DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and does not reflect the viewpoints of Nintendo, The Pokémon Company, Game Freak, or any other entity involved with the Pokémon franchise as a whole.
WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Pokémon Legends: Z-A. We don’t recommend reading this until you’ve finished the main campaign or the postgame, and please proceed at your own risk.
Three days ago, the DLC for Pokémon Legends: Z-A was released, and I decided to finish all of the postgame missions before I started on it. One mission that I did not like, in particular, was having to win 15 reward matches for the Infinite Z-A Royale. You had to get at least 50,000 Ticket Points to secure a Challenger’s Ticket so you can advance onto the next one. You had to do this every single time for the 15 reward matches. Once I finished them all, I was relieved.
After I finished the mission where you have to capture Zygarde, I felt I was done with the game. That was for now at the time. Every time a new DLC for a mainline Pokémon game releases, you have to believe me – over 200 new species will return. The main focus of the Mega Dimension is Hyperspace. I’m mostly focused on the wild zones so I can capture all of the new Pokémon with Ultra Balls. Some of them, particularly the Hoenn starters (I have yet to capture Mudkip as of this writing), are tough to capture, and I had to reset my game once for Torchic.
One of the biggest challenges in order to get into Hyperspace is something cozy that you have to do – make donuts for Hoopa so it can get you into Hyperspace. Early surveys are at a minimum of three minutes, but you can extend it as you progress through the DLC and the butter you receive after defeating each boss from a research mission allows you to stay in Hyperspace much longer.
The last thing I want to talk about is the levels. Traditionally, 100 is the maximum level for a Pokémon. You couldn’t get over that limit without the use of hacks in the first-generation games, but Legends: Z-A is the first where Pokémon can be over level 100, albeit temporarily. It’s actually possible to get up to 200, but I haven’t got there yet. I’m not finished with the DLC yet as of this writing, but I hope to finish it right before I depart for the holidays.
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This was such a fun and engaging read. I really enjoyed how you balanced honest frustration with genuine excitement—especially the relief after those Infinite Z-A Royale matches and the cozy absurdity of making donuts for Hoopa. Your attention to detail around mechanics, challenges, and progression makes it clear how invested you are, and it perfectly answers the prompt by showing play as both effort and joy. A great snapshot of gaming as both challenge and escape.
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That sounds like a tough grind with the Z-A Royale matches, but exploring the Mega Dimension and trying to catch those over-Level 100 Pokémon sounds like a fun challenge!
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