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

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 primarily the postgame that Z-A lacked when it launched in October, and whereas your mileage might differ 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 considered one of 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 lady named Ansha reveals up in Lumiose Metropolis to ask for Crew MZ’s assist. She’s in quest of a strong legendary Pokémon to provide 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 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 alleged to be. 

The one manner we are able to 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 way in which for an fascinating, albeit barely underbaked (ironic, contemplating the entire Donut gimmick) roguelike mode that places all of your battle data to the take a look at. 

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 degree past the everyday cap of 100. You solely have a lot time to finish a number of missions to collect intel factors, and studying how finest to benefit 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 wherever from a couple of minutes to nearly 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 selections about what enemies you combat, which goals you deal with, 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 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 through which you should 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 aspect, barrel by way of the mini-quests I used to be assigned for that route, then head to excessive floor to search 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 potential meant he may 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 among the weaknesses of my celebration’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 may 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 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 might attain targets above eye degree have been extra essential than heavy-hitting ones that may take valuable seconds to solid. 

Whereas Mega Dimension’s roguelike parts are a bit shallow, along with your success principally decided by how far previous the extent cap you’re if you enter Hyperspace, the time restrict and deal with verticality do require you to rethink what effectivity appears like in a Pokémon recreation, 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 huge grind. I hit the credit at a couple of dozen hours, and enormous 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 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 recreation to me than a grindy RPG. I like seeing a Pokémon within the distance, selecting who in my celebration 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 parts, nonetheless, I wouldn’t be that scorching on it. Fortunately, there’s additionally a bevy of latest quests filled 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 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 fighting style 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 selections. 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 wrong way with a ton of “cooler” designs. I received’t spoil among the monsters Sport Freak determined to provide a brand new kind to, however suffice it to say that I used to be actually wanting to see every new kind once I lastly got here to face them.

Lots 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 in opposition to rabid Mega Evolutions are nonetheless among the most entertaining ability checks in in all probability any Pokémon recreation, they usually’re made all of the more difficult 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. 

Top-of-the-line issues Mega Dimension provides is the power to replay these fights, which wasn’t out there within the base recreation. I’ve had a whole lot of enjoyable going again to a few of these fights with Mega Raichu in my celebration, so he can truly take them on. Considered one of my largest issues with Legends: Z-A was that its deal with Mega Evolution made its celebration compositions really feel extra restricted, because it was way more tough to deal with a few of these fights with out Mega-Evolution-capable critters in your crew. Mega Dimension doesn’t change that, however a minimum of it provides 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 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 in all probability 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.

As a lot as I beloved 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 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 form of judgment name about whether or not or not one thing is “worth” 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 a bit bit icky. Legends: Z-A’s post-game was virtually non-existent, and Mega Dimension makes the post-game one of the crucial sturdy within the sequence, but it surely’s on prime 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 “worth” the value, however I can let you know that I obtained a complete lot extra of a recreation I beloved and that spoke to the issues I take pleasure in 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 obtained that in spades right here, and I obtained to see it with a Mega Evolution of my favourite Pokémon by my aspect. 

When 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 finished 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 considered one of my favourite video games within the sequence.