Editor’s note: This review is a continuation of the review-in-progress for the Scarlet and Violet DLC. This review is for the full Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC after the release of the second part: The Indigo Disk. If you're curious about our thoughts on part 1, read that review here.

The indigo disk is the, almost, conclusion to Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. It's been over a year since the game’s original release and while sales have been a series high, the critical reception has been overall disappointing. While I personally and publicly have found S/V to be a disastrous experience (see my editorial on that topic here), I did want to go into this DLC with an open mind. The expansion for Pokémon Sword and Shield was a solid addition to the game and made me enjoy the overall titles much more. That particular expansion not only added two distinct new regions, but also some new characters and stand-out locations. But could Paldea be enriched by exploring more of its “hidden treasures” or did this DLC emphasize its shortcomings even more?

Well for starters the decision to move away from Paldea almost entirely for this DLC felt like the smart choice. In the DLC you are presented with Kitakami island and the Blueberry Academy, two distinct new regions to fully explore freely. Kitakami, based on more traditional Japanese culture, sees you joining a field trip where you meet Kieran and Carmine. These characters are at the center of this much more story-focused DLC than I was expecting. Kieran’s shy but ambitious nature makes him both endearing and dreadfully obnoxious. Carmine starts out as a though-headed and perhaps even racist, character, but grows through the adventure to consider the player as her equal. Kitakami itself however feels pretty subdued in its presentation. You can still freely explore this island on Miraidon or Kuraidon, but there are few landmarks that are inviting to visit. The highlight is a festival that takes place halfway through the story, but there is only one central town and still no reason to interact with anyone outside of the mission objectives.

That is for the sole exception of Perrin, a photographer who is obsessed with Legends (and not just because she’s clearly inspired by the characters you met in Pokémon Legends: Arceus). As you fill up your local Pokédex, she presents you with a quest to hunt down a mysterious Pokémon that has made its home in the Kitakami woods. It makes for a stand out moment and Perrin is almost immediately an endearing character. She reminded me of Looker in a sense and I sincerely hope she shows up in future titles.

The Blueberry Academy on the other hand is much more interesting. For one, it delivers on the promise that kicked off generation 9 but that the base games barely delivered on. I feel that the Blueberry Academy actually feels like a school-setup done properly. The design of the academy is pretty fantastic as it is a submersed terrarium that accommodates both its students and several biomes that are home to wildly differing Pokémon. There is the savanna, canyon, coastal and the polar biome. Each one is immediately distinct and is also connected via caves and mountains. Spread between these are little rest stops where you can battle trainers, heal your party or do some shopping. Each biome is presented as a place for research where the student get class assignments while learning about the habitat of the Pokémon.

Above the terrariums are dedicated classrooms but also the League Room. As you are introduced to the school as an exchange student you are reunited with Carmine and Kieran who've both changed quite a bit since you met them in Kitakami. Kieran is now a cold and determined rival that almost feels like a callback to characters like Silver or Blue. Wanting nothing more than to defeat you in battle and going to pretty extreme lengths to do so. Carmine has become afraid of Kieran's change and his takeover of the League Club at the Academy of which he is now the champion. This League club is a pretty great addition to the world of Pokémon and that promise of being a school. It makes perfect sense that these kids want to run a professional Pokémon League and use their knowledge from class to participate in several clubs. You even get to meet folks from the other clubs that teach you new throwing styles, build item machines or even teach you new photography techniques. I also, once again, love the new characters introduced here. Drayton in particular is really well written and his role in the League club as its former champion but also near school dropout makes his motivation pretty ambiguous. In comparison to Kitakami, the Blueberry Academy is just a much more fun place overall to visit.

But of course, the story, regions and characters are one thing. Pokémon DLC has become synonymous with new and returning Pokémon that weren't accessible before. The selection on display here is pretty solid. A large selection of the returning Pokémon are from Unova, which is where the Blueberry Academy is set. But also returning favorites like Metagross, Flygon and Applin, who even gets a set of brand new evolutions are welcome. The highlight for many players will be the ability to catch all previously available starter Pokémon at the Blueberry Academy. The requirement for this, and the many returning legendary Pokémon, is steep as you need to complete a ton of objectives, dubbed BBQ’s and gain a lot of Blueberry Points (BP), which is the predominant currency at the Academy. While I enjoyed doing these BBQ’s, I do feel that they are too repetitive and grindy in nature. They are best tackled with a group of friends since the rewards are shared between the group. And if you’re into competitive Pokémon, you will need these BP for certain.

It might seem like I keep hammering down on both Kitakami and Paldea, but the Blueberry Academy biggest trick up its sleeve is that all trainer battles are double battles. If you're not into competitive Pokémon you may not understand why that is a big deal but it fundamentally changes the game’s combat system. Double battles rely on you understanding the connections you can make between opposite and complementary Pokémon types, moves and abilities. I used a team that relied on sandstorm at first, with my Excadrill as a trusty sweeper for massive damage while having Reuniclus with Magic Guard as a stalling wall to slow down the opposing team. It also helps that the opponent's Pokémon now have levels in the high 80’s which makes battles much harder than before. It is a welcome challenge for veterans of the series for sure and might even entice you to completely reconsider your previously held party. By the end I had a mixture of Pokémon caught in Paldea, Kitakami and the Blueberry Academy which made my team feel varied as well as completely personal.

The final part of the DLC promises to deliver on the ‘Hidden Treasure' of Area Zero. While the return to Area Zero and a few new surprising paradox Pokémon are welcome, it's final boss is one of the most absurdly challenging fights in all of Pokémon. Never before have I had to spam X items and buffing moves for about 20 turns to even stand a chance in a final battle, which is not even against a Pokémon trainer but just an absurdly strong boss Pokémon. What hampered it was the inability to skip the introduction cutscene, making it drag on especially when facing defeat. It's a disappointing note to end this DLC on, especially as this return to Area Zero is built up but doesn’t present anything new. Almost as if the brakes are slammed on again immediately when returning to Paldea.

At this time Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have received several patches and updates. One more is guaranteed to follow with the release of its final epilogue. But that does mean that on a pure performance level this is the best we’re going to get. I'll say that the game has definitely been optimized a bit more, but overall the game still struggles most of the time with keeping a stable framerate and a smooth performance. At first I was excited that the game seemed to run better, but when entering Blueberry Academy or Kitakami the framerate immediately drops below 20 and remains inconsistent. It was a lot to expect the game to gain a complete overhaul, but it still keeps Scarlet and Violet from reaching the heights that Legends: Arceus did reach in both performance, presentation and gameplay. The core problems that I laid out in my video earlier this year still remain, with a confused gameplay loop, that just simply doesn't encourage or engage the player to experiment in their exploration. Though I will say that Blueberry Academy and its use of double battles, biomes and BBQ’s helps to fill in that gap slightly. I just wish this gameplay was available during the main game as it would've made exploring Paldea and it's world much more engaging.

In conclusion the Hidden Treasure of Area Zero is mixed. If you're deep into Pokémon, I suspect that you've already been exploring these new regions to your heart's content. The Indigo Disk is the main reason to get this DLC. It adds sufficient new twists on the gameplay with its double battles, BBQ’s, the overall character and story, as well as the Terrarium and the biomes it houses. But it also feels like too little too late. Nothing presented here is something that couldn't have been part of the core game. It almost feels like a honeytrap for returning Pokémon players, with a predominant focus on high level battles and fan favorite Pokémon. You can almost taste that cynical approach to its design, especially with Kitakami as an aperitif to the main course. That is before you even get to the “new” additions like the Ogre Oustin’ and Pokémon Synchronisation which feel lazy and uneventful. Few things here feel justified for the hefty price tag that this DLC carries with it. If only this effort could've gone into the main game, it would have given Paldea some much needed characteristics of its own. But I digress. If you want more from these games the DLC is a solid addition to Scarlet and Violet. But if you found Scarlet and Violet to be lackluster before, this DLC won't do much to change your mind. I have thought so many times: “let's hope that next time Game Freak learns from this for the next game in the series”. But by now they've shown again and again that is wishful thinking on our part. So we'll see where they take it from here. With all the winks and nods to Unova I'm holding my breath as they seem to be gearing up to remake my personal favorite titles. So here's to hoping they won't screw it up.