Players are still slamming 'lifeless' Pokemon Scarlet & Violet world
Two years on since their launch, players have returned to Pokemon Scarlet & Violet and are still struggling to make sense of its design choices - calling the world 'lifeless'.
04th Mar 2024 15:05
Images via The Pokemon Company
Players are still slamming 'lifeless' Pokemon Scarlet & Violet world
Two years on since their launch, players have returned to Pokemon Scarlet & Violet and are still struggling to make sense of its design choices - calling the world 'lifeless'.
04th Mar 2024 15:05
Images via The Pokemon Company
It would be easier to simply move on from the disastrous launch of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, but as some players won't let go, it's hard to blame them. In a series that had seen a noticeable dip in excitement for gaming innovation, the fall from grace after Sword & Shield was painful for many.
Scarlet & Violet was buggy and utterly laden with glitches that entirely broke the game's experience, leading many to feel as though we'd found a new low for The Pokemon Company. It comes alongside accusations of churning out an unfinished project in order to make money.
It was incredibly sad, and though the title has recovered since, thanks to some whopping updates and post-launch content, the sour taste left by the poor optimisation of the game remains. Still, some aren't messing around with giving Scarlet & Violet what they think it deserves.
Pokemon fans aren't finished hating on Scarlet & Violet
Pokemon players are still stung by their feelings that The Pokemon Company rushed out an uninspired and broken game to start a new region and generation, and they've taken to Reddit to express their frustrations about the world of Scarlet & Violet.
One Reddit user asked whether Paldea feels so empty because there's a lack of sidequests. The OP says that outside the main campaign, there isn't much to fill the 'void.' "I know the classes exist, but that's like 5 minutes after every gym or two, if you're keeping up with them," they write, "Why weren't there better sidequests?"
It's a fair point that Sword & Shield was criticised for, too. Pokefans were excited to see an open-world Pokemon game to such a degree they struggled to see that vast, open space of nothingness in the games. Pokemon is finally dedicated to the hopes and dreams of players that have existed for years, so some see S&V as a letdown.
Players react to claims that Scarlet & Violet are empty Pokemon games
"The world is just lifeless," responds another disappointed player in the comments. "You only get about 15 or so spawns near you at a time, trainer NPCs have set locations and are sprinkled around the areas but there's also only a dozen or so (if not less) of them per area."
Another adds that it's not a problem that can be fixed by overloading areas with Pokemon, and that the issue runs deeper: "They just suck at making the world feel cohesive, or have anything interesting happening in it. When you look at other open world games or games with vast environment
"It's not like they have droves of creatures or etc. filling up the screen constantly. Pokemon doesn't necessarily need to have Pokemons popping up left and right on their maps constantly, it just needs to feel alive."
The Pokemon Company clearly has a problem that needs tidying up, and though the Legends series seems to have itself a better approach to liveliness, here's hoping that the next mainline title can turn things around. After all, the franchise doesn't need more dejected long-term fans.
About The Author
Joseph Kime
Joseph Kime is the Senior Trending News Journalist for GGRecon from Devon, UK. Before graduating from MarJon University with a degree in Journalism, he started writing music reviews for his own website before writing for the likes of FANDOM, Zavvi and The Digital Fix. He is host of the Big Screen Book Club podcast, and author of Building A Universe, a book that chronicles the history of superhero movies. His favourite games include DOOM (2016), Celeste and Pokemon Emerald.
