A New Dawn for Pokémon: Our Pokémon Legends Z-A Review
The long-drawn-out sequel to the hit Legends: Arceus is finally here. Our Pokémon Legends Z-A Review finds that the game offers a true "slice of life" Pokémon experience because of its anime-style, real-time battle mechanic, and lighthearted world-building elements. While the single-city environment of Lumiose is occasionally slightly bleak or repetitive at times, the world is thoroughly packed with secrets and things to do.
It is a world that is very much worthy of becoming immersed in. For even more detailed advice on starting your adventure, be sure to check out our essential guide on Pokémon Legends Z-A Tips and Tricks.
What's always kept Pokémon distinct—from introducing the classics on the Game Boy to watching the first anime episode—is the fantasy it sells: a life in a world of myth. That fantasy, the idea of having an entire legion of cute creatures as friends, going on the road with them, and sharing the world, finally feels real in Pokémon Legends Z-A. It's as close to actually being a part of that universe as we've ever gotten since seeing the anime as kids.
Two decades on from the launch of Pokémon X and Y, and with the successful Pokémon Legends: Arceus released in 2022, this game had a lot to live up to. It does so in style, being more modern and innovative than ever before. Notably, this Pokémon Legends Z-A review finds that Legends is not just a spin-off of the traditional turn-based series; it does something unique and offers a completely different experience that actually propels the series forward.
Combat Evolved: The Innovative Real-Time Battle System
Whereas Arceus was heavily built around collection aspects—urging the player to complete the Pokédex and explore the unfound wilds of prehistoric Sinnoh—Pokémon Z-A is decidedly more combat-centric, with a vastly reworked combat system.
Real-Time Execution: The battle is now entirely real-time. Pokémon are moving and attacking proactively in front of the player while one is providing them commands. People have been demanding this type of dynamic action for years now, and it's finally here.
Tactical Depth: It's certainly a huge departure and does take some getting used to, but it's certainly great fun. The system has a lot deeper mechanics to master. Firing out attacks now functions on a cool-down basis. Players must balance offense attacks (like Razor Leaf and Tackle) with utility attacks (like Tail Whip) to get the best out of them and ensure every second is being used to strategic effect.
Wild Encounters and Boss Fights
Wild Pokémon are more dangerous than ever before, with multiple attacking Mons attacking you, yes, your own trainer and your party. This makes the player's dodge roll ability a do-or-die maneuver for survival.
This threat level is considerably increased in boss battles:
Rogue Mega Evolved Pokémon: Highly aggressive, boosted opponents.
Brutal Attacks & Gimmicks: Bosses have brutal attacks, charge attacks, and field dangers that the player will have to contend with.
It's also a valid point that your Pokémon don't have a dedicated dodge command; they remain by your side, and you'll need to push them out of danger yourself. This prevents battles from becoming too trivial and requires players to be proficient at good spacing and timing. The entire system truly shines once attack patterns are down, and the fast, fluid flow of the battles feels beautifully anime-esque.
Lumiose City: A Slice of Pokémon Life
This bright, living environment is continued beyond the conflicts, primarily due to the transition into a fully urban setting. In our ongoing Pokémon Legends Z-A Review, this shift is highlighted as crucial to the game's unique atmosphere.
The densely populated streets of Lumiose City are filled with citizens strolling alongside their Pokémon companions. Citizens fill the city with ways to interact with citizens via the plethora of side quests that can be obtained. Overall, the side quests are all about the human-Pokémon bond:
Herding a gaggle of Skarmory to remove garbage away from a tempting café.
On a adventure with a trainer's perpetually grumpy Slurpuff to locate its preferred reward.
These small, lovely moments help create an overall image of the Pokémon world and what living within it would be like. My biggest question about this review was whether the one-city setting could possibly hold up to an authentic Pokémon adventure. The reality is that it offers a different kind of adventure, making an old dream come true.
The city is never actually crowded. It is densely packed with areas that have secrets and hard-to-find Pokémon, and the roofs create their own huge maze. You can even explore the Lumiose Sewers as one entity, a standalone dungeon—a definite highlight.
Performance, Presentation, and The City's Flaw
Following Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's notoriously bumpy launch, performance is an obligatory topic of discussion. We are pleased to report that in our extended time with this game on the Nintendo Switch 2, we never encountered any issues like frame drops or stuttering. All went smoothly both in handheld and TV modes. The game is quite possibly the most visually realized Pokémon installment to date.
The Environment Variation Problem
While technically solid, the biggest main problem is that there isn't quite enough visual distinction between the environments:
Decorations: All of the buildings are simply set dressings and can't be entered, which is somewhat sad.
Rooftops: The city rooftops span vast areas of land, hiding much secret place and rare Pokémon. Visually, though, it is extremely difficult to distinguish one area from another due to the extreme similarity in design. This makes it irritating to navigate.
This is partially relieved by the underground areas (e.g., the Sewers) and the Central Canal providing a visual break, but overall, the lack of easily identifiable landmarks on the upper levels is a major shortcoming.
Ultimately, Pokémon Legends Z-A's back-to-Kalos is the Generation 6 sequel that fans deserved. The slice-of-life adventure and incredible combat updates are a delight, and it's essentially what the Pokémon series should have and could have been all along. The gameplay is not a standard regional loop, but if you ever dreamed of living in the Pokémon world, there is a gigantic amount to love here.
For trainers seeking to maximize their party's potential, our detailed guide on the fastest techniques for Leveling Up Friendship is essential reading.
