Because Pokémon Legends: Z-A only released last month, I still have a long way to go before hitting one hundred percent completion. The main story is all done and dusted, but I was preparing to spend the next few months completing loads of post game sidequests, filling out the Pokédex, and hopefully grabbing a whole host of shiny Pokémon in the process. Well despite releasing incredibly recently, Game Freak have decided we need DLC, and my plans of perfect completion will have to wait. Pokémon Legends: Z-A Mega Dimensions doesn’t just add a handful of Pokémon and call it a day either, it’s a massive chunk of content full of story missions, new areas and even new megas.
Being post game DLC, Mega Dimensions takes place directly after the main story of Legends: Z-A. A young girl called Ansha is found hiding on the roof of Hotel Z, and asks the gang for help. Immediately something seems odd since this girl has the legendary Pokémon Hoopa in tow, but she just wants somewhere to make donuts. It turns out these donuts aren’t just tasty treats though, they’re actually fuel to help Hoopa create portals to an alternate dimension Lumiose. The Pokémon from this weird world are leaking into the city, and are causing havoc with both local people and pocket monsters. As the designated saviours of this world you’re happy to investigate this, and hopefully catch some new friends as you do.
After some scene setting and a few battles with familiar faces, you’re given access to a whole host of pocket dimensions. Once you hop through a wormhole you’ll have limited time to complete a few objectives, like catching specific Pokémon or collecting items. If you do this you’ll fill a new type of research bar and be able to progress the story, but there’s a small problem to deal with. The Pokémon in this other world are well above level 100, which is the highest the series has ever really seen. This isn’t the end of the world when you’re facing alternate reality Weedle, but when the rogue Megas appear, they’ll happily wipe out your whole team.
Thankfully there’s a solution to this rather unfair situation, and it comes in the form of those fried doughy treats. You see, when you feed Hoopa a particularly tasty donut it’ll temporarily boost your Pokemon’s levels by a set amount, and the best donuts will provide massive buff in battle due to this. Donuts are made of berries (of course) and by using rarer berries you’ll make better baked goods. As you progress through the DLC you’ll also gain access to better butter (not from Betty Botter, don’t worry) which allows more berries to be used when cooking up a storm. There are even extra buffs you can earn with certain combinations, like making catching specific Pokémon types easier or even improving shiny odds.
Outside of these pockets of pocket monsters, Mega Dimensions also adds plenty of those entertaining boss fights against rogue Megas. These are as over the top as ever, and will require plenty of levelling and some well typed Pokémon to overcome. Thankfully there are loads of new allies to capture in spherical prisons, and a huge amount of them even have new Mega Evolutions. Some of my favourite mega designs are only available for those who grab this DLC, with some seriously wild choices that made this sicko incredibly happy.
It’s worth mentioning that alongside all this content, there’s also a massive amount of new side missions to make your way through. These come in a lot of forms, often requiring you to use all sorts of different Pokémon in battle. Thankfully the new dimensions you’ll be exploring are absolutely packed with experience candy, which will enable you to boost your new pals around fifty levels in a matter of minutes. It’s beyond easy to grind levels thanks to all the candy, but that’s not necessarily a good thing.
One of the main issues with Pokémon Legends: Z-A Mega Dimensions is how much it almost entirely invalidates the harder challenges of the main game. There were some ridiculous tasks to take on post game, like the Elite Four made up entirely of Furfrou users that you can only fight with that same fluffy poodle Pokémon. Now with access to infinite candy this can be done with no effort at all, and although some will love this, it left somewhat of a bad taste in my mouth.
On top of this potentially less impactful issue, there’s also the fact that the other dimensions are a little bit dull to explore. They’re made up of small colourless areas, devoid of life. After climbing around in one or two of them you’ll really have seen most of what this bonus content has to offer, which is a real shame when exploring the main game was so fun. The time limit in these new areas is irritating too, and feels entirely unnecessary.
Despite having some fairly significant flaws, Mega Dimensions adds a ridiculous amount of content to this wonderful new Pokémon game. If, like me, you could never be content without your very own mega Raichu, then you’ll obviously have to grab it.
