Pokémon Legends: Z-A’s Mega Dimension DLC is a prolonged coda to the bottom recreation, riffing on each narrative and mechanical overhaul Sport Freak delivered to 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 considered one of Pokémon’s most compelling experiments.
Mega Dimension is ready 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 Workforce MZ’s assist. She’s in quest of a strong legendary Pokémon to present 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, 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 purported to be.
The one means we will face these highly effective foes and examine this odd phenomenon is by Ansha feeding her companion 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 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 an entire mechanical overhaul of Legends: Z-A’s real-time battle system, however it’s way more demanding. Every time you head into Hyperspace, you’re on a timer whose size is set 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 a couple of missions to collect intel factors, and studying how finest to take advantage of 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 wherever 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 struggle, which aims you deal with, 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 received’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 are taking into Hyperspace offer you only a scant couple of minutes to acclimate your self to the methods wherein you will need to change the way you carry your self on this hostile new atmosphere. 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 might adapt on the fly. I’d lead with a Pokémon geared up to deal with a rift’s assigned factor, barrel by way 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 will spawn after I’d accomplished my duties. I’d use my Salamence to seek for this merchandise, as a result of his flight potential meant he might get to this golden ball from nearly wherever, serving to me snag it inside no matter valuable seconds I had left in a run.
These journeys into Hyperspace made me extra conscious of a few of 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 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 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 attempting to min-max each Hyperspace run, I had modified a number of of my go-to movesets simply to accommodate the ever-present menace of being yanked out of Hyperspace. Quick assaults that might attain targets above eye stage have been extra vital than heavy-hitting ones that will take valuable seconds to solid.
Whereas Mega Dimension’s roguelike components are a bit shallow, together with your success principally decided by how far previous the extent cap you might be while you enter Hyperspace, the time restrict and deal with verticality do require you to rethink what effectivity appears to be like like in a Pokémon recreation, 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 enormous grind. I hit the credit at a few dozen hours, and enormous chunks of that point have been spent going out and in of Hyperspace to collect intel for folk again dwelling 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 all the time felt extra like a puzzle recreation 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 a few of the main Legendary monsters within the DLC, and whilst I chip away at a few of 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, nevertheless, I wouldn’t be that scorching on it. Fortunately, there’s additionally a bevy of latest quests stuffed 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 properly. 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 kind’s Superman-like combating model makes him considered one of 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 people’ liking, and Mega Dimension undoubtedly ideas the scales in the wrong way with a ton of “cooler” designs. I received’t spoil a few of the monsters Sport Freak determined to present a brand new kind to, however suffice it to say that I used to be actually desirous to see every new kind once I lastly got here to face them.
A variety of these Megas are particularly memorable as a result of Mega Dimension brings again one of the best a part of the bottom recreation with Rogue Mega Evolution battles. These prolonged boss fights towards rabid Mega Evolutions are nonetheless a few of the most entertaining ability checks in most likely any Pokémon recreation, they usually’re made all of the tougher as a result of they happen in Hyperspace, thus having a time restrict and damaged stage 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 completely different Rogue Megas behave.
Among the finest issues Mega Dimension provides is the power to replay these fights, which wasn’t out there within the base recreation. I’ve had quite a lot 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 deal with Mega Evolution made its get together compositions really feel extra restricted, because it was rather more tough to deal with a few of these fights with out Mega-Evolution-capable critters in your staff. Mega Dimension doesn’t change that, however a minimum of it offers me an opportunity to play by way 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 sequence’ generations has been set in a unique area, and as such, they will 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 looks like a sequel to video games you won’t 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 properly.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Mega Dimension
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Again-of-the-box quote:
“Raichu flies round like he’s Superman, and when you don’t suppose that’s the tightest shit you’ve ever seen, I don’t understand how that can assist you.”
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Developer:
Sport Freak
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Sort of recreation:
Put up-game growth for Legends: Z-A with extra monsters, Megas, and challenges
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Favored:
Roguelike mode is a brand new problem, fascinating use of the sequence’ mythology, Mega Raichu.
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Disliked
It’s a grind, roguelike components might be a bit meatier.
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Platforms:
Swap, Swap 2 (performed on)
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Launch date:
December 10, 2025
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Performed
~12 hours to credit, nonetheless chipping away at submit recreation 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 folk. I attempt to not weigh in on the value of issues in critiques as a result of I don’t know each reader’s monetary scenario, and it feels disingenuous of me to attempt to make some kind of judgment name about whether or not or not one thing is “price” a sure sum of money. Mega Raichu bought me on the growth 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 slightly bit icky. Legends: Z-A’s post-game was virtually non-existent, and Mega Dimension makes the post-game probably the most sturdy within the sequence, however it’s on high of an already expensive recreation in a world the place online game costs are solely getting dearer.
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 bought an entire lot extra of a recreation I cherished and that spoke to the issues I take pleasure in most about this sequence. 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 bought that in spades right here, and I bought 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 might be shocked 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 considered one of my favourite video games within the sequence.
