Tales from the Backlog 191: Pokémon Scarlet and Violet (with Kate & Emily - No Small Games)
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Modern Pokémon games are divisive, but rarely due to technical performance. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet (Game Freak, 2022) released in an embarrassing state, and are hoping for a comeback with their recent Switch 2 editions. So now that the bugs are squashed and the framerate is stable, what kind of game was lurking under all of those issues? Listen in to find out.
Guest info: Kate Hunter (she/any) and Emily Merritt (she/her)
- Check out the No Small Games podcast and website https://nosmallgames.com/
- Follow Kate on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/katerblossom.bsky.social
- Follow Emily on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/aspecificegg.bsky.social
TIMESTAMPS
- 0:00 Title Card
- 0:16 Intros
- 5:53 Our Personal Histories with Pokémon
- 12:52 Opening Thoughts About Pokémon Scarlet & Violet
- 21:44 World and Story Setup
- 36:07 Nonlinear Design
- 42:50 Is the Story Actually Good, or Are We Grading On a Curve?
- 54:25 Visuals/Presentation
- 1:01:37 Open World Design
- 1:17:28 New Quick Battle System
- 1:22:28 Combat, Team Building and Challenge?
- 1:41:08 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations
- 1:47:16 No Small Games
- 1:54:07 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
- 1:56:55 Spoiler Section- Our Teams, Area Zero, Ending
- 2:28:06 Spoiler Section- DLCs
Music used in the episode:
- Title Screen (Junichi Masuda, Go Ichinose)
- Home (Junichi Masuda)
- Poco Path (Junichi Masuda)
- Battle! (Trainer Battle) (Junichi Masuda)
- Area Zero (GAME FREAK)
- Pokémon Center (Junichi Masuda)
- Welcome to the Paldea Region! (Minako Adachi, Toby Fox)
Check out Dave on Geeks & Grounds in November and December- https://www.geeksandgrounds.com/
Check out Dave on the Character Issues podcast- https://www.buzzsprout.com/1306474
Check out Dave on Nostalgium Arcanum- https://nostalgiumarcanum.fireside.fm/
Social Media:
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Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures