Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are better on Switch 2, but it’s not enough

It’s been a while since I’ve really let the salt flow, and as I sit here in a sweltering apartment going stir crazy, it feels like the right time to talk about Pokémon Scarlet and Violet on the Nintendo Switch 2. I was excited, but dubious, about trying out the new and improved generation 9 games, and rightfully so.

One copy of Pokémon Scarlet or Violet costs $59.99 to buy, with the Area Zero DLC costing a further $34.99. Thankfully, the Nintendo Switch 2 upgrade is free, but it still costs nearly $100 for the “full” game. And that’s not including the other version, if you want to make sure you get every entry filled in the Pokédex.

So, does the Switch 2 upgrade make the game worth $100? The game does run better, a lot better, and looks shiny and like someone cares about it for the most part. Areas that absolutely stuttered during gym trials now actually run, and the rain coming down in cities does look very nice.

But is it enough? I’ll hold your hand when I say this – no, it isn’t. At least in my opinion. I’ve been there since the conception of the Pokémon franchise. When I was a wee kiddo, I had a sweaty collection of Pokémon tazos that I took everywhere with me despite the fact that they smelled like cheese and onion crisps. I woke up religiously every Saturday to watch new episodes of the show. I have two Pokémon tattoos, artwork in my flat, over 600 cards, and a plethora of plush. I am a Pokémon fan through and through, which is why I’m still so bitter about Scarlet and Violet’s performance. And Legends: Arceus, but that’s for another piece.

My issues with Scarlet and Violet on the Switch 2 remain in the visuals department. It baffled me from the beginning that scenes with Koraidon and your main character looked just fine, but then you’re in the classroom, and your classmates’ legs are moving at two frames per second like a bloody stop motion film. How does this disparity happen?

There are still plenty of mushy textures, as evidenced in the picture above, and scenery that looks less than impressive. The door above isn’t just a loading texture, by the way, it never got better, whereas all the other parts of the map it’s in look just fine. When approaching areas that are populated (by a handful of people and items), NPCs can pop in as you get closer. When throwing Pokéballs, the ground just looks fuzzy. I’m not asking for singular blades of grass, even if other games can do it, but just something a little more high definition.

Something funny that happened recently is that GameFreak announced a new project. The studio is working on Beast of Reincarnation, an Xbox title, that looks very different from what we expect from the studio. Here’s the trailer.

Now, this is a project for a different system, without the restrictions of the Switch (or Switch 2), but if this is what GameFreak can produce – without Nintendo and the Pokémon Company’s money and resources, no less – what on earth happened with the recent Pokémon games? Is it all down to crunch, and the studio having different teams, or what?

I also don’t understand what happened between Sword and Shield and then Scarlet and Violet. Sword and Shield had their issues, but they were nowhere near as bad as the next generation. Legends: Arceus, though, is another kettle of fish. But again, I’ll leave that for another rant if it ever gets its own Switch 2 upgrade.

The DS games of old, at least in my opinion, were good. They looked good. They ran well. They didn’t crash and close or have god awful frame rates. Maybe Pokémon should never have gone 3D. That said, Pokémon Let’s Go looked just fine, and that’s also by GameFreak, so where did the quality go? New Pokémon Snap looks amazing, but the team behind that is Bandai Namco. Maybe we could give them a call to work on the next generation.

With all that said, what do I really know? I’ve never made a game, not with GameFreak, The Pokémon Company, or Nintendo’s money, or even just a dime. Maybe the millions they have and endless resources aren’t enough to produce a seriously high-quality game.

As it stands, I don’t recommend you go out and buy Scarlet or Violet just to play it on the Switch 2. If you already have the game, sure, go right ahead – especially if you stopped playing due to the performance, like I did. Just don’t expect any miracles. Yes, it looks a lot nicer, but it could still be better.

Instead, why not try out some of the best Switch games out there that actually look good? You can also check out our full Nintendo Switch 2 review and see the best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories that are worth your time in our guide.