"Did you see that?": Twitch streamer comes across disturbing visual bug during battle in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Twitch streamer Gunnermaniac ran into a visual bug straight out of a horror game in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (Image via Twitch)
Twitch streamer Gunnermaniac ran into a visual bug straight out of a horror game in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (Image via Twitch)

Pokemon is once again at the forefront of many gamers' minds, thanks to the worldwide release of the ninth-generation games Pokemon Scarlet and Violet on November 18. Like many titles at launch, these offerings aren't devoid of bugs and glitches. This was made apparent by a Twitch streamer named Gunnermaniac, who recently came across a particularly terrifying bug during his playthrough of Violet.

Although the games have been praised for their ambitious take on the franchise's defined formula, reviews have largely been mixed. Fans, as well as critics, are displeased with the latest installments' poor graphics and performance issues. This has led to online discussions about whether the Nintendo Switch's low specifications are to blame or if the problems are optimization related.

The bug the streamer came across affected a random NPC's character model, causing an eyeless, disembodied head to float directly toward the camera. The streamer was stunned when he noticed the visual bug. In disbelief, he asked his chat to confirm whether they saw what he did, saying:

"Did you see that? Oh, my god!"

Twitch streamer Gunnermaniac comes across disturbing Pokemon Scarlet and Violet bug

Gunnermaniac is a Twitch streamer known for his Pokemon speedruns. During an on-stream playthrough of Violet, the content creator engaged in the game using a self-imposed rule: he was only allowed to use the generation's grass-type starter, Sprigatito.

At one point in his playthrough, he took on Director Clavell in a battle outside the game's version-exclusive school, the Uva Academy. He had only a fully evolved Meowscarada in his party.

During the fight with Clavell and his Oranguru, Gunnermaniac flipped through the item menu to use an X Defense, not noticing that a floating head with no eyes was on the screen as he exited the menu.

The bug would soon be front and center. A random NPC academy student began to walk through the battlefield. Her body, eyes, and hair were missing, and the entity just clipped through the Oranguru's character model. The floating head continued walking through the fight, getting closer to the camera before exiting to the left side of the screen.

The image of a child's disembodied head floating across the screen was terrifying and particularly jarring in a kid-friendly series such as Pokemon. Although it was clearly a bug, it wouldn't have seemed out of place in a horror game or film.

Gunnermaniac was taken aback when he looked up and noticed the glitch, saying:

"That was absolutely f****** unbelievable!"

Following the bug, Gunnermaniac needed a moment to collect himself and remember what his opponent had done on their turn.

Although complaints about Scarlet and Violet's technical performance are likely at the top of developer Game Freak's priority list, bugs and glitches such as these may be another issue to resolve in the game's first software update.