Although Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s DLC has had every chance to learn from the base game’s mistakes, but in reality, the Teal Mask repeats the worst aspects of Scarlet and Violet. Although reviews for The Teal Mask do have plenty to praise, there are undeniably some notable negatives to accompany the welcome addition of new Pokémon in Kitakami. These issues are quite disappointing to encounter in an otherwise enjoyable DLC, particularly as they are evidence of unlearned lessons.
The open-world approach to Pokémon games taken in recent generations has allowed for a more vibrant depiction of the fictional world to emerge, particularly as Pokémon have shifted from spawning in tall grass to being visible in the overworld. For example, Paldea is visibly full of life, with Pokémon visibly living in their natural habitats; something that is particularly striking when a rare species is spotted. The fully 3D design offers other advantages as well, such as the ability to easily avoid unwanted encounters without the need to constantly buy and use Repel. However, the design of Paldea is still far from perfect, and Kitakami unfortunately follows in its footsteps.
The Teal Mask DLC Has Extensive Problems With Its Performance
Undoubtedly one of the most problematic aspects of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is the games’ performance issues. Scarlet and Violet have been plagued by various glitches since their release, and other graphics problems are also common sights. There have been updates since release that aimed to resolve at least some of these bugs, but at this point, it seems that the games will always be somewhat lacking in polish. Moreover, The Teal Mask has now been released with many of the same issues immediately evident: poor frame rates, objects and Pokémon taking time to appear, and other miscellaneous bugs.
Bugs seen in The Teal Mask are known to include some of the more notable glitches from Scarlet and Violet, such as characters turning into giants. Combined with Pokémon and items being slow to render, it seems that little quality control was put into the DLC before release, despite the fact that such care would be welcomed after the reception of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, even if it led to the DLC being delayed. Considering that early updates for Scarlet and Violet post-release had initially raised hopes that more care would be taken going forward, the treatment of The Teal Mask seems to have regressed in that respect.
Of course, there is every chance that similar patches are already in the works for The Teal Mask. Prior updates saw notable improvements to performance after the number of Pokémon spawning in an area was decreased, and it is possible that a similar measure could be implemented once again. At the same time, there may also be bugs rooted in the underlying code to resolve, which future updates could also easily address. However, considering that both Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and The Teal Mask DLC have now been released despite clear performance issues, precisely how far Game Freak is willing to go to see these problems fully resolved seems unclear.
Glitches Can Detract From The Appeal Of Pokémon Scarlet And Violet’s DLC
Naturally, such performance issues can be incredibly frustrating to encounter. Not only can the game freeze at seemingly random moments, but the lack of rendering can even lead to useful resources being missed. If an item only appears on the overworld after a player has already passed it, or simply does not appear at all due to being at a slight distance, then more money must be spent in shops to make up for the missed resources. Similarly, TMs may also be overlooked, potentially reducing a team’s available move pool (at least in the short term). While neither scenario poses a permanent hurdle, such things can still be immensely irritating.
In addition to this, being unable to see Pokémon, even if only for a short while, can carry negatives. For example, if a rare (perhaps even Shiny) Pokémon does not render until after the player is locked into another battle, then there is a risk that it may de-spawn before they can reach it. At other times, people may run into a Pokémon they do not wish to battle due to it only fully spawning directly in front of them. Less seriously, the graphical errors surrounding Pokémon can also simply make for some strange situations, such as some Pokémon momentarily disappearing mid-battle.
There Is Still Entertainment Value In The Teal Mask DLC Despite Its Bugs
However, it must also be acknowledged that technical performance is not the only important aspect of a game. Despite its issues, The Teal Mask is still a wonderful experience, and experiencing it is arguably well worth coping with the occasional bug. Even with its periodic frame rate issues, Kitakami is still a colorful addition to the world of Pokémon, with plenty to do and see as the Festival of Masks begins. In addition, assuming that people can look past the glitches, the new content can easily provide hours of entertainment even after the conclusion of the new storyline.
Some of the more notable extra content includes the new target of catching all the available Pokémon in The Teal Mask. Kitakami has its own Pokédex with 200 entries, and although there is some crossover with Paldea’s Pokédex there are still plenty of newly added species to catch, including brand-new Pokémon like Dipplin. In addition to this, people can aim to complete the Ogre Oustin’ mini-game on hard mode, which rewards them with a Shiny Munchlax. Elsewhere, there are even encounters with new NPCs Billy and O’Nare, the latter of whom will offer the player highly profitable battles in both Kitakami and Paldea.
It is undeniably disappointing that The Teal Mask has as many performance issues as it does. The glitches and stutters of a clearly struggling game are all too visible, and make it clear that the similar issues with Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have not prompted greater quality control during the DLC’s development. Nevertheless, despite these problems, it is still entirely possible to enjoy the outing to Kitakami and the new experiences it offers – it simply requires some patience in order to discover all that this new setting has to offer.
