Pokémon Legends: Z-A review – The freshest feeling Pokémon game in years

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I’ve been a Pokémon fan for as long as I can remember, but it’s clear the series went through a period where it didn’t evolve much. For more than ten years, it felt like the creators were afraid to take risks, and that didn’t seem likely to change until the release of Pokémon Legends: Arceus in 2022.

After a long time, the game had a completely new feel. Instead of random battles, the focus shifted to exploring and learning about Pokémon in their natural habitats. You’d carefully sneak through the grass, waiting for the right moment to catch them, and had to think about what to do if a Pokémon noticed you and attacked, or even ran away, ruining your chance.

The game represented a fantastic shift, offering the most innovative Pokémon experience in over ten years. However, many fans were let down by the underwhelming battle system. The story contained very few significant battles, and the gameplay only offered a minor variation on the traditional turn-based combat – it simply didn’t offer enough new content to truly stand out.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduced a brand new, fast-paced battle system, and the excitement surrounding it was huge. Thankfully, the game lives up to the hype!

Okay, so the battles in this game are a total game-changer! It’s like playing Xenoblade – everything happens in real-time, and I can freely choose and use my Pokémon’s four moves whenever I want, while everyone’s moving around the battlefield. Honestly, stuff I never had to think about before – like how fast my Pokémon are and where they’re standing – actually *matters* now. Forget just hoping for a move to miss based on percentages! I can actually control my Pokémon to dodge attacks if I’m quick enough. And get this – I can even switch Pokémon mid-attack to avoid a super-powerful move and bring in one that can take the hit! It’s way more strategic than anything I’ve seen in a Pokémon game before.

The game’s revamped battle system also changes how familiar moves function, even for experienced players. For instance, the long-standing debate between Thunder and Thunderbolt has shifted. Previously, Thunder was stronger but its lower accuracy made it impractical. Now, with accuracy no longer a factor, Thunder becomes a viable option despite taking longer to charge and having a longer cooldown. Similarly, Quick Attack now lives up to its name and is truly a fast move.

Battles are significantly more challenging than in previous Pokémon games. Approaching them as if they’re simple won’t work – you’ll lose frequently. Major fights require careful planning and strategy, particularly when facing multiple opponents. Knowing when to swap Pokémon and use stat boosts or status effects is crucial for success. While it might not seem drastic, this level of strategic depth is more complex than what most past Pokémon single-player games demanded.

This is especially true during unpredictable battles like wild encounters or the Rogue Mega raid, where the enemy Pokémon often attacks you directly instead of your team, and a few hits can mean instant defeat. You need to think about your Pokémon’s strategies, but also pay attention to when you need to quickly dodge attacks. This can actually work to your benefit – if you need to heal, you can temporarily recall your Pokémon, but only if you’re confident you can avoid all incoming damage.

The biggest problem with this game is how you control things. You have to constantly hold a button to target enemy Pokémon, and that’s the only way to tell your Pokémon what to do. If you try to dodge or move quickly, you have to let go of that button, which can lead to frustrating errors during fast-paced battles. The camera also changes angles often, making it hard to see what’s happening when lots of moves are being used at the same time, and it’s difficult to know what you need to dodge.

Throwing Poké Balls is surprisingly frustrating. You have to hold two buttons to aim, then use the directional buttons to pick the right ball, and *then* throw it – it’s way too complicated for something you do so often. While you eventually get used to it, being able to change the controls would be a huge improvement. Even after playing for 30 hours, I still find it odd that the left stick is used to crouch instead of sprint, like in most other games.

Like in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, you’ll still find and catch Pokémon in the open world, but it’s not as central to the experience as battling. Pokémon appear throughout the city and especially in smaller areas called Wild Zones spread across the map. Each zone has 6-8 different Pokémon, and they behave similarly to how they did in Arceus – meaning you’ll need to carefully track and approach them to catch them. However, the new battle system makes the catching process a little smoother.

Usually, if you see a Pokémon, it will battle you – unless it’s very shy and runs away. This is a big change from previous games. Before, you had to weaken Pokémon without knocking them out, so you’d still have a chance to catch them. Now, the new battle system lets you knock out a Pokémon and *still* get one last chance to catch it, and it’s much easier to succeed!

Okay, I get *why* they changed how battles work – it would be super frustrating to slowly whittle down opponents with the new system. But honestly, I’m a little bummed they simplified the catching mechanics from Legends: Arceus. That game’s catching was really in-depth and fun, and this feels like a step back. I think they could’ve found a sweet spot that kept things engaging without being overly tedious.

While the smaller open world is enjoyable to explore thanks to the Wild Zone system, being entirely set in Lumiose City can become visually repetitive. However, as the story unfolds, new zones are added which make the city feel more vibrant and populated, and even alter its appearance. For instance, the arrival of Wild Zone 12 transforms a plain grassy area into a snowy landscape, creating a habitat for Ice-type Pokémon.

The game feels really vibrant thanks to the sheer number of side quests. There are over 100, and though they’re quick and easy – most take just a minute or two – they’re a great way to get a sense of the city and its people. These quests also hint at a larger story, with many residents upset about the ‘Wild Zones’ expanding into the city. Honestly, it’s easy to see why – I’d be frustrated too if a powerful Pyroar and its family moved in right outside my house!

The city still feels fun to explore. While the streets themselves aren’t very special, you can climb onto most rooftops and run around like in the *Assassin’s Creed* games, discovering items, collectibles, or Pokémon. It’s a bit strange that you double jump and avoid falls by grabbing your smart phone, but it’s not the most unusual thing in this series’ story.

The game keeps a good pace, offering interesting details as you progress through the Z-A Royale tournament and battle powerful Rogue Megas. As you climb the ranks, each rival in the tournament gets their own mini-story, with quests you complete before battling them. This creates a memorable and diverse group of characters, effectively replacing the traditional gym leader system.

The final episode is especially good. It manages to be both grand and lighthearted without feeling ridiculous – which is perfect for a Pokémon series. However, it ends with a few important storylines unresolved, likely to be continued in the upcoming downloadable content. This is something that bothered me when it happened in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and it’s equally frustrating here. Hopefully, this won’t become a common practice in the gaming industry.

Okay, so Pokémon Legends: Z-A isn’t perfect, it has a couple of things that bugged me, but overall it’s a really solid game. The new battle system is a blast – it’s seriously different and way more challenging than the usual Pokémon battles. I think they could tweak how it works with catching Pokémon, maybe smooth things out a bit like they did in Arceus, but honestly, I’m just really excited to see Pokémon trying new things again! Game Freak has now knocked it out of the park with two ‘Legends’ games, and I’m already hyped to see what crazy idea they come up with next.

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2025-10-20 15:18