After Game Freak’s latest trailer showcasing more ofPokemon ScarletandViolet, fans have been abuzz with speculation and theories about what the new games could have in store for the world ofPokemonand how they might make their own mark on its lore and legacy. The biggest and arguably most significant among these ideas is the belief thatPokemon ScarletandVioletare gearing up to juxtapose narratives of past versus future respectively, and with the ever-growing mountain of evidence to support this theory, it’s getting harder for even skeptics to ignore.
But there could actually be a bigger motive behind Game Freak’s decision to make its first entries into the ninth generation of itsPokemongames focus on both the past and the future. With the resounding success andfan appreciation for Game Freak’sPokemon Legends: Arceus, the studio now has a chasm to bridge betweenPokemon’snewfound historical potential and its modern-day series forever heading forwards. It’s a gap thatPokemon ScarletandVioletcould very cleverly fill if done right.
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Explaining the Past-Future Theory
Though completely unconfirmed at this point, there has been a slew of detailsPokemonfans have picked up on that have led this theory to take root and grow exponentially. For instance,Pokemon ScarletandVioletwill be the first games with exclusive Pokemon Professors, both of whom had very distinctive fashion choices from Turo’s cybernetic bodysuit to Sada’s prehistoric-inspired garb. Additionally, their names appear to derive from “futuro” and “pasada” which are Spanish for future and past respectively, complementing their attire and the games they belong to.
By extension of this,Scarletappears to be poised to focus on the past, whileVioletwill look to the future, since the mascot legendaries of Koraidon and Miraidon also have their namesakes similarly inspired: taken from Japanese, “korai” means ancient, while “mirai” means future. With both Pokemon’s own designs, Koraidon seeming more beastly and prehistoric while Miraidon has been dubbed the jet dragon by fans. It’s growing increasingly clear that some definite distinctions are being made by Game Freak between each game version. At this point, why Game Freak is actually setting these games as direct opposites more than other version exclusives previously seen remains unclear, but it seems unanimous among fans that there’sPast-Future theming going on withinScarletandViolet.
Connecting to Pokemon Legends: Arceus
One of Game Freak’s biggest challenges is now going to face is how it incorporates the Pokemon and certain features fromLegends: Arceusinto new games in the modern-day setting. The most obvious issue is how will Game Freak reintroduce “Hisuian forms” of this new region and evolutions into modern games when lore-wise these are Pokemon that adapted and ultimately disappeared from existence.
Ordinarily, it was incredibly easy for Game Freak to include passing references to regional forms of Pokemon in its games, even offering in-game trades with NPCs to obtain other regional forms or allowing players to transfer their own Pokemon between games. But historical versions of Pokemon present the problem of how these Pokemon either survived or were revived from extinction, and whilefans may have their own ideas of “time variants,“players are still in the dark.
This is whereScarletandViolet’sPast-Future theory comes in, as its focus on time and the history or future of Pokemon could help lay the foundations forPokemon Legendsto become a more grounded and successful series moving forwards. Together, the games' stories could draw in elements fromPokemon Legends: Arceussuch as Laventon’s pokedex or the various regional forms and evolutions, and treat them as if they were being “rediscovered,” inviting the player to go out and conduct their own research, develop their own pokedex, and discover more untold secrets behind Pokemon. This may even go further and develop more groundwork for newPokemon Legendsentries just asBrilliant Diamond and Shining Pearlhad hinted atLegends: Arceus, explaining the “future” half of the Past-Future theory for where new games might venture and explore.
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The Pros And Cons For Scarlet, Violet, And Legends
While it’s exciting to believe thatPokemon ScarletandVioletis going to be Game Freak’s most ambitious entry into thePokemonseries yet, breaking all sorts of traditions and norms from its professors to its open world, this doesn’t mean that it will solve all the challenges ahead. To start,Pokemon Legendsis not a traditional mainlinePokemonentrynor is it the first to see commercial success, but it would be the first to be tied into the traditional series should the Past-Future theory pan out as described. It would in essence create a two-tier series for Game Freak, a benefit if it wanted to slow down game development and capitalize on the rich lore it already has, but also a disadvantage as it would mean dividing the studio’s attention and ideas.
Another potential hurdle would be ensuring that the version exclusivity ofScarletandVioletwouldn’t jeopardize the effort to includeLegendsinto its story. For instance,Scarletseems to be the game that will take ancient history as its core focus, and ifVioletwill look more to the future, then it begs the question of howLegendscan factor into a game not looking towards the past.
Fortunately, it isn’t out of the question thatVioletcould share just enough of its content withScarlet,since players have seen how the likes ofPokemon RubyandSapphirewere significantly different to each other, such as having two opposing teams, but still remain relatively uniform in what they deliver. The only downside to this would be just how different will each version be, as from what audiences know so far,ScarletandVioletcould be the most contrary of all version exclusives seen to date.
However, despite some of what could be many challenges that Game Freak would face in elevatingPokemon Legendsto coincide with its mainline series due to its positive reception and success, it is still the smartest move to make. Fans are already speculating whatfuturePokemon Legendsgames could look likefor other regions such as Johto and creating fan art of what this would look like, owing to the huge popularity of Game Freak’s latest spin-off series.
MorePokemon Legendsgames are already highly anticipated, so Game Freak could be making some high-level plays here by essentially killing two Pidgeys with one stone. By makingPokemon ScarletandVioletfocus on the past and future soPokemon Legendscould be codified intoPokemoncanon, simultaneously solving the challenge of bringing past forms of Pokemon to future games while keeping the door open for futurePokemon Legendsgames.
Pokemon ScarletandVioletare set to release on November 18 for Nintendo Switch.
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