At this point, many fans have wrapped up the main story for Pokemon Legends: Z-A. The game offers plenty of side missions and other content to keep you busy after the credits roll. But even so, the pending release of Mega Dimension gives players new content to look forward to. Alongside new story content, the first Pokemon Legends: Z-A DLC will introduce some new characters to the game. And if one of those new characters introduces what I think she will, we could see an old favorite mechanic come back, too.
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The recently revealed Mega Dimension trailer showed off some of what’s in store when the new story content drops on December 10th. This includes a new story centered on the Pokemon Hoopa and its interdimensional portal abilities, along with two characters not previously featured in Legends: Z-A. And one of those characters is young donut chef Ansha. Her donuts help the Pokemon open up its hyperspace portals, but that’s not all they do. If I’m reading between the lines in the new allies introduction correctly, making donuts could just be a lot like crafting Poffins in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A Is Missing a Food Crafting Component, and I Miss It
I’ll admit, I’m a big fan of cooking mechanics in games. If I could play PlateUp! or Lemon Cake every day, I would. And over the years, many Pokemon games have featured some kind of cooking mechanic. We had curries in Pokemon Sword and Shield and sandwich making in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. But while food is heavily featured in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, we don’t get to make it.
The first time I saw Naveen’s sandwich sitting in front of him during a Team MZ meeting, I wanted the game to let me make one. That sandwich was just such a classic Pokemon Scarlet and Violet one, and the croissant curry was a… unique nod to curry making. Although Legends: Arceus didn’t have cooking, exactly, we did at least get to engage in some light crafting. So where is that in Pokemon Legends: Z-A?
I had given up hope for such a thing, assuming I had to trade in sandwich-making for fashion while in Lumiose City. But when I saw Ansha and her donuts, it unlocked a core memory of spending way too much time in the Poffin House in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. And I think we just might be getting a similar mechanic when the Pokemon Legends: Z-A DLC arrives.
Ansha’s Donuts Are Giving Serious Poffin Vibes
That Mega Dimension trailer was packed, and a lot of big news dropped that day. So it was easy to miss some of the details as the Pokemon company shared news of the DLC trailer alongside the new Diancie mystery gift and more. But if you did happen to click through every news article on the Pokemon site that day, you might have seen what I did – a few more screenshots showing off Ansha and her donuts.
In a breakdown about Ansha’s powerful donuts, the Pokemon Company reveals that the donuts are crafted from Berries. Nt only that, but the effects of the donuts will vary depending on the Berries used to make them. There are even new, special Hyperspace Berries to track down. If you sunk hours into Poffin Making like I did, a lot of this is probably sounding familiar. But I wouldn’t put it past recent Pokemon games to take the hands-on elements of Poffin Making away from us… if it wasn’t for a few screenshots giving me hope.
In one of the Mega Dimension screenshots, we see a menu to select berries for donuts, along with a flavor breakdown. This graphic, which shows how far a combination of berries will take the flavor towards Spicy, Sweet, Bitter, Fresh, and Sour, looks incredibly similar to the Poffins of old. Not only that, but there’s a little “Make Donut” button that I really, really hope opens up a mini-game when pressed.
The Poffin mini-game was simple, but addictive. You had to mix the berries together in a bowl at the right speed and in the right direction, or risk spilling your batter. Then, you had to quickly spin your joystick to properly bake your Poffin without burning it. Are we going to get to help Ansha make donuts in a similar mini-game? I really, really hope that’s what these screenshots are showcasing. Until we get confirmation, though, all we know for sure is that we’ll pick berries to make the donuts. How much involvement we get in the baking process remains to be seen, but I’ve got high hopes.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A – Mega Dimension releases on December 10th. It is available to pre-order now via the Nintendo website for $29.99 USD.
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