Pokemon SwordandShieldbroke new ground for Game Freak’s long-running RPG series by introducing a post-launch Expansion Pass with two new areas to explore: The Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra. The latest mainline entries,Pokemon ScarletandViolet, will follow suit with the “Hidden Treasure of Area Zero.” Regardless of the version they own, players will getThe Teal Mask DLC this fall, bringing them on a school trip to a Japanese-inspired land named Kitakami; followed by The Indigo Disk this winter, set in the high-tech Blueberry Academy.
Trainers' Schools have long been a part of thePokemonformula, often as optional detours where players can find a few extra items and learn about mechanics like Status Effects. A few have played bigger roles, such asBlack 2andWhite 2’s school doubling as Cheren’s Gym in Aspertia City, butScarletandVioletmade the academy in Mesagoza a central part of Paldea. Still,Naranja (Scarlet) or Uva (Violet) Academy’s narrative role was small, so The Indigo Disk should take some notes fromPokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almiaon how to make Blueberry Academy a more integral institution.
RELATED:Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s Indigo Disk DLC May be a Perfect Showcase for This Team Star Member
Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia Puts More Into its School Setting
Despite just moving to Paldea, the player-character inScarletandViolethardly spends time with their mother in Cabo Poco before traveling to the Mesagoza academy - a boarding school, complete with its own private dormitories. Players spend a little time moving between classrooms and common spaces as an introduction toScarletandViolet’s three main storylines, but onceKoraidon or Miraidonbecome their mount it’s almost never required to return. Starfall Street climaxes at each version’s respective academy, but no classes are necessary to beat the game (most of them are basic mechanic tutorials helmed by a unique cast of characters).
By contrast, the Ranger School inShadows of Almiais more deeply woven into its story. ThePokemon Rangerspin-off sequel from 2008opens at the boarding school with a tutorial on how to wrangle monsters using the Styler (drawing circles on the DS touchscreen). The first chunk of the game is spent taking classes and exploring the grounds, uncovering details about the Ranger School’s backstory and dark underbelly as part of required quests. More importantly, players become familiar with a handful of side characters who serve as allies, rivals, and more throughout the rest of the game.
RELATED:Pokemon Legends Opens New Possibilities For Pokemon Ranger
What The Indigo Disk’s Blueberry Academy Should Pull from Shadows of Almia
Pokemon ScarletandViolethave shades of the ideas brought forth byPokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia, particularly via unraveling the truth behindTeam Star and Penny’s involvement in Starfall Street. However, toward the end of the adventure anything involving Paldea’s grand academy is overshadowed by the mysteries surrounding Paradox Pokemon and Arven’s backstory. If The Indigo Disk DLC is set entirely at Blueberry Academy, an isolated facility in the middle of the ocean, schoolyard intrigue will have to take center-stage.
The Indigo Disk appears to have a broader focus on battling, as Game Freak’s reveal trailer shows a live-action actor walking onto a court before key art depicts players facing four brand-new trainers. Even if Blueberry Academy is all about competition, classes shouldn’t take a backseat; some ofPokemon ScarletandViolet’s most interesting lore came from Ms. Raifort’s optional History class, which offers further context into the Great Crater and Scarlet/Violet Books for late-game story events. LikeShadows of Almia, The Indigo Disk should do more to embed players into its smaller setting before kicking off major tournaments.
Shadows of Almia’s aforementioned dark underbelly can also serve as a direct source of inspiration on integrating The Indigo Disk’s new Legendary Pokemon, Terapagos. Over the course ofPokemon Ranger 2, players learn that Mr. Kincaid is secretly second-in-command of the villainous Team Dim Sun, and used his position as a teacher to run an off-site laboratory. He has a brilliant student named Isaac working on the technology later used to control Darkrai, though they don’t reveal this plan to the eager young mind until it’s too late. The Indigo Disk can similarly play like a mystery bottle episode in which players uncover a secret plot having to do withTerapagos, harnessing abilities related to Terastallizationfor more nefarious purposes than anything Team Star got up to.
Pokemon ScarletandVioletare available now for Nintendo Switch.
MORE:Returning Pokemon in Scarlet and Violet’s Indigo Disk are More of a Wildcard Than Teal Mask’s
