Pokémon Legends: Z-A got its first major DLC drop today – with the arrival of Mega Dimension. I’ve played a few hours of it, and while I need to play more before I issue my final judgment, I’m a little disappointed to say it’s more of the same flavor we’ve already been served.
On the one hand, that’s no issue. I loved Pokémon Legends: Z-A – I gave it four-and-a-half stars in my review – and said I want to see more Pokémon games like it from Game Freak going forward. Equally, the title wasn’t perfect, and my two biggest issues with Z-A could have easily been solved by this DLC, and yet they haven’t.
Expect spoilers to follow, mostly those based on leaked info that has now been verified with Mega Dimension’s release.
Before I get too deep into my two issues, I’ll start with some positivity.
The best thing about the DLC so far is the arrival of ‘mons over level 100 – which is the usual cap for all critters in the series. If you devoured Legends Z-A like me, you’ll probably have a team of maxed-out pokémon, maybe several more in your box, and a DLC that featured weaker wild foes could have been trivial.
Admittedly, some battles do feel easy – notably the new trainer battles I’ve experienced so far – but there have been others that have truly tested my abilities. I even lost a match to a duo of wild pokémon I encountered in a side mission I wasn’t as prepared for as I thought I would be. I actually lost to them three times before I succeeded – showcasing a level of difficulty Pokémon games haven’t offered me in some time.
I also like the story so far, with the return of Korrina as a mega evolution champion and the debut of Ansha – the Hoopa carrying donut baker – as well as the new mega forms.
But therein lies my first disappointment: again, we get no new pokémon.
Returning to a region in a modern-day setting, we expected Legends: Z-A would offer no new ‘mons beyond mega forms. This made sense plot-wise, but as someone who has always enjoyed the “Gotta catch ‘em all” mantra, it was a slight shame there weren’t even a couple of new pokémon to add to my collection and adventure alongside.
By introducing an alternate dimension, filled with pokémon that aren’t native to Kalos or Lumiose City, this DLC was the perfect opportunity to finally give us even just a couple of new pokémon to interact with. Potentially even teasing a couple from a region we’re yet to visit
As I mentioned above, we do get several new mega forms, which is awesome – and I once again love the varied choice of mega recipients (except that Flygon once again misses out, is there no justice in the pokémon world?). A new mega just isn’t the same as a new ‘mon to me, however.
My other disappointment is that Hyperspace Lumiose feels a bit too similar to regular Lumiose. Given that non-native pokémon inhabit this extra-dimensional space, perhaps the lore reason could be that the geography of the Hyperspace variant is very different – allowing designers to incorporate more wild terrain that feels new to explore.
Unfortunately, this excuse wasn’t used, and every zone I’ve visited so far feels very samey as what’s come before with a slight palette swap. The Pokémon Company could have just called this new region Shiny Lumiose.
Couple this with the fact that Lumiose City felt like it had outstayed its welcome by the conclusion of the main game, and the opportunity this DLC offered does feel a little squandered.
At the same time, I am having a lot of fun despite my issues, and will 100% devour the Mega Dimension DLC when I clock off. So if you wanted a bit more of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, this DLC will offer you exactly that – for better and for worse.
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hamish.hector@futurenet.com (Hamish Hector)
