The last few years have been pretty good to fans of the series and the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet UK release date later this year is only going to add to the fun (details below). You can also find out more about the age rating certificate latest, as well as everything we know so far about the gameplay and story for the next generation in the series.
Plot
Details are thin on the ground, but as ever you’re bound to wake up one day as a would be Pokémon trainer with an overly eager rival/friend who want to take on the challenge of the very same adventure. Its a tried and tested formula in games from the franchise that has only really been challenged with the introduction of Pokémon Legends Arceus earlier in 2022.
AdvertisementThe games will spearhead the launch of the 9th generation in the series, so there will undoubtedly be two brand new legendary Pokémon to discover at the very end of the game. It’s also going to be interesting to see who your enemy faction will be after the efforts of Chairman Rose in Sword and Shield.
You’ll start out in a season home, but your journey will take in large cities, arid deserts, swampland and underground caves. They’ve all featured in previous games, but the areas look like the most diverse we’ve ever seen in an individual title.
Gameplay
AdvertisementThe gameplay mechanics for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will inevitably take their cue from every generation that precedes it, but with the addition of a genuinely open world setting. Both Sword and Shield and Legends Arceus had elements of an open world experience, but they had their limitations.
The 9th generation has set its sights on the kind of now boundaries open world experience that made The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild such a genre defining game. The evolution definitely started with Sword and Shield with its open world Wild Areas and Arceus pushed this further with more environments and more expansive maps.
AdvertisementScarlet and Violet looks set to take this to the next level with no borders between areas of the open world. You’ll be able to explore the locations freely according to the Pokémon website.
It also confirmed the three starter Pokémon that you’ll be able to choose from early on in the gameplay action. These are the Grass Cat Pokémon Sprigatito, the Fire Croc Pokémon Fuecoco and Duckling Pokémon Quaxly, which have the abilities Overgrow, Blaze and Torrent respectively.
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Pokémon Scarlet and Violet UK release date
With the arrival of the second trailer below, we now know that the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet UK release date will take place on Friday the 18th November 2022. This follows up on the previous reference on the announcement trailer for Holiday 2022, as well as the official website. With the date now confirmed it looks like there’s no chance of it getting pushed back.
We’ve recently had a move of the release date for The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild 2 from a similar late 2022 target date range until Spring 2023. You could say that this put the schedule for Scarlet and Violet into more of a fluid position, but it looks like if anything it made it more secure.
With Breath of the Wild 2 pushed back, it left a great big gulf around winter 2022 for Nintendo. If anything, the change of release dates for Zelda could well even be due to the arrival of Gen 9 with the two needing space to land well.
There is some speculation that BOTW 2 has been put back to coincide with some kind of console tech launch. We’re obviously hoping this means the fabled Nintendo Switch Pro, but either way, the late 2022 release for the next incarnation for the Pokémon brand is now a relative sure bet.
AdvertisementDoubters might also be quick to reference the arrival of Legends Arceus early on in 2022 as a possible option for Scarlet and Violet to be delayed. However, the reality is that this came on the back of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl coming out in November 2021, so it was more to do with a crammed release period once again.
We can now take it that S & V is indeed going to launch at the end of 2022, which backs up our predictions for a pre-Holiday release similar to Sword and Shield. The previous generation came out on the Nintendo Switch in mid-November 2019, so that ties up with the launch date on the 18th.
UK and North America age rating certificate latest
We’ll have to wait until we get closer to the release date before we get the age rating in the UK from PEGI, or ESRB in North America, but there’s a lot to go on already. This is going to be the 9th generation in a tried and tested game series that doesn’t swerve too far away from its norm, so we’re expecting something similar for the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet certificate.
The official website does a good job of reinforcing this with talk of it being an open world game that players of any age can enjoy. The reality is that the majority of its gamers are in their twenties or thirties, but Sword and Shield had a PEGI rating of 7 and over, so its one that the whole family can enjoy.
It was a similar situation with Pokémon Legends Arceus in the UK and with its E for Everyone rating in North America. If you take these as a barometer for Scarlet and Violet you’ve got a pretty good indicator of what to expect.
We’ll update you with more details on the game’s release date and age rating as they’re confirmed. You can also check out our computer games section to keep tabs on the game. Visit the Pokémon website at www.pokemon.com/ for more details.
