The latest Pokemon Presents event revealed a number of new details regarding upcoming main series titles Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, which are set to release later in 2022. Fans were introduced to several Pokemon and characters inhabiting the newly named Paldea region, as well as the unique Terastal phenomenon which gives Pokemon a crystal-like appearance in battle. However, one revelation about Pokemon Scarlet and Violet that fans may not have been expecting was the announcement that the player character would enroll as a student at a Pokemon academy. This immediately drew comparisons to 2019 tactical strategy game Fire Emblem: Three Houses, another Nintendo Switch title that prominently features an academy setting.
Players of Pokemon Scarlet will enroll at Naranja Academy, meaning "orange," while those who choose Violet will study at Uva Academy, meaning "grape." Several teachers and students were introduced in the new trailer, including director Clavell and homeroom teacher Jacq, indicating that the academy will play a large role in the game's story. However, it was not revealed exactly how the mechanics of the Pokemon academy will work, although a few scenes of classrooms and studying were shown. Hopefully, academy gameplay will reflect lessons learned from Fire Emblem: Three Houses, allowing school scenes to enhance the player's experience without excessive padding.
Classes Could Provide Battle Boosts
In Fire Emblem: Three Houses, protagonist Byleth instructed students between battles, choosing the classes they attended and deciding which skills each character would focus on. Instruction was the primary method by which characters could improve their various weapon abilities as well as their skills in riding, flying, heavy armor, and leading battalions. Byleth could also host or schedule Seminars, group instruction tasks where multiple students would learn several skills at once, and could themselves take Faculty Training lessons from the other teachers at Garreg Mach Officer's Academy.
Naranja and Uva Academy could reuse this feature as a way to increase the power and skills of both trainers and Pokemon. The player character could potentially enroll their Pokemon in various classes and training courses to increase their stats, teach them new moves, or unlock features related to the unique Terastal phenomenon. Alternately, the trainer themselves could take courses that would allow them to hold more items, catch higher level Pokemon, or gain access to new areas of the games' open world map. Classes could also be used to learn about the new Pokemon in the Paldea region and add knowledge to the players' Pokedex.
Too Many Repetitive Tasks Should Be Avoided
While Fire Emblem: Three Houses received praise for some elements of its academy setting, others were criticized as unnecessary padding that added time to each playthrough of the game without accomplishing much else. In addition to training students, Byleth could cook meals, invite students to tea, fish, garden, complete side quests, find and return lost items, answer questions from the Advice Box, and more. The sheer number of side tasks in Three Houses was overwhelming and distracting to some. This was especially noticeable as many tasks had to be repeated each chapter.
Learning from Three Houses, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet should avoid adding too many side tasks at the academy that need to be completed regularly. While the academy could definitely serve as a place to pick up side quests, similar to those introduced in Pokemon Legends Arceus, it should not feature repeat activities such as gardening. Ideally, the academy should be a location that the player character can choose to visit when needed, but not somewhere they are forced to visit to progress.
The Academy Could Be a Much-Needed Hub
As a strategy game, Fire Emblem: Three Houses did not use the monastery to its full potential as a hub location. Although it did feature merchants with stock that returned each chapter and a gazebo where Amiibo presents could be collected, it still lacked a number of useful features. The later Cindered Shadows DLC somewhat remedied this by adding functions such as the Wilting Rose Inn, where players could keep track of characters' level growth and stat patterns, and the fortune-teller, where Support ranks between characters could be purchased.
With Pokemon Scarlet and Violet promising a large open world for players to explore, the academy should ideally serve as a hub location that players can return to between Gym battles or journeys into the wilderness. Like Three Houses' monastery, it should ideally feature frequently-used services such as item shops and a Pokemon Center. Additionally, the academy could give players a dorm room or locker that they can use to store items. If the game features quests, they should also be trackable from the academy, perhaps by talking to Jacq or Clavell.
It's a Great Way to Get to Know Characters
In addition to teaching classes, harvesting food, and purchasing supplies, Byleth in Fire Emblem: Three Houses could use their downtime at the monastery as an opportunity to bond with students and faculty. They could cook and eat meals together, an activity which also provided stat and skill boosts in battle, and could drink tea with people to raise Support points and charm. Teatime, which involved proposing topics of discussion that characters were interested in while avoiding ones that bored them, became so popular among players that a version of the activity returned in Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes.
Naranja and Uva Academies could similarly serve as an opportunity for the player to increase bonds with both NPCs and Pokemon. Sharing meals, studying together, training together, or other academy-relevant activities could pave a way for interacting with Gym Leaders and rivals outside of combat, allowing these characters' personalities and stories to be explored in greater depth. Alternately, the academy could introduce a version of Pokemon Sword and Shield's curry cooking mechanic, where the player and their Pokemon can share meals to develop better relationships and improve the Pokemons' performance in upcoming battles.
Having the protagonist attend an academy is a great opportunity for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet as long as lessons are learned from Fire Emblem: Three Houses and the place is home to useful mechanics rather than repetitive tasks. Thanks to their large and elaborate open world, Scarlet and Violet will likely need the academy as a hub that players can return to between Gym challenges and adventures in the wilderness.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will release on November 18, 2022 for the Nintendo Switch.
