Pokémon Scarlet and Violet- The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero (Switch) Review

It’s been a long time coming, and now it’s finally here. With these expansions pushing my total playtime past 300 hours combined, it’s time to talk about the expansion for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero. I will be covering both halves of the story and the post-launch epilogue; so here we go. 

As before, I will describe the gameplay and tech aspects first. The expansions build on concepts introduced in the base game, and I will enjoy detailing them more as I go. There’s also a whole slew of side activities I’m eager to tell you about. Though the performance hasn’t been completely overhauled, it has been vastly improved in my experience. With more graphical and audio updates on the way, I’m actually glad the developers aren’t releasing another full game till next year. Now, let’s open this up.

Part I- The Teal Mask (September 13, 2023)

In order to start this DLC, you will need to have beaten the base game’s main story at least once. After that, you and your classmates are invited on a school trip to Kitakami Village in the Johto Region. Right off, I really like the how the setting resembles a mountainside Japanese village and its folklore. Even if we’re not revisiting Johto on a larger scale yet, I do think it will happen one day.

While staying at the community center in Mossui Town (no comment on the meme about their water closet), we are also introduced to two new characters for the story of this DLC- the passive-aggressive Carmine and her more reserved younger brother Kieran. I honestly really like these characters, and I’m eager to explain why in this review. They live with their grandparents Yukito and Hideko.

Another character I have immense appreciation for is the photographer Perrin; who is implied to be the descendant of Adaman from Legends Arceus. After you register 150 entires in the Kitakami Pokédex, you take part in a mission find the Blood Moon Ursaluna. I successfully caught it, by the way- they had me at the “Zombie bear” design.

Anyway, the story mainly centers around the Pokémon Ogerpon, and its conflict with the “Loyal Three-“ Okidogi, Munkidori, and Fezandpiti. This story is also something of a retelling of the legend of Momotaro, which will become quite apparent during this review.

The first mission is tracking signposts, which is actually a pretty nice way of getting a lay of the land. Always appreciate when the story works with the world design. Once the second to last signpost is found, it’s time for the Festival of Masks to begin that night! I must say, I really like how it’s presented as a Japanese festival, with everything from the vendor stalls to the cosmetics being a part of that. I also rather enjoy the “Ogre Ousting” mini game, reminds me of the ones in Stadium on a larger scale. We also have our first encounter with Ogerpon. While Kieran likes the beast, Carmine isn’t so certain. This matter is complicated further when she sees Ogerpon, but keeps this information secret from him.

The next day, once the last signpost is found; we find out more about the story. It turns out the legends were connected to an old mask maker; something of kindred spirits. He not only built the eponymous Teal Mask, but its other artifacts as well. The masks end up being taken by the Loyal Three, and it turns out the story behind them was completely backwards. They were not the victims, but the instigators.

Carmine dubs them the “Lousy Three,” and before they can be captured in the postgame; they must be tracked and beaten to retrieve the stolen masks. I actually like this idea, and it builds on the boss fights in Legends Arceus and the Titan fights in the main game.

First, I went after Okidogi, who resides in the Paradise Barrens. The poison/fighting type is certainly a big one (base stats total 555) and beating him allows us to recover the Cornerstone Mask. Second is Munkidori, a poison/psychic type with a big brain (base stats also total 555), beating him gets us back the Wellspring Mask. The third and final retainer is the poison/fairy type Fezandpiti (yet again with base stats of 555), who is fluttering above the Oni Mountain. Winning lets us recover the Hearthflame Mask.

Now, the time has come to decide who Ogerpon gets for a partner. Kieran, none too pleased that his sister kept the sickening truth from him; confronts us for Ogerpon. Whoever wins the battle gets to try and catch them. In one fell swoop, I win and catch Ogerpon. After one more battle with Carmine, she and Kieran are called back to their school- the Blueberry Academy in Unova, by order of their instructor Briar.

The stinger that sets up the next chapter features Kieran, who was mostly reserved for much of this one, putting up his hair and making a rather unnerving smile. He intends to get stronger, though not in the way you expect.

The village is also packed with over 200 monsters returning from the previous titles; a precedent that will be built upon in the next chapter. There are also a variety of challenges in battle, my personal favorite being the Kitakami Ogre Clan. Each member has competition-ready rosters, and is named for the swords in Japanese folklore. Their leader is Muramasa, and you can defeat the other seven members in any order you want- Masamune, Raikiri, Hasebe, Kanemitsu, Kunitsuna, Munechika, and Kotetsu. I even hatched a Chimchar from an egg Jacq gave me. Now, onto the next chapter.

Part II- The Indigo Disk (December 14, 2023)

This chapter picks up where the previous one left off. It took a few tries to start (including rebooting my console and reinstalling the DLC); but I was able to accept the invite from Cyrano to study as part of the exchange at the Blueberry Academy in Unova! Given what I’m about to tell you, I would argue it’s less “if” and rather “when” a full revisit of Generation V will be. The Academy itself has four distinct biomes full of more than 200 retuning monsters across the franchise’s history- Canyon, Coastal, Polar and Savannah. There’s even missions you can get to find leads on the new Paradox Pokémon from Perrin, and yes- I was among those making Rise of the Beasts jokes with the dinosaur variants of Johto Legends and robot versions of the Unova Swords of Justice. What sold me was being able to catch all the previous generations’ starters.

Kieran, as a result of the events of the previous chapter, is now a much more powerful trainer; becoming Champion of the Academy. This has also had the side effect of turning the timid but kindly boy from the first chapter into a coldhearted and overly competitive rival. I actually like how we not only get both the friendly and edgy rival this time; and this makes total sense based on the last chapter’s events and Carmine’s influence.

Anyway, in order to face him; you need to beat the Academy’s own Elite Four. During your stay, you also complete quests to gain rewards for yourself and the school with the points earned. They are known as Blueberry Quests, amusingly BBQs for short. Yes, that does indeed involve cooking, and we’ll come back to that in a bit.

Lacey is the opponent I chose to face first, as we had a battle to help break the ice when I arrived. I won it, though don’t be fooled- she and every other trainer you face in the Academy has rosters and strategies that are common in competitive play. In order to face her and other members of the Elite Four, you must first pass their trials, something of a remix of the trials in Generation VII. Hers is a trivia challenge where you have to get five correct answers. Lacey specializes in fairy types, and her ace is an Excadrill. Her father is also the gym leader Clay; again suggesting that the question of revisiting Generation V is less “if” and more “when.”

The second member I chose to face is Crispin, the chef and fire-type specialist. Before you fight him, the trial is to trade for ingredients to make the spicy sandwich of his preference. I recommend this recipe to clear the trial- onion, double jalapeños, chorizo, mustard and chili sauce. You're welcome. His ace is a Blaziken, the only one to not be steel type in some way.

Third in line is Amarys, who specializes in steel types. In order to face her, you must pass the flight course. It’s a bit like the challenges in Pilotwings if you ever played any of those games. This also allows your mount to fly freely in any direction. Her ace is a Metagross.

The fourth and final opponent I picked is the laid-back dragon master Drayton. He is Drayden’s grandson, and in a sense, Iris’ adoptive brother. To fight him, you have to face three Ace Trainers using only monsters you caught in the Terrarium. As someone who wasted no time in doing so, I had plenty to choose from. His ace is Archaludon, a new monster that evolves from Duraludon.

After clearing the Academy Elite Four, you face Kieran. You can bring out Ogerpon from before, and he even has unique dialogue when it happens. “Aw, that’s not very nice!”

Much like the main game, we trace Terapagos back to Area Zero; and I also caught some of the Paradox beasts I didn’t before (still eager to go for 100% completion).

As for the Master Ball breaking when Kieran tries using it here- well, that is technically consistent with the fractional failure rate they have. Thankfully, one of the ones I saved for Terapagos is more successful.

After that’s over, Kieran apologizes for his behavior; as does Carmine. We all head back to the Blueberry Academy as the credits roll to an arrangement of “Celestial” by Toby Fox.

Epilogue- Mochi Mayhem (January 11, 2024) + More

Earlier this year, an epilogue went live for this expansion. In order to play it, you will have to have had cleared the story of both previous chapters. Now, once all that is taken care of; you pay a visit to the shop in Kitakami Village. After you see a funny looking pillow; you get a call from Arven, and then you meet back in your place in Cabo Poco. A letter arrives from Kieran, which has tickets to Mossui Town inside. Nemona and Penny also join the fun, and it’s off to the land of Kitakami!

The one behind all the chaos is Pecharunt. In another piece of Kitakami folklore, it can produce delicious mochi that can influence the will of those who consume it. This results in something of a gauntlet of battles to snap the afflicted people out of their trance, and I do like the music in this expansion. Suffice to say, I don’t think that’s what they meant when they said “warrior needs food badly.”

Let’s run through the gauntlet of opponents. The first is a couple named Aya and Shige. Their monsters are pretty common, and if you’ve logged as many hours stacking XP as I have; you shouldn’t have much trouble.

Next are Kieran’s grandparents, Hideko and Yukito, who distribute the mochi on top of sampling it themselves. Their roster is a bit tougher; since it’s implied they taught their grandkids everything they knew about battling. That, and it’s also hinted their parents are gone.

After that, the normally serious (to almost comical degrees) Arven and Penny are fed the mochi; which adds to the challenge and humor of this epilogue.

The last human opponent is Nemona, and the way she’s able to resist the poisonous mochi chants in favor of her own battlecry for a match is an indicator the real Nemona is still in there. I have made clear how much I like her character before, and she’s the last one before we face Pecharunt proper. “I’ve not seen such bravery!”

Catching Pecharunt is another battle that parallels the Titans in the main game and the boss fights in Legends Arceus. Also, it’s another one where the beast is less than pleased to see Ogerpon as I beat and capture it.

With Pecharunt captured and quelled, everyone returns to their respective places of study. That certainly was a fun little bonus. 

Now that I’ve covered the main storylines of this expansion, here’s some postgame bonuses I didn’t touch on before. Starting with Nemona, her postgame quest involves trying to find a worthy opponent; and a balance between that and her role as student council president. Having reached the top, she wonders where to go from there. Upon reaching her dormitory; she decides to keep doing her best for herself and for everyone. Her quest is the most straightforward, the other two take a few more turns.

In order to start Penny’s postgame quest, you meet her by the bookcases in the main hall, keeping an eye on Giacomo and Ortega. The former admins of Team Star are trying to re-integrate into the Pokémon Academy, and this quest is to make sure it goes all right. First, we see Atticus in the student store, bonding with a classmate over ninja dogi. He’s also really, really ridiculously good-looking behind the mask- how about that?

Next, I head to the art room, where, after a quick chat with Hassel; we discover that Mela and Eri have an interest in art and want to join the club! Aw, that’s sweet. Mela even has a soft spot for a minimalist painting of a Fletchling. Eri even notices us, and I honestly like how there’s more to them than just being delinquents. Eri even started a wrestling club with Carmen!

After meeting Penny in the STEM classroom, she comes clean in her dorm that she’s been keeping watch on the former Team Star admins; and is glad they’re adjusting fine. She also doesn’t have visitors in her dorm room often; but is glad to have us anytime. Always a pleasure to chill with the figurines and Eevee-lutions.

Our reward is we get to see the admins in their normal wear. They actually clean up very nice. What’s more, I get to help them catch up on what they missed in the main game! Though Giacomo and Eri were able to catch up fine; I need to help the others pass their make-up exams so they don’t get held back.

Though Ortega seems reluctant, Atticus is more than happy to accept help. Eri encourages Ortega to reconsider, and he agrees. That just leaves one question- where is Mela? She must be found before we can begin.

Heading into the courtyard, we find her by a garden row. Though she’s hesitant, I do get her to come back. Now, we can begin. I’m able to get Atticus to realize the value of maths in relation to fashion. Helping Mela with trivia is a bit tougher; but I’m able to help her and encourage her to pursue her passions. The toughest student to reach (at least for me) is Ortega. Not only do I help them pass their exams, I get a whole set of their cosmetics from them! Penny also encourages them to be more open with her. They agree, and she takes over study help from there. 

Now, let’s talk about the quest with Arven. Turns out his parents have history with Clavell, and his office was once their lab. He took care to preserve the equipment when he became director.

This plot thread ends with the big reveal at the Crystal Pool in Kitakami- as a payoff for the end of the main game. In a sense, the professors are alive; and so are the dreams of their son. Upon returning to the Pokémon Academy, we talk to Arven in his homeroom. 

Back in the entrance hall, Arven is looking over his parents’ research; and discovers something. Though he doesn’t specify what it is to us, we follow him to his homeroom. There, we head to his dorm; and he decides he wants to be a cook! Still, there’s even more to discover. I believe we’ve made a positive change to the timeline by swapping notes, so let’s wrap this up.

Much like the expansions for Sword and Shield, the Hidden Treasure of Area Zero builds on the strengths of the base game while also functionally serving as the equivalent of past games’ third versions; our Yellow, Crystal or Platinum if you will. Even with the admitted rough launch; it’s looking more and more like Generation IX will get its redemption arc like Cyberpunk 2077 did. The similarities between the two are astounding. The confirmation the Switch successor will be revealed before the end of the fiscal year in 2025 also bodes well for the future and the upcoming Legends Z-A. 

I mean no disrespect to those who had a rough experience with these games; but I ultimately believe they’re a necessary experiment. I still enjoyed the main games and the expansions; and I would honestly love if the ideas shown were built on in Generation X. I’m once again glad for letting me share this with you all, and I will see you again soon. Thank you, treasured friends.