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New Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Trailer Shows Off New Creatures and Features

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet screenshot

A new trailer for Pokémon Scarlet & Violet has dropped, and it’s a meaty 14 minutes of new features, mechanics, and ‘mons. Check out the trailer below and read on to learn everything you need to know.

Girafarig Can Finally Evolve in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet

Farigiraf, one of the new Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

Category: Long Neck Pokémon
Type: Normal/Psychic
Height: 10’6″ (3.2 m)
Weight: 352.7 lbs. (160 kg)
Ability: Cud Chew / Armor Tail

As a result of its Evolution, the head of its main body and the head from its tail have become one. Both of Farigiraf’s brains are connected through thick nerves, increasing its psychic energy, and it can emit psychic waves from the antennae on its head. Farigiraf is always mindful of its surroundings, and while it can detect danger in an instant, there are times when its body cannot react as fast as its two brains can think.

Farigiraf’s Ability, Cud Chew, is a new Ability appearing for the first time in these titles. When a Pokémon with Cud Chew eats a Berry, it will eat it one more time at the end of the next turn. Armor Tail is another new Ability appearing for the first time in these titles. It makes opposing Pokémon unable to use priority moves.

Finally! Girafarig is one of the last Generation II Pokémon that couldn’t originally evolve to finally get to. Even Stantler received an evolution in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, but Farigiraf looks way better than Wyrdeer. Just saying.

Picnics in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Let You Feed and Socialize

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet screenshot

You can set up a customizable picnic table almost anywhere in the Paldean wilderness of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Basically, they’re where you can play a minigame that has you assemble sandwiches for your team. Depending on how your meal comes together, you can get gameplay modifiers like higher catch rates for certain types or higher EXP gains for a time.

Honestly, I’m just glad Pokémon Scarlet & Violet lets us feed our Pokémon things that aren’t berries, herbs, sweets, or drugs. The safe kind, of course. (I may be ignorant of other things you can feed them.)

Also, you can join up with friends and have picnics together through the Union Circle. We’ve certainly come a long way from Union Rooms.

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet screenshot

Also also, your Pokémon now accumulate dirt and grime over time. As illustrated with the above picture of a sudsy Sliggoo, washing is a thing you can do at picnic tables to keep your companions clean. This way, you can heal ’em and bond with ’em at the same time. That’s more than you can say for Xenoblade Chronicles 3, where the bathing mechanic is purely cosmetic.

You Can Craft TMs Now

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet screenshot

Introducing the TM Machine! Er, Technical Machine Machine doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, does it. Anyhoo, here’s a way to reuse TMs without actually having reusable TMs. (Shout out to Pokémon Black & White!)

You’ll find TM Machines at every Pokémon Center. To use one, you need to feed it League Points and materials dropped by wild Pokémon. LP is a resource you accrue as you progress through Pokémon Scarlet & Violet or by trading in the aforementioned wild materials. Sounds like a nice, gentle grind.

And that’s it! In recent news, we found out about Wiglett last week. A lot of information has come out since the initial Generation IX reveal in February, so peruse our coverage to find anything you might have missed. Both Pokémon Scarlet & Violet are up for preorder now, including as a double pack. The games come out on November 18th for Nintendo Switch.

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Gio Castillo

Gio Castillo

Gio is a writer and editor with a deep fondness for role-playing and management games. He lives in the Philippines with two cats he loves dearly.

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