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Pokémon Scarlet and Violet let you explore Paldea and crystallize your Pokémon

Cristina Alexander
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Today’s Pokémon Presents stream revealed more information about Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, including the name of the region and the gameplay gimmicks involved.

Welcome to the Paldea region! | Pokémon Scarlet & Pokémon Violet

Paldea is the name of the region in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, which is inspired by the landscapes of Spain and Portugal. The trailer also revealed that each game’s exclusive Legendary Pokemon will be your partner throughout the journey as players can ride them as they explore the open-world region.

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Koraidon and Miraidon can change the form to suit the appropriate travel situation. They can respectively change into Sprinting Build/Drive Mode to help players traverse across wide areas of Paldea more easily, Swimming Build/Aquatic Mode to swim across rivers, lakes, and oceans, and Gliding Build/Glide Mode to fly from the mountains, cliffs, and skyscrapers to your desired destination.

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As the player character is a student, they enroll in an academy that differs depending on the game. In Pokémon Scarlet, you will be attending Naranja Academy, while you’ll be attending Uva Academy if you choose to play Pokémon Violet. The school system is reminiscent of trials in Pokémon Sun and Moon, only it’s more involved because you’ll be participating in an independent study of finding treasure throughout Paldea.

Speaking of treasure, your Pokémon will undergo a new transformation during battles called the Terastal Phenomenon, which makes them look like Swarovski-style crystals. When your Pokémon Terastallizes, they wear a Tera Jewel on their head like a crown and get boosted powers on moves that match their Tera Type. A Pokémon’s Tera Type isn’t necessarily the same as their regular type, and these transformations last until the end of the battle.

Pokémon

The game has introduced some new Pokémon to fill up your Pokédex: Fidough, Cetitan, and Paldean Wooper. Fidough is a puppy Pokémon whose ears and body resemble donuts, and it ferments everything with yeast in its breath. Cetitan is a Tera Whale that uses its muscles to support its immense body and uses said body to dole out powerful physical attacks. Paldean Wooper is a regional Wooper that covered itself with muddy, poisonous film in order to survive on land, and its gills have hardened as a result.

The best part about Pokémon Scarlet and Violet being an open-world game is that there are three main stories that you can play in any order. One of them involves visiting every Pokémon Gym in your quest to become a Pokémon Champion, but there is no set order of gyms to visit like in previous Pokémon games. The other two story modes will be revealed at a later time.

Pokémon

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have brought back raid battles in the form of Tera Raid Battles. Here, you can recruit up to three friends and fight Pokémon in Terastallized forms. You don’t have to wait for other people to choose their actions while attacking the Pokémon.

With the Poké Portal, you can do a Link Trade with a specific person or do a Surprise Trade with a random trainer from somewhere in the world. The Poké Portal has a new feature called the Union Circle, where you can summon up to three friends to play together in the same space, enabling co-op gameplay.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will be released on the Nintendo Switch on November 18.

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Cristina Alexander
Cristina Alexander
Gaming/Mobile Writer
Cristina Alexander has been writing since 2014, from opining about pop culture on her personal blog in college to reporting…
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