A hilarious meme produced by a Pokémon fan capitalizes on the stark difference between Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and Legends: Arceus when it comes to falling. The games place a strong emphasis on open-world exploration, a relatively new trend for the Pokémon franchise which began with Pokémon Sword and Shield’s Wild Area.
Reddit user NidoMarquis’ meme emphasizes the incredible disparity between Legends: Arceus and the newest Pokémon games with some well-chosen images illustrating the dangers of fall damage. For Legends: Arceus, the player is represented by Nathan Drake in the cover art for Uncharted 2, desperately clinging to the side of a cliff. Scarlet and Violet, meanwhile, are represented by the anime’s Ash Ketchum determinedly diving through the air. The Pokémon meme lightheartedly mocks the game mechanics behind these two very different atmospheres with great success, having earned quickly its creator over 2,000 upvotes.
New Pokémon Meme Explores Different Player Reactions To Falling
The meme’s hilarity lies firmly in the different experiences presented by Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Scarlet and Violet. The former game is in many ways based on themes of wilderness survival, and part of that includes having the player be vulnerable to environmental hazards such as Pokémon attacks and, of course, falling from great heights. Fainting likewise carries a high penalty, with the potential loss of valuable items. Scarlet and Violet, meanwhile, have removed this threat entirely with the Rotom Phone, which acts similar to a parachute. This expands on the device’s capabilities from previous games, and can even do so in style with the Pokémon device’s cool save bonuses.
Memes are a popular way to express one’s thoughts and feeling about games, and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are no exception to this. Even before the games were released, many fans were creating comics and other comedic images in response to the revelations offered by various trailers, most of which naturally centered around the brand new Pokémon to debut as part of the Paldean Pokédex. Examples of this include the starter trio and mascot Legendaries Koraidon and Miraidon. The Normal-type Lechonk, one of the first non-starter Generation 9 Pokémon to be revealed similarly became a fan favorite thanks in part to the Pokémon’s meme-worthy name, one of the best in years.
NidoMarquis has produced a brilliant meme that builds a relatively minor game mechanic into a hilarious joke. As with the best jokes, there is a ring of truth to it; Legends: Arceus players can indeed be incredibly cautious with full inventories, while Scarlet and Violet trivializing great falls has led to many players cheerfully diving from cliffs and towers. NidoMarquis’ new meme riffs on this to great effect, encapsulating these two very different attitudes towards the same situation in the Pokémon franchise. Although perfectly in keeping with the approaches of the respective games, NidoMarquis has shown with this Pokémon meme just how hilarious it is.
Source: NidoMarquis/Reddit