Pokémon LEGENDS Z-A locks Kalos starter Mega-Evolutions behind a paywall
The Pokémon Company and Nintendo have announced the reveal of three new Mega Evolutions for the upcoming game, Pokémon LEGENDS Z-A, which is set to release on both the Nintendo Switch and the new Nintendo Switch 2.
These new forms were first showcased during a Nintendo Direct presentation on Friday, the 12th of September, and more information has now been revealed about how players will be able to obtain them.
Mega Evolution is a temporary, powerful transformation for certain Pokémon, first introduced in the original Pokémon X and Y titles.
The mechanic is confirmed to be a central gameplay feature of Pokémon LEGENDS Z-A, which takes place entirely within Lumiose City in the Kalos region.
The newest Mega Evolutions were recently revealed to be the final evolutions of the three Kalos region starter Pokémon:
- Mega Chesnaught
This form of the Grass/Fighting-type Pokémon is described as having a significantly increased Defense stat.
- Mega Delphox
This powerful Psychic/Fire-type gains the ability to freely control its wooden branch with its psychic powers.
- Mega Greninja
The fan-favorite Water/Dark-type becomes a “shinobi Pokémon that does not hide” in its Mega Evolved form.
These new Mega Evolutions join the previously announced Mega Hawlucha, Mega Dragonite and Mega Malamar.
However, the announcement came with a major caveat for players: the Mega Stones required to unlock the starter Pokémon’s new forms are not available through normal gameplay.
They must be obtained as rewards from the Z-A Battle Club’s online Ranked Battles, which require a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, effectively locking them behind a paywall.
The Pokémon Company specified that players will need to battle other trainers in ranked online matches to earn the Mega Stones.
The Greninjite for Mega Greninja is set to be a reward in Season 1, with the Delphoxite and Chesnaughtite becoming available in future seasons.
This decision to gate a core feature behind a paid online service has drawn criticism from some fans, who feel it limits access to content that should be available to all players.
This move is clearly intended by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company to incentivize online engagement and subscriptions.
While other new Mega Evolutions in the game will be obtainable through regular gameplay, the exclusion of these Mega Evolutions from the main game’s content is intended to push players toward the online competitive mode despite many not wishing to engage with this aspect of the game.
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