Rumors & Leaks - Speculation/Discussion Thread

[Yveltal91057]

Taking into account yesterday's presentation, I take another look at the leaks we have (page 1).

Spoiler: Leaks compilation

Correct leaks
Considerations/Speculations
Unconfirmed until now
Incorrect leaks

Region/Characters/Story Info

• Parudeya [パルデヤ] Region. Has 3 cities and 9 towns. Paldea confirmed. Map has 12 settlements visible if you count two on icy mountain.
  • The region is considerably larger than all of Hisui combined if you consider the oceans and islands that surround it.
• Gyms can be done in any order, but the teams/levels don't change.
  • Gym Leader types: Bug, Grass, Water, Ice, Electric, Normal, Ghost, Psychic. Grusha confirmed as Ice-type specialist.
  • Gym Leaders have "important secrets".
  • They also have jobs such as: streamer (Magnemite-haired girl), snowboarder, rapper. Grusha used to be a professional snowboarder.
  • Each gym can be cleared twice in the main game.
• Rival is a red-haired female whose personality is not like Hop. Penny has red hair and shy personality.
• Elite Four returns.
  • One of them is a kid.
  • Types used by E4 does not overlap those of Gym Leaders.
• Champion's gender depends on the game's version.
• Prof. Sada & Turo ONLY appears on their respective versions. Official site states: "For the first time in the series, one of two different professors will appear in your game depending on the version you choose to play".
• There are classes, interviews and exams in the game. Classes confirmed, with Mr. Jacq being "your homeroom teacher". Interviews and exams unconfirmed.
• The racing flags signify "enemies/opponents".
• SV's story is "tear jerkingly good"
• SV has multiple endings. There are a total of 3 routes. Finishing all 3 leads to the true ending. Three stories confirmed.
• Plot spoiler:
  • You cannot use your own Pokemon during the climax battle.
  • You cannot use Koraidon/Miraidon in battle not until the climax.

Gameplay Info

• Wild Pokemon levels do not scale.
• Clothing options (based on what the leaker have seen so far) are only limited to pants and shorts, all tops are school uniforms, and facial customization is still in. Facial and uniform customization confirmed.
• The camera is controllable during battle.
• Mass outbreaks return.
• Alpha Pokemon are present, but under a different name and are tied to the story.
• Overworld Pokemon size variation returns.
• Shiny Pokemon can be seen on the overworld.
• Picnics are the new camping mechanic.
  • Eggs are obtained through this feature.
  • You can wash your Pokemon during picnics, which heals their HP and raises friendship.
• Pokemon can only follow you outdoors. Pokémon following you confirmed. At least, the starters first stage. Unconfirmed if limited to outdoors.
• The move tutor feature is similar to PLA, and is accessible via the in-game menu (pressing X).
• There is a "Time Warping" feature that only applies to Pokemon.
• There is an Auction feature with NPCs. You can only buy from them though.
  • Rotom's catalog can only be obtained through auctions.
• There is an NPC who will trade Pokemon from a previous game.
• There is DLC.
• There are raid battles.
• You do not visit Kalos post-game.
• Missing/removed/changed features:
  • No daycare centers (see Picnics above)
  • No ranked battles (for now).
  • No new types, but will introduce new type combinations.
  • No new evolutionary stones.
  • No National Dex.
  • No difficulty settings.
  • No returning characters.
  • No Mega Evolution.
  • No Z-Moves.
  • No bicycle.
  • No fishing.
  • No voice acting.
  • The ability "Download" has been removed.

General Pokemon Info

• The National Dex now surpasses 1,000 total Pokemon. The 1,000th Pokemon is nothing special.
• Regional Pokedex has around 400 Pokemon.
• There is a sidequest that Eevee fans will enjoy. Maybe related to Penny?
• All previous starters, all fossil Pokemon, Unown, Jynx, Wailord, Metagross, Milotic, Golurk, Minior, Furfrou, Aipom, Toucannon, Woobat, Applin, Beedrill, Porygon, Sharpedo, Smeargle, Meltan are absent.
• Rotom, Garchomp, Sunflora, Goodra (and Hisuian Goodra), Rotom, Komala, Teddiursa, Weezing, Houndour, Skwovet, Mimikyu, Staraptor, Magikarp, Salamence, Crabominable, Snover and a certain cactus Pokemon are present. Rotom, Houndour, Skwovet, Magikarp and Gyarados, Bagon (and Salamence), Starly (and Staraptor).
• Not all Hisuian forms are in the game. At least Hisuian Zoroark is in the game.

New Pokemon Info

• There are 120-140 new Pokemon.
  • This includes actual new Gen 9 Pokemon, regional variants, ancient/future forms, and convergent Pokemon (see 'New Forms' section).
• Starter details:
  • Spirgatito's evo is "so-so" in terms of cuteness, has a broken hidden ability, and has a magician theme.
  • Fuecoco has a singer/rockstar theme. It's middle evo has a flaming egg on its head. The final evo has a flaming bird instead. Its signature move has something to do with sound.
  • Quaxly has a dancer theme.
  • Starters leg count as they evolve:
    • Sprigatito: 4 > 2 > 2
    • Fuecoco: 2 > 2 > 4
    • Quaxly: 2 > 2 > 2
• New Pokemon:
  • Pawmi2 + Pawmi3 (Electric/Fighting)
    • It has a 1 PP move that revives fainted Pokemon.
    • Pawmi is a marmot and IS the first stage.
  • Lechonk2 that differ by gender
  • Smoliv2 + Smoliv3 (an olive tree)
  • flamingo (Flying/Fighting; does not evolve)
  • parakeet (does not evolve)
  • earthworm (does not evolve)
  • dung beetle (evolves once)
  • frog (evolves once)
  • bird
  • fish
  • dolphin
  • ostrich (Psychic)
  • crab
  • eel (Water)
  • chili pepper
  • spider line
  • dog line 1 (Ghost; evolves at least once) Fidough isn't this line, since it's a Fairy-type, but possible one of the dogs lines mentioned next. Still, nothing confirms that it evolves at least once.
  • dog line 2 (evolves at least once)
  • dog line 3 (evolves at least once)
  • artificial intelligence
  • coin line (evolves into a gold 'ningen') Cetitan is a white colored ningen Pokémon. Maybe there is another ningen, a gold colored one linked with the coin?
  • motorcycle
  • samurai
  • Kamen Rider-inspired (from Khu)
  • 2-stage engine line
  • 2-stage icicle line
  • 2-stage salt line
  • 2-stage hammer-wielding fairy line (Fairy/???; one of the E4's ace)
  • ??? (Grass/Fire)
  • 4 sub-legendaries
• Koraidon/Miraidon are the only ride Pokemon.
  • They act similar to PLA ride Pokemon (flying, swimming, climbing, etc). Different builds/modes confirmed.
  • Koraidon/Miraidon don't have 5 forms.
• There is no third mascot legendary.
• No peacock Pokemon.
• No new fossil Pokemon.

New Forms/Evolutions Info

• The only regional variants:
  • R-Wooper (Poison) Paldean Wooper confirmed. Type combination of Poison/Ground.
  • Tauros has four forms in the game. None of its forms are either Steel, Flying, Ghost, Dragon, Fairy or Normal.
    • Tauros (Normal)
    • R-Tauros A (Fighting)
    • R-Tauros B (???/???)
    • R-Tauros C (???/???)
• Pokemon with new evolutions:
  • R-Wooper2
  • Girafarig2 (Psychic)
  • Dunsparce2 (Normal; evolution doesn't fly and looks like a bigger Dunsparce)
  • Primeape3 (Fighting/Ghost; evolution method is interesting; has long fur and looks like a hermit)
  • Bisharp3
• Paradox Pokemon (Ancient/Future forms) are considered different Pokemon, will have separate Pokedex entries and have different names.
  • Paradox Pokemon only change in name and appearance. It is currently unclear if their types change or not.
  • These Pokemon do not evolve, but are very strong in battle.
  • Ancient forms are Scarlet-exclusive. Future forms are Violet-exclusive.
  • These Pokemon are found on the endgame area, and you can encounter several of them unlike SM's Ultra Beasts.
    • Ancient Jigglypuff
    • Ancient Misdreavus
    • Ancient Amoonguss
    • Ancient Pseudo-legendary
    • Future Delibird
    • Future Hariyama
    • Future Gallade/Gardevoir
    • Future Salamence
    • Ancient & Future Volcarona
    • Ancient & Future Gen 2 Pokemon
• There is a minotaur, but it's not a new Pokemon.
• Hypno does not evolve but may get a new form.
• Convergent Pokemon/RFakes aren't real. Khu admitted that he had mistaken the new eel Pokemon as a Diglett variant.
• New Rotom forms were found in the data, but was removed.
• No new forms for Magnemite, Lucario, Dodrio, Lugia, Ho-oh.
• No new evolutions for Eevee, Golduck, Sunflora, Maractus.

Gimmick Details (Crystallization)

• A special ball-like item given by Nemona, that can be used once per battle. Tera Orb will lose all it's Terastal energy once you Terastallize a Pokémon.
• Can be used on all Pokemon (including Paradox Pokemon), but reverts once recalled or fainted. Terastal phenomenon can be used by all Pokémon in Paldea, confirmed by official site.
• When used, it gives the Pokemon a crystalline aura and additional flourish (like the skull-and-bones). Crystal-like aura and decorative crown confirmed.
• It buffs a single type (which can be changed). Mechanics of Terastal phenomenon confirmed.
• These forms are not registered in the Pokedex. Temporary form change.

Uncertain (from Kaka's Q&A)

• If Quaxly's evo fights with its legs
• If Kneading is Sprigatito's signature move
• If Ursaring, Stantler, or Scyther can evolve into PLA evos

Paldean Wooper is indeed a Poison/Ground type according to the main site.

 

[Smeargle-Sketch]

Looking at this and now knowing that Tyranitar is exclusive to Scarlet and Salamence is exclusive to Violet, that the rumour Salamence gets a Future Paradox form is true, meaning Tyranitar gets a Past Paradox form.

 

[Pokefan_1987]

No bicycles? That's lame. And restrictions during the final battle.

 

[Smeargle-Sketch]

No bicycles? That's lame. And restrictions during the final battle.

If anything Koraidon/Miraidon don't take up space in your party until you can actually catch them after the climax of the game

 

[Totodi1e]

You missed two. Gym leaders in any order is confirmed, and raid battles are confirmed.

You're right, buddy!

Paldean Wooper is indeed a Poison/Ground type according to the main site.

I think I could have written it better. I mean that the leak (P-Wooper is Poison-type) was, at least, incomplete.

I edited the comment with the contributions.

 

[Marzbar]

I don't understand how we haven't confirmed size differences yet. Did they just use stock footage for the trailer where they are all the default size? Or was Kaka throwing in a lie / was mistranslated?

 

[sutellakiara]

I still REALLY hate how the characters look too realistic compared to previous games (especially SWSH since its art style was peak Pokémon), but yeah I’m loving everything else in terms of visuals & graphics

Hard agree in regards the new artstyle.
I still remember my first impression of the player characters. "They look like generic Metaverse avatars".

I genuinely do not understand this obsession GF has, and TPC for that matter, considering things like Detective Pikachu, GO, Snap 2, and others, with realism and realistic artstyle.
It's unfitting. It doesn't work. It looks HIDEOUS. Have you ever seen the TCG Client Avatars? Go do a quick search if you wanna have nightmares.
Why in God's name are they trying to push this instead of keeping a clean and simple and pleasant anime-ish cel shaded artstyle? Are they trying to distance the franchise from being "too anime"? Are they trying to pander to westerners and think this is what they like?

Pokemon has always been super anime, and it's one of the reasons why it was such a hit, and the iconic Sugimori look is one of the reasons why it is so recognizable.

Yesterday I chanced upon someone's Unite character, a game I'd never touched in my life, and my mind was blown. Why in God does Unite have a better artstyle than SV? Why aren't that pushing for that kind of look everywhere? The player characters were so pleasant to the eye. Unite even lets the player characters be grown-ups. Why can't we have that in the mainline games too? Specially when they went and added a line about how ANYONE can enter the school no matter the age? I was disappointed but accepted it because it was a school setting but then they go and add that line and went back to being annoyed.
Hell, Unite has BETTER player character customization than that SV will have based on both leaks and what's being said on the official website.
My mind was genuinely blown by those discoveries.

An anime artstyle is even easier to develop for and with so it would fit GF and how they're pressured by time and what-not to push out the new games. So why? Why are they so insistent on pushing this Pixar reject realistic plastic-y artstyle?

 

[Smeargle-Sketch]

Hard agree in regards the new artstyle.
I still remember my first impression of the player characters. "They look like generic Metaverse avatars".

I genuinely do not understand this obsession GF has, and TPC for that matter, considering things like Detective Pikachu, GO, Snap 2, and others, with realism and realistic artstyle.
It's unfitting. It doesn't work. It looks HIDEOUS. Have you ever seen the TCG Client Avatars? Go do a quick search if you wanna have nightmares.
Why in God's name are they trying to push this instead of keeping a clean and simple and pleasant anime-ish cel shaded artstyle? Are they trying to distance the franchise from being "too anime"? Are they trying to pander to westerners and think this is what they like?

Pokemon has always been super anime, and it's one of the reasons why it was such a hit, and the iconic Sugimori look is one of the reasons why it is so recognizable.

Yesterday I chanced upon someone's Unite character, a game I'd never touched in my life, and my mind was blown. Why in God does Unite have a better artstyle than SV? Why aren't that pushing for that kind of look everywhere? The player characters were so pleasant to the eye. Unite even lets the player characters be grown-ups. Why can't we have that in the mainline games too? Specially when they went and added a line about how ANYONE can enter the school no matter the age? I was disappointed but accepted it because it was a school setting but then they go and add that line and went back to being annoyed.
Hell, Unite has BETTER player character customization than that SV will have based on both leaks and what's being said on the official website.
My mind was genuinely blown by those discoveries.

An anime artstyle is even easier to develop for and with so it would fit GF and how they're pressured by time and what-not to push out the new games. So why? Why are they so insistent on pushing this Pixar reject realistic plastic-y artstyle?

Unite has the same artstyle as SV, its just that they are more subdued and cartoony/characterized in proportions like their artwork. They are all pretty basic, that and its more cel-shaded.

I think the lack of age scaling for main characters is not only because GameFreak and Pokemon focuses on children first and foremost, but I think its because its easier to write as well. PLus then oyu have the question where the cut off is. 20-30? 40-50? 60+? When does it become weird when you the adult character is beating up 10year olds that challenging you to Pokemon battles.

As for customization, games like Unite, Go and Masters, DEPEND on cosmetic additions to incite longevity in the game and make people want to keep playing to unlock more outfits to show off in competitions.

I believe they are pushing because GameFreak wants to grow further in their game development. Only so much detail can be placed on Pokemon models when doing cel shading like in SwSH. People LOVED the realistic textures for Pokemon in Pokemon Snap 2 and people want more of that. Hell, Scizor looks great with its actual chrom finish in this game. However doing that with simple cel-shaded, more 2d esque deisgns for characters would be out of place. Hence the more realized 3-d proportionate characters.

Now, it really is just the same artsyle, as in, they still are 3d models of their suigmori artwork, just with more realized definition.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

The big, extremely wide open, staring eyes didn't help.

Particularly since there was something about, I think the colour or stylization that made them look like blank doll eyes, especially since he didn't have any pupils, just empty irises. (his eyes look like the ones on the mask of that Pokeball guy!).

In general the whole cop looks like a puppet rather than a person, which wasn't the case with the rest of the trainer classes in SwSh, making him even weirder.

He sort looks like he got into the drugs his coworkers confiscated from criminals. I mean how else do explain that face? He clearly is having an acid trip.

 

[Julia Artemis]

Oh crap they might have hid a Pokemon in plain sight. I almost forgot that there's supposed to be an engine pokemon!

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1555223717101568005

 

[Smeargle-Sketch]

Oh crap they might have hid a Pokemon in plain sight. I almost forgot that there's supposed to be an engine pokemon!

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1555223717101568005

OH **** THATS WHY NO ONE IS IN THE DIRVER'S SEAT?!?!

Check 1:36 and you'll see no one is driving that car

 

[Orphalesion]

Eh... I'm pretty sure the car is just a car. Assuming this isn't just a joke/quip, I think, at most, they mean something in the picture looks like or is designed after the Poison/Steel type, like hood ornaments.

Or...maybe....possibly...I don't think so, but maybe...it might be a legendary (or mythical?) that has a transformer mode like the legendaries.

 

[Kerhelion]

The Pokemon is the engine (the mettalic and violet parts), not the whole car.

 

[Julia Artemis]

Yeah probably just the engine. If it's the whole car that would be really weird and would make me upset all over again about Coalssal not being a coal train

 

[Smeargle-Sketch]

Perhaps the engine mon is like a vehicle version to Rotom?

 

[Ultra Beast Lover]

I was wondering why the car was driving itself. It must be really useful for vehicles, kinda like Rotom. I guess that's why we've never heard of gas stations. A neat little bit of worldbuilding right there.

 

[janejane6178]

Oh crap they might have hid a Pokemon in plain sight. I almost forgot that there's supposed to be an engine pokemon!

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1555223717101568005

Omg its so cute

 

[Smeargle-Sketch]

I was wondering why the car was driving itself. It must be really useful for vehicles, kinda like Rotom. I guess that's why we've never heard of gas stations. A neat little bit of worldbuilding right there.

Man, if you get a Corviknight Taxi chasis and this Engine Pokemon, you could have a personal multi-traversal Pokemon powered vehicle.

 

[lemoncatpower]

I'm a bit late but I LOVE CETITAN!!!! I hope it has a pre-evo and it seems like it would. It is definitely going to be a staple on my team although someone pointed out the ice area being on the other side of the map... It makes me want to go a bit north and see the narwhals but theyre a september to october thing so maybe next month <3

and PALDEAN WOOPER!? Okay how can you make the cutest derpiest pokemon even more cute and derpy by giving it an almost skull and cross bones head.

I am in love with both.

Fidough is alright and this engine pokemon does not interest me at all at the moment.

 

[janejane6178]

I'm a bit late but I LOVE CETITAN!!!! I hope it has a pre-evo and it seems like it would. It is definitely going to be a staple on my team although someone pointed out the ice area being on the other side of the map... It makes me want to go a bit north and see the narwhals but theyre a september to october thing so maybe next month <3

and PALDEAN WOOPER!? Okay how can you make the cutest derpiest pokemon even more cute and derpy by giving it an almost skull and cross bones head.

I am in love with both.

Fidough is alright and this engine pokemon does not interest me at all at the moment.

The Pokemon designs seem simple yet elegant