Oh man, where to even start with this one? One step forward, ten steps back. Violet is inferior to 2022's own Pokémon Legends: Arceus in every way except story and characters; if it wasn't for that incredible and clearly Toby Fox-inspired ending sequence in Area Zero and the touching bits throughout with Arven, I'd be tempted to write it off entirely.

Every risk and change PLA took to improve the series is instantly reversed here, as Scarlet & Violet are clearly built using a modified Sword & Shield engine instead of the more fluid (and stable) PLA engine. The lack of voice acting continues to be deeply embarrassing, and the "open world" promised here is a complete farce since there's an intended order to everything. The Team Star siege battle mechanic is the definition of a tedious time-waster, too. Really, everything feels so completely undercooked across the board and it's a damn shame. Scarlet and Violet are the biggest victims of developer crunch this side of Cyberpunk 2077 and it really shows.

But at the end of the day, if you like Pokémon, you'll probably enjoy the bits of this that are actually playable. At least there are some really fun Pokémon designs in this one.

Team: Skeledirge, Garganacl, shiny Jumpluff, Clawitzer, Revavroom, Baxcalibur