4.5/5
Pokémon Violet was recently released on the Nintendo Switch console on November 18, 2022. The game was published by Gamefreak, the creator of all the main series Pokémon games that were released in the past. These games take place in the Paldea region which is based on the Iberian peninsula which includes countries such as Spain and Portugal.
In the game, you play as a character you created who has just enrolled in the Uva academy and you will take on three different storylines that converge at the end. One storyline has you take on the classic Pokémon formula of battling eight different gym leaders to become the champion. Another has you take on five titan Pokémon will your new school friend Arven. Lastly, the third has you battle five different team star bases which are school bullies at the school. Coming from a Pokémon fan who has been playing the games since I was around six years old, this game is really good. But it does have its flaws with the game's performance.
The game has gotten better since release with updates but in certain areas of the region like the water or Tagtree ticket the game's frame rate drops and overall is very laggy. This can take away from the experience of the game but aside from those areas, the game runs fine. This game is a big step for the Pokémon series because it is the first truly open-world game. Once you leave the academy with the ability to ride on Miradon you can truly go anywhere. When I was playing I was exploring for at least five hours before I did any of the major story plots. You can have such a good time going around and catching Pokémon. Another pro to this game is the Tera raid battles, which are this game's version of raid dens from Sword and Sheild. Essentially, you and three other players can try to defeat these powerful pokemon in the Tera raid dens. After beating a raid you get very good rewards and the ability to catch that Pokémon.
The new Pokémon added are very good my personal favourite being Finizen which is a little dolphin Pokémon. This game will be fun for any Pokémon fan who has played any of the previous games but also it is the best entry-level Pokémon game that Gamefreak has made. Anyone can play this game and have a great time. So even with its few flaws, I rate Pokémon Violet a 4.5/5. My name is Ben and I am in grade 12.