Image via The Pokemon Company
When it comes to preserving the storyline originally offered to players during X & Y, Pokémon Legends: Z-A has done a poor job. From turning Lysandre into a sympathetic and misunderstood “good guy” to dismantling any of the interesting culture and lore that Lumiose City held, the game feels more like a bad timeline deviation than a true sequel. Now, it seems the paid Mega Dimensions DLC will take aim at characters that had somehow dodged the destruction of the main Legends: Z-A storyline.
Despite my initial excitement for Legends: Z-A and my hope that this could be a true return to form for the franchise, the newest addition to Gen 9’s lineup has been anything but a gemstone glittering in an otherwise muddy and unmemorable era. From the thin, wobbling plot to the unfortunate overall gameplay and performance, Legends: Z-A has been a blemish on what once was an addictive RPG experience.
Shockingly, the game isn’t done shoving a wrecking ball through the fragile nostalgia of X & Y fans, as a paid DLC trailer has revealed new information on an expansion called Mega Dimensions. The trailer offers some quick shots of characters from the main story, some sort of plotline about Hoopa and Dimension Rings, yet more battles, and additional Mega Evolutions.
The worst part of the entire trailer came in the form of the return of a beloved Kalos Gym Leader, who has shed her iconic look to take on the resemblance of a Gijinka Mega Stone.
The Destruction of Korrina Proves Pokémon No Longer Cares About Lore
Korrina appears in the trailer at minute 1:41. It seems she has been strong-armed into helping Team MZ in much the same way the main character was.
It has already been alluded to that the Gym Leaders of Kalos have been dismantled. Though this information is only available if players work through interacting with the NPCs around the city. Prisim Tower, which used to be home to Clemont and Bonnie, is no longer the Gym of Lumiose City.
With Lumiose’s Gym removed, it’s not surprising to learn that other Gyms are likely gone as well. Korrina, the Shalour City Gym Leader, was known for her powerful Fighting-type specialization, as well as her bond with her Lucario. The relationship between Gym Leader and Pokémon was explored more deeply in the Pokémon XY anime, with an entire arc dedicated to her journey in Mega Evolving Lucario.
She saw Mega Evolution as a sacred and important milestone with Lucario, but didn’t pursue Mega Evolution with any of her other partner Pokémon.
Korrina’s New Outfit Mocks Mega Evolution as a Mechanic
Pokémon Legends: Z-A has already taken many of the core elements of the Kalos region and bent them into something unrecognizable. One of the most frustrating has been Mega Evolution.
In Pokémon X & Y, Mega Evolution wasn’t something easily accessed. Players had to solve puzzles and travel the world to obtain most of the stones; only one stone could be activated during battle, and an emphasis was put on giving the stones to capable Pokémon in the player’s party that they had a bond with. This created a feeling of accomplishment and connection, making every new Mega achieved special.
In Legends: Z-A, any sense of work, accomplishment, or team bonding has been erased to make room for Pokémon‘s new esports-adjacent agenda. This has made Mega Evolution a bit of a joke, powered on more cringe and gimmick hype than even Tera could manage.
Because of this, Korrina’s debut in the Mega Dimensions Trailer as the “evolution fighter” is disgusting. Wrapped in Mega Stones like a wealthy person in Gucci and Cartier, with a headband that somehow maintains the shape of the Mega Swirl seen in the stones, Korrina looks very much like how every other element of Mega Evolution feels in Legends: Z-A: Clownish and overdone.
It’s disappointing, and points to one of the biggest problems with the franchise at this moment.
Pokémon Left Its Soul in the Profit Margins
If Korrina’s appearance in Mega Dimensions reveals anything about The Pokémon Company at this time, it’s that it has left any respect for the franchise behind in a blind attempt to make more money. The Pokémon world used to have a level of cohesion to it. It wasn’t perfect by any stretch, but there is a reason it has maintained its popularity over so many decades. It had heart and made people feel immersed in the interesting and carefully crafted world.
In recent titles like Scarlet & Violet and now Legends: Z-A, the games have felt like they are pandering to streamers and esports culture in a way that is unsettling at its best and disturbing at its worst. From arrogant and obnoxious streamer girls to a focus on PvP via online competitions, it feels as if the core elements of the game have been completely abandoned.
The lack of soul resonates in every attempt to tap back into the nostalgia of Kalos, where each new regurgitation looks less and less recognizable. Korrina was a great character because she was initially well-written through the game and anime. Because the new games have the writing of styrofoam box insulator, the only way they can make her interesting in Legends: Z-A is by coating her in a gimmick and boiling her down to a few empty conversations. She’s not there to make the story better; she’s there to be recognizable and identifiable in a crowd of empty NPCs. She isn’t back to serve a real moment in the story; she’s there in an attempt to give life to empty interactions in a world so hollow the main character doesn’t even have a vague backstory.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is a sad, upsetting game, but the arrival of Korrina hammers home just how little life and heart have gone into the narrative.
Wrapping an iconic character in glitz for a thirty-dollar cameo does not make soulless content worth buying.
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