Pokemon Scarlet and Violet goes Subway Simulator with sandwich construction

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet lets you take your creatures on picnics, and craft your own TM items.

Earlier today on October 6, a brand new Pokemon Scarlet and Violet trailer introduced two key new features. First among these was the additions of picnics while exploring the world of Paldea, where you can kick back with all the current Pokemon in your party.

Not only can you clean your Pokemon with a big hose and brush while you're on a picnic to grow closer to them, but you can also create sandwiches to eat with them. In a Subway-style menu, you can pick out individual ingredients to stuff into your sandwiches, which result in stat boosts for your creatures.

Other online Scarlet and Violet players can even join in your picnic if they're connected. Three total friends can join in on your picnic, and you can even uncover items while your creatures play together. Note that you will need a Nintendo Switch Online membership to share a picnic.

There's also a brand new photo mode for Scarlet and Violet. You can take selfies and photos while out and about anywhere, but using this feature while on a picnic lets you take one big group photo with all your collected creatures together at once, using a variety of filters and other customizations.

Elsewhere among the new features for the two Pokemon games was TM crafting. Ordinarily, Pokemon players would buy or discover TM items while out in the open world, but this time you can actually craft your own TMs in PokeMarts, using ingredients and other collectible you've scavenged on your journey so far.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet launch next month on November 18 for Nintendo Switch. Well, at least we didn't see the feared bipedal Sprigatito evolution that fans have widely reviled since it was first leaked earlier this year. 

Check out our full guide on where to pre-order Pokemon Scarlet and Violet for info on where to bag the best pre-order bonuses. 

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.