the line. With regard to Pokemon battling and capture, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will be returning to the franchise’s traditional style.
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The key line in the description explains that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet players will be “battling against wild Pokemon in order to catch them.” As Pokemon Legends: Arceus players know, battling Pokemon isn’t always necessary to capture them. Players can throw a PokeBall and potentially catch Pokemon without any battle whatsoever. In fact, that’s the best and most successful way of catching Pokemon. It’s also a dramatic deviation from standard Pokemon gameplay, which explains why Pokemon Scarlet and Violet won’t include that feature.
While the description is unspecific, leaving room for eccentricities in the game design, it can likely be explained rather easily. Like in Pokemon Sword and Shield, players will see Pokemon in the open world. If the player wants to catch them, or if the Pokemon sees the player, an interaction will lead to the initiation of a traditional turn-based Pokemon battle. Players will then need to lower the Pokemon’s health or control them with status effects before throwing a PokeBall and potentially catching the Pokemon.
There’s always the possibility that Game Freak will keep Pokemon Legends: Arceus’ unique method of catching Pokemon. Perhaps it will be dialed back so it isn’t as easy to catch Pokemon. Perhaps not, considering how popular Pokemon Legends: Arceus’ gameplay was and how much it encouraged players to catch and play with different Pokemon.
Whatever Game Freak decides to do, there will be disappointed Pokemon fans who wished that a different decision was made. That’s just what happens when a spin-off game like Pokemon Legends: Arceus innovates and proves to be popular. As popular as Pokemon Legends: Arceus is, however, the traditional Pokemon experience’s resilience is well-proven as one of the three most successful franchises ever made. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will be just fine, even with traditional methods of capturing and battling Pokemon.
Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet release later this year for Nintendo Switch.
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