As video games get more technologically advanced, customers expect more from them. Since “Pokémon” is the second highest-grossing media franchise in the world according to Business Insider, the expectations of fully open-world games for the first games of the ninth generation were astronomical. Sadly, most likely due to time crunches, not only did the game lack in performance but was also riddled with glitches. However, despite these glaring issues, the core of “Pokemon: Scarlet and Violet” is great, but sadly, those good elements were overshadowed by glaring issues.

One thing this game did correctly was the open-world aspect of it all. Unlike past titles that simply had open-world segments, this game’s entire region is free for you to explore. You can even see various Pokemon do things such as sleeping under a tree, which adds to the world-building. You can truly do anything in the order you want, and that’s very exciting due to the linearity of the past two generations.

Another thing the game was good at was the story. While most games in the series usually go for a simplistic story (catch pokemon, fight gyms, fight evil teams, become champion), this game has three storylines. The storylines revolve around fighting in the gyms to become champion, fighting Titan Pokemon for rare herbs, and fighting the evil Team Star. Not only is this a fresh take on a Pokemon game, but also allows for further customization of the player’s journey.

While a lot of what this game does is good, a few significant issues are holding it back. The most glaring issue with these games is the performance issues and glitches. The game never runs above 15 fps, or frames per second, and characters or Pokemon in the distance move at 7 fps, which is not ideal as it can be distracting when you explore what the game has to offer. Another problem with these games is the lack of player customization. The game’s main setting is an academy that has a strict dress code, so there is a reason, but it wouldn’t be hard to just implement casual clothing when players aren’t at the academy.

Overall, while the games’ problems are glaring and the performance issues really should be taken care of as soon as possible, its other strengths are something to be celebrated. To fix the issues with the game, a few performance patches should suffice, but Nintendo should slow down and stop releasing games yearly. If you don’t mind performance issues a whole lot and want to play an open-world game, then you should play it. If you do mind, however, maybe wait for a patch before picking it up.