The dichotomy of Pokémon has always hinged on balancing battles with collecting creatures, and Pokémon Legends: Z-A tips that scale in a way that feels pretty fresh. For a long time, Pokémon games have leaned heavily into the franchise's catchphrase of "gotta catch 'em all," emphasizing filling up a Pokédex or grabbing the latest regional variants. This time around, it's less about catching 'em all, and more about fighting 'em all — a gamble that seems to have paid off.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is set in the Kalos region of the Gen 6 games, with its open-world setting taking place within Lumiose City — the sprawling urban landscape inspired by real-world Paris. Against the backdrop of Prism Tower and countless cafés, our visiting Pokémon Trainer joins up with an aspiring team of trainers taking part in the Z-A Royale, a city-wide tournament that turns sections of Lumiose City into a battleground at nighttime. And along the way, they try to uncover the mystery of Rogue Mega Evolution.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A Emphasizes Combat
The Z-A Royale Turns Parts Of Lumiose City Into Battle Zones
It's made pretty clear early on that the goal here is to rise through the ranks of the Z-A Royale, which requires visiting Battle Zones at night, and then collecting enough points for a Challenge Ticket. With the ticket in hand, you're free to take on someone for the Promotion Match. It's a gameplay loop that may sound grindy, but really isn't.
In fact, by the time Pokémon Legends: Z-A hits its groove, getting up points in Battle Zones feels natural. There are prize cards to collect, the completion of which will net you more points, and then medals to find as well. By the end of the night, how well you do will be worked into a final tally, rewarding you with money that can be spent at a variety of shops and Pokémon Centers.
The new, more action-oriented combat can feel clunky at times, especially when players are required to move and dodge while needing to use similar buttons for Pokémon commands. It's reminiscent of the battles in Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, although Legends: Z-A does require more real-time management.
Overall, these changes add immediacy to battles — without being a complete departure from the series' turn-based combat. It requires players to be more familiar with super-effective moves and to be more strategic in real-time. Taking too long to think about moves can make or break a match. Once Mega Evolution is thrown into the mix, battles get even more challenging.
Mega Evolution Gets The Chance To Shine (Again)
Gen 6's Fan-Favorite Gimmick Is Back & Better Than Ever
Although Mega Evolution has been a heavy part of Pokémon Legends: Z-A's promotional materials, and it certainly takes the forefront in the game's main story, the gimmick never feels like it's resting on its laurels. It doesn't feel like Pokémon trying to cash in on nostalgia, but rather a natural part of Lumiose City's culture and the combat-focused story Legends: Z-A is telling.
Between returning favorites and new Megas (which won't be spoiled here), there's plenty to choose from. The Rogue Mega Evolution storyline makes for some fun battles that are basically boss fights that feel similar to those against frenzied Noble Pokémon in Legends: Arceus. It's all enjoyable and challenging, even if it parallels ideas seen in previous games.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A Performance Is Great
On Nintendo Switch 2, The Game Runs Like A Dream
There's always something to do in Lumiose City, even if the focus is on the Z-A Royale. Side quests can keep you busy, and net you unique rewards, while collecting various objects and turning them in will also get you special prizes. All of this lends itself to helping you rise through the ranks. It's a busy game, but it never really feels like it's giving you busywork.
Of course, you can't really talk about a new Pokémon game without talking about performance. The series has faced criticism for a while, most recently with the various performance issues in Scarlet & Violet, but Legends: Z-A runs smoothly. On the Nintendo Switch 2, I've encountered no issues whatsoever in the main story, side quests, Battle Zones, or Wild Zones. It's great to have a new Pokémon game that runs this well, and it's also a hopeful sign for the series' future.
There aren't really too many negatives with Pokémon Legends: Z-A. My biggest complaint might be with the hand-holding at the beginning, but that's thankfully curbed after the first few hours. Wild Zones could've been larger, but with so much focus on combat, these areas don't feel like they're shortchanging players.
Being stuck inside Lumiose City could've felt restraining or boring, but it doesn't. The city doesn't feel big just for the sake of being big, nor does it feel empty or overly crowded. Unlocking fast travel after discovering certain locations helps with mobility, especially since you're pretty much free to go wherever you please after the first few hours, rather than having to unlock sections in order like you did in Legends: Arceus.
Legends: Z-A Is The Perfect Companion Piece To Legends: Arceus
Two Sides Of The Same Coin
Given how previous games emphasized filling up the Pokédex, which was especially the case in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, it's a bit jarring at first to see so much of an emphasis being put on battles. There are Wild Zones, but most of them are admittedly pretty small, and some wild Pokémon will appear in the city proper. However, it's still a far cry from the more massive areas of Legends: Arceus' Hisui region.
It's a fun, fresh take on the series' formula that really helps Pokémon Legends: Z-A set itself apart as one of the best entries yet.
It's best to think of Legends: Arceus and Legends: Z-A as two sides of the same coin. The former was all about finding Pokémon for a survey team, while the latter is about fighting Pokémon and honing your combat skills. Legends: Arceus wholly embraced the "gotta catch 'em all" mentality, but Pokémon Legends: Z-A definitely feels like the start of a "gotta fight 'em all" ethos.
How much someone loves Pokémon Legends: Z-A will really come down to how much they love Pokémon battles, versus getting to explore and catch new Pokémon. It's not that one gameplay element is better than the other — both have always existed within Pokémon — but it does make Legends: Z-A feel pretty refreshing now that catching Pokémon feels more ancillary, rather than being the game's primary objective. It's a fun, fresh take on the series' formula that really helps Pokémon Legends: Z-A set itself apart as one of the best entries yet.
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