Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, the most recent of the mainline Pokemon games, have struggled with player reception since launch. Bugs, glitches, and rough graphics left many wondering if the games were really meant for the aging Nintendo Switch console. However, with the Switch 2 release, Gen 9 received a free optimization patch designed to fix the graphic issues highlighted by players, but it didn’t have the intended effects.
Like Pokemon Sword & Shield, Scarlet & Violet chugged on the Nintendo Switch console. Pokemon, people, and buildings in the background suffered from reduced framerates, textures looked fuzzy, and Pokemon spawned unpredictably into walls, buildings, and the ground. There were even issues with Tera Battles, where players would become stuck visually in the floor of dens for the entity of a battle, freezing their Pokemon.
While some of these issues, like the spawns and freezing, were addressed in post-launch patches, players were stuck with the low-performance graphics. Now, with the Nintendo Switch 2 out, there is finally a handheld console capable of delivering a higher-quality experience for fans.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Run Better on the Switch 2
Alongside the release of the Nintendo Switch 2, Pokemon Scarlet & Violet dropped a free upgrade patch that optimized the game on all new consoles. This overhaul does make a difference in the performance of the game. In fact, it completely changes how players interact with the world.
The most notable change is the lack of lag. Players can easily maneuver the camera without stuttering, walk through busy areas without dropping frames, and watch as the backgrounds of Paldea load in perfect, crisp detail. Additionally, more Pokemon can spawn in, and they are easier to see, making Shiny hunting that much faster.
I spent around eight hours exploring post-game Violet on the Nintendo Switch 2, and there was no denying it runs beautifully. I wish I had experienced my first playthrough of the game with that caliber of performance, and without all the frustration that lags and glitches caused as I battled and made my way across the region.
However, the updated graphics put one of Scarlet and Violet‘s biggest flaws on display, cementing something I’d been worried could happen with the Nintendo Switch 2 patch.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Are Not Good Games
Despite being a long-time fan of the series, loving Galar more than I should, and wanting more than anything to fall for Paldea, Scarlet and Violet are not good games, and the Nintendo Switch 2 update solidified that opinion.
Before the release of the overhaul patch, I was able to write my frustrations with the game off on the performance. I figured I got frustrated exploring because the lag and lack of spawns made catching things tedious. I figured I couldn’t appreciate the beauty of the open world because my old Switch couldn’t do the vast mountain ranges and sprawling fields justice.
Following the patch, there were no excuses left to cover these issues. I get frustrated wandering around the world because there is nothing to do. The world is devoid of engagement. No puzzles, battles, challenges, or secrets are hidden anywhere. The world is designed for Shiny hunting, not for exploring. Now, with nothing hampering the game’s spawn rates, flat expanses become Shiny mines, but the towns and all the areas on the map haven’t become more interesting.
Additionally, the world I thought was held back by my Switch isn’t beautiful. In fact, the upgraded resolution and performance put the laziness of the background on full display. Mountains are lumpy blobs in the background, textures on the cliffside are flat and uninteresting, and the same waving grass that is splattered all over every generally green location becomes numbing after a few hours of mucking through it.
While I had hoped the Nintendo Switch 2 could salvage my opinion of Scarlet and Violet, it instead confirmed my worst fear: This is not a good game, and no amount of graphics polish will suddenly change that.
What Scarlet and Violet need more than a performance makeover is content. Post-game challenges, interesting storylines, puzzles, or anything that might challenge players beyond making sandwiches to stand in a space and pluck Shiny Pokemon. The rotating Tera Raid spotlights aren’t any better, reducing gameplay to nothing more than a gacha mechanic of false rarity and scarcity in battles that aren’t fun or engaging to be a part of. Before the Switch 2 update, Scarlet and Violet were disappointing and hazy. After the update, the games are empty and soulless.
I have genuine hope that Pokemon Legends: Z-A will bring back some of the core elements that made the series fun to play. It was never about the graphics, and no fancy console update can fix a franchise that has forgotten what made its games good in the first place.
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