Highlights
- Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have introduced Paradox Pokemon, which have added interesting new options to the games.
- Scarlet players have benefited from a wider variety of Paradox Pokemon designs compared to Violet players.
- The Paradox Pokemon in Violet primarily follow a robotic design concept, while Scarlet's Paradox Pokemon have more creative and diverse designs.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Paradox Pokemon have been an exciting addition, but Violet players have not been quite as fortunate as their Scarlet counterparts. While the Paradox Pokemon have added a lot of interesting new options with some being competitive powerhouses, it's hard to ignore the fact that one game seems to thrive more than the other. Considering that version differences are nothing new for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, the different sets of Paradox Pokemon should be no surprise. However, it's easy to find oneself wishing that Pokemon Violet had more to offer when it came to Paradox Pokemon.
The addition of Paradox Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet has been an effective defining feature of Generation 9. Representing versions of preexisting Pokemon as they existed in the distant past or distant future, they are a fascinating presence in the games. Not only do the Pokemon change visually, but they also have different types and power levels as well compared to their original counterparts. Some powerful Pokemon such as Salamence are about on par with their Paradox counterparts, but weaker Pokemon like Delibird and Jigglypuff saw massive power boosts. Paradox Pokemon have made Paldea a more interesting region to explore.
Pokemon Violet's Paradox Pokemon Follow a Predictable Trend
A big part of Generation 9's version split is the difference between Scarlet and Violet's Paradox Pokemon, with each game focusing on a time period. Pokemon Violet's Paradox Pokemon come from the future, which is an exciting prospect. Still, thus far it seems that the developers ended up going the same route with every one of Pokemon Violet's Paradox Pokemon. All of them look like robotic versions of the Pokemon that they're based on, with names that start with the word "Iron". While many of the robot designs look cool, the effect is diminished when every Paradox Pokemon essentially follows the same idea.
The idea of prehistoric Pokemon turned out to have more mileage in terms of design, with Pokemon Scarlet's paradox Misdreavus, Flutter Mane, being one of many examples. Pokemon Scarlet's Paradox Pokemon don't follow a specific pattern, leading to many more creative designs. With things such as Sandy Shocks being a Ground-type Magneton that has collected a lot of iron filings, and Slither Wing being a ground-bound Volcarona with Fighting-type moves, it feels like a Paradox Pokemon hailing from Pokemon Scarlet could change in a wide variety of ways compared to their original form, while Violet's offerings continued to be robots time and again.
There is a chance that subsequent Paradox Pokemon for Pokemon Violet could find more futuristic ideas to focus on. But Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Legendary Paradox Pokemon have continued the same pattern that started in the base game. The Paradox Pokemon based on Virizion and Cobalion, Iron Leaves, and Iron Crown are once again robotic counterparts of the original Legendaries. Rather than unveiling something new for the Legendaries, Violet simply stuck with the same design concept as its other Paradox Pokemon. Iron Leaves and Iron Crown do look cool, but they effectively confirmed that all of Violet's Paradox Pokemon will likely be robot counterparts.
Alongside the Terastal mechanic, Paradox Pokemon are the Generation 9 games' main gimmick and one that has proven quite successful. While there may be more Scarlet and Violet Paradox Pokemon to come, at this point it seems like Violet's offerings will remain the same as always. Even with DLC Paradox Pokemon now being revealed, the futuristic side featured in Pokemon Violet continues to stick to the robot route. While many of these robotic Pokemon are excellent additions, Pokemon Violet players are not getting to see the same variety that Pokemon Scarlet players have benefited from.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now for the Nintendo Switch.