While most fans watching the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet leaks are focused on new Pokémon, there are also important design details being shared that might change how players enjoy the games. One such element will specifically impact Shiny Pokémon hunters: it appears Game Freak has once again taken two steps forward and one step back.
According to leakers who managed to grab a copy of the games more than a week before release, Shiny Pokémon do still appear in the overworld just like in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and they do have a distinct animation when spotted in the camera view.
However, the special chime Shiny Pokémon made when appearing to give players a warning is now gone, according to these Scarlet and Violet leaks.
With how quickly you can travel across large areas using ridable Pokémon in these newer games, that chime gave players an easy indicator that they should halt their progress and look around the immediate area. Without it, there is a high chance most players will simply glide right by and not even realize they missed a Shiny on the way to their next destination.
This is still a better alternative than Sword and Shield’s method, which still required players to manually encounter a Pokémon to check if it was a Shiny in-battle. But the fact such a useful mechanic was just removed after being so well received is a little baffling.
There is still a chance this is not true or that the chime will be added in the day one patch since this was info pulled from an early copy that leaked online. So fingers crossed something changes between now and Friday, Nov. 18.
