From day one, Pokémon trainers have battled their way to a team of level 100 monsters with blood, sweat and stacks of batteries. Climbing the ranks to a perfect squad of six is usually the go-to after seeing the credits roll in Pokémon games – playground bragging rights in the days of old. The hard cap has been a series staple since 1996, but for the first time Pokémon Legends: Z-A challenges seasoned veterans to go beyond. That’s right, critters with levels exceeding 100 are ready to be caught in the Mega Dimension DLC. Spoiler: They are rather tough to beat.
In recent years, developer Game Freak has expanded the main campaign for Pokémon games with side-stories and additional content. The same applies to Pokémon Legends: Z-A, with returning monsters and newer Mega Evolutions primed to be fought. Pokémon DLC does have the tendency to sit in one of two buckets, though: something new or more of the same. Where does Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Mega Dimension land?
With the promise of additional Pokémon, just how would Game Freak introduce them into a setting already populated by critters? The base game takes place within a bustling Lumiose City, with established lore by the time the main credits roll. One solution could have been like previous DLC; have players travel out to a new area. Instead, though, it’s a case of keeping players in the same city but travelling to a parallel dimension called “Hyperspace Lumiose”. Multiverse is all the rage these days, it seems!
The plot kicks off after the main game, where the city seems to be getting back on track, all for things to suddenly be plunged into chaos once again. A mysterious new character Ansha is joined by the mythical Pokémon Hoopa, who, together, are looking for specific critter within this parallel setting. Unwittingly it’s caused slightly unsettling ripples to spawn across the city and its down to players to sort it all out – as usual.
These ripples appear and disappear, leading players venture into randomly generated, smaller, boxed parts of the city. Eerie, soulless and unsettling – the Hyperspace areas do feel different to the standard, colourful setting. Think “The Silent Realm” from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword or the twilight portions in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Depending on which of the spawns you enter, there are powerful trainers to battle or over-levelled creatures to encounter. Bring potions, it’ll be a rough ride.
On paper, it very much sounds more of the same, just with a saturation filter applied. In some ways, it is a continuation of the base adventure – but where Mega Dimension does differ is that Hyperspace segments are time and health gated. Run the clock or get knocked out and its hard luck, psyduck. This will certainly happen during early runs in the DLC. It is a steep learning curve, not for the faint of Poké-heart, but perfect for seasoned players looking for something more challenging.
There is a solution to the increase in difficulty, though – gobble up a doughnut. Ansha happens to be a talented pastry chef, and by giving Hoopa a doughnut, can increase the allocated time and Pokémon levels per Hyperspace visit. For example, 300 seconds and a 20+ temporary boost to Pokémon stats to push your team beyond level 100. Neat!
The new approach does add a touch of strategy to the mix – with more urgency than the regular day/night flow. Given the random nature of each run, every second does count to quickly establish bearings and try to complete each of the sub missions. In some ways it could well be likened to a rouge-lite in the repeated runs. There is an initial thrill to finding old returning favourites to add to the Pokédex, scrambling about to nab one before the counter draws to a close.
After zipping through a handful of runs and completing some of the more story-centric quests, the freshness can turn stale. Because it’s bathed in a single tone, complete with scaffolding and random obstacles, Hyperspace can start to feel repetitive. Fast travel, doughnut, fast travel, battle. There is an underlying story encourage players to keep grinding, but the payoff maybe difficult for some to truly quantify. Pokémon don’t gain EXP from the Hyperspace and caught critters may not be particularly high levels, either. If you’re planning to use the DLC to level up a member of the team in the base game, think again.
