Pokémon Scarlet/Violet Teal Mask DLC Review

Hey guys it’s me again, DJ Harrito! This time around I’ll be reviewing the latest Pokémon DLC, spoilers of course! I’ll be tackling my opinion on the DLC and its main story, not including the side quests like the Perrin storyline. Obviously, this mini-blog is about my opinion and my opinion only so if you disagree with my opinions that’s ok!

☆ The Storyline ☆

The story is pretty short and follows us, the protagonist, visiting Kitakami which is a new region for us to explore aside from the already existing Paldea region. We are told that we are merging classes with another school named Blueberry Academy. Surprisingly, Blueberry Academy is a school located in the Unova region. For those who don’t know, Unova is considered Generation 5 in Pokémon and is known as Pokémon Black and White by their respective titles. After taking a flight to Kitakami from Paldea, we are dropped off at a bus stop and are told to head to the community center. On our way there, we meet our two main rivals/supporter characters Kieran and Carmine.

At first, Carmine is portrayed as a rival who dislikes outsiders coming into Kitakami which is where Carmine and Kieran both grew up in. We then proceed to battle with them and depending on how far players are in Pokémon Violet/Scarlet, the battles can be either difficult or simple. As I maximized my team, which at the time was made up of Scizor, Maushold, Raichu, Breloom, and two filler Pokémon, I proceeded to easily take down their teams. This was just a small tidbit of the DLC as the rest of the story proceeds with a similar cycle of introducing new areas in the game and battling.

Their story develops and both friendships and rivalries arise.

What I found super entertaining is that both Carmine and Kieran change in character by the end of the story. Carmine is portrayed as a haughty and rude individual but by the end of the game she retains her sassy nature while also opening up to us and showing her true kind self. While Kieran on the other hand is introduced as a kindhearted character who goes out of their way to make us feel at home, his personality makes a complete 180 as he feels like we are not only untrustworthy but also very powerful.

The legendary Pokémon in this region is Ogerpon alongside three other, new Pokémon, Okidogi, Munkidori, and Fezandipiti. The night festival and traditional garb used in it really felt like a huge immersion point. A reason I possibly love so many aspects of the story is that the setting is so similar to Yo-kai Watch 2 on the Nintendo 3ds. Many mountain ranges, small Japanese-inspired festivals, and the cliché old lady shop owner. Overall, the setting of the area is very different from the base game. The DLC does lack length as it is, in my opinion, super short. My runtime for the DLC was about 4 hours and that includes me exploring the map and catching new Pokémon. Aside from that, the abundance of glitches are still present but if the player can ignore them then it’s pretty fun.

♧ Music ♧

The music is absolutely amazing as usual and some of my personal favorite tracks are Carmine’s Battle theme and the Loyal Three theme. As I stated before, it felt very much like Yo-kai Watch, especially for its music. All music is either super upbeat, like Kieran’s battle theme or can be relaxing like the Timeless Woods theme. Regardless of where players are in the game, it never fails to captivate fans throughout the playthrough.

♡ Personal Connection to Story ♡

The story mainly revolves around our two supporters, Kieran and Carmine. I personally can relate SO much to Carmine as I am the eldest of my siblings and constantly bully them around when they’re being obnoxious or mean. My counterpart to my Kieran would be my younger sister as she and I often clash but in the end, we still love each other. I also flaunt my successes to my sister to bug her when she feels selfish. Although many people may see our relationship as odd or even toxic, it’s just our way of showing affection.

☆ Final Thoughts ☆

In the end, the DLC was well built and nothing special in my opinion but it was fun for what it provided. With that said, it brought back so much nostalgia from past games I’ve played that were also inspired by rural Japan. As a Pokémon fan, was it worth $35 USD? Not at all but hopefully part 2 of this DLC is worth it!

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