Pokemon Scarlet And Violet Revealed With First Look At Starter Pokemon

Pokemon fans, listen up — a huge announcement has just dropped: Pokemon Generation 9 is officially happening, and it's happening soon. "Pokemon Scarlet" and "Pokemon Violet" are the two new games, and they will feature a mix of old and new Pokemon in an all-new region. Developer Game Freak announced the new titles as part of Pokemon Day during the 14-minute Pokemon Presents broadcast, and the company has given us a sneak peek at what we can expect to see in the next-gen Pokemon games.

The Pokemon Company certainly saved the best for last — Pokemon Presents is packed full of announcements, but the "Pokemon Scarlet" and "Pokemon Violet" debut came in last. The reveal trailer is somewhat lengthy, but we don't get three full minutes of game footage. Despite that, there's still a lot to cover just from the short teaser that was provided.

As The Pokemon Company itself stated on Twitter, the new generation is going to be an open-world title, much like the successful "Pokemon Legends Arceus." Both games are set to release in "late 2022" and are coming to the Nintendo Switch. What did we learn from the quick trailer Game Freak revealed?

First of all, the world looks stunning. We don't get to learn the name of this region just yet, but it's certainly a much more modern place than the Hisui region we've seen in the recent "Pokemon Legends Arceus." The trailer features a mix of urban areas that still manage to look quite cozy, as well as open-world zones with vast fields, mountains, and seas.

The graphics style is similar to "Legends Arceus," but somehow more vibrant, with a less muted color scheme. Game Freak has done a good job showcasing the new region, emphasizing the beauty of these new zones while also showing how much they're teeming with Pokemon living in their natural habitats. Once again, Pokemon are shown in the open world, as opposed to having to find them lurking in tall grass.

The trailer shows that we'll be getting a mix of current Pokemon and some new additions to the Pokedex alongside them. There are too many Pokemon to name, spanning across multiple generations and including the ever-present Pikachu, as well as some fan favorites like Lucario. We also get a glimpse of the player character, and if this comes from in-game footage, we might be seeing an improvement in that regard — the character looks more HD than what we've gotten used to in previous titles. Game Freak topped off the announcement with a full reveal of the new starters that we'll be getting in Gen 9.

We don't actually get to see the new starters in action just yet, but they're revealed on a painting during the trailer. The new starters are called Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly, according to the games' official website, which includes details about their personalities, height, weight, and abilities.

Sprigatito is a green cat-like Pokemon with a fluffy tail, huge ears, and huge eyes. It's all kinds of cute and, according to the website, will be a Grass Cat Pokemon. Fuecoco looks like a tiny red alligator and resembles Totodile in its friendly demeanor — and, as you may have guessed, it's a Fire-type Pokemon. Lastly, the Water-type Quaxly is a duck that is wearing a fancy hat.

Serebii claims the game will launch in November 2022, but The Pokemon Company has only revealed that it's coming later this year for the Nintendo Switch. In any case, the announcement of the next generation was unexpected, but the response on Twitter has, so far, been largely positive. The company made a good move by releasing "Pokemon Legends Arceus," so if "Pokemon Scarlet" and "Pokemon Violet" retain some of that game's characteristics, they're bound to be a hit.