A few years ago, when Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver first allowed a Pokémon to follow the player anywhere, fans loved the idea of seeing their beloved companions roam the world with them. But in the new DLC Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: Indigo Disc, Pokémon goes a step further: your Pokémon can not only follow you, You can be a Pokemon.
Very early in The Indigo Disc, you can track down a character named Sinclair in the terrarium who, after completing the quest for him, will teach you how to use the Synchro Machine. It basically lets you “become” your own Pokemon, run around the map, control it, and use it to auto-bat. In practice, this is a pretty useless feature – the best part is that you can control your Pokemon during auto-battle without having to restart them when they’re out of range.
But for Pokemon fans, Sync is a silly game in the best possible sense. Much of this is due to how adorable and silly the Pokemon themselves are. For example, you can play as Tinkaton and hit everything you see with a giant hammer:
Tinkatons Awakening is the game of the year pic.twitter.com/Uw9qx5JRAL
— SantaPotion (@sxperption) December 15, 2023
You can play as Toadskull and slap your way around the terrarium:
When you look at me, look at me #Pokemon Scarlet Violet #nintendoswitch pic.twitter.com/WbY96oiigj
— Crane 🦎 (@CRANTIME) December 15, 2023
My personal favorite version of this uses the sound effect of Squidward walking to create an absolute delight:
Shiny Toadskull, but with Squidward walking/running sound effects. very funny #Pokemon Scarlet Violet #Indigo Disc #SpongeBob #Octopus pic.twitter.com/whDtC7eljA
— June Rogues (@junejunabaza) December 14, 2023
You can fly as Pokemon God Arceus:
Shiny Toadskull, but with Squidward walking/running sound effects. very funny #Pokemon Scarlet Violet #Indigo Disc #SpongeBob #Octopus pic.twitter.com/whDtC7eljA
— June Rogues (@junejunabaza) December 14, 2023
Or recreate the Lion King in this very handy rock formation:
life cycle#Pokemon Scarlet Violet #thekinglion pic.twitter.com/Q6vIpGPJvZ
— Vida de Trainer (@vidadetrainador) December 15, 2023
But the best clips of Pokemon fans come from people who experience the pure joy of walking around as their favorite monsters, their best friends, and their true lovers:
This is the best video game ever#Pokemon Scarlet Violet pic.twitter.com/awSWBTBrDD
– Luke 🎄 (@FrappeFizzyy) December 15, 2023
This is cool shit #Pokemon Scarlet Violet #nintendoswitch pic.twitter.com/yUiFiNhz8N
— Ethan ∞ (@eusine_f) December 14, 2023
Bruh, I’m making a nature documentary #Pokemon Scarlet Violet #nintendoswitch pic.twitter.com/EFyNlQy2qB
– BugsDumples (@BDumples) December 14, 2023
Indigo Disc is the biggest Pokemon DLC ever!#Pokemon Scarlet Violet pic.twitter.com/4Ghi2QkF6e
– Mazz (@MazzoraGames) December 14, 2023
If you just looted the Indigo Disc DLC, I recommend you go to the central plaza area of the terrarium and talk to Sinclair to unlock this feature. You can also use it in a multiplayer game and have a Pokemon party with your friends. It’s a completely ridiculous, completely unnecessary, but absolutely delightful feature and I’m all for it.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is a bit less fun, as we mentioned in both our review of the base games and our review of the Teal Mask DLC – and is essential to complete before you can access the Indigo Disc. Our Indigo Disc review is currently underway and will be published before the holidays. In the meantime, however, if you’ve already mastered it, we’re hard at work on our wiki guides for new expansion content.
Rebecca Valentine is a senior reporter at IGN. Do you have a story tip? send it [email protected].
