The Pokemon Company released the next Pokemon Scarlet and Violet trailer today, and while it didn't show many new Pokemon compared to what one might expect two months from launch, it did go over the three storylines hinted at last month. One of them is about completing the Gym Challenge and heading to the Paldean region's own Victory Road to challenge the Elite Four and the regional Champion, the second is about confronting the new villainous Team Star, and the last one is about battling Titan Pokemon. Because Pokemon Scarlet and Violet players will seemingly be able to choose which path to take first and what their exploration of Paldea will entail, the focus on the open-world map is huge.
With today's trailer, a new way to battle in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet was announced, and this ties in perfectly with the open-world setting of Gen 9 Pokemon games. Normally, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet allow players to have their pocket monsters out in the fields exploring with them, and the Auto Battle feature grants them the ability to send that Pokemon in a specific direction to look for items and possibly battle other critters without the trainer's orders. This is a revolutionary addition to be had in mainline Pokemon games, but it could prove controversial for numerous reasons, chief among them the fact that the games could become disproportionately easier.
Why Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Auto Battles Could Be Problematic
Battling with one's own Pokemon has always been a core foundation of the franchise, and it is often used both in the games and the TV show as a plot point to argue that trainers can truly develop their bond with pocket monsters by battling with them. Many Pokemon games had limitations to what sort of critters trainers could use based on their capabilities and Gym Medals, making it impossible to command Pokemon whose level went over given thresholds. The TV show too had similar situations, with Ash's Charizard being one of the most iconic Pokemon to rebel.
As such, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Auto Battles go against this principle because trainers can use whichever Pokemon they like to battle passively, with no input about the moves they should use. This feature not only breaks a major tradition, but it could also make Gen 9 games too easy, which has already been a hot point of discussion over the years as more and more features were added to the series. An example is the controversial Exp. Share, which has progressively made it easier to train Pokemon in all games it's been in with no way to turn it off.
In Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Auto Battles allow players to passively gain items and experience, which means that evolving Pokemon and training them will be all the more effortless. This could be even more problematic if Auto Battles enable Exp. Share as well, as it could mean that trainers could potentially farm levels for their entire team without doing anything, trivializing the whole experience and battles in general. Even if this is not the case, having a Pokemon that can go out in the wilds on its own to get items and levels could become the main method to battle in Gen 9, leaving new players with little to no experience when it comes to trainer battles.
There can also be other problems with Auto Battles, such as shiny Pokemon being encountered and automatically defeated with no chance to stop what's going on or with the trainer not even noticing. Auto Battles in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's open-world environment could prove to be an extreme form of cheesing the games, and this feature should have more customizable settings than just an on-and-off switch. Overall, Auto Battles are not necessarily going to be a bad thing, but they are likely going to cause controversies over time.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are set to release on November 18, exclusively for Nintendo Switch.
