Pokémon Legends Z-A – Mega Dimension Review: A Worthwhile Grind

Pokémon Legends: Z-A’s Mega Dimension DLC is a prolonged coda to the bottom sport, riffing on each narrative and mechanical overhaul Recreation Freak dropped at Lumiose Metropolis. It’s basically the postgame that Z-A lacked when it launched in October, and whereas your mileage could range on whether or not or not you need to spend an additional $30 to play it, what’s here’s a compelling spin on all the things that made the sport one in all Pokémon’s most compelling experiments.

Mega Dimension is about after the occasions of Legends: Z-A, so that you’ll need to see the credit (the actual ones, not the fake ones) to dive in. A younger woman named Ansha exhibits up in Lumiose Metropolis to ask for Staff MZ’s assist. She’s looking for a strong legendary Pokémon to offer to her mom as a gift. As a result of we’re heroes who by no means flip away an individual in want, we agree to assist her discover this thriller beast, however earlier than we are able to actually begin trying, town is overtaken by mysterious portals that result in a bizarro model of Lumiose known as Hyperspace. On this mirrored universe, we discover Pokémon that aren’t native to town and are extra highly effective than they’re speculated to be. 

The one manner we are able to face these highly effective foes and examine this odd phenomenon is by Ansha feeding her associate Pokémon Hoopa berry-filled Donuts that enable it to energy up our Pokémon as we head into Hyperspace on quick expeditions. All of this paves the way in which for an fascinating, albeit barely underbaked (ironic, contemplating the entire Donut gimmick) roguelike mode that places all of your battle information to the check. 

Mega Dimension doesn’t fairly introduce an entire mechanical overhaul of Legends: Z-A’s real-time battle system, however it’s much more demanding. Every time you head into Hyperspace, you’re on a timer whose size is decided by the standard of the Donut you make for Hoopa, which additionally will increase your stats and raises your stage past the everyday cap of 100. You solely have a lot time to finish just a few missions to collect intel factors, and studying how greatest to profit from your restricted time could be the distinction between a profitable run or a wasted one. 

These journeys into this mirrored model of Lumiose can final wherever from a couple of minutes to virtually 10, relying on the recipe Ansha cooks up, all decided by the Berries you carry her. When you’re in Hyperspace, you’ve gotta make fast decisions about what enemies you battle, which aims you concentrate on, and the Pokémon you carry and use with you. Even your strongest monster would possibly waste a few of your time as a result of its strikes take too lengthy to cost up, and the clock gained’t cease ticking so long as the sport is unpaused.

Getting a cling of the entire system can take a while, particularly when the early expeditions you’re taking into Hyperspace offer you only a scant jiffy to acclimate your self to the methods during which you need to change the way you carry your self on this hostile new surroundings. By the point I used to be making Donuts that gave me extra minutes on the clock, I had a method in place that I’d adapt on the fly. I’d lead with a Pokémon outfitted to deal with a rift’s assigned component, barrel by the mini-quests I used to be assigned for that route, then head to excessive floor to seek out the Bonus Ball treasure chest that may spawn after I’d accomplished my duties. I’d use my Salamence to seek for this merchandise, as a result of his flight skill meant he might get to this golden ball from nearly wherever, serving to me snag it inside no matter treasured seconds I had left in a run.

These journeys into Hyperspace made me extra conscious of among the weaknesses of my social gathering’s composition. I didn’t commerce out Pokémon, however because the time restrict ticked down in these sections, I turned extra conscious of how gradual my Houndoom’s Darkish Pulse charge-up was and the time I might save by swapping it out for a sooner Crunch assault. My Raichu is spec’d as a bodily attacker, however solely a kind of assaults can attain targets within the air. By the point I used to be actually attempting to min-max each Hyperspace run, I had modified a number of of my go-to movesets simply to accommodate the ever-present risk of being yanked out of Hyperspace. Quick assaults that would attain targets above eye stage have been extra essential than heavy-hitting ones that may take treasured seconds to forged. 

Whereas Mega Dimension’s roguelike components are a bit shallow, together with your success principally decided by how far previous the extent cap you’re if you enter Hyperspace, the time restrict and concentrate on verticality do require you to rethink what effectivity appears to be like like in a Pokémon sport, and ideally, you consider these issues earlier than you head into the imaginary metropolis with stage 140 monsters.

The difficulty I count on some people to have with the roguelike half of Mega Dimension is that it’s a huge grind. I hit the credit at a few dozen hours, and huge chunks of that point have been spent going out and in of Hyperspace to collect intel for people again house to analysis the reason for this phenomenon earlier than it engulfed the whole actual metropolis. I don’t thoughts it personally, as Legends: Z-A’s battle system has at all times felt extra like a puzzle sport to me than a grindy RPG. I like seeing a Pokémon within the distance, selecting who in my social gathering can probably take it out the quickest, and seeing if I can pull it off. The grind began to hit me hardest within the endgame as I attempted to seize among the main Legendary monsters within the DLC, and whilst I chip away at among the post-game stuff, I’m nonetheless feeling that. However I nonetheless get pleasure from Legends: Z-A’s battle system sufficient that the grind’s not a detriment for me.

If all Mega Dimension needed to provide have been the roguelike components, nonetheless, I wouldn’t be that sizzling on it. Fortunately, there’s additionally a bevy of recent quests stuffed with funny citizens saying silly things, tales to listen to, and monsters to catch. Over 100 returning Pokémon from areas far past Kalos seem in Hyperspace, and that features a ton of recent Mega Evolutions as effectively. As anybody who has paid consideration to me yelling about it on Kotaku for months will know, Mega Dimension added two Mega Evolutions to my favourite man, Raichu. I used to be a mark able to slap down $30 to lastly see my boy get some love, and the X type’s Superman-like fighting style makes him one in all my favourite Mega Evolutions Recreation Freak has ever put out. However Raichu is only one of a number of Megas added in Mega Dimension, and there are some impressed decisions. Legends: Z-A’s base-game Megas skewed a bit too foolish for some people’ liking, and Mega Dimension positively ideas the scales in the other way with a ton of “cooler” designs. I gained’t spoil among the monsters Recreation Freak determined to offer a brand new type to, however suffice it to say that I used to be actually desirous to see every new type after I lastly got here to face them.

A number of these Megas are particularly memorable as a result of Mega Dimension brings again the most effective a part of the bottom sport with Rogue Mega Evolution battles. These prolonged boss fights towards rabid Mega Evolutions are nonetheless among the most entertaining talent checks in most likely any Pokémon sport, and so they’re made all of the tougher as a result of they happen in Hyperspace, thus having a time restrict and damaged stage cap to cope with. These frantic fights are powerful, require coordination between your participant character and Pokémon, and nonetheless discover methods to shock me in how the completely different Rogue Megas behave. 

The most effective issues Mega Dimension provides is the flexibility to replay these fights, which wasn’t accessible within the base sport. I’ve had lots of enjoyable going again to a few of these fights with Mega Raichu in my social gathering, so he can really take them on. Considered one of my greatest issues with Legends: Z-A was that its concentrate on Mega Evolution made its social gathering compositions really feel extra restricted, because it was far more troublesome to deal with a few of these fights with out Mega-Evolution-capable critters in your group. Mega Dimension doesn’t change that, however at the very least it provides me an opportunity to play by these fights once more with my favourite man.

All of that is tied up in a narrative that ties collectively a number of sides of the Pokémon universe. Every of this sequence’ generations has been set in a unique area, and as such, they’ll really feel a bit disconnected from each other. Mega Dimension makes some extent to highlight a number of sides of its mythology, so it surprisingly seems like a sequel to video games you may not count on. Followers of Ruby and Sapphire’s Hoenn area will most likely get a kick out of how a lot it elements into Mega Dimension, however there’s one thing right here for followers of Diamond and Pearl’s Sinnoh legends, as effectively.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Mega Dimension

• Again-of-the-box quote:

  “Raichu flies round like he’s Superman, and for those who don’t assume that’s the tightest shit you’ve ever seen, I don’t know the way that can assist you.”

• Developer:

  Recreation Freak

• Sort of sport:

  Publish-game growth for Legends: Z-A with extra monsters, Megas, and challenges

• Appreciated:

  Roguelike mode is a brand new problem, fascinating use of the sequence’ mythology, Mega Raichu.

• Disliked

  It’s a grind, roguelike components might be a bit meatier.

• Platforms:

  Swap, Swap 2 (performed on)

• Launch date:

  December 10, 2025

• Performed

  ~12 hours to credit, nonetheless chipping away at submit sport stuff.

As a lot as I cherished all the things Mega Dimension gave me, I perceive the $30 price ticket is a giant ask for people. I strive to not weigh in on the value of issues in evaluations as a result of I don’t know each reader’s monetary scenario, and it feels disingenuous of me to attempt to make some form of judgment name about whether or not or not one thing is “value” a sure sum of money. Mega Raichu bought me on the growth earlier than I’d even performed it, however trying on the DLC within the context of Pokémon’s lengthy historical past, it does really feel just a little bit icky. Legends: Z-A’s post-game was virtually non-existent, and Mega Dimension makes the post-game some of the sturdy within the sequence, but it surely’s on prime of an already dear sport in a world the place online game costs are solely getting costlier.

I can’t make the decision for you on whether or not it’s “value” the value, however I can let you know that I acquired a complete lot extra of a sport I cherished and that spoke to the issues I get pleasure from most about this sequence. Legends: Z-A’s biggest strengths are in its experimental battle system and its city-centric storytelling that makes probably the most of its merry band of misfits. I acquired that in spades right here, and I acquired to see it with a Mega Evolution of my favourite Pokémon by my aspect. 

In case you didn’t already  love Legends: Z-A, I’d be stunned if something right here modified your thoughts. I’m having a good time, although. Raichu and I aren’t executed scavenging each inch of Hyperspace for the Pokémon we haven’t met but, and if that is the tip of Legends: Z-A’s story, it’s nonetheless going to be one in all my favourite video games within the sequence.