The Pokémon Company released a new trailer on Pokémon Legends: Arceus in January 2022.
While exciting, that initial tease didn't reveal much outside of a glimpse at the gorgeous new region and the three new starter Pokémon. This new trailer comparatively gives fans way more information to work with, revealing the game's release date, box art legendaries, new gameplay features, and more.
The November Release Date
The new trailer ends with an exciting declaration: Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will release worldwide on Friday, November, 18th, 2022. The November date shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. A whopping six of the last seven Pokémon games have been released in November with this January's release of Legends: Arceus standing as the only exception.
Pokémon fans have had a lot to chew on recently, as November's release of Scarlet and Violet will mark the 3rd game in the franchise to come out within a 365-day window. There are not yet any signs of franchise fatigue, as the series' game sales and review scores remain exceptional.
The Box Art Legendaries
After about two minutes of actual gameplay footage, the new trailer fades to white and transitions to a realistic cinematic featuring the game's two box art legendaries standing on a desolate island cliff. Koraidon will be the game mascot for Scarlet, while Miraidon will serve the same function for Violet.
Both legendaries are likely to fall under the dragon typing, with Koraidon taking the form of an iguana while Miraidon adheres to more of a serpent design. Big things seem to be in store for the legendary monsters, as the official Scarlet and Violet website describes them as "having powers that far sur those of other Pokémon."
Three More New Pokémon
The mascot exclusives were not the only new Pokémon revealed in the new trailer, as fans also got their first glimpse of electric-type mouse Pawmi, grass-type olive Smoliv, and normal-type hog Lechonk. These three adorable creatures are the only monsters Game Freak has revealed so far that aren't starters or legendaries.
Many Pokémon fans feel the underwhelming new monsters introduced in Generation 8's Sword & Shield hurt the game's replayability, but Gen 9's new Pokémon has been very well received so far. The runaway fan favorite seems to be Lechonk, who is already the subject of countless memes celebrating his hungry tendencies and impeccable name choice.
Four Player Co-Op
The new trailer teased a potential new mechanic for the franchise, as it seemed to show four players exploring different areas of the game's scenic region simultaneously. This would be a first for the franchise, as previous games restricted multiplayer to dedicated, roped-off areas.
While it has not been confirmed if Scarlet and Violet will allow for multiplayer throughout the new region, it's safe to say that fans would welcome the increased opportunity to collaborate with other trainers. Battling and trading with friends has always been a critical part of Pokémon's appeal, and the 9th Generation might allow players to connect like never before.
The Open World
Mainline Pokémon games are historically quite linear experiences, but the franchise started experimenting with open-world concepts with the "Wild Areas" introduced in Sword and Sheild. The new trailer indicates that Generation 9 will double down on open-world mechanics with a game that lets the player explore everything from the start.
The news that Scarlet and Violet will be the first games in the franchise to allow players to tackle the gyms in any order excited Pokémon fans, as they have been asking for this kind of freedom for a while now. With each generation, Game Freak creates immersive regions that suck the player in, and better exploration options will only enchase that immersion.
Two Professors
The version-exclusive Pokémon Professors introduced in the new trailer mark a first for this series, as past games have featured the same professor for both versions. The prehistorically styled Professor Sada will don the lab coat in Pokémon Scarlet, while the futuristic-looking Professor Turo will take the reigns in Pokémon Violet.
The inclusion of version-exclusive professors is exciting, as it will allow Scarlet and Violet more opportunities to further differentiate themselves from their alternate counterparts. Many fans of the franchise like to play both versions of a new Pokémon game when they release, and they would welcome any changes of pace a new playthrough could offer.
A Return to Traditional Catching Mechanics
For years there was only one way to catch wild Pokémon, until 2016 when Pokémon Go introduced players to the concept of throwing Pokéballs at a wild monster without having to battle it using one of their own Pokémon first. Fans wondered if the 9th Generation game would use these new catching mechanics, but the trailer confirmed a return to the traditional method seen in almost all mainline Pokémon games.
The Pokéball throwing minigame introduced in Go was successfully adapted to Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee and Legends: Arceus, but it makes sense that The Pokémon Company would want to stick with familiar mechanics in their non-spinoff titles.
Different Player Characters
The new trailer shows that The Pokémon Company will be blazing new ground with the player character for the 9th Generation Games. Scarlet and Violet will be the first games in the series with version-exclusive player characters, or at least slightly different school backgrounds for them. Also, these will be the first games in which the player character wears the same base outfit regardless of the gender that has been chosen.
It will be fun to measure the differences between Scarlet and Violet's alternate protagonists when the game releases in November, as fans are already speculating how this could affect the game's story. The gender-neutral base outfits are a nice change of pace, especially considering that the trailer teases more player customization options than ever.
Getting to Know the Starter Pokémon
The three new starter Pokémon were instantly popular with fans as soon as they were revealed in February's announcement trailer. The new trailer offers a better look at the cuddly trio and sheds light on their individual personalities.
The grass-type cat Sprigatito is said to have a mesmerizing aroma with therapeutic qualities, and it can be seen spreading that aroma in the trailer. The fire-type crocodile Fuecoco has a reputation for its big appetite, and the trailer shows it intently sizing up an orange. Finally, the water-type duck Quaxly is serious about keeping its hair looking sharp, so of course its trailer spotlight shows it flaunting its locks in the water fountain.
The Rival Character
Each new Pokémon game comes with a unique rival, and fans got their first look at Scarlet and Violet's friendly foe, Nemora, in the new trailer. While it's hard to glean much from her 15 seconds of screentime, it's clear that she'll be a reliable, helpful presence in the game.
The first two generations of Pokémon featured antagonistic rivals that constantly clashed with the player character due to their ideological differences. Many fans are missing that conflict in newer games, as the series has mostly featured doe-eyed pacifists as the player's rival ever since. Nemora definitely seems to fit in the latter category, making her reveal here a disappointment for many.
