This review contains spoilers
The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero was truly a cordial crescendo, from quaint, quiet Kitakami to the bodacious, bedazzling Blueberry Academy. This DLC had the same things that I adored about Scarlet and Violet, and then some.
I'll start with the difficulty. Usually, main campaign Pokémon battles are a joke. I sit back, mash A, and OHKO the competition, like a conveyor belt of lambs to the slaughter-machine. This was rarely the case for this DLC. I EV-trained some Pokémon, and thought I raised them as well as I possibly could, and even then, I'd still be at risk of getting thwacked. More often than not, I'd end some very intense battles with only one of my mons left. It's a sense of tension truly unprecedented for modern Pokémon, and it reinvigorated my desire to learn how to properly teambuild.
On top of that was the story. The writers and localizers they've got on board were at their A-game. Every named character I encountered in my time with this DLC was memorable, well-written, and adorable... Kieran's kind of the poster boy of 'em all, and some of the things he says are outright refreshing to me. It feels like he's a personification of the developers being self-aware of the innate privilege a character gets in-universe by being the protagonist. He's absolutely fantastic.
Even the featured legendary Pokémon involved in the stories had a lot to love about them. Ogerpon, Okidogi, Fezandipiti, Munkidori.... Even Terapogos a little. I'm used to solving the problems of legendary Pokémon, but I'm not used to it feeling quite as personal as it is here.
I admit that I actually don't have as much to say about the gameplay additions as I should... perhaps because I had the plot in mind moreso than things such as completing the Pokédex, Tera Raids, or extra stuff like that.
That said, it's in the little things that Pokémon decided to reward you for spending $35.
Items that I'd have had to do an unholy grind for in the maingame are more common in the DLC. Appreciated. You get the chance to rematch folks after everything's completed. Totally righteous. And, naturally, it brings back a whoooole lot of Pokémon. Thank God.
One more thing I'll mention is the epilogue... I'm a sucker for writing, and character interaction; this short little story beat had it in droves. My time with it was short, but it's thanks to this epilogue that I'll fondly remember this DLC campaign for eons.
I hope that everyone who enjoyed the OG Scarlet and Violet gets the chance to enjoy this, too. It's so, so worth it.
I'll start with the difficulty. Usually, main campaign Pokémon battles are a joke. I sit back, mash A, and OHKO the competition, like a conveyor belt of lambs to the slaughter-machine. This was rarely the case for this DLC. I EV-trained some Pokémon, and thought I raised them as well as I possibly could, and even then, I'd still be at risk of getting thwacked. More often than not, I'd end some very intense battles with only one of my mons left. It's a sense of tension truly unprecedented for modern Pokémon, and it reinvigorated my desire to learn how to properly teambuild.
On top of that was the story. The writers and localizers they've got on board were at their A-game. Every named character I encountered in my time with this DLC was memorable, well-written, and adorable... Kieran's kind of the poster boy of 'em all, and some of the things he says are outright refreshing to me. It feels like he's a personification of the developers being self-aware of the innate privilege a character gets in-universe by being the protagonist. He's absolutely fantastic.
Even the featured legendary Pokémon involved in the stories had a lot to love about them. Ogerpon, Okidogi, Fezandipiti, Munkidori.... Even Terapogos a little. I'm used to solving the problems of legendary Pokémon, but I'm not used to it feeling quite as personal as it is here.
I admit that I actually don't have as much to say about the gameplay additions as I should... perhaps because I had the plot in mind moreso than things such as completing the Pokédex, Tera Raids, or extra stuff like that.
That said, it's in the little things that Pokémon decided to reward you for spending $35.
Items that I'd have had to do an unholy grind for in the maingame are more common in the DLC. Appreciated. You get the chance to rematch folks after everything's completed. Totally righteous. And, naturally, it brings back a whoooole lot of Pokémon. Thank God.
One more thing I'll mention is the epilogue... I'm a sucker for writing, and character interaction; this short little story beat had it in droves. My time with it was short, but it's thanks to this epilogue that I'll fondly remember this DLC campaign for eons.
I hope that everyone who enjoyed the OG Scarlet and Violet gets the chance to enjoy this, too. It's so, so worth it.