Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will be here before the end of 2022. A trailer released in early June 2022 has given fans a lot to look forward to, namely the undeniable cutie that is Lechonk. Others (definitely not me) are thirsting over the attractive new professors (Sada has fangs everyone). Most intriguing, however, is how some eagle-eyed viewers have discovered hints that Scarlet and Violet might include a game-changing plot mechanic in the form of time travel. Pokémon fans might soon be partaking in a story right out of Chrono Trigger, or at the very least a little bit more complicated than what happens in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
A closer look at the titles
The different versions of every Pokémon generation are differentiated by their color. The logos for Scarlet and Violet follow this pattern, but there’s a bit more to it. The pattern on Scarlet looks to be some sort of tiled pattern, in combination with a fantasy-esque typeface evoking the past.
The purple hue of Violet’s lettering is specked with stars, while the typeface is defined by straight lines and clean curves. If you were to look up the stock Star Trek font, it would look a bit like this. It is futuristic-looking through and through.
Much like the cover of any game, these logos are just the first impression that Scarlet and Violet will be stories that surround temporal adventures.
Professors out of time
For the first time in a Pokémon game, players will be treated to two different professors depending on what version of the game players purchase. Those who go with Scarlet will have the pleasure of meeting perfect, beautiful, fang-toothed Professor Sada. Violet players will meet Professor Turo, a bearded man with a stylish haircut.
Nintendo is basing Scarlet and Violet’s new region on the Mediterranean, with specific influence from Spain. Fans were quick to point out that the names of our new professors are both related to time. The words for past and future in Spanish are pasada and futuro, respectively. The clothing each professor sports also backs up the theory that they hail from different time periods.
Sada is dressed in cavewoman attire, clothed in fur or animal skin adorned with what looks like spear tips or even teeth. Turo, on the other hand, looks like something out of TRON with a one-piece suit adorned with circuitry.
The Legendaries hold a secret
Much like the professors, the Legendaries in Scarlet and Violet have names and aesthetics that support the compelling case for time travel. The cover Legendaries are similarly version-exclusive. Koraidon is exclusive to Scarlet and Miraidon is exclusive to Violet.
“Korai” means “ancient” in Japanese and “mirai” means “future.” Parallel to the professors, the aesthetics of each Legendary matches their names. Koraidon looks to be a traditional dragon-type creature, with features on its underbelly that look like tire treads. Miraidon is the Mecha-Godzilla to Koraidon’s Godzilla, seemingly made entirely of technology including rockets instead of legs.
Time travel seems to be integral to whatever the player will be experiencing in Scarlet and Violet. Nintendo even says that players will experience the world “not in an order dictated by the story.” We could see some groundbreaking new mechanics for Pokémon. Time travel could be the key to an in-world explanation for co-op. Either way, Scarlet and Violet are set to bring the franchise into the future while keeping one eye on its history
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are coming to Nintendo Switch on November 18, 2022.
