Each region in the franchise is based on a real-world location: the first four regions are parts of Japan, Kalos is France, Galar is Great Britain, etc. So naturally, one of the first things fans focused on was what geographical flavor the new region would be steeped in. And judging by the shape of the map on the player’s wall, the rustic architecture, and the large building that closely resembles Barcelona’s Sagrada Família, it looks like generation 9’s region will be based on Spain! Perhaps we’ll get some kind of bull-race minigame? Maybe the “dancer” trainers will be flamenco themed? So many possibilities!

Starting in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, a strange subplot about interdimensional “fallers” has been creeping around under the surface of the Pokémon games. Fallers are random people who are suddenly pulled through time and space into a new reality, often with little memory of their original lives. Since Pokémon Legends: Arceus focused on the topic so heavily, it’s possible that these new games will follow up on some of the fallers and hopefully even send some of them back home. Being stuck in an alternate dimension forever is just too sad...

The reveal trailer didn’t show any actual game mechanics, so we can’t be sure about this, but it seems like Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s gameplay will combine some aspects of both Sword & Shield and Legends: Arceus. The wide-open plains with wandering Pokémon resemble Galar’s wild areas and Hisui’s open-world design – we doubt that Pokémon will attack the player in this modern-day setting, but perhaps the sneaking and Poké Ball throwing mechanics will make a comeback. Coupled with traditional battling, exploring this new region could truly be the immersive experience fans have been wanting for years.

Player characters in Pokémon games usually wear some combination of casual and athletic clothes that would be practical to travel in, but the protagonists of Scarlet and Violet look more ready for class than ready for an adventure. Could this mean that an early portion of the game will take place at a school? It could be fun to start out taking field trips and making friends before suddenly being thrust into a quest to save the world! Maybe the first gym leader will be the homeroom teacher and the player has to defeat them to prove that they’re worthy of graduating (and getting a new outfit)? It’s an unusual idea, but it could definitely work!

Everyone seems to love the new starter Pokémon already, so we have high hopes for the new monster designs in this generation. Maybe we’ll finally get a dolphin Pokémon or some rad regional variants of underutilized characters like Dunsparce and Chatot. The Spain-influenced setting could lead to Pokémon based on matadors or even Picasso paintings... and we’re long overdue for a new Eeveelution. How about a dragon-type this time?