Pokemon Scarlet & Violet doesn’t seem to have all of the quality of life changes Pokemon Legends: Arceus had earlier this year, but given their development seems to have overlapped in timing, that’s not too surprising. But one of the things I really appreciated about Arceus was how expedient it let you be in getting around and accomplishing things. This included game-changing tweaks like throwing a pokeball to capture a wild pocket monster without having to directly engage in a fight. There were just a lot of features and changes that made doing things breezier and unintrusive, and while I’m hopeful whatever game comes out after Scarlet & Violet is able to more holistically integrate those systems, it does look like the upcoming games will have something to help you quickly grind EXP and use your Pokemon in the world like Arceus did: Auto Battles.
Auto Battles will be part of Scarlet & Violet’s “Let’s Go” system, which allows you to have one of your Pokemon out of its pokeball and walking world alongside you in the open world. While a Pokemon is in this state, you’ll also be able to send them to gather items, or engage in a hands-off battle with wild critters. It’s a time saver, because it’s a means to grind levels without having to transition into a battle screen, go through the menus, and watch the attack animations to accomplish the same thing. So while a lot of what made Pokemon Legends: Arceus a relatively frictionless experience isn’t making it into Scarlet & Violet, it at least feels like it’s learned from the game’s structural changes.
More Pokemon:
- Pokemon Scarlet & Violet’s Grafaiai is Ugly as Sin and I Love Him
- What Were the ‘Endless Possibilities’ for Eevee if Not a New Evolution?
- Ash’s Original Voice Actor Returns to Pokemon for Deep Dive Audiobook
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are coming to Switch on November 18, but an OLED Switch console based on the games will launch two weeks prior or November 4. Earlier today, Game Freak and The Pokemon Company released a new trailer for the games that highlights new characters, gym challenges, and Pokemon.
