Pokemon ScarletandVioletwill be releasing this November for Nintendo Switch, three years since the last mainline titles - during whichPokemon SwordandShield’s DLC, Gen 4 remakes, andPokemon Legends: Arceuscame out.Generation 9 could be a soft rebootfor the series however, much like Generation 5 was, in the sense that the games heavily relied on over 150 new Pokemon to compose its regional Pokedex, only unlocking other critters in the endgame.Pokemon BlackandWhitewere also a soft reset for the series because they strayed from the Japan-inspired regions from Generation 1 through 4, instead focusing on the United States as their inspiration.
Pokemon ScarletandViolet’s region will seemingly be based on Spain and possibly Portugal, which are part of Europe like the countries that inspiredPokemon XandY, as well asPokemon SwordandShield. Still, Gen 9 will include the very first fully open-world region, allowing players to explore everything seamlessly, meaning one can virtually roam the region’s locations in any order. As such, it would make perfect sense forPokemon ScarletandVioletto feature a lot of newPokemonspecies, possibly nearing the total from Generation 1, 3, or 5.
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Why Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Need Many New Pokemon
A known leaker who goes by the name of Riddler Khu recently shared a tweet statingPokemon ScarletandVioletwon’t have 137 new Pokemon, as some other leaks suggested, and that the Gen 1/3/5 theory is incorrect. If this is to be believed,Pokemon ScarletandVioletcould have anywhere between one and 134 Pokemon, or over 157 new species in the Pokedex, using Gen 3 as a low-end benchmark considering Hownn included 135 new monsters. Gen 1 introduced the famous initial 151 Pokemon, and Gen 5 had 156 new species overall, making it the largest regional Pokedex in the series.
Riddler Khu has a generally proven track record, but it’s worth mentioning that they generally don’t provide straightforward answers, and the fact that Gen 9 won’t have 137 doesn’t necessarily mean there will be a lot fewer Pokemon. Because the games are seemingly making a big deal out of the open-world setting, it would make sense for them to feature as many newPokemon speciesas possible to entice players to explore every area thoroughly.
AsPokemon ScarletandViolet’s systems and gimmicksseem to have a lot of potential, the focus in Gen 9 should be shifted toward additional critters, as opposed to past introduced mechanics like Mega Evolutions and Gigantamaxing. Mega Evolutions are an interesting concept and provide great depth to battles, but they can also be limiting on the Pokedex because The Pokemon Company needs to create completely new designs for already existing Pokemon.
Overall, there should be at least 110-to-120 new critters to compensate for the fact that several newer generations were a bit lacking in this department - considering Generation 6 featured 72 new species, Gen 7 had 88, and Gen 8 had 96.Pokemon SwordandShield’s initial critter count was 89 before expansions, which brought new species for players to catch. BecausePokemon ScarletandVioletmay have DLCas well according to rumors, these expansions should be used to also introduce multiple new species to bring the total regional Pokemon count to a number somewhere around 120 to 140.
Pokemon ScarletandVioletrelease on November 18 for Nintendo Switch.
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