Yesterday’s Nintendo Direct brought plenty of new announcements, from the reveal of a farming simulator in the Pokémon universe with Pokopia to the dramatic conclusion on a brand new Fire Emblem entry. However, another one of the most exciting moments was the reveal of five new Mega Evolutions for a bunch of Pokémon that will be featured in the upcoming Pokémon Legends: Z-A. However, there’s a catch as to how you can obtain them.
The five new Mega Evolutions that were revealed include Mega Raichu X, Mega Raichu Y, Mega Chesnaught, Mega Delphox and Mega Greninja – that’s two Megas for the evolved form of Pokémon‘s mascot Pikachu and a Mega Evolution for each of Kalos’ starter trio, the region in which the game is set. It’s an exciting reveal, however each Mega Stone will involve some level of payment to access, in a move that immediately upset fans given just how excited we’ve all been for Legends Z-A.
Starting with the Kalos starter trio Mega Evolutions, these will only be obtainable to those who compete in online Ranked Battles in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. These online battles require a Nintendo Switch Online membership which is a paid subscription, and the Mega Evolution stones will not be available during regular gameplay of the base game at launch. Players must therefore actively play three seasons of online battling, paying each time for the online subscription service to get the Mega Stones one by one. These rewards will be redistributed in future seasons for those who miss the first opportunity.
As for the pair of Raichu Mega Evolutions, both Mega Raichu X and Mega Raichu Y will be obtainable only as part of the newly announced $30 DLC pack Mega Dimensions. This is on top of the price of the base game, which is retailing for $60 on the base Switch and $70 USD for Switch 2.
The gradual reveal that all of yesterday’s newly announced Mega Evolutions will be locked behind some form of payment disappointed a lot of fans online, but how do you feel about the unlock methods? Sound off in the comments below, and keep your eyes on GameLuster for more breaking gaming news and Pokémon coverage.
