One rumor may have already shed light on Scarlet and Violet’s special feature. According to one well-known leaker, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will allow players to temporarily add a third type to their Pokemon, opening up doors to all kinds of weakness and resistance rearrangements. Such a mechanic would definitely require careful balancing from Game Freak, but conceptually, it seems like the logical next step for the franchise to take. The last several Pokemon gimmicks have all reshaped key traits of Pokemon in major ways, and since Pokemon types haven’t been experimented with yet, they’re probably next in line.
RELATED: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Should Experiment With More New Status Conditions
Pokemon’s History of Generational Mechanics
Ever since Pokemon X and Y, Pokemon games have featured temporary mechanics that flip basic Pokemon abilities on their heads. X and Y kicked off the tradition with Mega Evolution, which allowed fully evolved Pokemon to temporarily assume another form with even greater power. Mega Evolution not only changed a Pokemon’s appearance, but it could drastically alter the Pokemon’s type as well, like Mega Charizard X’s transformation into a Fire/Dragon type. Although Mega Evolution has mostly bowed out of the Pokemon franchise, its refreshing look at the concept of evolution opened the door for many other creative ideas.
In the next generation, Game Freak took a new look at moves. Pokemon Sun and Moon introduced Z-Moves, a type of empowered move that could be used if the player’s Pokemon was holding a certain Z-Crystal. While each Pokemon type had its own generic Z-Move attack, many Pokemon had signature Z-Moves and Z-Crystals with more specific effects; status moves had their own empowered variants as well. The empowered attacks made available by Z-Moves introduced a nice bit of variety to Pokemon Sun and Moon battles without the long-term ramifications of an evolution mechanic like Mega Evolution.
Rather than drawing on an entirely new aspect of Pokemon for its gimmick, Pokemon’s Generation 8 games combined the previous two ideas. In Pokemon Sword and Shield, players can Dynamax their teammates to increase their size and strength, but beyond that, certain Pokemon can Gigantimax. Gigantimaxed Pokemon have access to a special G-Max move that can deal devastating damage; they also have significantly altered appearances and weight, making these forms feel like a cousin of Mega Evolution. While Gigantimaxing is an interesting concept, its introduction means that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet can hardly rely on combining old gimmicks again. Instead, it’ll likely have to break new ground.
RELATED: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Should Avoid Fairy-Type Legendaries
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s Possible Gimmick
With moves and Pokemon evolution thoroughly explored over the last three generations, it seems like high time for a new Pokemon game to try something new with Pokemon types. Moves and evolution are two of the most important traits of a Pokemon, and Pokemon types seem like the only aspect that are anywhere near as important as them. It only makes sense that type changes are what Game Freak might turn to next to make Pokemon Scarlet and Violet feel special.
Although plenty of past moves in Pokemon have allowed players to mess with Pokemon types, there has never been a consistent way to make any given Pokemon have three types at the same time. As entirely uncharted territory, a three-type gimmick has a lot of potential to make Pokemon Scarlet and Violet feel special. Scarlet and Violet likely won’t just feature wild Pokemon with three types, though. Instead, Pokemon history suggests that players will once again get a special item that allows them to temporarily modify a Pokemon’s characteristics in battle for a few turns. Whether players need to collect held items for this purpose or whether they can change types at will remains to be seen.
This plausible direction for Scarlet and Violet is definitely risky, since triple-type Pokemon could be very difficult to balance. A Pokemon that takes eight times the usual damage from an incoming attack due to a three-way type disadvantage is extraordinarily vulnerable, no matter how high level it is. At the same time, certain three-type combos could completely erase a Pokemon’s weaknesses, making them more frustrating than fun to play against. Game Freak would have to explore some ways to keep the three-type gimmick in check, whether that means each Pokemon can only gain certain types or only a select few Pokemon can change their types at all.
Innovating on Pokemon Basics
Regardless of whether Pokemon Scarlet and Violet actually feature a triple-type mechanic or not, the spirit of the concept shows a good direction for the game to go in. Scarlet and Violet’s gimmick needs to try something that no other Pokemon game has tried. It just so happens that Pokemon types haven’t been the source of major experimentation just yet, meaning it’s the perfect angle for the new games to take. Game Freak could explore a wealth of type-based options other than three-type combos, like switching out one of a Pokemon’s types on command.
Thankfully, the wait for information about Scarlet and Violet’s key mechanic shouldn’t be too long. Since the games have already been revealed, Game Freak’s next trailer will almost certainly show off actual Scarlet and Violet gameplay, and a new generation’s special mechanic is important enough to show off as soon as possible. Whatever form Scarlet and Violet’s gimmick takes, Game Freak is sure to use it as a major selling point for the next game. Nintendo may have many other games to advertise in 2022, but considering how important Pokemon is to its brand, it’ll almost certainly make Scarlet and Violet a priority, meaning major information releases are bound to come sooner rather than later.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet release in late 2022 for Nintendo Switch.
MORE: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Shouldn’t Bring Mega Evolutions Back
