We all know the drill by now. You want to be the very best, like no one ever was, so you set out on a cross-country journey to catch and train adorable monsters and rise to the ranks of Pokemon Master. It's a tale as old as time, or at least as old as 1996, and Pokemon games rarely venture outside this comfortable template. That made it all the more surprising when Pokemon Scarlet made me actually care and look forward to two of its three main story paths.

Spoilers follow.

If you've been following Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, you know that the game consists of three main story paths that you can take in any order. Victory Road is the traditional quest to become a Pokemon master while doing battle with your friendly rival, Nemona. Starfall Street is also a take on the classic Pokemon formula, as you invade and topple the bases of this game's ostensible antagonists, Team Star. And the Path of Legends has you venturing into the wild to battle against massive Titan Pokemon.