Despite the fact that somePokemonfans had already guessed Generation 9 was coming this year,Pokemon ScarletandViolet’s announcement took the Internet by the storm. Very little is currently known about whatPokemon ScarletandVioletwill entail in terms of new critters and gameplay mechanics, though there are clues about the fact that Generation 9 is likely not going to adoptPokemon Legends: Arceus' catching system, but will stick to the series' original battles. WhilePokemon Legends: Arceuswas a small revolution in itself,Pokemon ScarletandVioletcould be an even bigger one.
For starters, Gen 9 is going to be the first time thatPokemongames are getting the full open-world treatment, withPokemon Legends: Arceusonly getting open-world areasacross a bigger map with loading screens in between.Pokemon ScarletandVioletare going to have one fully connected world, and even Pokemon Centers are likely going to be out in the open wilds to avoid loading different zones at all times. For this reason and others,Pokemon ScarletandVioletcould get the same treatment asPokemon BlackandWhite, which acted as a soft reset for the entire video game series.
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Pokemon Black and White’s Reset, and How it Could Work in Gen 9
Pokemon BlackandWhitewere a soft reset for thePokemonseries, as the cycle of Japan-inspired games came to an end and overseas regions began - starting with Gen 5 being inspired by the United States, particularly around the New York area. Similarly, the Mythical and Legendary Pokemon included in games stopped being mainly inspired by Japanese culture to better fit their generation’s setting. Not only that, but Gen 5 came with a different approach to design as a whole, such asdifficulty settings inPokemon BlackandWhite 2and the originalBlackandWhitePokedex including only Unovan species before beating the game.
Pokemon BlackandWhite’s Pokedex was a great way to handle a soft reset, with the regional Pokedex containing exclusively the 156 new critters introduced for Unova. This is part of what made Gen 5 a lot likePokemon RedandBlue, which were the firstPokemongames ever and came with a similar number of Pokemon: 151.
Pokemon ScarletandVioletcould tackle the issues brought forward by thePokemoncommunity since the announcement ofPokemon SwordandShield’s cut national Pokedex, and that solution could be another soft reset with aregional Gen 9-exclusive Pokedex(though returning monsters like Magnemite and Seviper do appear in the games' trailer). This would be a good way to reboot the series in a way, with a soft reset that could lead to more interesting gimmicks overall. All modernPokemongames come with a defining gimmick that was also a way for the critters to become more powerful in battles, such as Mega Evolutions or Dynamaxing.
Many fans are now expectingPokemon ScarletandVioletto check the same boxes that past games did through modern releases, but that wouldn’t necessarily be what the series needs.Pokemon Legends: Arceusshowed that changing the core gameplay loop can be beneficial forPokemongames, andScarletandVioletcould take that lesson and run with it. Ultimately,Pokemon ScarletandVioletalready feel like a huge departure from what the series has accomplished so far, and Game Freak should capitalize on that.
Pokemon ScarletandVioletare scheduled to release in late 2022 for Switch.
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