So... How about that new Pokémon Scarlet and Violet trailer, eh? Lots of new information was secreted away inside that three-minute long peek at the upcoming game, and we're going to try to dig all of it up. Come with us on a journey through Pokétime and Pokéspace...
Confirmed Details
First up, feel free to reacquaint yourself with the trailer:
All good? Well, let's dive right in...
Puns, puns everywhere
It's a Pokémon game. Of course there will be puns, wordplay, and little references in the names. Here are just some of the ones we got in the new trailer:
- Lechonk
- A Pokémon based on the Iberian pig, which is a black pig used to make jamón ibérico, the famous (and delicious) Iberian ham. "Lechón" is the Spanish word for a suckling pig. "Chonk" is... a meme word used to describe chunky animals.
- Smoliv
- Olives are a common Mediterranean food and export, and this grass-type Pokémon is small (or "smol"), so... Smoliv.
- Miraidon & Koraidon
- The two legendaries come from the Japanese words for "future" and "ancient" respectively, mirroring the overall past/future theme of the two games. There might also be more to this theming, if you read on...
- Professors Turo and Sada
- The Spanish for future is "futuro" and the feminine version of the Spanish for past is "pasada".
- Pawmi
- Generation IX has its Pikachu-style electric mouse, and his name is Pawmi. This might be a combination of paw and ami(go)? We're not 100% sure.
Motorbike theming
Did you know that Spain is really into motorbikes? We did not. But motorbikes, and motocross (off-road motorcycle racing) are both big themes in this new region, perhaps like football was in Galar. Here's the evidence:
The legendaries
Koraidon and Miraidon are both bike-shaped, and even have wheels. They've also got "ride-on" in their names, their backs look suspiciously like seats, and their shoulders look like handlebars, so they might be able to turn into bikes, Transformer-style.
At least one gym looks like a motocross track
We'll have to take this person's word for it, but the bottom-right image here is apparently similar to a motocross track — like Excitebike, but muddier.
The Pokémon Centers look like petrol stations
We checked, and apparently petrol stations in Spain look pretty much exactly like the ones in the UK and US, so we're willing to accept that the strange outdoor Poké Centers are modelled after them.
Non-linear exploration
The newly-published Pokémon website has this to say:
You can experience a new style of adventure, with a world that you’re free to explore at your leisure and not in an order dictated by the story. You will, of course, journey to hone your skills as a Pokémon Trainer, but many more discoveries and stories await you. Meet a variety of people and Pokémon, and adventure in the world of Pokémon the way you want to.
You hear that? That's non-linear gameplay, baby! We'll look more into what that means in a bit.
The... outfits?
Some people are more interested in the fashion of the Pokémon games than anything else, and those people include this writer. The characters seem to be largely dressed in school outfits, but their hats, hairstyles, bags, and glasses change. Also sometimes they wear shorts, and sometimes they wear trousers.
So, there will probably be an element of fashion, like in Sword & Shield... but we're intrigued about how it'll interact with the uniforms.
Accurately sized Pokémon
Look at these Flabébés! They're tiny!!! 10cm, to be exact! And it looks like they'll be roughly size-accurate. Does this mean that we'll be seeing giant Pokémon, too? Hard to say, but we hope so.
CO-OP?!
Yep! From the website:
Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet allow multiplayer gameplay with up to four players. Along with series staples, such as trading and battling Pokémon, you will be able to explore the various locations of the region in these games with other players. You can discover new Pokémon and explore unfamiliar areas with your friends and family, opening the door to an adventure more precious and fun than ever!
First open-world Pokémon game
Double yep! From the website:
Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet are the first open-world RPGs in the Pokémon series.
Past vs Future
It looks like Scarlet & Violet will be based on the past and the future, although it's not really clear what that means. Read more about it here:
New UI
We love an upgrade to the interface, and this one looks nice and minimalist:
Toby Fox is back, baby
Toby Fox has announced that he's doing music for the games again, but this time he's the composer for the field theme, saying "this time, my music is not optional!"
Enter The Speculation Zone
A third legendary?
Right at the end of the trailer, there's a strange bit of footage, which is a sort of scaly, sort of glass-like, moving texture... and then an icy Poké Ball flies past. Could this be a hint at a third legendary?
Dynamic Pokémon levelling
This is absolutely speculation, but... if the Scarlet & Violet world is non-linear and open, does that mean we can expect dynamic levelling, where wild Pokémon match your abilities? This seems unlikely, but what's more likely is that the gyms dynamically match your own level, since it would be really boring to accidentally take on a low-level gym with massively beefy Pokémon.
Regional variants
We haven't seen any regional variants yet, so we can only speculate. But based on what we know (Spain! Portugal! Food!) we can take a few educated guesses:
- Tauros, but more like a toreador
- More Eevee evolutions
- Snorlax but siesta-themed
- Exeggcute but a frittata
- Palossand, but he looks like the Sagrada Família
- Oricorio but, like... more... flamenco
- A rapier version of Aegislash
- An evolution of Mudbray called Donkixote
- What if Vanillite was sangria instead
Bulls
There's gotta be bulls. Bullrings. Bullfighting. etc. A bull-themed gym? Who knows!!
More food
Everyone loves Spanish and Portuguese dishes! Custard tarts! Paella! Tapas! Galar represented the UK with Sinistea and Polteageist, so let's see a patatas bravas Pokémon. And then we should eat it.
What are your predictions and hopes? Tell us in the comments!
Further Reading:
Comments 45
I like the past and future themes along w the Spanish backdrop.
I think this game is more about who's better. The future or the past? New school vs old school. Old tech vs new tech. Etc.
Let certain Pokemon evolve and naturally go extinct or create genetically new Pokemon but better? Past or future? Mew or Mewtwo?
I missed voice acting and good fight move animations in the trailer :/
Getting neither as usual, my money is saved for much more ambitious titles being Sunbreak and Xenoblade 3.
But it is nice seeing this franchise evolve slowly but surely this time around.
It's just that I don't think pokemon is for me anymore.
Nice to see an Iberian pig and an olive Pokemon, very fitting.
I'll be picking up Scarlet for sure.
I like the new Pokecenter designs a lot personally, really works with the open-endedness of everything whilst still being wholly unique to anything that came before.
Also, if wild encounters work like SwSh's (which it seems to be leaning towards), Flabebe is going to be so bloody annoying to avoid. They are EVERYWHERE and also incredibly tiny.
I really hope they don’t transform in motorcycles … they are Pokémon, not Transformers.
Everything else sounds great. I’ve been disappointed before after all their promises fall to the ground, so I’m cautiously optimistic.
I don't like that they are incorporating the Pokemon Legends: Arceus way of capturing Pokemon into the main games. It just makes the games feel less challenging now.
Pst pst the male professor is "Turo", from "futuro" the masculine form of future, not "Tura"
I still don't know how they theme each gen. What's the pattern?
Please let there be multiple towns dotted around the map, gyms and more to do in co op other than battle and trade, such as raid bosses or something new
@YoshiF2
Giratina can transform into second form.
And let's not forget Eidolon in FF XIII can transform into rideable creature in Gestalt Mode.
@Serpenterror It looks like they aren't, what makes you think that?
I'm only one who's having a hard time getting hyped for this?
I'm not normally a fan of wild speculation but Donkixote is such a good name!!
I hear they've started designing a Pokémon based on the Sagrada Familia, but I don't think it'll be done in time for the game's release.
@YoshiF2 I don't think they'll transform into actual motors but more like ride Pokemon. I think that fan art will scare a lot of people from the game lol.
@Anti-Matter yes, many Pokémon can transform into second formes …. but we are not talking about vehicles, planes, cars or boats….
That’s ridiculous Pokemon design, just like Ice Cream Pokémon for example.
They have two amazing legendary designs here. I hope they don’t ruin it by making them into some kind of Transformers thing.
@Vivianeat hopefully. I mean, riding the actual Pokémon is fine. But Im worries about those jets and wheels. Everything is pointing out that they will actually transform into something weird.
@Serpenterror Ikr! At least STEALTH is in it and the actual size Mon ideas were carried over.
>graphics don't look horrible and cheap
>so far really cute pokemon designes minus the motorbike legendaries
>interesting theme
>U.I isn't obnoxious
Bros, is this going to be a decent Pokemon game???
I really, REALLY hope they don't have the EXP Share permanent applied again, that was absolute trash.
I'm not expecting another Black/White but if it's at least as good as Diamond/Pearl I'll be buying a Pokemon game for the first time this generation.
@YoshiF2 I hope they don't transform honestly but just hunch over and be like "hey its the you can ride me pose!" I blame Blastoise for being the foundation for real life tools/weaponry incorporated into Pocket Monster design lol.
So their origin formes are going to be motorbikes. And they'll be playable in Mario Kart 9.
As long as there's no BS Arceus sneaking around catching everything instantly, I might give this a go. Would be my first Pokemon game since emerald era.
It looks far worse than I imagined. They should go back to the Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee visuals, those were at least tolerable.
MY HYPE FOR THESE GAMES IT'S TOO MUCH PLEASE SEND HELP!!1!1!1!1!!1!!1!!!
@DarkTone what the developers like or havent done before.
It would be incredible if you could ride one of the two legendaries after you catch them like the Hylian Cycle of BoTW. Miraidon however, looks more like a jet to fly around. It would also be cool to fly around like Hisuian Braviary does, but with Miraidon much faster.
@tamantayoshi Watch the trailer above, at 1:04, the black kid sneak onto a group of Pokemon, then just throws her Pokeball at one and manage to capture it. That's how it was done in Arceus but shouldn't had to be how it was in the main game. You're suppose to battle it then weaken it, and then capture it.
@YoshiF2
I'm open to see Legendaries can transform into vehicles like Eidolon in FF XIII.
Cool concept in my opinion.
I’ve gotten the Steelbook for the past 3 entries and will do my best to ensure I get the Steelbook for this as well. So I plan on getting both wherever I get a Steelbook.
@Wilforce me as well, I always get both and steel books!
It looks fun, and I'll get it. But man, that last lip of the legendaries seems like it's just rubbing in our face what modern Pokémon graphics COULD look like
@Serpenterror ??? 99% of the fans are complaining that it looks like the LA mechanics aren't coming back.
@DarkTone from what I can tell early in the design processGame Freak.chooses a single word and everything about the game direction should revolve arround that word
@TexanBanjothe first release of Gen nine will be your first game in gen 9? Shocker!
Lechon is also a Tagalog word that translates to "roast," in English. Which is a funny coincidence because Filipino roast pig is pretty delicious. Even if I'd never eat Lechonk...
@ArcticEcho I remember everyone saying Gen 6 looked better than Let's Go when Let's Go came out...
@Serpenterror i think it just skipped the battle transition. That isn't how the capture mechanics in arceus work at all.
The Pokémon Company DESPERATELY need to use a different game engine. Art direction is one thing, but these games never cease to amaze me as to how 💩-y they look.
These games look way better than Arceus and SwSh visually.
Those outfits. X( We finally have bug catcher and picnicker confirmed as playable. Also, if this is Spain, why is there a little boy in lederhosen?
Anywho, I decided on violet from the start.
@Eel good eye, pal! Thank you
@Serpenterror is this true? That will definitely be unfortunate, if so. Even more reason that i can ignore these games.
@HeeHo wow, those games looked decent to me. Something about this game looks bad & makes me wholly uninterested. Idk if it's a different filter, or what, but it looks very generic, & much worse than those 2 games to me.
@Dilly-Mick i hope u are right, this worried me. If they would put out concrete information, & not allow rumors to fester, it would help the brand, IMO.
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