Pokémon Legends: Z-A: Mega Dimension Makes a Nightmare of My Favourite Pokémon

Pokémon Legends Z-A: Mega Dimension has greatly expanded the roster of Mega Evolutions you can use in the game, one of which turns my favourite ‘mon into an eldritch terror…

Spoilers Ahead For The Mega Dimension DLC

Once you’ve finished the main story of Pokémon Legends: Z-A and assuming you bought the DLC a new adventure will begin, with your character dimension-hopping to a bizarre new world.

In this world you’ll find a wide variety of Pokémon you otherwise couldn’t acquire in the base game, and while the entire roster isn’t available some fan favourites do make a comeback, including the legendaries from Gen III.

One of the returning ‘mon is Darkrai, who shares the title of my all-time favourite Pokémon with Piplup from Gen IV. That’s a weird pairing I know but I simply can’t choose between them.

Darkrai is one of the final characters you’ll encounter in the DLC, which is broken up into Mega Dimension expeditions, battles with new Mega Evolved Pokémon and other side missions featuring some of the new and returning human characters.

When facing Darkrai it shows off its brand-new Mega Evolution, and it reminds me why it’s called the nightmare Pokemon. Seriously, I've faced friendlier-looking creatures in Bloodborne.

Darkrai’s initial design is spooky but sleek. It actually looks a little silly when it sports its thin legs, but for the most part there’s a menacing outline to match the unimaginable power it wields against people and Pokémon alike.

Mega Darkrai dials it up to 11 though with a shifting mass of darkness, complete with snapping jaws and eldritch-horror tentacles. It looks fantastic and by far one of my favourite Mega Evolutions, not just because Darkrai is one of my favourite Pokemon.

The Pokémon Company

While I’ve never been directly opposed to the new Megas in Pokémon Legends: Z-A I do think Game Freak played it safe. To me a Mega Evolution needs to do just that, evolve the Pokemon. The latest additions to the Mega Evolution roster have largely felt like they’ve taken on elements of a ‘mon, enlarged, chucked some angles in and called it a day. For the most part it works but I wanted to see Game Freak get weird with it, and give us creatures deserving of a Mega Stone.

To me Mega Darkrai does exactly that. It takes the overall theme of the ‘mon and runs with it, giving us something that we could have predicted or seen coming, even in our nightmares.

From the sound of things Mega Evolutions are once again getting dropped from future titles, but if they ever comeback Darkrai should be the gold standard for what a Mega Evolution should look like.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A: Mega Dimension is available now for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.