Pokemon ScarletandPokemon Violethad a rough launch, but they are pushing onward nonetheless. These titles received the most mixed receptions of any mainlinePokemontitles thanks to their severe technical issues and compelling innovations inPokemon’s formula. Players who weren’t turned away by the persistent visual issues and bugs were rewarded with not only a hugePokemonregion to explore, but also a surprisingly interesting story.Pokemon ScarletandVioletmay not make the best first impression, but the strengths of their region Paldea make up for it.
It’s strange, then, that their upcoming DLC seems to have little to do with the new region. The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero intends to take players to new parts of thePokemonworld, with The Teal Mask featuring a school trip to the Japan-inspired land of Kitakami, and The Indigo Disk transferring players to the underwater Blueberry Academy. While it’s always nice to seenew settings forPokemongames, it doesn’t feel like this DLC is doingPokemon ScarletandViolet’s Paldean region any favors.
RELATED:Pokemon Scarlet and Violet DLC Shouldn’t Abandon the Base Game’s Most Powerful Character Arc
There Are Plenty of Issues with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s Current Region
Paldea, andPokemon ScarletandVioletin general, need a lot more work. Compared to other first-party hits on the Nintendo Switch,Pokemon ScarletandVioletare noticeably unpolished. While framerate troubles are fairly common on the system, most of the Switch’s heavy hitters don’t share the frequent glitches and lack of visual polish that have come to be associated withPokemon ScarletandViolet. Updates have started to improve these technical aspects, but progress toward where the games always should have been is slow.
The state ofScarletandViolet’s content is almost as dire. While the single-player and multiplayer experiences the games offer are enjoyable and even novel in places, there’s only so much of it. Paldea feels smaller than it should be, with many wild Pokemon wandering in sparse areas, if the draw distance has even made them visible at all.
This extends to battles as well, especially after a performance patch that improved battle framerates at the cost of NPC onlookers. Combined withPokemon ScarletandViolet’s nearly non-existent postgame, Paldea could use both more polish and content, and it’s not clear how much of either is coming.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s DLC Could Lack Fixes for the Base Game
Despite being titled The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero,Pokemon ScarletandViolet’s expansions seem to have little to do with the actual Area Zero in the center of Paldea.Pokemon ScarletandViolet’s Teal Maskis explicitly in a different area, and even if researchers from the player’s Academy appear to tease the second DLC, it’s likely going to be a self-contained adventure.
Meanwhile, The Indigo Disk looks to take place somewhere in the ocean. Despite its associated legendary Pokemon Terapagos seemingly being connected to Area Zero, it’s not clear how these two distant locations will relate. Even ignoring concerns that the story’s focus might shift outside the Paldea region in spite of it hosting Area Zero, any features or polish added by the DLC will likely stay in the DLC.
Paldea’s towns and open worldwill remain light on content, and the open world may end up with less detail and more performance issues than the smaller DLC environments. Rumors of a graphical overhaul coinciding with the expansions do inspire some hope, but it seems likePokemon ScarletandViolet’s DLC is content to set players' most exciting adventures outside Paldea.
Pokemon ScarletandVioletare available now for the Nintendo Switch.
MORE:Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s DLC Could Fix One of the Biggest Flaws Of The Base Game
