Pokemon is a franchise that I have loved since the first episode of the anime released on TV over here in the late 90s. From randomly picking up an early copy of Pokemon Red at a local Beatties that had imports to being disappointed with Pokemon Violet’s performance in 2022, I have played each and every game. Despite not having much innovation outside of new creatures and updated graphics, I still thoroughly enjoy the tried-and-tested formula of each iteration. I never realized how much I had clearly been longing for more from the franchise.
The Legends series also began in 2022 with the release of Pokemon Legends: Arceus. For me, this game was the evolution I didn't know I needed, and it contributed to my feelings towards Violet, although that title also came with performance issues strapped to the recycled package. Arceus was a fantastic experience and really felt like a step in the right direction. Yes, it removed the social aspect of the game as you do not need to swap Pokemon with other players in order to fill the Pokedex; each creature is obtainable for everyone, and sure, that takes away some of the mainline series’ expected mechanics, but for me, it was refreshing.
Topping it off, the actual open world, which did not just feel like a layer of graphics slapped on top of the aging Game Boy tiles, was like a breath of fresh air. When Pokemon Legends Z-A was announced, I couldn’t contain my excitement, but has Nintendo managed to capture lightning in a bottle twice? Read on to see what I thought.
As the first Pokemon main/side game released for the Switch 2, Legends Z-A has a lot to prove. Calling Arceus and Z-A side titles is a disservice to how they actually play. Think of the “main” series like Forza Motorsport and the Legends series like Forza Horizon, and you will understand that these are not Pokemon Ranger/Detective Pikachu, etc. They appear to be a testing ground for new mechanics and features before they are added to the main series. In Arceus, you see Pokemon roaming the wild rather than random encounters, and this was also used in Scarlet and Violet. It will be interesting to see which mechanics from Z-A show up in the next mainline entry.
With that note, let's chat Z-A. Set in Lumoise City, which was last seen in Pokemon X and Y, Legends Z-A is a modern/present-day entry instead of the era from the past seen in Arceus. I really liked the change-up here, seeing the Legends style in a more current era is cool and makes Z-A feel more like a mainline title than a spin-off. The thing here is that Z-A feels like an entirely new game rather than a continuation of Arceus.
Being restricted to a city is disappointing. While Lumiose is massive, it feels claustrophobic in comparison to the practically open world of Arceus with its varied environments and ecosystems. There is a night-and-day cycle in the city that is tied to one of the new mechanics here, but we will discuss this shortly. Unfortunately, while the Switch 2 version of Z-A that I played looked lovely and had a way better frame rate than the first Legends game, it felt much more confined and compartmentalized.
Now, I don’t mean to beat down on the city environment; it would be nice to eventually see a combination of the two Legend games maps. Having open fields and mountains combined with huge cities seems the natural end goal for this series; it's just a pity that we couldn’t get it here. I also have a gripe with the three starters. Chikorita, Totodile, and Tepig may be someone’s favorite out there, but they don’t have that “it” factor for me when compared to previous starter Pokemon. Don’t get me wrong, you can just catch more, but that’s not the point, you want an instant bond with your first Pokemon as you should have them the whole journey, these three just weren’t it for me.
The core of the game, as always, is catching Pokemon and filling your Pokedex while winning battles along the way. In Z-A, catching Pokemon was actually quite a disappointing experience for the most part. While the real-time style fighting and catching from Arceus returns, the Pokemon, for the most part, are confined to specific areas around Lumiose City. These closed-off areas don’t have a load screen (at least on Switch 2) and make sense story-wise why they are sectioned off, but come across as mini/less inhabited Safari Zones. Compared to Arceus having the free-roaming packs and solo critters in the wilderness, this feels like shooting fish in a barrel. There are times when you can catch Pokemon outside of these zones, but I am trying to remain spoiler-free here.
Catching the monsters is only one part of the game, however. As with other entries, battling is the other side of the series. In Arceus, a heavier focus was put on filling the Pokedex, whereas here you must make your way through the ranks from Z to A. This ties majorly into the plot, as whoever reaches Rank A gets to decide the fate of Lumiose City and can make rules for the people as they see fit.
Battling is also compartmentalized in Z-A, as fights are held at night in specific areas. Again, there are occasions when you may find yourself in a battle outside one of the zones, but for the most part, they are confined. Fighting is similar to Arceus, where you will issue commands in real time to your chosen Pokemon to battle the opponent's monster or a wild creature. The system is still based on the old turn-based mechanics used since Red and Blue. It would be nice to see them open this up a bit more, should they do another, as being restricted to only four allocated slots for moves is a dated restriction, in my opinion.
The best thing is that Pokemon can now have an idea for a move where, instead of forcing you to delete an old move for the new one or lose it completely, you can bank the move for later and swap them in and out to switch up battle tactics. That aside, the battles feel like they always have, but are most similar to Arceus or Scarlet and Violet.
Traversing the city is made simple with the addition of a wider fast travel system. Visit a main location once, and it is unlocked on your map to zip to at any point. The city isn’t so big that this is necessary, but the mechanic being present is still welcome. Throughout the various alleyways and streets, you will find the usual Pokemon Centers to heal your team or buy and sell new items. Alongside these, there are also a variety of vendors, clothing stores, and other curiosities to visit. This might sound like Lumiose is packed with indoor locations, but unfortunately, it’s the opposite.
While running around doing side missions, you will likely notice that you can’t enter most of the buildings here. And yes, the same can be said for much bigger titles too, but with the cornered off areas for Pokemon catching and battling, and the limited amount of buildings to explore, Lumiose begins to feel rather small.
It’s a shame and feels like a step backwards when compared to the Breath of the Wild-lite experience that Legends Arceus provided. Trading and battling online are also featured, which is a nice touch; however, I was unable to test either for the purposes of this review.
So, is Legends Z-A worth it? Probably, if you are a fan. There isn’t anything here outside of a nicer coat of paint and better frame rate that Legends Arceus didn’t do better. Revisiting an area in modern times in Legends felt like a good idea when I first started the game, but upon reflection, traveling back to the more ancient time in Arceus felt like a much fresher experience.
For the first Legends title on Switch 2, I can’t help but feel a tad disappointed; however, mega fans will lap this up (while simultaneously complaining online about it). Z-A is a good starting point for future entries, but not the leap forward from Arceus I had hoped for. It’s a decent enough game, it just didn’t really innovate the way that Pokemon Legends Arceus did a few years back.
Game code provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
Stick with us at Gfinityesports.com: your go-to source for all things Pokemon.