My unique plan was to do that totally in wrestling jokes, however the writing time was coming as much as a Ric Aptitude 1980’s title protection.
We’re into the standard dry interval between the announcement of a brand new Pokemon sport and the reveal of precise new details about it, however it’s left me with quite a lot of time to stew over issues since our fast evaluation got here out. As somebody whose Pokemon playstyle is essentially targeted on Pokedex completion, I totally settle for that what I need out of Scarlet and Violet goes to be completely different than what the aggressive gamers need. (That’s a world I’ve largely averted since Blissey, Skarmory, and non-Selfdestruct Snorlax ruined the nascent aggressive battling scene of the Recreation Boy Colour video games.) However I don’t assume my hopes are unrealistic, so let’s break them down.
1) Make all the Pokemon who aren’t obtainable on the Swap obtainable in vanilla Scarlet/Violet.
Because it seems, it is a smaller listing than you’d assume. Between Sword and Defend, its Growth Go, Good Diamond / Shining Pearl, and Legends: Arceus there’s only 27 families of regular Pokemon that aren’t obtainable on Swap in some style. Though a few of them have the dreaded X-Pac Warmth (poor Simisear, literally the least popular Pokemon in existence) there’s additionally some fairly well-liked strains and a frickin’ Smash Bros character who aren’t obtainable except you employ the 3DS to carry them in. And if Pokemon is designed to usher in new gamers each time, that’s going to be quite a bit tougher for a beginner to “catch ‘em all” in the event that they don’t have a hand-me-down 3DS someplace. One of many lacking strains—Flabebe’s—was within the OG trailer, so there may be hope.
And earlier than Pokemon Go is introduced up as a risk for acquiring a number of the lacking, a lot of these are regionally restricted; I can solely get the water monkey of the fundamental monkey trio as a result of I dwell in North America. As nicely, they solely added Alola-region Pokemon in February and are nonetheless lacking many of the unique Pokemon from that period. The one ones which have been added as of press time that aren’t obtainable on Swap are the Yungoos line, the Pikipek line, and Oricorio. And the aim of this request is to make every thing obtainable on one platform.
Having extra “Legendary” (occasion) Pokemon obtainable as a part of the story would even be good. Save bonuses and Legends: Arceus did OK with this as we’re solely lacking Celebi (tied to the Digital Console launch of Pokemon Crystal) and Deoxys (a postgame occasion in Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, a virtually eight-year-old sport that’s quickly to be off digital markets and is already getting out of hand for bodily copies) of the primary 493. However that also leaves 9 Mythicals that haven’t come out since restricted 3DS occasions. Possibly there’s an opportunity right here? In reality… it will tie properly into the subsequent one.
2) Hold the brand new “Legendary” depend low if not zero
This isn’t prone to occur, admittedly. Regardless that Sword and Defend began out nicely by solely having a trio, each Pokemon launched within the DLC is taken into account legendary. In reality, the legendary depend by era in comparison with the variety of Pokemon launched:
- Purple/Blue/Yellow – 4/150 (2.66%)+1 legendary
- Gold/Silver/Crystal – 5/99 (5.05%)+1 legendary
- Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald – 8/133 (6.06%)+2 mythicals
- Diamond/Pearl/Platinum – 9/102 (8.82%)+5 mythicals
- Black/White – 9/152 (5.92%)+4 mythicals
- X/Y – 3/69 (4.34%)+3 mythicals
- Extremely Solar/Moon+Let’s Go – 20/83 (22.7%)+5 mythicals
- Sword/Defend – 3/80 in base sport, 7 in DLC (11.36%)+1 legendary
- Legends Arceus – 1/7 (14.28%)
A complete of 69 “legendary” Pokemon, or the whole non-mythical depend of Pokemon X and Y. (Good.) Fortunately, that one in Legends: Arceus provides them an out to theoretically simply use the now 4 genies because the plot drivers for this era. It most likely gained’t occur—there are motion pictures to be made and the anime wants some huge arcs—however who’s to say no matter area Scarlet and Violet takes place in doesn’t have a regional variant of an current group or some older Legendary Pokemon if we actually should go down that street?
3) Both don’t have a battle gimmick like Dynamax in any respect, or make it postgame solely.
Mega Evolution, Z-Strikes, and Dynamax/Gigantamax have been cute for a time, however almost a decade of gimmickry made the straightforward throwback fight of Good Diamond and Shining Pearl really sort of refreshing. Ideally, we don’t should cope with one other gimmick factor, however the “raid” idea from Sword and Defend was well-liked and Arceus is aware of Go gained’t cease shoving raids down the playerbase’s throats. They’re a easy approach to make post-launch content material as nicely.
Fortunately, there may be precedent for maintaining gimmickry out of the story within the Pokemon sequence or at the very least limiting it. Pokemon Black 2 / White 2 added the idea of “Hidden Grottoes,” a proto-raid den that might be run into for uncommon Pokemon or gadgets; it was launched across the time of the fourth badge and was largely solely mandatory within the postgame for Pokedex completion. Solar and Moon additionally stored the Mega Evolution gimmick from the unique 3DS era, however all the gadgets wanted for triggering it have been solely unlocked after successful the title for the primary time.
So if one thing triggered within the postgame causes a bunch of dens to spawn within the surroundings for straightforward multiplayer play, that’d be effective. Or in the event that they adopted the “Agile Model / Robust Model” idea from Legends: Arceus, however tailored it to a turn-based format in a means that it’s consistently obtainable. I can see it being solely utilized to damaging strikes, and both lowering harm to offer the assault elevated precedence (on the order of Excessive Velocity) or taking a transfer precedence hit with a view to tack on further harm.
That is most likely probably the most egocentric want of mine: I’d actually like for my roommate to get again into the sequence, and he’s cited the “gimmicks” as a purpose he hasn’t actually loved a Pokemon sport because the Black / White video games. (He’s skipped each Swap Pokemon sport totally.)
4) Do a greater job of spreading out when Pokemon turn out to be obtainable
That is particularly a Sword and Defend criticism, however they frontloaded that sport to an absurd diploma. It’s doable to get almost 75% of the Pokedex within the base Sword and Defend previous to the primary fitness center, and there’s probably greater than 520 Pokemon accessible if the DLC is current, together with roughly 30 Legendary Pokemon. Most of that is because of the presence of the Wild Space, and particularly the raid dens; though Sword and Defend prolonged the previous badge obedience cap to stop catching something over the cap, the Pokemon within the raid dens would coincidentally come at or close to your stage cap. (The remainder of that is the truth that the Dynamax Adventures of the Crown Tundra will be achieved as quickly because the DLC unlocks, with the one roadblock being a battle you possibly can lose with out affecting the plot.) I perceive that they wished to make sure sorts that have been beforehand uncommon—particularly, the Ice sort—extra broadly obtainable, however most of what I utilized in my first couple of playthroughs was pulled off the routes as I simply wished to get out of the Wild Space.
One of many few issues we learn about Scarlet / Violet is that they’re going to be “open world” Pokemon video games, with no matter meaning. I’m most likely the one sicko like this, however I need roadblocks in big numbers. Most probably, the world shall be laid out equally to what the Isle of Armor or Crown Tundra was. In that occasion, give me a bit style of a bunch of areas with a few Pokemon obtainable previous to badge (or badge substitute) 1, and let it develop a bit extra as the sport progresses. A great portion of the Isle of Armor was blocked off till water journey grew to become an choice pre-badge 7; this was cool. However I’m additionally on report as saying my favourite elements of Sword and Defend have been routes 1 to eight till the hail kicked in.
The typical Pokemon sport post-DS has had someplace between a half and three quarters of all Pokemon in it. That might put Scarlet / Violet at between 500 and 750 Pokemon roughly. In the event that they’re evenly divided between no matter sport milestones can be found, pre-credits, and the postgame, that’s fairer than having a dump like pre-badge 1 in Sword/Defend or (to a lesser extent) pre-badge 2 in Pokemon X and Y.
5) Retcon a number of the stupider evolutionary strategies nonetheless standing
Inkay (flip the system the other way up upon hanging the blow that results in the level-up) and Galarian Yamask (lose 49 HP, then drive beneath a random arch within the Wild Space of Sword and Defend) are what I’m particularly aiming at right here. They eliminated quite a lot of location-relevant evolutions in Sword and Defend: Eevee grew to become appropriate with the Leaf Stone after 23 years. However the truth that you possibly can’t evolve Inkay docked is sort of dumb, and who’s to say the subsequent system may have system-level gyro? Would possibly as nicely rip the bandage now. And I needed to lookup Galarian Yamask’s evolution on three completely different web sites when making an attempt to do it as a result of I couldn’t imagine it. In what universe does it make sense?
Assuming the Hisuian originals of Legends: Arceus come by time – which hey, we have already seen Hisuian Zoroak – they might additionally need to patch up Stantler, Qwilfish, and Basculin’s evolutions. The final one—lose well being from recoil strikes?—is particularly in want of a repair. I believe the primary two of that group will get modified to “stage up with (trademark transfer)” if the Robust/Agile system is disregarded anyway.
Have some hopes for Scarlet and Violet you need to get out? Or do you need to have me dedicated? Both means, tell us beneath and we are able to chortle collectively when actually none of this occurs through the vacation season.
