The newcomer count for Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet just ticked upwards again. The upcoming Generation 9 Pokemon titles have revealed thirteen new Pokemon so far, counting the Paldean Wooper among their number. As the new games are only two-and-a-half months away, it's surprising that so few have been revealed. There's a good chance that Game Freak is taking a new approach to marketing Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, with most of the games’ details being held close to its chest.
There are plenty of details to go over, as this is going to be the first truly open world Pokemon game. The Paldean region can be fully traversed by the player, with the box art legendaries being obtained early on to help them cross any surface. Pokemon will be fought in the field like in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, and up to four players can explore a given world together in multiplayer. With three story paths to pursue at the player’s leisure, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will be a brand-new experience for many players. The most important thing remaining is the new Pokemon roster, which is looking strong thus far. New Pokemon reveals will likely ramp up from now on, as much of the last week of August was devoted to revealing Grafaiai.
How Grafaiai Was Revealed
The reveal of Grafaiai played out like a condensed version of Pokemon Sword and Shield’s nature footage livestream. Considering how much Sword and Shield’s Impidimp and Grafaiai’s silhouettes resemble each other, fans were left chuckling at the coincidence. Screenshots of forests were shared, with trees and rocks being painted with either colored stripes or colored circles layered on top of each other. After a couple days of teasing, Grafaiai itself was revealed with a CG trailer staged like it was taken with a hidden camera, alongside a brief gameplay video.
Grafaiai is the Toxic Monkey Pokemon, and its design appears to be a combination of an aye-aye and a stereotypical graffiti artist. Its hind legs and tail are black with white stripes, while its upper body appears to be wearing a hoodie that wraps around its ears. The hoodie gives way to a tuft of hair and an angry looking face. There is no word on whether this is actual clothing that Grafaiai procures, or if it's just how the Pokemon looks. Regardless, its “sleeves” look like they're rolled up to reveal lanky arms ending with bright red hands with three spindly fingers. The middle fingers are particularly long and colored blue thanks to the liquid dripping off of them, though Grafaiai’s background information mentions that this color can change based on what the Pokemon has eaten.
Grafaiai’s Impact On Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s Gameplay
This strange appearance is all meant to convey that Grafaiai is a finger-painting artist with a penchant for graffiti. It is a Poison/Normal type that uses its poisonous saliva to attack its foes. This organic paint smells quite sweet, and draws Bug Pokemon to the designs it paints. The unsuspecting prey are promptly paralyzed when they touch the paint, but it’s unknown if this implies a knack for inflicting the Paralysis status. Grafaiai can have the Abilities Unburden or Poison Touch, and whether it has any evolutions is unknown.
There is also a surprising amount of environmental storytelling going on with Grafaiai. They are moody, nocturnal, and solitary, somewhat fitting with the stereotype of a graffiti artist honing their craft late at night. The designs a Grafaiai paints are physically present in the Paldea region, so players will likely know where to find a Grafaiai come the evening. If Grafaiai’s description is any indication, there might also be Bug Pokemon in the vicinity. This sort of integration between environmental assets and wild Pokemon has been rare in the series so far, with modern games portraying Pokemon as simply moving through the environment. This extra bit of detail is hopefully a sign of things to come in future Pokemon titles.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet release on November 18 for Nintendo Switch.
