《寶可夢 朱》（日文：ポケモン スカーレット，英文：Pokémon Scarlet）是由Game Freak開發、任天堂與寶可夢公司共同發行的Nintendo Switch專屬角色扮演遊戲，與《寶可夢 紫（Violet）》為第九世代的正統雙版本對應作品，於2022年11月18日全球同步推出。《朱／紫》是系列史上首次全面採用真正的開放世界架構，也是首次同時具備「多人同步探索」、「自由劇情順序」與「無接縫地圖切換」的正傳作品，在系列歷史中具有劃時代的意義。

故事舞台設定於「帕底亞地區（Paldea Region）」，靈感來自現實世界的伊比利半島（西班牙與葡萄牙），是融合現代校園文化與古老傳說的遼闊國度。主角是一位就讀於「橘子學院（朱版）／葡萄學院（紫版）」的學生，在學校啟動稱為「寶可夢校外研學專案」後，將展開充滿自由與未知的冒險。劇情以「三條主線」為核心，分別是挑戰八大道館並參加冠軍聯盟的「冠軍之路」、幫助朋友擊退壞學生團體「星辰隊」的「星塵大作戰」，以及與生物學家同行解開神秘巨獸之謎的「傳說之路」。自由選擇主線進行順序與方式，展現與以往線性流程截然不同的遊玩體驗。

封面傳說寶可夢是「故勒頓（Koraidon）」，一種擁有遠古氣息、體態猶如摩托車的龍型寶可夢。與紫版的「密勒頓」對應，兩者象徵過去與未來的對立理念，並貫穿主軸劇情的高潮。在主線中期，可將故勒頓作為騎乘夥伴使用，不僅能奔馳大地、攀爬峭壁、游泳與滑翔，還能逐步解鎖交通機能，形成類似冒險型開放世界遊戲如《薩爾達傳說 曠野之息》的探索樂趣。

操作系統方面，保留系列傳統的回合制對戰與寶可夢捕捉機制，但加入大量近代化改良。直接在開放地圖上觀察寶可夢活動狀況，不再經歷隨機遭遇的草叢抽選，而是與特定寶可夢進行「直接接觸」後進入戰鬥。此外，新增的「隨行功能（Let’s Go）」可派出首隻寶可夢自動在野外戰鬥、撿取道具，減少重複戰鬥的疲勞感。對戰系統則新增「太晶化（Terastal）」機制，寶可夢在太晶化後將獲得特殊類型加成與全新造型，提供進階玩家更多戰略變化與編隊可能。

在畫面與技術層面，具備嶄新的角色建模與豐富地形變化，地圖橫跨城市、沙漠、森林、雪山等多樣生態區。Switch主機可在便攜與TV模式下自由切換，整體流暢度尚可，但初期版本因為開放世界運算負擔曾出現幀率不穩、物件穿模、角色表情崩壞等問題，引發一部分玩家批評。雖然任天堂隨後陸續透過更新改善性能，但技術層面的落差仍被視為本作的瑕疵之一。

不過，在市場與玩家層面，獲得壓倒性的商業成功。首週銷量超過一千萬套，打破Switch平台發售首週的銷售紀錄，也是任天堂歷史上首發銷售速度最快的遊戲之一。遊戲自由度與劇情深度獲得許多系列老玩家與評論家讚賞，尤其三線劇情融合與多主角描寫手法展現明顯敘事進化，使本作在角色塑造與世界觀建構上脫胎換骨。主題音樂由曾為《聖劍傳說》《Final Fantasy XV》配樂的作曲家下村陽子負責，增添情感張力與地域氛圍，也被視為一大亮點。

總結而言，《寶可夢 朱》不僅是系列的技術試煉場，更是概念革新的里程碑。雖然在圖像表現與穩定性上仍有待加強，但無論是劇情安排、寶可夢設計、探索自由度或創新系統，都體現Game Freak對於傳統結構的挑戰與超越。對於新玩家而言，是充滿驚奇的入門世界；對於老玩家而言，是重新定義冒險的寶可夢旅程。

Pokémon Scarlet (Japanese: ポケモン スカーレット) is a role-playing game developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. It is paired with Pokémon Violet as the dual-version release of the ninth generation and launched globally on November 18, 2022. As the first mainline title in the series to adopt a fully open-world structure, it represents a historic leap forward for the franchise. The game introduces several groundbreaking features: seamless map transitions, non-linear storytelling, and real-time multiplayer exploration—all firsts in a mainline Pokémon game.

The story unfolds in the Paldea Region, a vast land inspired by the Iberian Peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal). Paldea blends modern school life with ancient legends, setting the stage for an expansive adventure. Players take on the role of a student enrolled in either Naranja Academy (Scarlet) or Uva Academy (Violet). As part of the school’s independent study project, players are sent into the world to explore, learn, and grow.

The narrative is structured around three main story arcs, which can be pursued in any order:

1. Victory Road – The classic gym challenge route where players battle eight gym leaders and aim to become Champion.
2. Starfall Street – A campaign to dismantle Team Star, a group of misfit students causing trouble across the region.
3. Path of Legends – A mysterious adventure alongside a biology student to uncover the truth behind Titan Pokémon and ancient myths.

This non-linear approach provides a refreshing departure from the traditionally linear Pokémon formula, granting players unprecedented freedom in how they tackle the game’s world and objectives.

The game’s cover Legendary Pokémon is Koraidon, a prehistoric, dragon-like creature with a body design resembling a motorcycle. It is exclusive to Scarlet and contrasts with Miraidon from Violet, representing a thematic dichotomy between past and future. Midway through the game, Koraidon becomes a rideable companion, enabling players to traverse land, climb cliffs, swim, and glide—mirroring the exploration mechanics of open-world titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

In terms of gameplay, Pokémon Scarlet retains the series’ turn-based battle system and creature-catching mechanics but introduces several modern refinements. Wild Pokémon are now visible directly on the overworld, eliminating random grass encounters. Players engage with creatures by directly approaching them. A new "Let’s Go" feature allows the lead Pokémon to roam autonomously, pick up items, and battle weaker foes automatically, streamlining grinding and exploration.

A major new mechanic is Terastallization, which gives Pokémon a crystalline appearance and allows them to change their elemental type temporarily during battle. This adds an entirely new layer of strategic depth to team building and competitive play.

Visually, the game offers updated character models and diverse terrain—ranging from cities and forests to deserts and snow-covered peaks. While the overall presentation is ambitious, the game’s launch was marred by technical issues, including frame rate drops, clipping errors, and animation glitches. Although several updates have improved performance, these early shortcomings drew criticism and remain one of the game’s few weaknesses.

Despite these technical flaws, Pokémon Scarlet achieved overwhelming commercial success. It sold over 10 million copies in its first week, breaking records as the fastest-selling title in both Nintendo and Switch history. Critics and longtime fans praised its newfound narrative depth, multi-arc story structure, and reimagined exploration mechanics. The storytelling showcases a clear evolution in narrative ambition, with multi-protagonist perspectives and emotional arcs enhancing immersion and character development.

The game’s soundtrack, composed by Yoko Shimomura—renowned for her work on Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy XV—adds emotional weight and regional flavor, further elevating the experience.

In conclusion, Pokémon Scarlet stands as both a technical testbed and a conceptual milestone for the franchise. While graphical fidelity and performance still leave room for improvement, its innovations in open-world design, gameplay freedom, and narrative execution mark a bold redefinition of what a mainline Pokémon game can be. For newcomers, it offers a wondrous entry point into the series; for veterans, it delivers a thrilling reinvention of the Pokémon journey.