This Pokemon Legends: Z-A DLC Feature Is a Huge Letdown That Shows What’s Wrong With Modern Pokemon

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As a longtime Pokémon fan, I’m having fun with Pokémon Legends: Z-A. The newer games, especially the ‘Legends’ series, offer a fresh take compared to the older ones, and I generally like that. Some aspects of the original formula were outdated, and the core enjoyment still comes from discovering and catching new Pokémon. However, the Mega Dimension DLC highlights a major problem with recent Pokémon games. Even though I’m enjoying the DLC, this issue is hard to overlook.

I was excited when I first saw Ansha and the donuts – the screenshots of their stats reminded me of making Poffins in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. I hoped it would be a fun, involved side activity in Mega Dimension. Unfortunately, the donut-making feature turned out to be a disappointing and simplistic version of what it could have been, and it highlights the frustrations many fans have with recent Pokemon games.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A Donut Making Is Mandatory, Repetitive, and Boring – But It Didn’t Have to Be

I was really excited about the cooking aspect of the new Pokemon Legends: Z-A DLC, especially the donuts at Hotel Z. However, it quickly became frustrating. If you’re familiar with Mega Dimension, you know you visit that donut counter a lot! Making increasingly complicated donuts for Hoopa is required to unlock portals to Hyperspace Lumiose, but the whole process feels repetitive and isn’t as fun as it could be.

Okay, so making donuts in Pokemon Legends: Z-A isn’t just a simple thing – you actually have to pick the right berries to get the best results. Better berries mean more time to explore that Hyperspace Lumiose and give your Pokemon a nice level boost. But honestly, the whole thing feels messed up. It could have been a really fun little side activity, reminding me of what I loved about the older games, but instead it’s just another annoying task I feel like I have to do. It’s both too simple to be interesting and takes way too long!

Honestly, I was really excited about making donuts in the game, hoping it would be like the Poffin-making mini-game from older Pokemon titles. But it’s just…clicking on stuff and watching the same little animation of Ansha and Hoopa over and over. It’s not very fun, and you have to do it every single time. You can only make one donut at a time, so you’re constantly repeating the same process. It feels like a missed opportunity – it could have been a genuinely enjoyable activity, but it’s just tedious. If they weren’t going to let me actually play a donut-making game, they could have at least made it faster so I could get more donuts made quickly. Instead, Legends: Z-A somehow managed to make it the worst of both worlds, and it’s got me thinking about all the things I really loved about older Pokemon games.

Recent Pokemon Games Have Abandoned Engaging Side Content for Shinies and Gimmicks

Many longtime Pokémon players, like myself, haven’t been thrilled with the newer games. While I wasn’t as critical of titles like Scarlet and Violet, I definitely recognize their shortcomings. Seeing the same unchanging image of Ansha with different colored donuts repeatedly really highlighted a major issue I have with recent Pokémon games: they lack the engaging and immersive side quests that used to make the Pokémon world feel so vibrant and alive.

When I think about the original Pokémon games, I don’t focus on catching Pokémon or battling. What really stands out are the small, unique details that made the world feel so real. Things like growing berries in Generation 3 were simple – you picked a berry, planted it, watered it, and then had to remember to come back and pick it later. That little bit of effort made the game world feel more alive. Similarly, building Secret Bases in Gen 3 and making Poffins in Gen 4 were really engaging. Even something as simple as rummaging through every trash can for hidden items made Pokémon feel surprisingly vibrant and full of life.

The little things and side activities in older Pokémon games weren’t overly complex, but they did let you engage with the world more directly, making it feel more immersive. That’s an area where recent Pokémon games, like Scarlet and Violet, have fallen short. While Scarlet and Violet included sandwich-making, it didn’t feel as rewarding because you mostly just purchased the ingredients instead of finding them through exploration.

Recent Pokemon games emphasize collecting Pokemon and hunting for their rare, shiny versions, often at the expense of more creative and engaging side activities. Instead of detailed mini-games, like the donut-making featured in older titles, we now mostly see repetitive content such as shiny hunting and raid battles that change with each new game. This focus on gimmicks over immersive experiences makes the newer games feel less heartfelt and connected to the spirit of the original Pokemon titles.

I was excited to jump into Mega Dimension hoping for a deeper story and fresh gameplay. Instead, the update added more Mega Evolutions that don’t interest me, alongside a feature that brought back some of the fun I used to enjoy in the games. I’m really hoping the next generation of games focuses on letting players interact with the world in more meaningful ways than just catching and battling Pokémon. We’ll just have to see if that happens.

What are your thoughts on the donut-making feature in Pokémon Legends: Z-A? Share your opinion in the comments and discuss it with other fans in the ComicBook Forum!

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2025-12-13 01:42