Highlights
- The Teal Mask DLC for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet introduces over 100 new and returning critters, but many of them were already revealed before release, diminishing the surprise factor.
- Revealing too much of the new content in pre-release trailers and marketing material takes away some excitement when encountering the creatures naturally in-game.
- While the DLC still has enough new content to explore, it would have been more exciting if some of the new mons were kept as surprises at launch, and the marketing strategy should be reconsidered in the future.
There has been a lot of excitement around the release of The Teal Mask DLC for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet as this first part of The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero introduced over 100 new and returning critters previously unavailable in the Gen 9 games. While it's nice to seem some mons returning from previous generations and becoming available in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, what's even more exciting are the brand-new critters being introduced in this DLC. However, the novelty of seeing these creatures in-game for the first time is somewhat lessened by the fact that most of them were revealed prior to release.
The Pokemon series has always had to walk a fine line with what it does and doesn't show about a game before it releases, and the same applies to the recent trend of DLC. Showing off a handful of new creatures in pre-release trailers and other marketing material is a great way to get fans hyped to check out the new games or DLC, but showing too much of the new content can make it less exciting for the player when they finally get there hands on it. Unfortunately, The Teal Mask seems to have shown off most of its new mons before release, taking away some of the surprise when encountering them naturally in-game.
The Teal Mask Should Have Saved Some Surprise New Mons for Release
There are a variety of new mons introduced in The Teal Mask DLC for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet including Poltchageist and its evolution Sinistcha, Dipplin as a new evolution for Applin, Okidogi, Munkidori, Fezandipiti, Bloodmoon Ursaluna, and the DLC's mascot Ogerpon. This is a solid number of critters to be added as brand-new inclusions in the first part of a DLC. However, all but Sinistcha and Bloodmoon Ursaluna were officially revealed prior to the DLC's release, leaving players mostly knowing what to expect when jumping into the DLC on launch day.
Of the two unrevealed mons, Sinistcha could have been predicted, as it was likely that Poltchageist would get an evolution as a regional fake of Sinistea who evolves into Polteageist. Bloodmoon Ursaluna, however, was unfortunately leaked prior to the DLC's release, meaning fans eagerly awaiting news about The Teal Mask were likely spoiled ahead of time. While a leak like this isn't the fault of The Pokemon Company, holding more of the new mons close to its chest prior to release would have increased the chance that players would encounter creatures they'd never seen before when jumping into the DLC.
Given their prominent role in the story of The Teal Mask, it makes sense that Ogerpon and the Loyal Three would be revealed as a part of pre-release marketing. On the other hand, common mons like Poltchageist and Dipplin could have been kept secret until launch, even though Poltchageist's reveal trailer was quite clever. Seeing Carmine send out Poltchageist near the beginning of The Teal Mask would have been a better way to draw the player into the land of Kitakami if it hadn't already been revealed in a previous trailer.
While there is still enough new content in The Teal Mask for fans of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet to justify checking it out, this DLC could have been much more exciting if some of these new mons were saved to be surprises at launch. The mystery of Ogerpon, the Loyal Three, and the Teal Mask will be enough to keep players interested in exploring Kitakami, but The Pokemon Company should reconsider their marketing strategy in the future. Hopefully there are still more surprises that won't be revealed before the release of The Indigo Disk to keep the DLC feeling like a fresh, new experience.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available for Nintendo Switch. The Teal Mask DLC is also available now.
