Pokémon fans and lovers rejoiced at the news on Pokémon Day, February 27, 2022, as Generation 9 was announced by the Pokémon Company. This is the next generation following the 2020 Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield. 

Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, received mixed reviews, with complaints ranging from lack-luster graphics to the lack of a full national dex. As of now, we are yet to find out whether or not Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet will possess the national dex. 

The trailer, which we now know is Pokémon Scarlett and Pokémon Violet, was the last thing to be shown to fans during the Pokémon Day presentation, sending shockwaves across social media. The announcement revealed that the games would be released later this year, making Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, the second and third Pokémon games to release in the year 2022.

The trailer featured an eerily similar vibe and art style making many believe that it was the trailer to “Detective Pikachu 2” that many fans have been long awaiting. Detective Pikachu is voiced by Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds, who is most commonly known for his role as Deadpool in “Deadpool.” 

However, as the trailer continued on, a flash of white appeared. A new Pokémon area was shown, sprawling grasslands, with colorful housing and towns. Another white flash appeared, taking us back to the “Detective Pikachu” styled room. A canvas was shown on the wall that was illuminated by the security guard’s flashlight, showing the 9th generation starters. 

The Pokémon Company did not change the elemental typing of the starters, consisting of the elemental typings, water, fire, and grass. The names of the starters were not revealed in the trailer. Instead, later releasing them on the official pokémon website, highlighting a few more unknown features within the game. The three starters are very different from each other, relying on animals to be the main inspiration for the designs. 

Sprigatito, the grass cat pokémon, makes up the grass typing. Fuecoco, the fire croc pokémon, fire. Quaxly, the duckling pokémon, fills the final water spot. 

According to scarletviolet.com, “The Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet games, the newest chapters in the Pokémon series, are coming to Nintendo Switch later this year. With these new titles, the Pokémon series takes a new evolutionary step, allowing you to explore freely in a richly expressed open world.” 

With the description of, “allowing you to explore freely in a richly expressed open-world” many believe that Pokémon Legends: Arceus, was merely a stepping stone to what both Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, will be. Pokémon Legends: Arceus, allowed players to enjoy the freedom of the Hisuian Region, but locked off towns to loading screens, breaking the “open-world” experience for many players. 

Hopefully, Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet will truly be the open-world experience that fans have been waiting for. 

Each region of Pokémon is based on a real-life region in our own world. There is much speculation around Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, being based on Portugal and Spain as the inspiration for the new games. The Sagrada Familia seems to be featured in the trailer, drawing further speculation to the region based on Spain and Portugal. 

I expect more news to continue releasing about Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, as we near closer to the release later this year. There is much to be excited about as with new regions comes loads of new pokémon to catch, train, evolve, and trade. As this is supposed to be a rather large step in the Pokémon genre, I expect this game to be nothing less than amazing.