A wonderful mess. That is the only way I can describe Pokémon Scarlet and Violet for the Nintendo Switch. Its first wave of DLC, The Teal Mask, is no different.
Set in the land of Kitakami, The Teal Mask takes your childhood Pokémon dreams and brings them to near life. The mysteries of the land, the exploration, and the Pokémon themselves are an absolute delight, sullied by a disappointing story and graphical issues throughout.
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The Wonderful
Let’s start with the positives.
The Teal Mask is an invigorating addition to the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet game. From the introduction of new Pokémon, to the return of fan-favourites, and even the brand-new map itself — it all felt like a breath of fresh air.
What this game does well, it exceeds in. Running around the rice fields of Kitakami for the first time invokes a child-like awe and wonder. It makes you feel like you could be a real-life Pokémon trainer, surrounded by actual Pokémon. Gone are the days of 2D sprites that wiggle on a black-and-white screen. This game takes what we dreamed of as children playing on our Game Boys and turns it into reality.
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I have spent countless hours simply running around the brand-new environments. From dark forests to crystal pools, there is something exotic waiting for you around every corner. In every detail it’s evident the developers enjoyed creating the land of Kitakami, giving old Pokémon new life.
The Teal Mask brings with it a handful of brand-new Pokémon. Though the legendary Pokémon drive the plot of the story (or lack thereof, but more on that later), it’s the inclusion of Dipplin, Poltchageist, and Sinistcha that really steals the show.
Dipplin is the newest evolution variant for Applin, the apple Pokémon introduced to us in Pokémon Sword and Shield. As its name suggests, it resembles a candy apple, and its signature move Syrup Bomb is also a fun nod to this. Its shiny variant is gold in colour, reminiscent of a caramel apple.
Poltchageist and Sinistcha are a new evolutionary line introduced in this region. Much like Wiglett and Wugtrio, or Toedscool and Toedscruel, Poltchageist and Sinistcha are not regional variants of the Pokémon they obviously resemble (Polteageist and Sinistea). Instead, they are a stand-alone line that suits the oriental themes of Kitakami.
Like Polteagiest, Poltchageist has antique and phony forms, known as artisan and counterfeit forms respectively. These different forms are distinguished by an incredibly tiny stamp on the bottom of its cup. This gimmick makes for some fun gameplay as you run around bamboo forests, looking underneath every matcha tea cup you come across.
The Mess
Moving on from the positives, it’s time to address the lacklustre moment-to-moment story.
I could hardly call the ‘story’ of The Teal Mask a story. In fact, when discussing this with friends and colleagues I address it as the ‘context.’ The context for this game lacks much character or intrigue. It can be completed in approximately 3 hours, and yet knowing this I still procrastinated finishing it because I was entirely disinterested.
The so-called story is, for lack of a better word, meh. You are an exchange student on a special trip to the land of Kitakami. You meet some rival kids, you battle — it’s the usual formula.
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The context for the DLC revolves around Kieran and his sister Carmine from the Blueberry Academy (potentially setting up for the second pass of the DLC, The Indigo Disk, set to launch later this year).
Without spoiling the ‘story’ in greater detail, there are several moments and character decisions throughout that make absolutely no sense. These decisions are solely made to drive the so-called plot, but they feel more forced than natural. I was often left feeling annoyed.
There is, however, one character that I adore: Perrin. Hinted at as being the descendant of Adaman from Pokemon: Legends Arceus (the coolest character from that game), Perrin hails from the land that was once known as Hisui (Sinnoh). She describes herself as a renowned photographer.
Again, I will not spoil the story in greater detail, but it is worth noting that Perrin’s character development is incredible. She brings humour, joy, pain, and growth, all in the matter of a few minutes (without giving me whiplash). Her part in the story is more like a side-quest, and my only criticism is that it wasn’t the MAIN story. The best The Teal Mask‘s story has to offer is over in the blink of an eye.
The Cufant In The Room
It’s time to address it. The graphics. *cue dramatic sting*
In a nutshell: after the incredible release of The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom there is no excuse for poor graphics on the Nintendo Switch console. I’ve heard the apologetics for the state of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, but I care for none of it. As a Pokémon fan, I want to be proud of the thing that I’m a fan of. The flack I copped from my friends for my love of the franchise when that game launched was solely down to how abysmal the game looked and performed. The Teal Mask is no different.
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It’s all still broken. Pop-in and low frame rate is inexcusable for a AAA video game, especially when it’s from one of the biggest game developers of our generation. The fact that this game was green-lit in this state still baffles me.
Despite the negative reception of this very serious matter, in the ten months since the main game released, it appears very little has been done to rectify the performance and graphics. If you were hoping the DLC would address any of this, you will be sorely disappointed.
The Teal Mask brings a lot of beautiful new areas to explore, but is tarnished by major performance issues.
The Final Verdict
I adore Pokémon. Always have, always will. Notwithstanding, I can not overlook the faults that pollute Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and its DLC. I want to give The Teal Mask the utmost praise for how it made me love every moment I spent running around Kitakami. However, this would be unfair given its critical issues.
Nevertheless, I would highly recommend The Teal Mask to anyone who can enjoy Pokémon for what it is and is able to overlook the game’s failings.
With that, I’m off to shiny-hunt for an Artisan Poltchageist.
Quest Daily scores Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: The Teal Mask DLC:
7/10
