Pokemon Scarlet and Violet DLC whisks players away from Paldea later this Winter

27 February 2023 , 18:22

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The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero's new Kitakami region opts for an ancient Japanese vibe (Image: The Pokemon Company)

Nintendo Switch players will soon venture to the new area of Kitakami when both parts of the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet DLC arrive before the end of 2023.

The Pokemon Scarlet and Violet DLC was officially unveiled today as part of the February 2023 Pokemon Presents livestream. It’s called The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero and will be split into two parts, similar to how previous pokemon DLCs on Nintendo Switch have been handled. Part one is named The Teal Mask and will arrive in Fall 2023, while The Indigo Disk is the second part and lands a little later this winter.

The expansion pass is expected to go live on the Nintendo eShop sometime later today, and anyone who pre-orders before October 31, 2023, will receive a limited-edition Hisuian Zoroark. The trailer for The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero teased an ancient mystery that will take players away from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s main location of Paldea in favour of the new Kitakami area. A press release went on to clarify that both parts will also bring with it its own new legendary pokemon – in this instance Ogerpon and Terapagos.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s new environment will provide plenty of new pokemon to catch, too, as well as a handful of returning ones. Of the Gen 1 pokemon, for example, Vulpix evolution Ninetales makes its debut as part of The Teal Mask, and water-type sea creature Seel arrives as part of The Indigo Disk. This is alongside over 230 other familiar pokemon. Sadly, the Pokemon Presents livestream only continued to tease future Pokemon Home integration with Scarlet and Violet, indicating that spring 2023 is still the planned release window.

A new land

As predicted, The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero will be split into two parts, suggesting that the switch from a super, deluxe version of an existing pokemon game to the DLC model is working a treat for developer Game Freak. I’m glad that there will be plenty of new pokemon to catch and a whole new location to explore, but I hope that this new Pokemon Scarlet and Violet DLC launches in much better technical shape than the main game.

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I’m yet to dive into Pokemon Scarlet and Violet myself largely due to these technical woes. However, when Pokemon Home integration does arrive, seeing all the classic 150 pokemon given a HD upgrade might be enough to finally tempt me in. Until then, I’m happy for all the existing pokemon trainers out there able to celebrate the franchise’s 27th anniversary year with these two new DLC parts.

Aaron Potter