Pokémon Legends Z-A – Mega Dimension review: Celestial diary

Pokémon Legends Z-A – Mega Dimension is a post-game slice of donut-filled DLC that showcases a new layer of Lumiose City. Featuring otherworldly dimensions and a host of new Mega Pokémon, it’s a strange and charming journey that dedicated Pokémon fans will love.

If you’ve been wondering whether the Pokémon Legends Z-A DLC is worth it, you’ll find The Escapist’s full, spoiler-free Mega Dimension DLC review below, looking at everything from the core gameplay to the story content. 

The Escapist recaps

• Pokémon Legends Z-A – Mega Dimension initially came out on October 16, 2025, offering a few cosmetics alongside the main game, but its new story content was released on December 10, 2025. 
• The Mega Dimension DLC revolves around Hoopa, the Mischief Pokémon, and a girl named Ansha. Hoopa can open up strange rifts around Lumiose City and give the player access to an alternate world called Hyperspace Lumiose.
• The DLC focuses on surveying Hyperspace Lumiose and uncovering the cause of the strange rifts, offering a blend of challenging battles, completionist content, and narrative sequences. 
• The gameplay in Mega Dimension is somewhat grindy in places, which’ll make it divisive in the Pokémon community. Surveying Hyperspace Lumiose involves racking up points, and the number of points needed gets a lot sharper as you make progress.
• If you don’t mind a little grindiness in your Pokémon games, Mega Dimension is a delight to play through. The story is both sweet and otherworldly, offering a deeper look at fan-favorite characters. 

A tasty addition to the Z-A story

Pokémon Legends Z-A – Mega Dimension is a post-game addition to the 2025 Legends title that provides a chunk of new missions, Megas, and most importantly, the ability to craft tasty donuts that allow you to travel through portals.

The DLC kicks off with a side mission on the top of Hotel Z, with a mysterious kid named Ansha introducing herself to the player character – accompanied by the Mischief Pokémon, Hoopa. She requests help creating a donut for Hoopa, which quickly results in her setting up shop as Hotel Z’s resident donut chef. 

Donuts provide a mystical burst of energy that allows Hoopa to open up strange rifts in space and create a gateway to an area referred to in-game as Hyperspace Lumiose. It’s a dreamy, alternate version of Lumiose City. 

These rifts have been popping up frequently throughout Lumiose City, and following in the footsteps of the main game’s story, the player character and Team MZ must get to the bottom of what’s causing them. Beloved characters like Corbeau make an appearance, alongside familiar faces like Korrina.

The core gameplay in Mega Dimension revolves around surveying Hyperspace Lumiose and completing tasks in the alternate version of Lumiose City, accessible via Hoopa’s portals. These tasks include collecting items, destroying targets, and catching critters.

The Pokémon inside Hyperspace Lumiose are notably stronger than their regular Lumiose City counterparts – and this includes Pokémon suffering from Rogue Mega Evolution. There are some tricky battles in the Mega Dimension DLC, both against Rogue Mega ‘mons and key characters like Successor Korrina. 

Interestingly, there are Pokémon from different regions that pop up in Hyperspace Lumiose, adding some extra value for completionists and collectors who want to pad out their Pokédex. They’re harder to catch, thanks to the obscene level boost that Hyperspace Lumiose provides, but they’re worth it as a collector. 

Divisive gameplay, with some great battles

There’s a strong sense of progression with Mega Dimension, as you’ll gain access to new ingredients after crucial battles that allow Ansha to make even more powerful donuts, like Nice Butter.

There isn’t an explanation for why space butter is a reward for defeating Mega Absol Z and who put it in a floating golden Poké Ball, but it helps to provide a sense of progression as you play through the DLC, regardless.

It was admittedly quite funny to receive the first slab of butter after the initial Rogue Mega fight; it felt surreal, adding to the dreamy energy that Hyperspace Lumiose gives off. 

Mega Dimension’s gameplay will likely be a hit for some and a miss for others. You’ll spend the bulk of your time in Hyperspace Lumiose, farming points, with the rest of your gameplay being devoted to trickier battles. Some of the Mega Dimension battles are significantly harder than the main game’s fights, particularly towards the end.

Diehard Pokémon fans – like this reviewer – will adore the extra challenges that Mega Dimension presents, both in its battles and its expanded Pokédex. Folks who dislike grindier gameplay or intense battles may not find as much to love, though. 

Performance-wise, the Mega Dimension DLC ran smoothly and didn’t throw up any glitches or quirks during the review sessions. The small alterations to the battle visuals were a welcome addition, too, making for a less visually chaotic experience.

Pokémon Legends Z-A received some criticism for its visual style at launch, with some folks feeling it was visually underwhelming or flat. The Mega Dimension DLC felt a lot more lively with its visual style; Hyperspace Lumiose felt weirdly dreamy to explore, and the cutscenes felt a splash more vibrant as well. 

While the gameplay style in Pokémon Legends Z-A – Mega Dimension won’t be a hit for everyone, due to the grindy Hyperspace Lumiose sequences and trickier battles, it is a fun addition to the main game experience. Completionist fans and seasoned battlers will find a lot to get excited about with the Mega Dimension DLC. 

Ask The Escapist