Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet: 5 Reasons to Buy

The Pokémon series is one of the longest-running video game series ever, and one of the most popular multimedia franchises around the world. Now at Generation IX, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are the most recent releases in the franchise. The two games were released back in November 2022, and quickly broke sales records for the series.

If you’re someone with a Nintendo Switch who hasn’t quite pulled the trigger on these games, now could be the perfect time. That’s why we’ve put together this list of the top 5 reasons to buy Pokémon Scarlet and Violet today!

The Open World

In the past, Pokémon games have given players the illusion of an open world. You would move from town to town, in what seemed like an open world, but you’d always have some restrictions that would prevent you from moving on. It could be a lack of gym badges, it could be a gaggle of Psyducks blocking the route forward – but there’d always be something stopping you. There’s no doubt it was great game design, making a linear world feel wide open for exploration.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are different. For the first time, you can venture out into the Paldea region, taking on its challenges in any order you’d like. The games offer multiple routes to take, so it doesn’t matter where you wander – you’ll still be making progress.

You should pick up Pokémon Scarlet and Violet because of the open world. It’s likely to become standard for the franchise going forward, so it’s the perfect opportunity to jump in at the beginning and get used to the new formula.

114 New Pokémon

Let’s be honest – one of the main new reasons that gamers keep coming back to the Pokémon series is the interesting new designs for the Pokémon. Even now in Generation IX, there are 114 new Pokémon for you to catch and use in battle.

There will always be some who feel the ideas are getting stale at this point. In our eyes, it’s impressive that there’s such creativity still being displayed, even as we pass the 1000 Pokémon mark.

Here’s the full list of new Pokémon to catch in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet:

Compatibility With Other Pokémon Games

Pokémon has never been about a single release. Pokémon has always been a collection of games, each working in tandem to create a broad fictional universe, that you yourself are an important part of. That’s why Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are broadly compatible with other companion games. For example, you can send postcards and Gimmighoul Coins from Pokémon Go into your mains on your Switch. Or you can connect to Pokémon HOME and store or receive Pokémon there. You can transfer your Pokémon freely between Pokémon HOME and Scarlet or Violet, even ones from previous Generations!

This obviously won’t be for everyone. However, if you’re already locked into the Pokémon ecosystem elsewhere, then compatibility with other games is a great reason to go pick up Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

New DLC!

With Pokémon games, what you see on release is usually what you get. No add-ons, no DLC – nada. There are positives to this approach – you feel like you’re getting a finished experience on release. But what if you just want more?

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet provide more. Game Freak has already unveiled The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero, a new DLC pack containing The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk expansions. Now you can choose to expand your experience when they release later this year.

We’ll have to wait to see if there are more DLC packs planned after The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero. Right now though, it remains one of the top reasons to purchase the games.

They’ve Fixed Pokémon Scarlet and Violet!

Upon release, one of the biggest things holding back Pokémon Scarlet and Violet was their massive amount of bugs. As a result, Game Freak faced the wrath of the community. Pokémon games were usually extremely polished experiences, but that isn’t what players received at first.

Ever since their release back in November 2022, the studio has been hard at work fixing Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. The products gamers received last year were a far cry from what they are now. Finally, they meet the quality expected from Pokémon titles.

If the early reviews and community feedback put you off from purchasing the games, don’t worry. You can safely purchase Pokémon Scarlet and Violet knowing they’re in a much-improved state now, and it’ll only get better with the release of upcoming DLCs.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Nintendo.