The second part of the two part Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC, the Indigo Disk released on December 14th and includes a brand new storyline to playthrough, 230 new and returning Pokemon and access to traverse the Blueberry Academy. The Indigo Disk was included in a bundle alongside the first half of the DLC, the Teal Mask costing $34.99. In my previous review “Unveiling the Teal Mask” I rated it four out of five stars and recommended it to anyone who’s a Pokémon fan. Does the second part of the DLC exceed the standard set by its first half or has it missed the margin. 

The Indigo Disk storyline starts somewhat directly after the events of the Teal Mask. The principal, Director Cryano of the Blueberry academy invites you to study abroad at his academy per the recommendation of your friend Carmine. As you arrive at the school you are met with a birds eye view of the exterior of the academy and then introduced to Lacey, a member of the schools elite four. She gives you a brief tour of the school and takes you to the main attraction of the academy, the terrarium. The terrarium is divided into four different biomes: Savanna, Canyon, Coastal and Polar. Each of the segments are inhabited by different Pokémon that would be found in that environment. After completing some tasks around the terrarium you return to the academy grounds and meet with Carmine who introduces you to another member of the school’s elite four, Drayster. He encourages you to join the academy battle league, with his recommendation you boost up the ranks. From here you must challenge all of the Elite four which includes, Crispin the fire connoisseur, Amarys the steel specialist, Lacey the fairy enthusiast and Drayster the dragon master. After defeating them all in the order of your choice you can challenge the league champion Kieran. With that being the main storyline there is a post story adventure that involves you, Kieran and Carmine exploring area Zero. This is where you will be able to capture the new legendary Pokémon Terapagos who introduces a new gimmick being the tera-shift feature. 

I found the story this time around to be very engaging and fun compared to that of the Teal Mask which felt lackluster. It felt as though the Teal Mask was a stepping stone for what they had in store for the Indigo Disk. The new characters that are introduced are filled with so much depth and are spectacularly designed, specifically the members of the league. Drayster, the one you have the most interactions with, was the former champion before Kieran and although his actions seem malicious at times you learn he genuinely cares for Kieran and wants him to enjoy battling again. This is a similar theme among the champions as they all want what’s best for him. Before challenging a league member you must first complete a mini challenge unique to each member. For Crispin you must make a super spicy sandwich, for Amarys you have to complete a flying trial with Koriadon and for Lacey you have to take a quiz. My personal favorite was Draysters where he required you to catch an entirely new team of Pokémon caught in the terrarium and battle tree trainers.

Being able to reunite with Carmine and Kieran was one of my personal highlights as we got to see how much they have both grown as people and trainers for better or for worse. While the once hard headed and stubborn Carmine has turned into a trusting companion, Kieran who was previously innocent and timid has become a formidable rival. Kieran is such a well written character even beyond Pokémon standards, it was intriguing being able to see how the actions I became so accustomed to as a Pokémon fan were directly affecting a character in the game. Catching the legendary Pokémon in the game is something no one questions but seeing how much Kieran desperately wanted Ogerpon almost made you regret catching him. Every time you battled Kieran you almost felt guilty that even his best effort wasn’t good enough to defeat you. So when you have to dethrone him as the champion of the league which he had worked so hard to achieve, it’s hard for you to celebrate. Kieran does however learn the valuable lesson that you don’t always have to be the best and as long as you know you’re giving it your all that is good enough, as he allows you to catch Terapagos.

Alongside Terapagos there are also seven other brand new Pokémon variants and evolutions. The new paradox variants are Gouging Fire based on Entei, Raging Bolt based on Raikou, Iron Boulder based on Terrakion and Iron Crown based on Cobalion. These variants continue the trend we saw with Walking Wake and Iron Leaves where Game Freak will take legendary trios and give them either prehistoric or futuristic forms. Both Duraladon and Flapple received extensions to their evolutionary lines in the form of Archskudon and Hydrapple. Besides entirely new Pokémon there were also 222 returning Pokémon from past generations. Fan favorite Pokémon such as Metagross, Kingdra and Zebstrika can be found in their respective biomes in the terrarium. The most notable of the returning Pokémon are the starters from every past generation. This is the first time that you will be able to capture every starter in a single game and Pokémon such as Snivy, Tepig, Chespin and Fenikens first time being obtainable on switch. 

The highlight of the DLC is venturing around the school grounds and its terrarium. As I mentioned previously the Terrarium is separated into four sectors waiting for you to explore them, each biome has its own soundtrack that plays in the background while traversing. Some of these soundtracks are remasters and remixes of previous fan beloved songs such as the Driftveil City theme. as  Another aspect of the DLC to keep you entertained while exploring is a new system called “BBQ’s” meaning Blueberry Quests. BBQ’s are mini quests for you to complete that can vary from taking a picture of a Pokémon swimming, making a sandwich or battling a terrastillized Pokémon. In exchange for completing them you will receive BP that you can use to unlock things in the club room. You can purchase different poke ball throwing styles, decorate your club room, unlock new Pokémon and challenge previous foes. The new coach system allows you to invite gym leaders and allies from Paldea to the Blueberry academy where you will be able to challenge them. 

Its clear to see that Pokémon has put a lot of thought and effort into the Indigo Disk and have provided enough content to give you weeks of enjoyment. Although the character cosmetics are still very bland they did a great job on expanding upon different aspects of character customization. The story did feel a bit rushed at times especially in the post game but it was still enjoyable none the less. I would rate the “Indigo Disk” four and half stars out of five, it is a definite improvement from its predecessor but still a good amount a way from perfect.