Honestly, by the time most people reached the end of the Paldea journey, they were expecting a victory lap. Instead, they got a punch in the face. Pokemon The Indigo Disk isn't just a simple map expansion or a quick way to catch some old starters from the Johto region. It represents a fundamental shift in how Game Freak approaches difficulty, particularly for a series that has historically held the player's hand until their palm was sweaty. If you went into the Blueberry Academy thinking your level 100 over-leveled starter would just steamroll the Elite Four, you probably saw the "fainted" screen more than once.
It’s brutal. It’s technical. It’s basically a love letter to the VGC (Video Game Championships) community disguised as a tropical school exchange program.
The Blueberry Academy Reality Check
The Terrarium is a massive, artificial undersea dome divided into four distinct biomes: Savanna, Coastal, Canyon, and Polar. It’s gorgeous in a "technical marvel of a dying console" sort of way. But the real story isn't the scenery. It’s the double battles. Almost every single trainer encounter in Pokemon The Indigo Disk follows the official competitive format. This means you aren't just clicking your strongest move and watching the health bar drop. You’re dealing with actual strategies.
Take the BB League Elite Four. Amarys, Crispin, Lacey, and Drayton don't play like traditional NPCs. They use held items like Focus Sashes and Sitrus Berries. They understand Type synergy. They use moves like Fake Out to disrupt your flow or Tailwind to outspeed you. Drayton, specifically, is a nightmare if you aren't prepared for his Dragon-type onslaught combined with smart switching.
It’s refreshing. For years, fans have begged for a "Hard Mode," and while this isn't a toggle in the settings, the level scaling and AI intelligence in the Blueberry Academy are the closest we've ever gotten. You have to actually think about your lead Pokemon.
The Return of Every Single Starter
One of the biggest selling points—and a massive time sink—is the ability to catch every single past starter Pokemon in the wild. We’re talking Bulbasaur, Torchic, Froakie, the whole gang. But there is a catch. You can’t just walk out and find them. You have to earn Blueberry Points (BP) by completing "BBQs" (Blueberry Quests).
These quests are... polarizing. Some are simple, like picking up ten items or traveling 500 yards. Others require you to find a specific Ditto Block in the Central Plaza or take a photo of a Pokemon swimming. To unlock the starters in a specific biome, you need 3,000 BP. That’s a lot of chores. If you're playing solo, it's a grind that might make you want to put the Switch down.
However, if you use the Union Circle and play with friends, you share BP rewards. This makes the "grind" take about forty minutes instead of four hours. It’s a clear push from Nintendo to get people playing together, which is cool if you have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, but a bit of a bummer if you’re a hermit.
Synchro Machine: Being the Pokemon
Hidden in the Central Plaza is a researcher who gives you the Synchro Machine. This is a weird, experimental feature that lets you actually control your Pokemon. You run around, you attack wild mons, and you experience the world from a few inches off the ground.
Is it janky? Yeah.
Is the movement speed for some Pokemon painfully slow? Absolutely.
But it’s also the most "Project Pokemon" thing they've ever done. There is something inherently hilarious about sprinting across the Savanna Biome as a Garchomp or floating aimlessly as a Reuniclus. It doesn't add much to the core gameplay loop, but as a "wow" factor for long-term fans, it lands.
Terapagos and the Hidden Lore of Area Zero
We need to talk about the story without spoiling the big emotional beats, but let’s be real: Kieran’s character arc is the best writing we’ve seen in Pokemon in a decade. His descent from a shy kid in the Teal Mask to a hyper-fixated, edge-lord champion in Pokemon The Indigo Disk feels earned. It’s a story about obsession and the pressure of being "the best," which mirrors the actual player experience in a meta way.
Then there’s Terapagos. The "Indigo Disk" itself.
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The descent back into Area Zero—specifically the Underdepths—is atmospheric. It feels dangerous. Terapagos is the source of the Terastal phenomenon, and its Stellar Form is a game-changer. The Stellar Type is unique because it doesn't give you defensive resistances; instead, it boosts the power of every move type once per battle. In a competitive setting, this is a nuclear option. It allows for incredible coverage, though it requires a much higher level of prediction than standard Terastallization.
The Legendaries and the Snackman
Once you finish the main story, you meet a guy named Snacksworth. He’s a well-dressed older gentleman who stands near the entrance of the Academy and gives you "snacks" that trigger encounters with legendary Pokemon from previous generations.
We’re talking Rayquaza, Kyogre, Solgaleo—the heavy hitters.
The weird part? They aren't "shiny locked" in the way you might hope. Actually, wait, let me clarify that: they are shiny locked. You cannot reset for a shiny Rayquaza here. This was a huge point of contention in the community. If you want a shiny legendary, you’re still stuck playing Pokemon Sword and Shield’s Dynamax Adventures or older titles. It feels like a missed opportunity for the "definitive" Gen 9 experience, but having them roaming the Paldean overworld is still a neat touch. Seeing a Suicune chilling by a lake in the main map is a genuine vibe.
The Competitive Meta Shift
The move tutor in the Blueberry Academy is the real MVP. Hard-hitting moves like "Upper Hand" (which punishes priority moves like Fake Out) and "Psychic Noise" (which prevents the opponent from healing) have completely shifted how high-level matches are played.
Game Freak used this DLC to balance the game. They saw how dominant certain strategies were and gave us the tools to break them.
Actionable Steps for New Students
If you’re just starting your exchange trip to the Blueberry Academy, do not go in blind. You will get frustrated. Follow these steps to keep your sanity:
- Build a Double-Battle Team: Forget your single-player mindset. You need Pokemon that work together. Bring a "Support" mon with moves like Helping Hand, Screen protection, or Follow Me.
- Farm BP in a Group: Do not grind 12,000 BP (the amount needed to unlock all starters) by yourself. Go to a Discord server or a Reddit thread, find a Union Circle code, and do group quests. You'll get it done in a fraction of the time.
- Check Your Held Items: Give your Pokemon items that actually matter. Choice Specs, Life Orbs, and Assault Vests are your friends. The NPCs are using them; you should too.
- Find the Secret Boss: After beating the Elite Four and the Champion, there are hidden boss fights back at the academy and even back in Paldea involving the faculty. These give some of the best rewards in the game, including Rare Candies and specialized Poke Balls.
- Talk to Perrin: If you haven't finished her quest in the Teal Mask, do it. She reappears in the Indigo Disk with a quest to find the Paradox versions of the Johto Beasts (Gouging Fire/Raging Bolt) or the Swords of Justice (Iron Boulder/Iron Crown) depending on your version. These are some of the strongest Pokemon in the game.
Pokemon The Indigo Disk is the final "standard" piece of content for Generation 9. It’s flawed, sure—the frame rate still dips when too many Tropius are on screen—but as a mechanical expansion, it’s deep. It forces you to actually be a Pokemon Trainer, not just a collector. It demands mastery of the systems, and for the first time in a long time, the game actually fights back.
Unlock the biomes, catch your favorites, and prepare for a genuine challenge in the Underdepths. Just don't expect the Elite Four to let you win without a fight.