In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, players can expect to venture across the Paldea region: the bright and colourful home to Generation IX Pokémon as well as many other familiar ones. 

After playing older Pokémon games in which progression felt more rigid, Pokémon Violet felt particularly liberating. Despite having a fair number of differences from its older counterparts such as Titan Pokémon and the ability to ride the respective legendary of either version from the off, the game completely enveloped me in nostalgia and interest. I found myself appreciating once more the diversity of pokémon and rediscovering which pokémon types were super effective against others. 

The uniqe phenomenon which came with this generation, terrestallizing, was also a positive. This special ability allows pokémon to adopt a crystalline-appearance while transforming to their tera type. Moreover, the storyline seemed more immersive than any other Pokémon game I've played: there is great satisfaction in experiencing the plot twists and moving closer to the mysterious Area Zero.

Nonetheless, there's a sense that the game was left profoundly unfinished; from the simplistic conversations with most NPCs to all the shops which have no interiors, there is a constant theme of details and intricacies being overlooked. The game suffers from a myriad of technical problems including poor image quality and sudden frame-rate drops which are very noticeable.

Although not quite living up to the likes of Pokémon Moon and Sun for me personally, Pokémon Violet was still made enjoyable by nostalgia and the sophistication of the plot.