Review written by thechoujinvirus
Note: The following game may contain spoilers to the game, though I’ll keep the main story spoiler-free as best as I can.
To see my Review of Scarlet and Violet, click here.
to see my review Part 1 of DLC, click here
Hey everyone, this was supposed to be released after I reviewed the first DLC, but time and distractions got in the way, so I apologize for the delay.
Continuing, as stated before, Scarlet and Violet had released a DLC pack known as “The Treasure of Area Zero”. The first part was known as the Teal Mask, which introduced us to Kitakami. Part two, the Indigo disc, continues the DLC story. Released around 3 months after Teal Mask, on December 14, 2023. What does the Indigo Disk provide that makes it a good finale? Well, let’s continue on that path, shall we?
Summary of the story
First off, before you can get access to the Indigo Disk DLC, you need to beat both the main story in Scarlet/Violet as well as the first DLC, The Teal Mask. Once those are done, you’re then invited by Director Cyrano, a friend of Director Clavell, to attend the illustrious Blueberry Academy. There, you get to explore the massive underwater Terrarium, which, according to the director, hosts four biomes: the Dry Savannah, a Tropical area, a craggy mountainous area, and an icy polar biome. Each of them contains some newer Pokémon not seen. Besides new Pokémon, you encounter some new faces and characters. Such characters include the Blueberry Elite Four: The laid-back Drayton, the always punctual Amarys, the by-the-rules Lacey and Crispin, the fiery chef, as well as some returning faces like Professor Briar, Carmine, Perrin the photographer, and even Kieran, who is the champion of the Blueberry League. On top of that, you finally get to see the final secret of the Treasure of Area Zero, Terrapagos, and the true power of the Tera Phenomenon.
Gameplay
I already explained the gameplay in my past reviews, so if you want to see them, you can see them here, but for now, I’ll explain the new features Indigo Disk brings to the table. First off, unlike the first two DLCs, when it comes to trainer battles, Indigo Disk brings us the return of Double Battles, which is essentially a 2v2 battle. It allows for some combos and strategies in fighting that you don’t see in one-on-one fights. Some of the other trainers might employ them, such as Crispin’s fire-based team, which will utilize Sunny Day to power up his other teams and even give his Executor a boost. One of the major fights in the game, Kieran, will use a team that has some actual viability to make themselves a challenge to fight (Drizzle Politoed to help his Dragonite for one starter)
Another new feature added to the game is a new type for Terrastalation: The Stellar Tera Type. The Stellar type enhances all your Pokémon’s moves for one use (when in a trainer battle) or perpetually in Tera Raids. However, they also take more damage if a super-effective move hits them. This makes it an impressive but double-edged sword.
Lastly, besides new features and fun in the game, you have something else: New Pokémon.
For starters, let’s start with some new evolutions for older Pokémon. For starters, the first new Pokémon is Archaludon, the evolution to Generation 8’s Duraludon, which requires using the new Evolutionary item, Metal Alloy. Dipplin, the new evolution for Applin introduced in the last DLC, has its line complete with the introduction of Hydrapple, a Pokémon that requires the Fickle Beam TM to evolve into this form. However, it’s not just new forms; there are also other changes. Alolan forms make their return to the DLC, including Alolan Exeggutor, Alolan Vulpix, Alolan Sandshrew, and even Alolan Muk. Another return is the Hisuian forms, such as Hisuian Quilfish and Kleavor. But a major first is the ability to capture all Gen 1-8 Starter Pokémon in the Terrarium! Finally, we also get the last two Pokémon of the Paradox Trio that complement Walking Wake and Iron Leaves, though they’re version Exclusives. For example, the Pokémon Raging Bolt and Gouging Flame are found in Scarlet, while Iron Crown and Iron Boulder are found in Violet.
Though getting anything done in this DLC isn’t easy, and the money you amassed in the game is worthless at Blueberry. The Academy uses a currency known as Blueberry points, which is required for activities such as purchasing items at their stores, inviting guest trainers, and customizing your Trainer Club. How do you get them? Easy, through missions known as “Blueberry Quests” or the flying mini game provided by Amarys. These quests are random and can range from simple things like “travelling 500 steps” or “catching a Pokémon” to some more creative ones like fighting a Tera Raid, making a sandwich, or taking a picture. Best of all, you can complete them with friends through the Union Room feature, making questing faster and more enjoyable (though mostly quicker). Also, by completing quests in general, you can acquire special bait that lets you capture non-native legendaries in your game (and by doing them in groups, you can catch the opposites in other games)
Treasured Greatness: what the game has
One of the fun features of the game is more than just the gameplay’s aesthetics; one of the major things I liked is the game’s music. Storywise, it’s explained that the Blueberry academy is near Unova, so it makes sense to see some remixes of the battle music for both wild and trainer battles (even one for Tera wild fights) (here’s a YouTube comparison with these examples)
The second benefit is the double battles, which provide some form of strategy to think about, which gives you a bit of a challenge if you’re the type thirsting for challenges that the last games lacked.
Lastly, the story, to avoid any spoilers, is nicely woven in that past events from both the main game and the first DLC are referenced and even revisited.
Lackluster Treasure: what it lacks
Although the game is awesome, some issues bother me. One of them is the Blueberry quests, and how it’s a slog to do them solo. Which means that if you want things done faster, you need to get friends; otherwise, you’ll have to get used to the whole thing, and you’ll have to deal with that to access any of the cool features.
Another problem is that though Alolan forms like Executor can be found, the biomes don’t affect evolutions, so no matter what, your Eggecute cannot evolve as Alolan Executor or get the evolution for, let’s say, Alolan Raichu. Those seem to be nitpicks, but otherwise it’s nothing too severe in my book.
Lastly, the Stellar Tera Type feels like it’s made to be something good, but outside of PvE stuff, it’s kinda lackluster due to the double-edged sword.
Secrets and others
There’s a ton of secrets in The Indigo Disk, and so much that it’ll take all day to explain, but I do have two that’ll surprise you.
First, according to you, Youtuber Austin John Plays has stated (and verified by yours truly) that if you spin twenty times and use the sepia filter on your Rotom phone in camera mode, you can find Meloetta and catch her.
Another is an Epilogue DLC that was released after Indigo Disk: Mochi Meyham. A story that has you catching the Mythical Pokémon Pecharunt. It’s best to see that story.
Conclusion
Compared to Gen 8’s first attempt at making DLC stories for Pokémon, Scarlet and Violet’s last DLC does give the game a good finale and send-off for the upcoming next generation, like Pokémon Z-A. However, I’m not a psychic, so hopefully the next game can improve on that
Links Sourced
- Pokeli (music rips)
- Elekeon (music comparison)
- Austin John Plays (For the Meloetta secret)
Absolution's Archive 