Pokémon Legends Z-A: Mega Dimensions DLC Review
Pokémon Legends Z-A was overall a solid game in our opinion, despite the world leaving a lot to be desired. We really enjoyed the real-time Pokémon battle system, and the sheer number of Mega-Evolved Pokémon was really surprising! We knew when the game launched that DLC was coming before the end of the year, promising more Pokémon, more Mega-Evolutions, and a (somewhat?) new area to explore. There are times when DLC fixes issues with a main game, so is that the case here? Let’s take a look.
Here is Nintendo’s overview of the DLC:
Mysterious distortions have appeared without warning in Lumiose City. They seem to connect to a place known as Hyperspace Lumiose…and the Mythical Pokémon Hoopa has the power to transform them into portals so you can travel there! Hoopa needs your help to do it, though: team up with the mysterious and talented baker, Ansha, to gather Berries and make donuts that will awaken Hoopa’s power and grant you and your Pokémon a variety of useful effects. Once you’re in Hyperspace Lumiose, join the Mega Evolution successor, Korrina, and Team MZ to investigate its mysteries. Just be sure you’re ready—this otherworldly version of Lumiose City can be a threatening place. The Pokémon here are different, and sometimes rare, with hyperspace levels that can make their total levels exceed the normal limit of 100.
While this new DLC lacks variety – you enter different pockets of Hyperspace Lumiose and essentially do the same things over and over again – it does just add a ton more stuff to Pokémon Legends Z-A, and for a lot of people that might just be enough to give this a solid score. More Pokémon are available to catch and evolve, there are new Mega-Evolutions, there are more side quests, and an extension of the main story that will last about 8-10 hours. Donut making is cute for a while, but it is a chore that will eventually wear thin! If more is what you were after, though, then more is what you get here. Stop reading, and go pick it up.
If you were hoping for something more from the DLC, perhaps a more interesting world or a deeper story, you might be sadly disappointed. Hyperspace Lumiose is just Lumiose with a skin to make it look different. The world that we disliked when we reviewed the base game is basically the same world you’ll explore here. And while the the gameplay, catching mechanics, battling, etc. is all still in tact and as enjoyable as ever, the things we disliked in the original release are still problems here.
That doesn’t mean there isn’t a reason to pick this up. The Hyperspace pockets are randomly generated, which is a nice touch, and the Pokémon you’ll encounter here might be well over level 100, something you don’t really see in the Pokémon world. There is definitely a challenge here for people looking for a challenge, or those who used over leveled Pokémon to run through the base game, and want to see what these Pokémon can do against tougher foes. I generally ran through Lumiose City looking for Pokémon in a rather care-free way; you cannot do that in the DLC because you never know when you might run into a 100+ level Mankey – and it will wreck you if not prepared. There is a lot more strategy required for these fights, both wild Pokémon battles and Rogue Mega-Evolution fights, and that is something I really appreciated.
Still, to enjoy these DLC high points you’ll have to enter a ton of Hyperspace pockets, clean up a few research tasks, and rinse and repeat. Again, for some this will be more of what they already enjoy, but for others I can see this getting dull really fast. It’s hard to put a score on this DLC because it does provide doses of enjoyable experiences for a wide range of Pokémon game fans. Personally, I grew tired of the repetitive nature of the tasks I was completing, but absolutely loved seeing some new Pokémon, old favourites, and high level, challenging encounters. This DLC was provided for review, although I have purchased a copy of it myself as well for my son – while I’m not disappointed in the money spent to extend his Pokémon Legends Z-A experience, I also recognize that I probably paid a bit more than I would have wanted to for the experience I ultimately had.
Article By Adam
