I’ve been a nerd all my life; maybe that’s why I still play Pokémon as an adult. 

Pokémon was as instrumental in my growing up as Disney, Star Wars, Narnia, and Lord of the Rings. Some of my earliest memories are waking up early to watch Pokémon on TV with my older sister. In my younger years, my friends and I pretended we had Pokémon and battled each other with gusto. I was obsessed with collecting cards, even though my brother and I never quite figured out how to use them correctly in the game. I kept up with every instalment of the video game series until late high school, when I got too busy to play video games regularly. 

In fact, Pokémon was so important to me growing up that I have a confession to make. Every time I watch the Detective Pikachu movie, I tear up a little because seeing the real world full of Pokémon is precisely what I saw in my imagination as a child. I longed for Pokemon to be real, to have a partner and journey to faraway places to train and battle! More than any other story world, this was the one I wanted to live in. 

However, my love for Pokémon has always been more about the concept than the actual storylines. I love the beautiful world created in the Pokémon games, but the stories themselves were always quite cheesy and predictable. It was all part of the appeal, though!

So, when my brother got me Pokémon Violet for my birthday this year, I was expecting it to be the same. I hadn’t owned a traditional Pokémon game since Diamond and Pearl (like, the original ones for DS), but I figured not much had changed. And, surprisingly. . . I was wrong. 

So whether you’ve tossed a million Poké balls in your lifetime or none at all, I invite you to take a look at how Pokémon Scarlet and Violet utilise emotional storytelling and how you can incorporate these impactful techniques into your stories. 

(Quick note if you’re not familiar with Pokémon: Scarlet and Violet are sister games containing essentially the same story, but slight differences in details, which is why I’ll be referring to them as a unit.)

Character-Driven Storylines 

Unique to Scarlet/Violet are the three different storylines you can follow in the game. In the past, Pokemon games have solely been about training your Pokémon and battling to become the best trainer in the land (with a little bit of world-ending catastrophe sprinkled in). Not anymore! 

Each of the storylines in these games is centred around a different character who you meet in the beginning. In fact, as you progress through the game, the characters become more important than the actual tasks you’re doing. Only once you’ve fully progressed your relationship with all three characters can you unlock the final storyline to beat the game. 

Scarlet/Violet do a great job at making each main character unique and interesting—we’ve come quite a long way from the taciturn, elusive, two-dimensional characters of the original games! Additionally, the progression of the storylines is driven by the characters’ actions, not just stuff happening in the plot. Your character and their interactions with others push the plot ever forward.

For effective storytelling, character-driven is always the way to go; it’s the best method to make your audience care about your story. You can have a great plot, but unless there’s a character to make people emotionally engage with said plot, they won’t. Plain and simple. Let the characters take control of the story and draw your audience in. 

Emotional Themes 

The depth of some themes in Scarlet/Violet truly astounded me. Friendship is a common theme in Pokémon, but more complex themes like loss and grief, accountability, forgiveness, worthiness, personal growth, and trust were also addressed. The cool thing is that these themes are still all rooted in friendship, the beating heart of the entire Pokémon franchise, but this game dives deeper into different facets of friendship, showing that it’s not always easy or black and white. 

When developing your theme, it’s important to stick with one main theme, and then branch out to give it more depth. Your sub-themes should all reinforce the main theme and explore it in different ways. Essentially, your main theme should be simple, your sub-themes more complex.

A successful theme is not only an enhancement to the overall story, making it more interesting and realistic, but it’s also the reason that we write. The theme is what we want people to take away from our story. It’s one of the most important parts of a book. And there are many ways to enhance it, too; for example, Pokémon Scarlet/Violet use visuals and music. While we can’t use those same elements in a book, we can still use action, dialogue, and tone to enhance the theme. 

Plot Twists for Emotional Effect

Pokémon games are usually predictable. They always feel like they’re building up to something, and you can tell what it is a mile away. While Scarlet/Violet still have that to a degree, the story plays with your anticipation, making you question your assumptions by introducing false leads and throwing in new story elements. The ending plot twist was something I genuinely didn’t see coming. Let me tell you, it went from cute kid’s game to super hardcore really fast!

But the plot twists weren’t just there for the sake of being shocking. The entire game hinted at them, and they worked with the story and characters. These twists even helped bolster the theme, all the while adding a healthy element of surprise to the plot.

Plot twists should be used sparingly, and always, always make them make sense for the characters before the plot. Too many plot twists are used for novelty, but they fall flat if they make little sense. If you use them effectively, though, they can be a great way to develop a character and reinforce a theme. 

The Power of Emotional Storytelling 

Through character-driven storylines, emotional themes, and well-timed plot twists, Pokémon Scarlet/Violet hit a home run with emotional storytelling. I rarely emotionally react to video games, but Violet truthfully made me tear up a couple of times. It’s just that impactful! 

Your stories can do it, too. Remember, characters first, always. Make sure everything points back to your theme, and don’t just let it be surface level. With emotional storytelling, your audience will be hooked from page one and will follow you anywhere! 

What are some of your favourite video game stories? I’d love to hear about them in the comments! And if you need help to improve the emotional elements of your story, you can check out my feedback services.

Happy writing!
—E.J.

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