Pokémon Legends: Z-A’s Mega Dimension DLC is a prolonged coda to the bottom sport, riffing on each narrative and mechanical overhaul Sport Freak dropped at Lumiose Metropolis. It’s basically the postgame that Z-A lacked when it launched in October, and whereas your mileage might fluctuate on whether or not or not you wish 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 true ones, not the faux ones) to dive in. A younger lady named Ansha exhibits up in Lumiose Metropolis to ask for Crew MZ’s assist. She’s searching 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 will actually begin wanting, the 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 the town and are extra highly effective than they’re purported to be.
The one approach we will face these highly effective foes and examine this odd phenomenon is by Ansha feeding her accomplice Pokémon Hoopa berry-filled Donuts that permit it to energy up our Pokémon as we head into Hyperspace on brief expeditions. All of this paves the best way for an fascinating, albeit barely underbaked (ironic, contemplating the entire Donut gimmick) roguelike mode that places all of your battle data to the check.
Mega Dimension doesn’t fairly introduce a whole 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 degree past the standard cap of 100. You solely have a lot time to finish a number of missions to collect intel factors, and studying how finest to profit from your restricted time may be the distinction between a profitable run or a wasted one.
These journeys into this mirrored model of Lumiose can final anyplace from a couple of minutes to nearly 10, relying on the recipe Ansha cooks up, all decided by the Berries you deliver her. When you’re in Hyperspace, you’ve gotta make fast decisions about what enemies you battle, which goals you concentrate on, and the Pokémon you deliver 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 grasp of the entire system can take a while, particularly when the early expeditions you’re taking into Hyperspace offer you only a scant couple of minutes to acclimate your self to the methods during which you will need to change the way you carry your self on this hostile new setting. By the point I used to be making Donuts that gave me extra minutes on the clock, I had a technique in place that I might adapt on the fly. I’d lead with a Pokémon geared up to deal with a rift’s assigned ingredient, barrel by means of 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 means meant he may get to this golden ball from nearly anyplace, 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 get together’s composition. I didn’t commerce out Pokémon, however because the time restrict ticked down in these sections, I grew to become extra conscious of how gradual my Houndoom’s Darkish Pulse charge-up was and the time I may save by swapping it out for a quicker Crunch assault. My Raichu is spec’d as a bodily attacker, however solely a type of assaults can attain targets within the air. By the point I used to be actually making an attempt 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 degree have been extra necessary 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 largely decided by how far previous the extent cap you’re once you enter Hyperspace, the time restrict and concentrate on verticality do require you to rethink what effectivity appears like in a Pokémon sport, and ideally, you consider these issues earlier than you head into the imaginary metropolis with degree 140 monsters.
The difficulty I count on some of us to have with the roguelike half of Mega Dimension is that it’s a large grind. I hit the credit at a couple of dozen hours, and huge chunks of that point have been spent going out and in of Hyperspace to collect intel for people again residence to analysis the reason for this phenomenon earlier than it engulfed your entire 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 get together 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 take pleasure in 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 latest quests filled with humorous residents saying foolish issues, 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 latest 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 combating model makes him one in all my favourite Mega Evolutions Sport 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 of us’ liking, and Mega Dimension positively suggestions the scales in the other way with a ton of “cooler” designs. I gained’t spoil among the monsters Sport Freak determined to offer a brand new type to, however suffice it to say that I used to be actually desperate to see every new type once I lastly got here to face them.
Quite a lot 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 in opposition to rabid Mega Evolutions are nonetheless among the most entertaining talent checks in most likely any Pokémon sport, they usually’re made all of the tougher as a result of they happen in Hyperspace, thus having a time restrict and damaged degree cap to take care of. These frantic fights are powerful, require coordination between your participant character and Pokémon, and nonetheless discover methods to shock me in how the totally different Rogue Megas behave.
The most effective issues Mega Dimension provides is the flexibility to replay these fights, which wasn’t obtainable within the base sport. I’ve had a number of enjoyable going again to a few of these fights with Mega Raichu in my get together, so he can really take them on. One among my greatest issues with Legends: Z-A was that its concentrate on Mega Evolution made its get together compositions really feel extra restricted, because it was far more tough to deal with a few of these fights with out Mega-Evolution-capable critters in your workforce. Mega Dimension doesn’t change that, however no less than it provides me an opportunity to play by means of 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 collection’ generations has been set in a distinct area, and as such, they will really feel a bit disconnected from each other. Mega Dimension makes a degree to highlight a number of sides of its mythology, so it surprisingly appears 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 in the event you don’t assume that’s the tightest shit you’ve ever seen, I don’t understand how that can assist you.”
Developer:
Sport Freak
Kind of sport:
Put up-game enlargement for Legends: Z-A with extra monsters, Megas, and challenges
Favored:
Roguelike mode is a brand new problem, fascinating use of the collection’ mythology, Mega Raichu.
Disliked
It’s a grind, roguelike components may very well be a bit meatier.
Platforms:
Change, Change 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 an enormous ask for people. I attempt to not weigh in on the value of issues in opinions as a result of I don’t know each reader’s monetary scenario, and it feels disingenuous of me to attempt to make some type of judgment name about whether or not or not one thing is “price” a sure sum of money. Mega Raichu bought me on the enlargement earlier than I’d even performed it, however wanting 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 one of the strong within the collection, 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 “price” the value, however I can let you know that I obtained an entire lot extra of a sport I cherished and that spoke to the issues I take pleasure in most about this collection. Legends: Z-A’s best strengths are in its experimental battle system and its city-centric storytelling that makes essentially the most of its merry band of misfits. I obtained that in spades right here, and I obtained to see it with a Mega Evolution of my favourite Pokémon by my facet.
Should you didn’t already love Legends: Z-A, I might be shocked if something right here modified your thoughts. I’m having a good time, although. Raichu and I aren’t accomplished scavenging each inch of Hyperspace for the Pokémon we haven’t met but, and if that is the top of Legends: Z-A’s story, it’s nonetheless going to be one in all my favourite video games within the collection.
