Despite being specifically given a dorm room in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Game Freak missed an opportunity to engage players by making the Naranja and Uva Academies feel more like the player's home than a generic boarding school. With Scarlet and Violet's DLC planned throughout the rest of 2023, players have taken the opportunity to look back and consider whether additional content could improve certain areas of the base game. One area that received criticism from fans was Scarlet and Violet's dorm rooms, which many wished could have done more to reflect their own personalities and styles.
Given that Scarlet and Violet's Academies were presented as a central part of the player's journey, especially with its range of stories, classes, and more, the degree to which the player's dorm room feels underdeveloped is significant. But even with the clear potential for providing another layer of customization for players, the underutilization of this dorm room goes much further. More specifically, while customizing the player's room might have been too challenging considering Scarlet and Violet's buggy beginnings, the dorm room could have least been gradually decorated and furnished as the player progressed through the game.
Players Could Have Made Scarlet and Violet's Dorm Rooms Their Own
Though Scarlet and Violet aimed to expand player customization, it does seem to be an oversight to have only taken that customization so far. So even though players can once again change their personal style and their picnic setups, their dorm rooms weren't given the same consideration that they could have benefited from. In fact, given that the player can eventually visit the dorms of classmates Nemona, Arven, and Penny, Scarlet and Violet already prove that there was the capacity for some kind of customization, as each of their rooms is decorated to reflect their personalities, such as Arven's affinity for food to Penny's tech-savvy solitude.
Even if the scope of dorm room customization was limited to set pieces of furniture and decorations, this still could have been a small way to make the Academy dorms feel more like home for players. After all, Pokemon games have previously offered players their own customizable areas with Secret Bases which made their return in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl's Grand Underground. So while it might not have compared to the likes of Animal Crossing, even just allowing players to choose their bedspreads, a carpet or rug for the floor, or the color of their walls would have been a bare minimum to strive for.
Uva and Naranja Dorm Rooms Could Have Developed Alongside Players' Pokemon Journey
But even if the dorms couldn't be customized for whatever reason, then Pokemon Scarlet and Violet should have at least capitalized on the space to reflect the player's in-game progress. Though the player isn't forced to return to their dorm for most of the game, there are points where the game is scripted to take the player back. It's at these moments that the dorm's lack of character is most felt and detracts from the player's experience. Despite the time spent journeying across Paldea, they haven't left any sign in their room that they lived there, let alone left any memories or mementos of their adventures.
To have prevented this, Scarlet and Violet could have gradually made small changes to the player's dorm room to reflect their progress. For example, beating each gym could add a decoration to the room, such as Artazon's Sunflora statues or merchandise from Levincia's influencer Iono. Another change could be adding a noticeboard to the player's room, where postcards from key locations could appear, the player's own photos, or even notes with tips and tricks from other NPCs. In doing so, when the player does happen to return to the dorm, they would be greeted with a room that reflects them and their in-game experience.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now for Nintendo Switch.
