Performance in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet was undeniably the Gen 9 game’s worst issue.

A lot was done to improve it, but the solutions were controversial, as Nintendo reduced the number of NPCs and wild Pokémon spawns to improve performance. This turned shiny hunting in the games harder, for example. Even so, these were not the only issues with the game. The artificial intelligence powering Pokémon in Paldea was lackluster, and glitches plagued playthroughs for several players. Some were simple and even considered funny, while others were more concerning and impeded progression. The hopes are that Pokémon Legends: Z-A’s performance will be better and that it will sur Scarlet and Violet in every way.

Is Scarlet & Violet Really The Worst Mainline Generation?

The Games Hold The Worst Metacritic Scores In The Core Series

In of scores, Scarlet and Violet hold the title of the worst mainline generation installments. According to Scarlet’s The Teal Mask for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, has also been evaluated on Metacritic. It has a 65 critic score and a 4.7 score.

The Indigo Disk, the second DLC for the Gen 9 games, is held in higher regard on problematic Pokémon Diamond and Pearl remakes, which were also poorly received. Scarlet and Violet’s low scores on Metacritic live up to the criticism it faced as a product.

There's A Lot To Love About Pokémon Scarlet & Violet

The Games’ Open-World Structure & Narrative Are Attractive

Even though the criticism is well-deserved, as the games do present inexcusable technical issues, I believe there is still a lot to love about Scarlet and Violet. The Gen 9 titles were innovative and opened up avenues for where the franchise could go next. These were the first truly open-world games in the series – for reference, Pokémon Legends: Arceus had open-world areas, though players had to go through loading screens to transition between them. In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s open-world Paldea, however, players can explore freely from the very start of the campaign.

Exploring an open-world Pokémon game had been a dream for many of the community, and the Gen 9 games provided that to their players, even if sullied by technical issues. Another great aspect that came with the concept of an open-world Pokémon game was the liberty of choice. Unlike most titles before it, linear progression was somewhat set aside, giving players an open-ended approach to the narrative. Instead of going through a fixed route of Gyms to face, for example, players could tackle Gyms in different orders. This goes hand-in-hand with the three storylines in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

There are three different story arcs that compose the main campaign and converge at its end: Victory Road, Path of Legends, and Starfall Street. The first sets players on a path against the aforementioned Gym battles as they progress toward the Elite Four. The second revolves around finding Titan Pokémon across Paldea to obtain Herba Mystica and help your cover Legendary Pokémon, Koraidon or Miraidon. The third and final Scarlet and Violet path tasks players with dismantling the antagonistic forces in Paldea, even if they are not villainous at their core, like Team Rocket.

There is a lot of freedom in how players tackle these story arcs, as they can be progressed through simultaneously or focused on, one at a time.

The new Generation of creatures is also exciting, taking the National Dex count to over 1,000 Pokémon. Not all of the new creature designs stand out, as is the case with any Generation, but some stand out for their unique artistic approach. Others have also stood out thanks to their gameplay value, revitalizing the gameplay meta options for battles. Even if it has withstood some hits, shiny hunting in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is also somewhat easier than it is in other titles because of the Mass Outbreak mechanics, enabled by the game’s open-world structure.

Things Can Only Go Up With The Switch 2 Version

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Is Getting An Update For The New Nintendo Console

The Gen 9 games are great, despite all their issues, but they will potentially become even better with the release of Nintendo Switch 2. It’s been confirmed that the titles will be enhanced for the new hardware, and this includes updates to several of the main issues regarding the game. It’s been shown that Pokémon Scarlet and Violet run at 60 FPS on Nintendo Switch 2 and, seemingly, without any major FPS drops that affected the original version. Alongside the increased FPS rate, the game is confirmed to run at a 4K resolution on the Nintendo Switch 2 consoles.

The visuals are undergoing improvements, with boosts to colors, lightwork, and particle technology. These upgrades still pale in comparison to how relevant the FPS boost is. Even so, another notable update to the titles is the fact that it should bring back increased spawn rates for Pokémon. One of the patches for the game, which improved its performance, did so at the cost of spawn rates. Now, the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will allow it to run at a higher level of performance while still heavily populating the open-world map.

While the new version of the games for the console will certainly improve it in areas that affect it, this will likely not change its scores on Metacritic. However, the Gen 9 titles are worth playing as they are, and even more so on the Nintendo Switch 2. Scores don’t always reflect the quality of a game, and though this may not be the case, there’s never been a better time to play Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, considered the worst mainline Pokémon games.

Source: Metacritic (1, 2, 3, 4)