Why Pokemon Gen 10 Must Take Notes From Scarlet and Violet in Diablo 4

Highlights

The games Pokemon Scarlet and Violet deviated from the conventional method of encountering Pokemon in tall grass. However, they faltered when it came to offering a satisfactory mechanism for leveling up, leading to straightforward battles and lacking difficulties.

The absence of level scaling in open-world games like Diablo 4 and Pokemon Scarlet and Violet diminishes the overall experience and restricts players' ability to make choices.

To attain genuine freedom in open-world games, it is crucial to incorporate a level scaling system that enables players to venture anywhere they desire and encounter challenges tailored to their level.

Content has evolved significantly in the Pokemon franchise, with examples like Pokemon Legends: Arceus and Pokemon Scarlet and Violet showcasing drastic changes to the core formula. Gen 9 broke tradition by removing random encounters in tall grass and implementing overworld spawns. However, games like Pokemon Sword and Shield, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, and Diablo 4 demonstrate that Gen 10 games must exceed expectations to create the ultimate open-world experience.

Top open-world games excel by offering exploration and rewards to captivate players for extended periods of time. This holds true for Pokemon and Diablo, but there is more to it than that. Role-playing games and similar titles often employ customization features such as leveling up, acquiring new abilities, and strategic builds for players to choose from. Unfortunately, games like Pokemon Scarlet and Violet and Diablo 4 fall short in providing a satisfactory way to scale levels.

Why Pokemon Gen 10 Needs Level Scaling After Scarlet and Violet, Diablo 4

The level scaling issues in Diablo 4 were apparent from its launch. Some players were unhappy with the open world scaling directly to their character's level in any zone, causing difficulty to become unbalanced. However, in the current Season of the Malignant, players are consistently overleveled compared to the overworld areas and most activities by the time they reach levels 50 to 60. This renders those areas and activities mostly irrelevant.

Similarly, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet do not implement level scaling despite player feedback from Pokemon Sword and Shield. As a result, fights and challenges become extremely easy as players outlevel the areas they're in. An example of this can be seen in the Gym battles in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, where trainers can easily face Gym Leaders much earlier or later than intended. This approach not only fails to reward exploration, but also diminishes the overall experience by disregarding the players' freedom of choice.

In contrast to Gen 9's intended goals, players in the series now have complete freedom to explore the world at their own discretion, with only a few restricted areas until completing the main story. This newfound freedom is also reflected in the limited clothing options in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, where players are required to wear their academy uniform at all times. Implementing a level scaling system in these games would have greatly enhanced the sense of freedom, allowing players to journey to Montenevera or other locations without encountering high-level Pokemon. Similarly, players who prefer a more leisurely pace in Paldea should be able to level up at their own pace before challenging Gyms or other areas, while still facing formidable opponents at similar or higher levels. In the future, it would be beneficial for Gen 10 Pokemon games to include optional level scaling, giving players the choice to utilize the feature. Although it may be too early to discuss Gen 10 titles, recent concerns raised by the Diablo 4 community and the initial community response to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's release make it an opportune time to address the issue of the absence of level scaling.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now for the Nintendo Switch.