It was the 27th of February 2022 (Pokémon Day, for the uninitiated) when Pokémon fans celebrated at the announcement of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet: finally, the open-world free-roaming Pokémon game we dreamed of was happening. Fast-forward to the game’s release nine months later, and our dreams were crushed under the weight of broken graphics, empty plains, and cookie-cutter characters.
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When (and if) a game finally achieves what it initially set out to do long after its actual release (not looking at anyone in particular, No Man’s Sky), it is the most beautiful coming-of-age story for its fans.
Now, the second instalment of DLC for Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, The Indigo Disk overshadows both its DLC predecessor and the main game. From its brimming world to its rich story, I have nothing but praises to sing.
Could it be that we have finally gotten the Pokémon game of our dreams?
To Fans, With Love
The Indigo Disk takes place at the Blueberry Academy, off the coasts of the Unova region (a fan-favourite region from Pokémon Black & White). As an exchange student from Paldea, you are tasked with exploring the Terrarium; a ginormous containment facility packed with diverse flora and fauna that forms most of the Academy’s curriculum. Your assignment is to catch and battle as many Pokémon as you can, while also dealing with some high school drama that drives the plot forward.
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The graphical performance far outweighs that of the previous DLC and base game. Developers, Game Freak have clearly learnt a lot since the base game.
The Indigo Disk performs well, though I have encountered few graphical glitches and bugs (which, let’s face it, is commonplace for even the best of games that release these days).
The Terrarium of The Indigo Disk is an incredible love letter to the franchise. Unlike the vast, empty lands of Paldea, it’s sprawling with variegated biomes and landscaping. There is something to explore and discover with every step.
Tenfold Gameplay
From the Pokémon to the gameplay, there is much to keep players engaged. The Indigo Disk introduces three new and exciting features: the ability to fly, Blueberry Quests, and Synchro Mode.
Let’s begin with the inclusion of flight. In the base game of Pokémon Scarlet &Violet, players are granted a ride-along Pokémon (either Koraidon or Miraidon, depending on which version of the game they are playing) who’s sole purpose is to help them traverse the world. As the story progresses, players unlock new abilities for their ride-along Pokémon such as the ability to climb, swim, and fly… Sort of. The “flight” ability in the base game was less flying and more gliding. To use the ability, players would have to climb to a great height before jumping off and gliding downwards. To address the disappointment of this feature from the base game, The Indigo Disk introduces real flying. It is a great improvement to the game, but realistically it should have been there from the start.
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Blueberry Quests (BBQs for short), are essentially mini side-quests that reward the player with a small amount of Blueberry Points. These quests can range from asking the player to pick up a handful of items on the ground, to battling in Terra Raids, and even taking photos of certain types of Pokémon. In the multiplayer mode known as Union Circle, players can be granted exclusive quests that require multiple people to complete, such as making 4-star sandwiches or taking a selfie together. Although it may seem simple on paper, the gameplay loop provided by the addition of BBQs is refreshing, and has kept myself and other fans engaged with the game for weeks.
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The game’s brand-new Synchro Mode allows your character to somehow (apparently through science) become one with their Pokémon, embody that Pokémon, and run around the world as that Pokémon. Wait, don’t leave — let me explain.
For both casual fans and furries alike, Synchro Mode is a fun way to experience the world of Pokémon – literally as a Pokémon. It is in this mode that more of the incredible detail and love from the developers for this game shines through. From an adorable hopping Joltik (that hops much like you would expect a tick to in real life), to the gracefulness of a swimming Lugia (that swims just like you remember it doing in the anime), there are many hours of entertainment to be had and Easter Eggs to uncover.
DJ Turn The Music Up
I can’t go any further without talking about the music of The Indigo Disk. As previously mentioned, the DLC takes place in the region of Unova, the region of the Generation 5 Pokémon games Pokémon Black & White (and their successors Black 2 & White 2). If you’re familiar with these games, then you will immediate recognise the remixed versions of battle themes from those games present in this DLC. A truly magical Easter Egg for long-time fans of the franchise, I can not express the joy I experienced upon discovering this. Once again, Game Freak have reminded us that they love Pokémon just as much as we do.
Without spoiling much more, I would also be remiss not mention that you should keep an ear out during encounters with returning legendary Pokémon as well.
The Away Team
I could write a dissertation on the characters of The Indigo Disk. From the Elite Four, to the Teachers, and especially Kieran – his glow-up and character arc is unlike anything I’ve ever seen in a Pokémon game. While I don’t have twelve months and 10,000 words to do exactly that, I will summarise as much as I can here.
A large part of the DLC’s story revolves around the high school drama of the Blueberry Academy. This means there are new students to meet, teachers to encounter, and even the return of familiar faces.
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Perrin, the incredible photographer from the previous DLC, returns to take photographs and keep tabs on our player’s progress.
Carmine returns alongside her brother Kieran, and while there will be more on Kieran later, Carmine again is a little bland. Nevertheless, her presence is necessary for Kieran’s story.
The Blueberry Academy has its own version on an Elite Four. These four characters each have their own quirks and identities that contrast greatly to the dreary gym leaders and Elite Four of the base game. Again, without spoiling every incredible Easter Egg in this DLC, you should pay particularly close attention to these new characters. From their Pokémon to their mannerisms, there may be some familial reminiscing for long-time fans.
Delusions Of Grandeur – An Epic Tale
I am devoting an entire section to the main antagonist of The Indigo Disk. The weakest and most irritating character from the first DLC, The Teal Mask, becomes the most fascinating and disturbing character of the second chapter; Kieran.
Villains and rivals in the Pokémon games have been watered down in recent installations. Gone are the days when villain teams wanted to flood the world or re-write existence, and gone are the days when your rival was someone to be feared. Nowadays there are bogans, cheerleaders, and bullied high schoolers to take-down, and annoying companions who follow in your footsteps and couldn’t battle to save themselves.
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Kieran is a breath of unhinged air. He is the first rival-bordering-on-villain hyper-fixated on taking down our character in a long time. Kieran may be the first character to make me feel something since Blue (Red & Blue). No more are the feel-good encouragements of Hop (Sword & Shield) or Hau (Sun & Moon). Every nice thing Kieran has to say to the player character is undercut by vibes of murder (not literally, this is a children’s game [Editor note: Careful here, Rose], but that doesn’t make me feel any better about that psychotic look in his eyes).
You may recall how much I disliked Kieran and his sister Carmine in The Teal Mask, and Game Freak really played the long con with this story. It was a risky decision to create characters that we would detest in the first story, but their arcs needed to come to fruition in The Indigo Disk. The gamble paid off in a major way.
Post-completion of The Indigo Disk, I still think about Kieran and his story arc on a daily basis. I have not felt this way about a Pokémon character ever.
Pass or Play? The Ultimate Verdict
A round of applause for Game Freak everybody, because they did good on this one. From the graphics to the gameplay and especially the characters, this is the best a Pokémon game has been in a long time.
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Despite not being a great game from the start, and its first wave of DLC proving lacklustre, Pokémon Scarlet & Violet did eventually achieve great things for the Pokémon franchise… It just took us a while to get there.
Ultimately, The Teal Mask walked so that The Indigo Disk could run.
Quest Daily scores Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: The Indigo Disk DLC:
8/10
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: The Indigo Disk DLC is out now.
