By the end of the year, fans will have received three major Pokemon games within 12 months. While Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl was a bit of a divisive remake, Pokemon Legends: Arceus managed to bring in a whole host of new players, pushing the franchise in directions that fans have only dreamed of for the last few decades. And now, fans are just a few months away from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's release date.
First announced back in February, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is the next mainline entry in the franchise, offering the same usual RPG formula, but finally adding a handful of new mechanics that seem to really be setting this entry apart from its predecessors. While the first trailer was a simple announcement, showcasing the three adorable new starter Pokemon, the second trailer for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet went a little deeper into the game's Professors, the new rival character, and a few more monsters. Just a week ago, fans got their latest look at Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, with a trailer that showed the legendary Pokemon in action, provided a look at the brand-new region, and gave some more hints toward how everything comes together. But despite knowing much more, fans still have a few burning questions to ask Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's developer.
How Exactly Does Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Multiplayer Work?
One of the most exciting new features coming to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is its 4-play co-op multiplayer. While previous Pokemon mainline entries and spin-offs have had various forms of multiplayer modes over the years, none have really allowed more than one player to embark on a large-scale Pokemon adventure. Pokemon Let's Go Eevee and Pikachu was the closest fans got to this, with a partner able to join locally to aid in catching and battles.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is set to take this one step further, allowing up to three friends to join the player as they travel across Paldea. However, it's currently a little unclear on exactly how this will actually work. Though the latest trailer briefly mentioned multiplayer, it didn't actually give any specifics, aside from the ability to join forces in a 4v4 raid battle. The real question on every fans' mind is whether or not Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's multiplayer will feature shared progression, so that any EXP or Pokemon caught in one player's game will transfers back once they're in their own world. The extent to any shared progression is also up in the air right now, as fans don't know whether gym progression will carry over between multiplayer instances.
Technically, fans don't actually know whether they'll be able to catch or battle Pokemon during a multiplayer session at all. The last two trailers have been very cryptic on the scope of the game's multiplayer, and some fans are fairly skeptical whether it'll be quite as expansive as the marketing is making it out to be.
Questions About Koraidon and Miraidon
The latest Pokemon Scarlet and Violet trailer also brought up a few questions surrounding the game's two legendaries, Koraidon and Miraidon. Based on the voice-over and the footage seen, it seems as though Koraidon and Miraidon will be available to catch fairly early on in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, as they're acting as the player's means of transportation around the game's new open-world.
This has lead some fans to speculate as to how the game's protagonist is able to capture such a powerful monster so early in the game, as they're allegedly just starting out on their Pokemon adventure. The leading theory right now is that Kiraidon/Miraidon is actively choosing to assist the player-character, working alongside them to achieve their own goal, whatever that may be. It's also a little perplexing that Kiraidon has wheels in its transformed state, but chooses to use its legs to move around instead, perhaps suggesting that it might be able to use its wheels later on in the game after discovering a new HM.
Will There Be a Third Legendary Pokemon?
Another big theory floating around after the third Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is that there will be a third legendary Pokemon in the game, alongside Koraidon and Miraidon. It's usually the case that legendary Pokemon are saved for the endgame, being incredibly powerful monsters that are often quite tricky to catch. So, if Miraidon and Koraidon can be caught very early in the game, it would make sense that a third legendary Pokemon will be available to catch toward the end of the story.
Will There Be Gym Scaling?
In the latest Pokemon Scarlet and Violet trailer, it was confirmed that players can conquer Paldea's gyms in any order they want. This has lead to some worry in the community, with a portion of fans believing that if the gyms' levels remain locked throughout the game, and don't scale with the player's level, then that could lead to some gyms being way too easy. For example, if the player stumbles upon a level 30 gym first, then they'll likely grind to beat it, but then at some point in the game they could come across a level 10 gym, which would be much too easy as a result.
Neither the trailer nor the game's official website states whether Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's gyms will scale to the player's level, but a recent leaker who claims to have played a beta build of the game has stated that they don't. Fans will just have to wait for an official statement from Game Freak.
What Is Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Story?
The final big question that fans have following the last Pokemon Scarlet and Violet trailer revolves around the game's story. It's still a little unclear on what the player's objective actually is in this entry. While the story of most Pokemon games tends to simply follow the "be the very best" formula, whereby the player needs to defeat all gyms and then the Elite Four, some do have an overarching narrative, often revolving around that game's specific gangs.
Right now, it's unclear whether Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will feature a new villainous gang, and if so, what their motivations will be. Based on the legendaries' names, it seems as though time is going to play an important role in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's story, so perhaps a villainous team is planning on altering the timeline somehow, and that's why Koraidon and Miraidon are willing to help the player throughout their journey.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet launch on November 18, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
