The Pokemon franchise is an enduringly popular video game phenomenon, with decades under its belt alongside many different games, spinoffs, and TV shows. The mainline games may have started to lose steam a little in recent years, with fans worrying that the familiar formula was beginning to turn stale, but with the first installments in the ninth generation of Pokemon video games – Pokemon Scarlet and Violet – on the way, there are a few things players are hoping to see in order to move the series in a new direction.
Pokemon Sword and Shield, the previous eight generation games, were received fairly positively by the gaming community, although some felt that they didn't reach their full potential and failed to truly innovate. There were some controversies swirling around the last games as well, and a less-than-ideal DLC release meant that gamers are really looking for ways Pokemon Scarlet and Violet can improve on their predecessors.
Sword And Shield's DLC Missteps
With Pokemon games' usual practice of offering upgraded re-releases instead of adding significant DLCs starting to become a thing of the past, players are expecting more endgame content and expansions that provide a substantive addition to the core game. The franchise seems to be adopting more traditional gaming practices with the release of Pokemon Sword and Shield's expansion pass and the decision to move away from a third updated generation entry, and this was seen by many as a positive move and a promising new direction for the franchise.
The expansions added two hundred Pokemon that could be transferred across from older titles, and this certainly helped assuage fan disappointment after the Pokedex controversy to some extent. There were also the new areas of The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra, which promised to add new regions to explore, new NPCs, new quests, and new Pokemon to capture. The expansions gave players the chance to experience two additional mini-campaigns, rather than having to play through a slightly updated version of the same game, which should have been an improvement on the previous system.
The addition of new Pokemon is probably one of the best features of the DLCs, and that along with the new activities that players could engage in made it feel like there was a fairly sizable chunk of post-game content to get through that still added something to the original experience. However, many felt that the size and scope of the DLC still didn't justify the price tag, and if players have spent a long time in the base game leveling up their team, the encounters in The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra can fail to present a proper challenge.
What Scarlet And Violet Can Learn From Them
The DLC expansion for Pokemon Sword and Shield were fun chunks of additional content that also looked to address some of the issues with the base games, but it wasn't really enough to satiate the fans. Considering this was really the first step down a completely new path for the franchise, it was a little underwhelming. There are obviously new features, characters, and storylines to explore, and the expansion did a better job of creating a memorable rivalry than the base games, but other than that it didn't really offer anything truly groundbreaking or exciting.
It's clear that the DLC for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet needs to step up its game. While there hasn't been any official news on that front yet, it's likely that the games will follow the trend laid down by Pokemon Sword and Shield as the franchise continues to evolve. It needs to offer some real improvements to the base game, and take much more risks to show that it's going to be worth players shelling out extra cash. With a lack of trailers and not a whole lot of news surrounding the upcoming ninth generation, it's hard to tell what direction the games will be going in, let alone what the DLC could offer.
Adding an enjoyable extra campaign to play through as gamers explore a new area, as well as plenty of new Pokemon to encounter and a fun new rivalry to contend with is a good start, but Pokemon Scarlet and Violet need to take these a step further. Pokemon Sword and Shield weren't bad games, but they didn't completely impress fans. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are under a lot of pressure to deliver, especially now that they're making some bold moves when it comes to revolutionizing the classic series formula, but DLC is definitely a way for the games to amp this up even more.
The Future Of Pokemon
It's true that while Pokemon Sword and Shield moved the franchise forward in some ways, it did feel lacking in others. There was of course the Pokedex controversy, which left fans enraged that over four hundred different types of Pokemon could not be imported from other games. The visuals also came under fire, with some believing that Pokemon Sword and Shield failed to live up to the hype when it came to animations and environments, and others felt that the narrative wasn't as engaging as some of the older titles. While the last games had their fans, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet still have a lot to do to re-engage the gaming community.
With Pokemon Scarlet and Violet introducing open-world elements without borders between the urban environments and wilderness areas, this already represents a significant shake-up to the formula. Game Freaks need to pay close attention to the games' pacing, narratives, and rival systems in order to capitalize on the other innovations the games are making and ensure that the series continues to push boundaries and find new ways to deliver a great gaming experience. Improving the DLC would be the perfect opportunity to help modernize the franchise, and it's definitely an area that fans are hoping is significantly improved from the previous games.
Pokemon Scarletand Violet release November 18 on Switch.
