Pokemon Scarlet & Violet gets new trailer, confirmed release date, co-op and more

The iconic Pokemon franchise has continued to grow stronger over the years, and the latest entry joining the family will be Scarlet & Violet. The ninth-generation entry to the monster taming series was announced in February 2022 for the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo and The Pokemon Company have just recently unveiled a brand new trailer for the upcoming open world RPG.

At its very core, it will be the same familiar experience that fans have come to know and love. However, with the vast open world begging to be explored, things are certainly looking more interesting than ever before. There are new monsters to catch, new characters to meet, and new locations to discover. But none of this exciting news stops there. Scarlet & Violet has made new changes to the already successful formula and will be released later this year. Read on to find out more about the upcoming games.

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Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are the best looking games in the series so far

For one, players can freely explore the game's open world at will. This implies that certain areas will not be barred by narrative progression, definitely a first for the series. The franchise has always had differences between the sister versions of the games, but Scarlet & Violet have taken this a step further. Each play doesn't just have access to certain exclusive creatures, but also different costumes and even the choice of Professor depending on the version played.

Explore the unknown with your friend Nemona (Image via Nintendo) Teamup with friends to strengthen your bonds (Image via Nintendo)

Professor Sada appears in Scarlet, while Turo is Violet's Professor. They will allow the player to pick a critter of their choice to aid them on their journey. The new major friendly NPC here is a girl named Nemona, whose upbeat personality will definitely liven up the adventure. In general, the narrative does not seem to stray too far from what is already established. But players can definitely expect to see new faces, and, very likely, new villains as well. Interestingly, the latter was not introduced at all in the trailer. Perhaps it is another shocking change this new installment aims to reveal?

Team up with friends to help you out (Image via Nintendo)

Speaking of which, the biggest improvement coming into the game is the four-player co-op. Players will be able to bring in up to three other buddies to join them on their journey. Trading and battling with them will be possible on the fly as well. The mascot monsters for Pokemon Scarlet & Violet respectively are Koraidon and Miraidon, two lizard-themed legendaries. But besides those, there are many newcomers to catch. These include the Pikachu-esque Pawmi, pig-faced Lechonk, and olive-shaped Smoliv.

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When does the game release?

Fans can expect to step into this new, evolved world of the acclaimed JRPG series later in the year. The highly anticipated games are scheduled for a November 18, 2022 release date on the Nintendo Switch. Pre-orders for Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet are available right now on the Nintendo eShop.

Which version will you pick up for Nintendo Switch? Are you looking forward to seeing how developer Game Freak has enhanced the iconic series? Clearly, Pokemon fans definitely have a lot to be excited about this year.