Pokémon Winds and Waves trailer shows clear graphical leap

The first trailer for Pokémon Winds and Waves suggests a marked visual improvement over Scarlet and Violet. Scarlet and Violet, released in 2022 and the last Switch-exclusive Pokémon games, were criticized for buggy performance and for looking like a GameCube tech demo, with big maps that felt lacking in texture and life.

Even after a Switch 2 update that smoothed them to 60 frames per second, they still looked rough. Winds and Waves appears to make a notable technical leap: more dynamic lighting and shading, improved water physics, and Pokémon models with a bit of texture similar to Scarlet and Violet’s.

Any direct comparisons in the new footage tend to go in Winds and Waves’ favor; it may not look incredible by every measure, but it’s the most dynamic-looking Pokémon game in some time. Fans shared side-by-side clips and praised the water, windmills and smoother animation, calling it a relief after the flat plains of prior 3D entries.

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