Koalaty Critics : Pokémon Scarlet and Violet – Australian Review Roundup
<p class="">Here's what Australian critics are saying about Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.</p>
Pokémon Scarlett and Violet are, as far as I can tell, a reviewer’s conundrum. The games are widely known as being technically performing below accepted standards for anything Nintendo put out, not just on the Switch, but ever. But this entry in a franchise in its ninth iteration has made significant changes which have excited players, with some regarding it as one of the best in the franchise. So how does one review a game like this, let alone give it a score? Does the joy of the gameplay and story overcome the frustration of dropped frame rates and terrible glitches? Check out each of the reviews below to find out how each reviewer tackled this problem.
Interestingly, most of these Australian reviewers played the Violet version of the game. Not much love for Koraidon down under it seems.
Here’s what Australian critics are saying about the game.
KOALATY CRITICS – AUSTRALIAN CRITICS
Checkpoint Gaming – 6.5/10 (Elliot Attard)
Pokémon Violet isn’t a bad game, but it is a game held back by both aging hardware and a game developer who doesn’t quite have the technical know-how to shift the biggest gaming franchise in the world into the modern age. It’s hard to deny the strength of the nostalgic glory that Pokémon can bring out of the consumer, not to mention the positive changes that were made here, allowing for a more immersive and communal journey. The game has all of the pieces needed, but further refinement was required to polish the experience and advance the systems to bring them in line with expectations.
Game On Aus – No Score (Jordan “Arlentric” Stewart)
On paper, Pokémon Violet is exactly what every Pokémon player has ever wanted, especially when comparing it back to the glory days of playing playing 8-bit Pokémon on your game-boy colour. You can see the world in a 3D perspective, do whatever you want in that world and see the Pokémon in the wild (outside of combat). No load screens (unless going indoors) or set path. Just you, your party and a legendary motorbike Pokémon to ride around on (I’ll admit this last part was never in my 9-year old fantasy, but it’s a nice touch). I’m sincerely hoping there will be some form of patch in the not-too-distant future to clean up some of the performance issues so we can have a gameplay experience more in-line with Arceus or Sword and Shield
GamesHub – 4/5 (Leah J. Williams)
While the plotlines of Pokemon tales have frequently lacked meaningful depth – the vast majority of games feature a surface-level narrative about being the very best Pokemon trainer – Violet goes much deeper, with a multi-layered tale buoyed by satisfying pay-offs, and this generation’s framing narrative. By allowing players to embody a school-age Pokemon champion, and allowing them to be kids rather than a single-faceted storytelling tool, the overall narrative of the game is strengthened greatly. Scarlet and Violet are littered with characters you care deeply about, who each go on their own emotional narrative arc
MKAU Gaming – 8/10 (Callum “Bigfoot” Williams)
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are a step in the right direction for the Pokémon franchise, and trying to get what the developer has envisioned to work on outdated tech is a job in itself. Being able to travel and venture through the vibrant open world with friends and experience the Paldean scenery, and the new range of Pokémon is something special.
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Press Start – 7.5/10 (Harry Kalogirou)
Despite fundamentally reworked foundations in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, the core appeal of catching cute critters to build out your team as you venture through unknown lands is here in full-force. The roster of new monsters is a wildly varied bag of interesting type combinations and striking new designs, both good and bad. The good far outweighs the bad, though, and some of the highs are exceptionally high, with the likes of Armarouge and Ceruledge standing out in particular.
Vooks – 4/5 (Oliver Brandt)
It feels a lot like this is a game that’s just too big in scope for the Switch. Now, an argument could definitely be made that Game Freak could and probably should have scoped down a bit to fit within the console’s limitations, and I’d generally agree with that. But it is an absolutely incredible game, no two ways about it, warts and all. If you’re susceptible to eye strain and motion sickness due to lower frame rates, this is not the game for you. But if you can generally live with the performance drops, you’ll find a game that easily stands not only above every other Pokémon game in the past, but a lot of other JRPG contemporaries too.
WellPlayed – 6.5/10 (Jordan Garcia)
I can safely say that Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are the most ambitious and enjoyable Pokémon titles since Game Freak attempted the series reboot with Generation 5. They break a lot of the conventional design points of Pokémon that we have grown used to over the decades and instead opt for one of the most engaging Pokémon experiences to date. There are some systems that feel like they are in their infancy, with a lack of scaling in the challenges and the ludicrously janky and restrictive multiplayer, but these changes are at least a great step in the right direction. What is a shame is how its atrocious technical state really sours the experience.
Koalaty Critics
Aggregator Score
Ashley Hobley
[He/Him] As the Executive Editor of Games & Entertainment, Ash uses his sharp-eye to oversee the majority of the editorial work coming out of the Explosion Network.
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