Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Indigo Disk DLC Might be The Franchise's Darkest Story Yet (2024)

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet failed to meet many players' standards when it came to performance and gameplay quality on launch, which is still in a way haunting Gen 9 and making it an imperfect entry in the series. However, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet broke many traditions in their pursuit of something unique and groundbreaking, which made them great games, especially in terms of story compared to many other mainline titles. Arven's plotline was sad and yet hopeful, the story of Team Star and Penny was about bullying, the twist about Professor Sada and Turo was a first for the series, and much more. Even then, recent Indigo Disk leaks point to it being the darkest story ever told in Pokemon games, and that might be what the series needs.

One of the most common debates when it comes to Pokemon stories is that they often rely too heavily on tropes and very young characters, which doesn't reflect the growth of long-time fans who may be adults now, navigating life differently from the series' usual teen protagonist. This has even become a marketing point for games like Pokemon, emphasizing a strong need, a hunger even, for more mature themes and plotlines. In a way, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's story is more mature than many other titles', but The Indigo Disk DLC might take it further and also add darker threads to it.

RELATED: Pokemon That Need Regional Forms or Evolutions in a Pokemon Legends Galar Game

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Indigo Disk Could Ask Players to Make Heavy Choices

Recent leaks about Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Indigo Disk DLC have been mostly about new pocket monsters and what they will entail for the game, but a renowned Pokemon leaker called Riddler Khu has also covered how Gen 9's second expansion might focus on choices. Choices have been a part of Pokemon games for a while, and though not all of them are necessarily impactful, there are examples even in modern games, such as Pokemon Legends: Arceus, where players can choose to side with the Diamond or Pearl clan leader.

The choices hinted at by Riddler Khu seem to be much more complex, however, and even more story-heavy than anything players have ever seen in Pokemon games. In fact, Khu's riddles revolve around "saving" some characters, with players getting to decide who to save. This is possibly tied to the leaked master "peach" Pokemon linked to the Loyal Three from The Teal Mask DLC, as it seems to have powers capable of bringing back the dead or controlling other mons or even humans.

Based on Khu's leaks, there's a chance that players will have to choose between saving some of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's core characters, such as Arven, Nemona, Penny, Kieran, Carmine, and even more - possibly including The Indigo Disk's BB League. A recent post on social media from Khu asked fans to choose between The Indigo Disk's Lacey and Nemona or The Teal Mask's Carmine and Nemona, hinting once more at a gimmick where players will have to pick a group of characters over another, though the choice's consequences are still hard to determine.

Khu has implied that some characters might even die, and if that's the case, that might very well be the darkest story told by mainline Pokemon games. Death has always played a strange role in the Pokemon universe, and even Ghost-type critters are hardly described as creatures that were once alive, so seeing a main quest tied to this in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's The Indigo Disk would be an interesting change of pace and overall approach. How choosing a character or a group over another might result in some deaths is still up in the air, but The Indigo Disk seems to be yet another example of Gen 9 breaking the mold, and doing so with a bang.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now for the Nintendo Switch.

MORE: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Leaks Indicate a Massive Problem With The Indigo Disk DLC's New Critters