Review: Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: The Teal Mask

destructoid.com:

When we originally reviewed Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, we went with a dual-pronged approach. One person reviewed Scarlet and gave it a 6/10. Another person reviewed Violet and gave it…a 6/10. Do you sense a pattern here? They had their finger on the pulse of much of the community.

As for me, I enjoyed this latest ‘Mon generation a little more than Eric and CJ, even if I was fully cognizant of the rough start (and to be clear, continued existence). The Teal Mask doesn’t really move the needle in any significant way. It’s more Pokemon S&V, for better and worse.

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet: The Teal Mask (Nintendo Switch)
Developer: Game Freak
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: September 13, 2023
MSRP: $34.99 (Season Pass with Teal Mask and Indigo Disk)

Let’s go over what you’re getting in this DLC, so you can immediately size it up:

For most Scarlet & Violet players, whether you ran for the hills and sold your copy already (or were so engrossed that you completed your Paldean ‘Dex), you can scan this bulleted list and immediately tell if it’s worth shelling out the roughly $17.50 USD it costs to jump back in.

Teal Mask is a bit strange because you’re primarily buying a new sandbox to play around in. The story is only four or five hours tops (shorter if you’re blazing through and have powerful Pokemon), and it kind of just…ends with a tease for the next DLC. The campaign will roughly adapt/scale to the number of badges you’ve obtained, and I highly recommend that you enter the DLC before you complete the main game.

The catch-22 of this late-to-market DLC is that most of the player base that would be interested in it already have a monster party of level 100 titans at their disposal; which will absolutely crush the 60-70-max level