Three years after the release of Pokemon Sword and Shield, Nintendo has now announced the ninth generation of the ever-growing franchise. And it’s a pretty strange entry, especially when it comes to the creature designs.
But first, the name. The new generation games are called Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. The two colours hardly sound like a pair or opposites, so the name is pretty contrived. From the announcement trailer, the new region looks to be based on another European country, what with the castle and windmills being pretty prominent elements in them.
Then there’s the three starter Pokemon. The grass type Sprigatito looks mostly congruent to the series’ design language, but the fire type Fuecoco looks a lot like a Super Mario jobber grunt enemy. Then there’s Quaxly, which looks a little Disney-esque, and not specifically in a Donald Duck kind of way.
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On one hand, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet look like Nintendo and The Pokemon Company is trying to switch its mainline entries up more than usual. Depending on the version you play, your player character and rival will also have a different look. There are some design cues taken from Pokemon Legends: Arceus as well. But on the other, it looks like the series is going back to the double release trap, despite legends showing that the series can be great without that formula.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are slated to be released for the Nintendo Switch later this year. No specific date, but considering series tradition, it will likely be some time in November.
(Source: Nintendo [1], [2])
