Skip to main content

Pokémon Legends: Arceus deserves DLC before Scarlet and Violet

Even dozens of hours into Pokémon Scarlet, I still find myself daydreaming about Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

Released in January 2022, Pokémon Legends: Arceus was the revelation the series had long waited for. It shook up the standard formula of Pokémon, emphasizing surveying environments, as well as hunting and capturing Pokémon, in a refreshing way for a series that had started to stagnate. As I continue to play through Pokémon Scarlet, I am starting to miss aspects of Pokémon Legends: Arceus more and more. As a result, I find myself keeping my fingers crossed that Pokémon Legends: Arceus will get support in the form of DLC before Scarlet and Violet.

Entering Pokémon’s DLC era

The concept of DLC or an expansion pass for mainline Pokémon games is relatively new, as the series previously opted for enhanced versions of previously released titles, like Pokémon Platinum or Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. Instead of going that route, though, Pokémon Sword and Shield increased its longevity by releasing two DLC packs throughout 2020. These added large new areas for players to explore and stories for players to experience within them. 

Pokemon Isle of Armor
Image used with permission by copyright holder

This DLC allowed Pokémon Sword and Shield to to stay relevant, helping them become the bestselling pair of Pokemon games since Red and Blue. If the current Pokémon generation cadence keeps up, the next mainline Pokémon game likely won’t release until 2025. As such, developer Game Freak needs to do what it can to increase the longevity of already released Pokémon games to fill that gap. It should start with Pokémon Legends: Arceus before moving on to Scarlet and Violet

Due to how Pokémon Legends: Arceus is structured, an expansion can easily fit into the formula. An update could let players explore a new part of Sinnoh not covered in the main game. Although Pokémon Legends: Arceus is pretty thorough, there are still some gaps to fill. Areas to the far west remain unexplored in the game, leaving space for DLC to explore what would eventually become Canalave City, Twinleaf Town, and the Iron Islands. There’s also the far south, which leaves space for the player to establish an early version of Hearthome City.

And while Pokémon Legends: Arceus does feature every single Sinnoh legendary Pokemon in some form, there’s always the option of bringing in legendaries from other regions and potentially giving them Hisuian forms, introducing a brand new creature, or creating a new legendary altogether. No matter how Game Freak approaches a potential Pokémon Legends: Arceus expansion, I would welcome more of its winning formula.

A trainer tries to catch a Bidoof in Pokemon Legends: Arceus.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The feeling of slowly surveying a new area, discovering the variety of Pokémon within it, and throwing the right kind of Poke Ball is unmatched, even by Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. I’ve thoroughly explored all five of Pokémon Legends Arceus‘ areas, though, so that first-time feeling is now fleeting. An expansion that follows up its core gameplay ideas would allow me to experience it all again for the first time.

Why Scarlet and Violet will probably get DLC

Two games stand in the way of that DLC dream: Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. These games feature some elements of Pokémon Legends: Arceus, as the Paldea region is an open world wher Pokémon naturally appear in the environment. While I am capturing more Pokémon than usual in these games, the fact that I must battle every time I want to catch one means that I don’t account for the environment as much. In turn, it doesn’t quite capture the monster-hunting game sensibilities of Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

It’s also riddled with visual and technical issues that constantly dampen the experience just as you start to get immersed in the game’s world. Pokémon Legends: Arceus didn’t look good, but Pokémon Scarlet and Violet take the series to a new low. Still, as the latest mainline Pokemon games, we’ll likely get a Pokémon Scarlet and Violet expansion that contains new open-world areas to explore, with new Pokémon to find and challenges to complete.

Pokemon trainers run around with their monsters in Pokemon Violet and Scarlet.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

I’ll still play Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC if it does happen, but I’d personally prefer that Game Freak sort out all of those glitches and technical issues before a DLC is released, Cyberpunk 2077 style. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet aren’t bad video games; I find them quite fun and wouldn’t mind playing more of them through an expansion. Still, my time with Pokémon’s ninth generation has cemented the feeling that I want this series to return to the catching-focused formula Pokémon Legends: Arceus established.

In the short term, that would likely be through DLC padding out The Pokémon Company’s release schedule until the next generation of Pokémon games inevitably releases. In the long term, even if we never get DLC, I hope that Pokémon Legends: Arceus‘ formula isn’t a one-and-done deal for this long-running series.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Tomas Franzese
Gaming Staff Writer
Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…
Pokémon Violet and Scarlet include an adorable Red and Blue Easter egg
The player rival of Pokemon Violet and Scarlet holds a Pokeball.

Pokémon Violet and Scarlet may be a radical reinvention of the Pokémon formula, but they still pay tribute to past games. In particular, the Paldea region includes a few callbacks to Pokémon Red and Blue that are sure to make fans nostalgic.

The most notable reference comes in Alfornada, a town nestled on top of a mountain in the southwest corner of Paldea. This is where players will fight the game's psychic gym, which is intended to be one of its latest game challenges. It's one of the game's smaller towns, but its notable for a massive stone arena where that battle takes place. Walk up to it and you may notice something very familiar about it.

Read more
Pokémon Violet and Scarlet are an even bigger leap forward than they seem
A pokemon terrestalizes in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

When I walked into my hourlong demo of Pokémon Violet and Scarlet, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew that developer Game Freak was serious about shaking up the franchise’s established formula after it delivered this year’s Pokémon Legends Arceus, a game that radically departed from the traditional RPG mold, but that was more of a spinoff experiment. Scarlet and Violet would be the real deal: mainline entries that would determine the true future of the series. Would we actually see a radical reinvention or would Game Freak play it safe, making another small step toward lasting change?

Jump into a Paldean Journey | Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet

Read more
Splatoon 3 crosses over with Pokémon Scarlet and Violet for next Splatfest
Squid kids wearing green, red, and blue outfits.

Splatoon 3 is collaborating with Pokémon to host a special Splatfest to commemorate the upcoming release of Pokémon Scarlet and Violetin November.

Like previous Splatoon 3 Splatfests, the latest one will feature three teams competing for Turf War dominance over the course of a weekend. The November Splatfest will utilize that tri-team setup in a clever way: by letting teams choose their favorite Pokémon starter type. Players can either choose team Grass, Fire, or Water. They'll get a matching shirt to represent their respective team. The competition kicks off on November 11 before the release of the new Pokémon installments.

Read more