Have you completed Pokémon Scarlet/Violet, The Turquoise Mask expansion and still want more?
A little over a week ago, Nintendo and Game Freak released The Indigo Disc, the second expansion for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
But is this new extension worth your time and money? Let’s dig deeper.
What is Pokémon Scarlet/Violet – The Indigo Disc?
This is downloadable content for the base game, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet (note: you may see the term DLC, Downloadable Content, used).
This DLC adds a new optional chapter to the base game. In this chapter, your trainer is invited to a student exchange at the Blueberry Institute in the Unova region, the Pokémon-esque equivalent of the United States.
This out-of-this-world school contains the Terarium, a huge environment divided into four biomes brimming with Pokémon, most of which have never been seen before Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
In addition to completing their Pokédex, players must also compete against the Institute’s Pokémon League in order to compete against the league’s newest champion, Kassis, our friend we met in the previous add-on, The Turuq Mask.
This chapter also offers the opportunity to catch several Legendary Pokémon, in addition to offering more difficult clashes that will further test the players’ level of strategy.
How much does The Indigo Disc cost?
You can’t buy The Indigo Disc on its own. The content is part of a content duo called The Buried Treasure of Area Zero along with the previous content, The Turquoise Mask.
In short, by purchasing The Buried Treasure of Zone Zero, you have access to The Turquoise Mask as well as The Indigo Disc. The cost of this set is $44.99 CAD or €34.99. It is possible to buy this set online on the Switch eShop, or in store (you will then be given a card with a code to enter on the eShop).
Careful: You need to make sure you buy the version for the appropriate game. If you purchase the content for Pokémon Scarlet and own Pokémon Violet, it simply won’t work.
Nintendo have also released a physical edition of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet that includes the base game and downloadable content in the same box. This edition retails for $124.99, which is the price it would cost to purchase the base game and expansions.
How do I access The Indigo Disc?
Once you have purchased the downloadable content and updated your game, you will need to restart the game.
Professor Jacq will call you immediately to invite you to join him at the Academy. Once there, you will have to talk to the new character waiting for you in the entrance of the institution.
To access it, however, you must have completed the base game as well as the previous expansion, The Turquoise Mask.
Is The Indigo Disc worth the cost?
The base version of Pokémon Scarlet/Violet had big problems, and nothing has been fixed with this new expansion.
So, if the technical difficulties of the base game (difficulty loading textures and scenery elements, slowdowns, faulty animation) have spoiled your fun with the title, skip it; Nothing is settled.
In fact, it may be even worse. The Terarium is a great open world, but perhaps too big for what the title is able to handle. The slowdowns are even more numerous, so much so that there have been several fears that the game will crash. It is also not uncommon to see elements of the scenery appear and disappear suddenly.
It’s still annoying to see Nintendo and Game Freak asking us for an extra $45 for The Turquoise Mask and The Indigo Disc when the base game is still not in acceptable technical condition. For one of the biggest franchises in the world, you’d expect a little more care.
Now, if we go beyond the many technical flaws of this expansion, the game itself is enjoyable. This new expansion puts more emphasis on the open world and exploration than the more linear story of The Turquoise Mask, but it allows for a variety of experiences.
The only slight downside is that there is no problem with it; To progress in the game and especially to unlock new Pokémon to catch, you have to complete quests that offer you points. Unfortunately, the amount of points required is very high compared to the points earned by each of these quests, which forces us to complete a very large amount of these quests in order to progress. In addition, the suggested quests are very repetitive.
A good experience, then, but undermined by a technical performance that is still as poor as ever.
Note: a code has been given to us by the publisher for criticism purposes.
