Pokemon Scarlet and Violet: The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero Part 2: The Indigo Disk – Hands-On [IGN]

“It’s very losable.” That’s how the Nintendo reps sitting next to me described my encounter with Amarys, one of the members of the Blueberry Academy’s Elite Four. Naturally, I decided to test how losable. I was already running an unfamiliar team, but I took it a step further. I also did a couple moves I knew had type disadvantage, just to see how punishing the response would be. They weren’t kidding; I lost, only taking out four of her six Pokémon, though her ace did make an appearance. It wasn’t the result I was hoping for, but I was impressed by how challenging the fight was and how Amarys’s team and decisions put the “Elite” in Elite Four. I may have lost, but as any trainer worth their salt will tell you, there’s always the runback, and I’m looking forward to it when The Indigo Disk drops.

The Indigo Disk is the second DLC for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Unlike The Teal Mask, you can’t play it before completing the base game. This is an endgame DLC; you’ll need to complete both Scarlet and Violet’s main story and The Teal Mask to gain access to it. Once you do, you’ll travel to an entirely new area, the Blueberry Academy, a sister school of Naranja Academy. There, you’ll reunite with some old friends, meet exciting new trainers, and battle them. Oh, and there are some new (and old) Pokémon to catch, too. It’s all very Pokémon, in all the best ways.

My time with The Indigo Disk may have ended with a battle against Amarys, but it started with a trip to Blueberry Academy’s Terarium, an enormous facility that recreates several distinct environments, from tropical beaches to frozen tundra. Naturally, the Terarium is populated by Pokémon native to that environment. Part of the appeal is the sheer amount of Pokémon here. Every starter from the previous generations shows up, providing an excellent chance to both fill out your Pokedex and see how these Pokémon behave in the wild. They don’t just come from Poke Balls provided by friendly professors. Who knew?

Of course, the Terarium isn’t just a place to catch Pokemon, though you can certainly spend an awful lot of time doing that if you like. The Indigo Disk isn’t only adding some new evolutions like Archuladon, who evolves from Duraludon and new Paradox Pokemon like Raging Bolt and Iron Crown; it’s also bringing back a host of returning Pokémon that goes far beyond the return of older starters. I can’t give exact numbers without being banished to Area Zero, but suffice it to say, it’s a large number, and catching them all will take you a while.

Still, I think the real draw for many will be the Terarium itself. It’s absolutely massive and packed with detail, and I had a great time exploring it. I can’t speak to several of the coolest details at the time of this writing, but there’s a lot here, and I’m excited to spend time exploring the Terarium when I get the chance.

Of course, it’s not all fun and games at Blueberry Academy. This is a school, which means there are classes for you to take, and from what I saw, they seem to be pretty hands-on. The one I stopped by was held in the Terarium and tasked me with catching an Alolan Pokémon and bringing it back. I managed to get my hands on an Alolan Exeggutor before heading back, leaving everyone else with homework. Whoops.

And then of course, there are the battles. Blueberry Academy places a large emphasis on double battles, adding an extra layer to your tactical and team-building decisions, so you’d better be prepared to throw two Poke Balls whenever you run into an opposing trainer. I only played a handful of battles in my time with The Indigo Disk, but each one was a memorable fight that challenged me to manage my team, type matchups, and move selection.

Once I was more or less comfortable, it was Elite Four time. As with the Gym Leaders in the base game, you’ll need to complete a task known as an Elite Trial before you can actually challenge the individual members of the Elite Four and take them on in Pokémon-on-Pokémon combat. In Amarys’s case, it means racing either Koraidon or Miraidon through a series of airborne rings in what often reminded me of one of the obstacle courses in Spyro the Dragon. Oh, did I mention that Koraidon and Miraidon can fly now? They can fly now, and you can use that to navigate the Terarium in neat ways. Amarys’s Elite Trial wasn’t too hard, but it was a nice change of pace from the traditional Pokemon gameplay and gives you something fun to do before you throw down against a member of the Elite Four.

I didn’t win that battle against Amarys, but it just made me more excited to get back to The Indigo Disk. With over 230 new and returning Pokemon to see and capture, an exciting environment to explore, and strong trainers to battle, The Indigo Disk seems like it’s adding all the postgame content a Pokemon fan could want. I personally can’t wait, which is why I fired up my copy of Pokemon Scarlet as soon as I got home. I’ve got a rematch to train for.