With the ninth generation of Pokémon only months away, generation eight is quickly coming to an end. The Pokémon Company and Game Freak have stated that Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will take place in an open world, the most ambitious feat for a new mainline series game yet. The new games will be the second pair of games that introduce a new generation of Pokémon to the Nintendo Switch.

Even before the release date of Pokémon Sword & Shield, the games proved to be divisive, with the Dexxit controversy, meaning that not all existing Pokémon were included in the game, and the inclusion of the Wild Area being two prominent examples. Since these are the second games to introduce a new generation, Game Freak could learn from its mistakes. Here's what Pokémon Scarlet and Violet should not take from Pokémon Sword and Shield.

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Pokémon Sword and Shield's Wild Area Had Major Problems

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The wild area had a lot of great concepts, such as roaming Pokémon, including fully evolved forms, freely moving throughout the overworld. The Max Raid Battles were also a nice and easy way to bring players together. However, it's notable how empty and barren the land can look sometimes. The online gameplay is filled with glitches, and the weather patterns don't make much sense. There isn't a lot of room to explore any terrain or interesting, new areas or dungeons. The camp feature is also a huge step-down from Pokémon Refresh, where players could pet, feed, and clean their party Pokémon after battles. There are only two types of toys to use to entertain the Pokémon, and the curry cooking can also be quite repetitive. Since the entirety of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will be open world, hopefully, there will be meaningful mini-games and routes for exploration.

Pokémon Sword and Shield's Graphics and Animations Were Lackingwildareatrees

It's no secret that long-time Pokémon fans, especially online, were displeased at the inconsistency of Pokémon Sword and Shield's graphics and animations. Many of the game's textures look sloppy and unpleasant, and it's increasingly noticeable in the Wild Area. These low-quality animations also extend into the battle animations, which look as if they're ripped right out of previous games on the 3DS and DS. In order to truly sell the vast open world in the new games, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet should accompany the new gameplay with stunning visuals and animations never seen by Pokémon fans before.

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Pokémon Sword and Shield Has a Bare-Bones Story

Pokemon Chairman Rose

One of the worst aspects of Pokémon Sword and Shield has to be its story. Right out of the gate, the Pokémon Company played it safe and had the player go on a standard eight-badge journey until they got to the Pokémon League. However, the games include an intense life-threatening battle sequence near the end of the game, which doesn't make much sense and has no build-up from the past hours of gameplay. The game even has one of the main conversations between villain Chairman Rose and Champion Leon as a text-scroll over a still image. This is a huge step down from the well-animated and moving story of Pokémon Sun and Moon. In order for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet to truly be one of the best in the series, they need a well-thought-out story to motivate players and make them remember the experience.

It's been three years since the release of Pokémon Sword and Shield, and it's up in the air what The Pokémon Company and Game Freak have learned from the responses to the games. Pokémon Legends: Arceus proved Game Freak could create a whole new style of gameplay while still keeping that charm for which Pokémon is known. Hopefully, the company has learned from the past and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will go down in history for being one of the best mainline games in the franchise.