After the latest trailer released for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, new theories are beginning to take shape for how the next entries in the series is going to approach its open world. Official sources have confirmed that unlike their Generation 8 predecessors, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will have a fully open world with no borders or strict adherence to linear game design.
What Game Freak is declaring as Pokemon's next big evolutionary step for open worlds makes some wonder how the studio is going to improve the format shown in games like Sword and Shield, or the most recent game Legends: Arceus. To rise to the occasion, some fans suspect the new mascot Legendaries' designs and other details picked up from trailers hint toward a revamped means of travel.
The Challenges of Getting Around With Pokemon
Pokemon has a long history of using different means to travel through regions. The earliest games started out by offering the player a bicycle, and later there would be running shoes, roller skates, or even riding Pokemon themselves. Fans have seen both bikes and ridable Pokemon make their return in Gen 8 with the introduction of Sword and Shield's Rotom Bike, as well as the Celestica Flute to summon various Ride Pokemon in Legends: Arceus. The key question is which of these will make their way into Scarlet and Violet, and how they'll be implemented.
While the bike offers a simple, easy-to-implement mechanic, it lacks the allure of players riding their favorite Pokemon. But Ride Pokemon, as fun as they might be, provide a challenge to seamless maneuverability that Game Freak seems to be aiming for - not to mention the limitations of which Pokemon would get to be ridable. Thanks to speculation fueled by the latest trailer and the reveal of Scarlet and Violet's mascot Legendaries, there's good reason to suspect the games will deliver the best of both worlds.
Gearing Up For a New Open World in Pokemon
Early memes based on the mascot Legendaries riffed on their designs being uncannily similar to motorcycles in general, mainly prompted by Koraidon's strange neck protrusion appearing to be handlebars. However, many fans now believe the design was intentional when compared to Miraidon's jet-like qualities, leading to theories that Game Freak could be setting the stage for ridable Legendaries once again.
With this in mind, and Game Freak's confirmation that Scarlet and Violet will be delivering the series' most ambitious open-world to date, many suspect both bikes and certain Ride Pokemon will return, with the open-world design tailored to suit this. Fans suspect these Legendary Pokemon have been designed in order for the player to ride them, with the possibility that other ridable Pokemon could be added to Gen 9's Pokedex. The current absence of Ride Pokemon from earlier games on the confirmed list of Pokemon appearing in Scarlet and Violet could mean that Game Freak is planning to fill the gap with new monsters designed with open-world travel in mind.
Moreover, some have pointed out that what appears to be a new Pokemon Center design has been featured on several occasions. These new designs seem to favor an open-world without buildings to be entered; instead appearing to be kiosk-like structures reminiscent of PokeStops from Pokemon Go. While current footage only shows trainers on foot - another hint that Game Freak isn't telling its audience everything yet - the new Center design would be ideal for players riding around on Pokemon who need a quick pit stop.
Pokemon Fans Are Being Taken For a Ride
It's obvious that Game Freak will need to confirm some form of unique travel for Scarlet and Violet, not just because Pokemon games have traditionally had different modes of transport, but because an open-world design necessitates it. With evidence already building up in support of the bike returning once to Scarlet and Violet and many also hoping that Ride Pokemon will return, it remains to be seen how travel is being implemented.
Since the new region is presumed to be based on Spain and the wider Iberian Peninsula, there is a significant history of cycling to draw from. Namely, Spain is home to the "Vuelta a Espana," or Tour of Spain. Vuelta a Espana is one of Europe's three biggest cycling competitions, akin to the more internationally known Tour de France. This background may be providing Game Freak with inspiration to redesign Scarlet and Violet's landscape in a way that better suits bike travel. Sword and Shield pulled from England's passion for soccer (football) when creating Galar's Pokemon Gyms, so it's likely the development team is carrying on this tradition.
More details will have to be released before fans get ahead of themselves, but Game Freak seems to be making some ambitious promises. With several 3D games under its belt and lessons learned from Pokemon's previous attempts at open-world design, Scarlet and Violet are hopefully going to break some new ground for the series.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are set to release on November 18 for Nintendo Switch.
