Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
Because of their extremely buggy nature, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are a contentious duo of RPGs. Even so, Pokémon’s ninth-generation games are full of ambition and feature some of the series’ best writing in the franchise’s 27 years. The premise of finding your own bliss in the Pokémon world feels like a childhood dream fully realized, especially when you can travel around the Paldea region with your friends and little restriction. On top of an unprecedented amount of freedom and community, Scarlet and Violet’s character writing is the strongest the series has seen, up there alongside Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Its different routes deal with grief and a nuanced take on a schoolyard bullying narrative, and these stories all culminate in one of the darkest, most mind-bending endgames the series has ever served up. They’ve got problems, even beyond the bugs, but Scarlet and Violet take some admirably big swings in between the framerate drops and occasional crashes.
A Good Match For: Anyone who wants to see Pokémon reach its narrative potential
Not A Good Match For: Those with little patience for bugs
Learn more about the games’ upcoming DLC
Purchase From: Nintendo eShop | Amazon | Best Buy (Scarlet / Violet)| GameStop (Scarlet / Violet)| Target (Scarlet / Violet)
