Pokémon Violet

Before I start eating into the game in proper depth I'd like to initially admit this game is enjoyable and good, and probably worth the money in some respects. I am a fan of the Pokemon games, starting at Y and going through new titles and previous ones since, and I still enjoy them.

I will start by complimenting the game, and then I will criticise.

Pokemon Violet is a new take for a new Pokemon game, and the first that really felt 'open world'. The game allows you to go everywhere (apart from the last area) after a short tutorial in the game, and draws upon old aspects like the school we saw in Pokemon Sun/Moon, the open world nature of Arceus, the Picnicking mechanic similar to curry in Sword/Shield, and raid battles. The roster of Pokemon is well-chosen for the region, with some old favourites like Breloom returning to the series, and the new design of Pokémon like Miraidon, Annihilape, Ceruledge, Houndstone and others really being strong. The game also does less of the annoying 'regional variant' idea which is just recolouring an already acceptable line of Pokemon and retyping them.

The things that really stood out to me in this game though ultimately come down to 3 things: Character Design, Worldbuilding and Plot.

Worldbuilding is a no-brainer for any open world video game. Not having a good design for the world has let down so many titles, and this game does not fail in this department. The designs are clever, and take into account little details like displaying the clear border between Kalos (France) and Paldea (Spain) amongst other things. As per usual, designs match the culture of the country well, with mountain ranges, pretty beaches and buildings much like Spanish landmarks - such as the Uva Academy's resemblance to the Barcelona Cathedral 'Sagrada Familia' in a clever spin on Gaudi's architecture. I cannot knock this and this department did their jobs well.

The character designs also stepped up as well, with characters being amusing or obscure, but certainly unique in their clothing aesthetic. I think this is also the first Pokemon game where not every Grunt resembles each other! The captains of our Team (Team Star) the Gym Leaders (Especially Larry) and our protagonist, who can now be customised actually look human, and I suppose this aids how compelling the story feels.

On that note, the most distinguishable change of the game is the plot, which really did step up for once. The plot was amusing but not predictable, with funny little antics, and this aspect is something Pokemon consistently misses. The 3rd main plot (there are 3) Path of Legends, was even emotional, and for once I felt sympathy or human quality in a character, and saw the bond between a Pokemon and Trainer. I will not spoil this plot, but I made me feel warm and happy inside, as I should expect from RPGs as a genre which are so heavily carried by a good plot. For once, Game Freak did not hold out, and now I see there is room for developing a better plot in future games.

This is what is good in the game, however I am not going to lie and say this game is perfect or well-made. Because realistically for a multi-billion dollar company like Game Freak this game is pathetic in so many ways.

Again there are 3 nitpicks here: Graphics, Gameplay Speed and an Absence of Voice Acting.

Some of the graphics in this game are absolutely awful. The worst I've ever seen. I don't think this is always a problem and I'm not usually a stickler about this but I cannot emphasise just how awful they are. On the console screen, and my TV which is fully capable of rendering higher quality images this game is only a step up from 3DS quality. The characters are usually fine but the Pokemon? The textures of grass and the rocks? Literally N64 quality. And it really does let this game down. There are so many emotional scenes, dramatic fights and other parts of the game where I cannot immerse myself in the game because these graphics are so awful. The cutscenes are ruined often and the game is just so frustrating because with this it would be so much better. If Game Freak cannot be bothered they should use hand-drawn cutscenes (which I much prefer) like every other RPG which isn't focused on graphics like Fire Emblem: 3 Houses or Persona 5. Do better, spend that money we give you for these games on something!

The gameplay wasn't as bad as the graphics but still is not a modern console's quality. Look, I get the switch is slow by modern console standards, but even Breath of the Wild, the first game on the switch, ran smoother. And this just shows how lazy Game Freak are. They push too many games out and they could've added even 6 months onto this project and it would've at least ran like a regular switch game. Literally, children in the background are lagging out in one of the cutscenes and at a lower FPS than everything else and it's just offputting. Render your game's graphics and PLEASE speed up text dialogue like in every other RPG made because I think 90% of the time I spent in the game was tapping through text I'm forced to read. It's lazy, annoying and reduces the enjoyability of the game massively.

Finally, and we complain about this every game, why can they not just buy some fricking voice actors? There are rappers in this game, and all I see is some people's mouths moving like little fishies! Get someone to voice characters! I would gladly voice act the game if they need! But for a billion-dollar company this is an insignificant price for something that could actually make their game something more than a way to sell to children and nostalgic fans. Every RPG and every game, Fire Emblem, Persona, even Lego Games pays for voice actors. If this isn't an indie game why can they not pay for some. It's lazy and pathetic, and at least use voice actors from Japan if they don't want to hire Americans or Spaniards or Francs. Not good enough.

And this brings me to the conclusion that this game, as good as it can be is perhaps the most disappointing thing I've touched since Cyberpunk. There is no life and soul to Game Freak, only a void which sucks in money. Undoubtedly I'll still buy the £50 DLC which will probably regurgitate Kalos or just show us all the legendaries and wave them in front of us like a baby toy, but I might pay £10 more if the game felt like it cost the sales it brings in. I can wait past delays, but I cannot keep paying if the games don't improve - and I'm not the only one, judging by the rating. Do better. Get real. Give us a game which competes for awards not sales.

But hey, it's Pokemon, just buy it anyway.