Pokemon Scarlet and Violethave had their share of controversy related primarily to the games' performance on the Switch. From technical glitches to dipping frame rates, it’s hard to play the games without encountering some kind of performance issue. To address some of these problems, a patch was released forPokemon Scarlet and Violetaimed at fixing a bug that would cause the games to forcibly close in certain situations, but in the process may have unintentionally made the game’s world feel less alive than before.
The world design forPokemon Scarlet and Violethas also been somewhat controversial among fans as it’s been compared to otheropen-world games on the Switch likeXenoblade Chronicles 3andThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Those games both feature vast, explorable worlds teeming with creatures and characters all while maintaining a solid frame rate and visual appeal. Many have criticizedPokemon’s first fully open-world adventure as being more barren by comparison with less interesting landscapes and the monsters themselves being the only thing worth discovering. Now, this latest patch has reduced the liveliness of the world even more to compensate for poor performance.
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Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s Latest Patch Makes Pokemon Spawn Less Frequently
In an effort to curb the bugs related to performance issues, the latest update toPokemon Scarlet and Violetreduces the number of creatures that will spawn in certain areas of the Paldea Region. Prior to this patch, up to 15 Pokemon could be seen on screen at any given time while exploring the world, depending on the player’s location and active effects like boosted spawn rates from sandwiches and the presence of aMass Outbreak. While the intention behind this fix is a good sign that the developers want to address player concerns about the games' performance, they may be going about it the wrong way.
In addition to decreased spawn rates for mons in the wild, cities have also had the number of NPCs on screen at a time reduced. Thecities ofPokemon Scarlet and Violetalready felt emptier than they should be given how many buildings are completely unavailable for the player to enter. The saving graces of city environments were the characters scattered throughout that made them feel lived in, but by reducing the number of background characters to improve performance, the games lose out on the charm of bustling cities.
Shiny hunters inPokemon Scarlet and Violetalso took a hit with the latest patch as reduced spawn rates for mons mean that the chance of a shiny appearing on-screen is lower. The effects of sandwiches and Mass Outbreaks that shiny hunters would capitalize on to try and find these rare variants aren’t nearly as effective now that they won’t help to spawn as many creatures as before. With the lack of any audio cue to signal that a shiny has spawned like inPokemon Legends: Arceus,Pokemon Scarlet and Violethave become some of the tougher games to shiny hunt in after this latest update.
It’s strange to see how games likeXenoblade Chronicles 3andThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildare able to create immersive and expansive worlds despite the technical limitations of the Switch, meanwhilePokemon Scarlet and Violetcontinue to struggle. WhileScarlet and Violet’s region of Paldeastill felt lacking compared to other titles at launch, roaming the world and having herds of monsters around the player wherever they were helped make up for the lackluster world design. Now that these spawn rates have been reduced, the emptiness of the world is a lot more noticeable.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violetare available now for Nintendo Switch.
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