Prior to and for a little while after Pokemon Sword and Shield’s reveal, there were rumors that the game would feature “Armor Evolutions” as a gimmick. Many didn’t like this idea because it seemed to be that Pokemon was stepping too far back from its roots. Of course, this was revealed to be false with the gimmick actually being Dynamax and Gigantamax, which were better accepted. Now, with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s reveal, the air is a bit more refreshing.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet had a very simple reveal, and while there’s a lot left to be shown, this simplicity speaks volumes—as well as the titles. It’s almost certain to have a gimmick, and it’ll be interesting to see what the Pokemon Legendaries are. But the very fact that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are colors suggests these titles could be a return to form for the franchise.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet – Colors and Return to Form
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are the first games to feature colors in their title since Black and White, which was 12 years ago. The first two generations used colors – Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Gold, and Silver. Gold and Silver also work as minerals, which makes sense given the third game was Crystal. These minerals would also play a big role in Gens 3 and 4, but also their color associations. Just as Crystal was associated with a light blue, Ruby was with a red, Sapphire with a blue, and Emerald with a green. Platinum always had a steel grey vibe, whereas Diamond was a certain tint of blue and Pearl was a certain tint of Pink.
These gens had less of a straight connection with color, but they were always there. Pokemon Gen 5 would keep the color straightforward with Black and White, but this was the last time Pokemon games took such an approach. While each game was thematically tied, the color association didn’t matter at all for X and Y, Sun and Moon, and Sword and Shield.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are based on Spain, with an old Spanish flag inspiring the Scarlet and Violet colors. That flag also had yellow on it, which can be seen in that Scarlet and Violet both shine a yellow tint in the logo. It could be that this particular shade inspires a third version for Pokemon, not something as simple as Pokemon Yellow though (since that already exists), but Pokemon hasn’t released a third version in quite some time.
Nonetheless, the return to simple color association could suggest that the games themselves will be simple in terms of approach. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are open-world games in a bigger departure for the franchise, but the gimmick, the Pokemon, and so on remain to be seen. If this is any indication, though, perhaps Game Freak’s goal is simplicity this time around.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are set for release in 2022 on Nintendo Switch.
