Pokémon Violet: The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC Review (Nintendo Switch)

by Jim Smale · October 5, 2023

For this Pokémon Violet: The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC Review, we take a school trip to the tranquil Land of Kitakami, whose people live at the base of a great mountain. Wear a traditional jinbei outfit as you meet new friends and Pokémon and unravel the mysteries behind the folk tales of this land.

Pokémon Violet: The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC Review Pros:

Comes with a seperate in-game code for a Hisuian Zoroark pokémon. (level 50)
Classic Pokemon gameplay.
Third-person action adventure.
You get both lots of DLC.
New uniform for each season along with a new school hat and new school backpack.
Once activated (you purchased the DLC) Rotom will tell you how to start it.
The story of the expansion is you are going on a school field trip.
In-game cutscenes.
You can fast-forward conversations.
The Kitakami pokedex gets added to your phone.
You don’t have to have finished the main game, you can go to Kitakami whenever you want.
The map screen lets you jump between regions.
Earn rewards by filling out your Pokedex.
Flying taxis work and can even go cross-region.
The new Pokedex will instantly fill in any Pokemon that are in both regions if you have caught them already.
Find items around the world either by the little shiny spark or finding poke balls emanating a bean of light.
Multiple choice questions.
The roto stick allows you to take selfies from a distance.
You get a free new Eureka emote/pose.
TM machines now allow you to filter them by learnable moves.
You can throw your Pokemon and they will follow you, auto-battle other wild Pokemon, and collect any materials.
Gather materials from Pokemon and the world to craft TMs (new attacks/abilities).
Throw your Pokeball to initiate fights, this allows you to get at high-up or hidden Pokemon.
Once you get your first actual quest it’s a sightseeing tour that helps you get used to.
Save when you want.
Open world.
Fast travel points can be found and activated from the map.
Place your own map markers.
Terastalize is the new evolution turning your Pokemon into a huge crystallized version of the self with powerful attacks.
Turn-based combat.
Pokemon earn exp and level up to increase stats then at a certain level they evolve and become a new stronger version of themselves.
Pokedex is where you store all information on caught Pokemon.
Poke centers are now open shops with quicker healing stations, Co-op circles, a shop, and a TM terminal for crafting.
Rotom phone keeps all your inventory, maps, and Pokedex parts in one place and it also helps you float from great heights.
Ask at Poke centers for what to do next if lost.
Notifications are more abundant and common telling you about auto battle results, any area info, or if school lessons are available.
League reps will issue challenges (optional) in areas for unique rewards.
Same easy-to-learn controls.
Pokemon and their Pokedex entry have a number assigned to them to make them easier to complete.
You see the Pokemon roaming around.
No matter who actually fights in a battle, all party members get EXP, it’s just the Fighters get more.
A mini-map in the corner helps but if you set a destination a handy arrow pops up to show you the way.
The story is good and I prefer it to the main game story, especially in how it’s delivered.
A fantastic-looking place to explore.
Exploration feels more rewarding with rewards everywhere, even in the mountains and on random ledges.
Many many TMs to pick up allowing a lot of change.
Raids can be done with friends, random, or alone with Ai Pokemon joining you.
Play how you want.

Pokémon Violet: The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC Review Cons:

You don’t get a big heads-up marker for starting the DLC.
At the start, you cannot use your ride on a Pokemon.
Starting the DLC is slow-paced.
Cannot skip flyovers of new locations.
No option to turn off move/attack/ability animations.
You need the Nintendo Switch Online service for anything online except code redemption and any free gifts.
So easy to just fall into fights.
Food shops will just be a screen with items on it and it feels empty.
The fight times are a lot longer and unskippable.
Finding particular places can be hard and the map doesn’t help.
The pop-up of Pokemon is terrible.
Still no auto-scroll text conversations.
The performance is better but it’s still juddery and gets a lot of pop in.
Cannot skip cutscenes.
No touchscreen support.
Starts the same as all the games with a bit of story, walk to a new hub then fight.
You can find yourself overpowered in most encounters.
It seems to give up new TMs very readily.