Pokémon Scarlet and Violet were announced earlier this year, giving players a brief glimpse into what will be the ninth generation of Pokémon. And, even though the games won’t release until November, the search for any and all relevant information about the games has already started online.
Outside of the three new starters, Sprigatito, the Grass Cat Pokémon, Fuecoco, the Fire Croc Pokémon, and Quaxly, the Duckling Pokémon, as well as some glances at the new region, players were left hungry for more details after the initial trailer in February.
Game Freak confirmed that SV will be the developer’s first true attempt at an open-world game for the franchise, iterating on the technology used when developing Pokémon Legends: Arceus. This technology can be seen in some of the locations, Pokémon moving around in the overworld, and a few other elements that will likely be further revealed in the coming months.
As of now, fans have settled on the region being based on Spain and Portugal thanks to some of the buildings and images shown in the trailer. The names of the Starters also have a strong root in the Spanish language.
Because Pokémon is such a popular global franchise, leakers and rumor-mongers are prevalent on social media, sharing information each week that almost always misses the mark. But that doesn’t mean a few kernels of truth aren’t released amidst the flood of wannabee-insiders.
Over the last several years, leakers from China have become especially prevalent, with several gaining a reputation of being more reliable than the average poster when it comes to early Pokémon details. And, as of late, these leaks point to SV potentially pulling from older, scrapped ideas that Game Freak has compiled and turned into something new. This could explain the 2022 release date, which many fans think is too early for a new title.
Additionally, there is a lot of talk about what the new gameplay “gimmick” will be. Past Pokémon game introduced Mega Evolutions, Z Moves, and Gigantamax mechanics, which influenced various elements of battle. But it looks like Game Freak might be pulling directly from other role-playing games in SV.
Multiple leaks have pointed to the new gameplay gimmick being something like a job system that players could find in other JRPG titles like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. Details are still scarce even for a leak, but most say it will have something to do with a Pokémon’s typing.
The game’s story is also rumored to be closer to concepts mentioned in Black and White, with two families who rule the new region fighting over something and multiple rivals for the player. And, just like in generation five, SV might feature one of the largest rosters of new Pokémon in recent games—ranging somewhere between 135 and 156.
Going back to the starters, leaks pin the trio to end up with Grass/Dark, Fire/Ghost, and Water/Fighting typings in their final stages, while the mascot Legendary Pokémon could be Dragon/Fighting and Dragon/Electric.
Additionally, a few more popular riddles regarding the game, along with the datamined codename of SV being TITAN, points to a third Legendary Pokémon that will feature in the newest generation based on some form of titan.
Regional forms and evolutions are also heavily rumored to make a return for a third straight generation, with the two most common rumors being a Minotaur-like Fighting-type version of Tauros, and Dedenne taking on a new form based on the Spanish fantasy figure Ratoncito Perez, or the Spanish mouse version of the Tooth Fairy.
The veracity of all the details included in these leaks cannot be confirmed until The Pokémon Company and Game Freak release more information about the game this summer, leading into the release window. But for now, the speculation will continue as leakers continue to hold prominent roles in the Pokémon community.
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