Pokemon Scarlet and Violet embraced new innovations in gameplay for the series, and could also represent the end of some old design choices from games past. Thanks to Pokemon's habit of becoming more user-friendly as generations go on, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are among the most conveniently-designed games in the series. That combined with the other distinctive features of the game, including its three storylines and strong cast of characters, makes it a standout among an already strong series. At the same time, it makes some choices that could be incompatible with some previous elements.
Among Generation 9's distinctive features include Scarlet and Violet elements inspired by Legends: Arceus. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Galar is an open world, similar to the various areas of Hisui that players would visit over the course of Pokemon Legends: Arceus. The way the player interacts with wild Pokemon was also lifted from Legends: Arceus, letting them stealthily approach and release their own Pokemon to catch them off guard. This design for the games has shaken up the formula to a degree, but it's still recognizably a Pokemon game, complete with the same battles and strategy that the series thrives on.
Pokemon Scarlet And Violet's Puzzles Are A Drastic Change From Pokemon's Past
One interesting thing to note is that the gyms in Scarlet and Violet are reminiscent of Pokemon Sword and Shield's gym challenges, featuring distinctive tasks for players to complete before battling the leader. This has roots in the older games, where gyms frequently made players solve a puzzle before the path to the leader would open. However, a lot of the puzzles in these old games relied on the way that movement worked in those games, and the added freedom of Scarlet and Violet's movement may make some of those same puzzles impossible to recreate in future games that follow Scarlet and Violet's lead.
An example of one puzzle that may not be viable anymore is ice puzzles. Although not as common as Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's recently buffed Ice-types, a few gyms featured puzzles where players would step onto the ice, then slide continually until something stopped them, be it non-icy ground or an obstacle. When players only had four directions to move in, it was a simple puzzle to put together. However, players now have a full 360 degrees of movement, which would make putting together those same ice puzzles much tougher. It raises questions for other gym puzzles in future installments as well.
In general, the types of puzzles that gyms used to have seem to be rarer in favor of more elaborate challenges. Even one of the first gyms in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet challenges players to tackle an obstacle course of sorts. The fact that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet controls differently compared to those past games has a lot to do with it. With the way that players have more freedom of movement now, trying to force older movement-based puzzles would likely feel slow and stilted compared to the pace of the rest of the game, which could see these types of puzzles phased out in future games.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet can forge the path for future games in the series, and that may include leaving some of the older-style gym puzzles out of Pokemon's new region for Generation 10. Challenges that relied on movement gimmicks seem to be on the way out in favor of more active challenges in the last few games, and that trend looks unlikely to stop with the next generation. Thankfully, many of Scarlet and Violet's gyms feature varied and entertaining challenges that help them establish their own identities. Pokemon's older puzzles may be on the way out, but Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's gyms give hope for the future.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now for Nintendo Switch.
