Pokemon Scarlet and Violet: The Teal Mask Reviews
The Teal Mask contains your average monster catching fun, but it doesn't do enough to address Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's biggest problems.
Pokémon Scarlet & Pokémon Violet: The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero Part 1 The Teal Mask offers nothing we haven't seen before. Kitakami, despite the Japanese theming, feels exactly like Paldea just with different Pokémon. The story is uninteresting and has characters changing completely on a dime, and quite a lot of the included Pokémon already appear in the main game. There's just not much going on here.
The Teal Mask is yet another step in a slow quality downslide for this series: it runs terribly, looks ugly, feels predictable, doesn’t offer any of the freedom Scarlet and Violet’s main story did, and falls short in so many ways compared to just about every other Pokemon game and DLC I’ve played.
The Teal Mask could have been a great expansion for Pokémon Scarlet & Violet if Game Freak had taken the time it needed to address and fix the overwhelming amount of issues that still plague the overall package. The fun stories and great Kitakami area make for some good fun if you can look past the technical troubles.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
The Teal Mask is not an indispensable addition to Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, it is a DLC that ends up being practically more of the same. If, like me, you loved the unprecedented freedom and interactivity with Pokémon in their habitats in the base game, then you'll find more of that pleasure in Kitikami. If, on the other hand, the technical, graphical and performance problems that plague the entire ninth generation frustrate you and disturb your fun, perhaps this is not such an appealing return. How recommendable this expansion is depends on whether you hate to love or love to hate the entire ninth generation of Pokémon.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
In conclusion, the first part of The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC is okay, but nothing more. The story is really very light and we've already seen better in the Pokémon universe. However, I can't wait to see what happens next, because the ending hooked me enough to make me want to play part 2. For die-hard fans, the side quests and the many Pokémons to capture will easily extend the adventure by another 5-6 hours on top of the initial 3-4. So, if you're craving more Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, go for it. For the rest of you, I'll wait to see the quality of volume 2 before investing my $45.
Review in French | Read full review
The Teal Mask had the potential for something more, and in fact we got a okay story with not very interesting map, but a decent amount of content. It is worth remembering that The Teal Mask is only the first part, of a larger piece of content, so we will have a different perspective in the future after the release of part two.
Review in Polish | Read full review
The Teal Mask is, for better and for worse, more of the same. It tells an enjoyable story with some excellent lore that makes Kitakami feel as alive as any past region, and offers the same freedom of exploration that made Paldea so captivating. Unfortunately, it also comes with all the performance issues and poor optimisation that made Paldea so frustrating, and its short length, poorly-designed level scaling, and failure to deliver a proper conclusion to its story make it a less satisfying experience than it could have been, particularly if you’re coming into it from an endgame save state with a powerful team. The value of The Hidden Treasures of Area Zero as a package will of course be determined by both parts of it, but The Teal Mask is not as strong of a start as it could have been.
Gamefreak's latest DLC improves the game in some ways, while not in the ways that would matter the most.
The Teal Mask is a fun diversion for Pokémon Scarlet & Violet players that builds on the base game's strengths, but also exposes its weaknesses that much more. Fortunately, those strengths sparkle and Terastalize into a breezy, fun experience that delivers some rich regional storytelling, great characters, and some fantastic new Pokémon. We wanted more, though - more love and care put into the visuals and the battles. The Indigo Disk has a chance to build on the foundations The Teal Mask has laid, and we hope that's exactly what it will do.
’ll spend about five hours finishing up the story, and 10-15 hours cleaning up everything else, with a full Kitakami ‘Dex. I really hope Indigo Disk brings it, because at present, the current incarnation of the season pass is tough to recommend.
Technical problems and a lack of difficulty balancing spoil what would've been a neat slice of DLC, with some surprisingly good storytelling.
So we'll see where they take it from here. With all the winks and nods to Unova I'm holding my breath as they seem to be gearing up to remake my personal favorite titles. So here's to hoping they won't screw it up.
While performance issues have tarnished the experience, we've had a good time returning to the world of Pokémon Scarlet and Purple in The Turquoise Mask. It's an entertaining expansion; Not like to shoot rockets, but it's fine and leaves us with the promise that the best is yet to come.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Does The Teal Mask redeem Pokémon Scarlet and Violet for the faults made last year? No, but that doesn't stop it from being an inoffensive, nice experience.
Once again I ask, is the Pokemon Violet DLC worth buying? That depends. If you were hoping for a smoother framerate, you’ll be disappointed. The Teal Mask DLC runs just as well as the base game. If you want more Pokemon content, you’re in luck! There’s something like 100 old Pokemon being added to the total roster. There’s also new sidequests, new story content, and new items to acquire. The battles are challenging (by Pokemon standards), and there’s a wide variety of biomes within Kitakami to explore. For me, this was a perfect excuse to jump back into the game. But I recognize that I’m a hardcore fan of these games. Ultimately, that’s who Pokemon DLC is usually for. If you’re a fan, you’ll enjoy this extra content. Otherwise, you can leave this one be.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's first DLC expansion, The Teal Mask, is a commendable step in the right direction that's held back by some familiar technical shortcomings.
If you didn't have a good time playing the games at the time, I doubt Teal Mask will change your mind, as there are no major graphical or performance improvements.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: The Teal Mask is good, excelling in its storytelling, but the performance issues really do damage what would be an otherwise stellar piece of new content.
No matter how good The Teal Mask is, it will always be held back by the issues innate to Scarlet & Violet.