When Game Freak's Scarlet and Violet hit the shelves, it became both fastest-selling Nintendo Switch title and poorest reviewed Pokemon game in a long time. Plagued with performance issues such as constant frame rate drops, unforgivable bugs, and far too many soft locks for any big-budget title, it makes sense to be skeptical of methods the game would perform online. My expectation was that the performance issues could be exacerbated when playing Pokemon in online multiplayer due to the peer-to-peer connection that Nintendo’s online service relies on. However, ultimately, I'd one of the most captivating on the internet experiences the Switch has offered in a long time. Despite its technical problems, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet offer an engaging online co-op experience filled with open-ended possibilities as well as an interesting new gimmick referred to as Tera Raid Battling.
First and foremost, it ought to be noted that the performance issues did not vanish when playing online. The sport continues to be chaos by most accounts, and also the bugs for any premium title for example Pokemon remain inexcusable. It's worth mentioning, however, that playing online didn't make any issues worse than they are already. P2P experiences like Nintendo’s online service often cause issues such as difficulty connecting with other players and dramatic frame rate drops, which were never significantly noticeable when playing Scarlet and Violet in co-op. In Scarlet and Violet, the technical problems are consistent and expected, but connecting with other players isn't a problem. It's remarkably easy to trade, battle together, and explore one another's worlds.
Scarlet and Violet offer incredibly feature-rich online gaming experiences compared to previous installments, despite the games' current reputation for being filled with bugs. Unlike other Pokemon games, players receive the freedom to continue exploring each others' worlds while online, virtually unchained by the choices of players that they're working with. For instance, I possibly could work on beating a gym while a friend of mine is on the other side from the map completing his Pokedex. Even if two players do completely separate and unrelated activities, they can decide to meet up or work on something together relatively easily. Each player's location is indicated into the spotlight, and if an activity allows for several player to become involved, like a raid battle, a notification can look for each player to allow them to easily join each other. Compared to Arceus or Sword and Shield, which hardly had any online features, these are groundbreaking improvements.
Along with the robust additional features, players can expect the traditional multiplayer activities which have defined Pokemon for generations. Trading and battling Pokemon is simpler than ever with the addition of online connectivity and also the 'Union Circle,' essentially a meet-up location for online players that is similar to the Union Room or Trading Room of previous Pokemon titles. Connectivity through the Union Circle for Scarlet and Violet is much more consistent than previous games; at one point, while hosting another player, I even turn off my game while the other player was at battle. The other player remained in battle and was only removed afterward, maintaining any loot or experience. In previous generations, removing a cartridge or logging off in the center of activity could have caused the game to break or players to lose progress. Although this is a far more secure method to play Pokemon in co-op, the mode lacks double battles and also the capability to battle wild Pokemon or AI with friends, which some may find frustrating.
By far, the most interesting activity players participate in together would be the Tera Raid Battles. This generation's gimmick is the fact that Pokemon are now able to 'terastalize,' or essentially become a stronger, crystallized version of the Pokemon having a different type attributed to them. Scattered around the world, players have opportunities to battle these stronger terastalized Pokemon together in groups of four. Every successful battle will drop loot that benefits the gamer, for example experience candy, rare candy, or beneficial hold items for the Pokemon. By completing these battles with other players, the grind that Pokemon was once noted for is basically eliminated. Although experience cannot be gained directly from the tera battles, players can amass a large amount of experience candies, which makes leveling up Pokemon ridiculously easy. Rather than spending time leveling up my Pokemon, I could complete a few Tera Raid Battles with a few friends and exponentially increase my Pokemon's level within minutes. Although some people may be frustrated by the possible lack of direct experience gain, I discovered the abundance of candies extremely good for expediteing the entire process of leveling up my Pokemon. This way, I could easier dig in and explore all of those other Paldea region early in the game.
Overall, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet offer much more for friends to complete together through co-op than any Pokemon title that came before it. Despite its inherent bugs and constant performance issues, the experience of playing online was enjoyable. The accessibility and ease of leveling up Pokemon compounded using the amount of activities that are available for players cooperating in an open world get this to game an excellent addition to a Pokemon enthusiast's collection. However, these games are impossible to recommend being an introductory point to the series because of the countless technical problems and overwhelming amount of features.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now exclusively around the Nintendo Switch
