Pokémon Legends: Z-A Review - Mega In More Ways Than One

Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels like a Mega-Evolution for the series, one that changes its type but doesn’t negate its prior weaknesses.

After a couple of preview sessions with Pokémon Legends: Z-A, I was cautiously optimistic about Game Freak’s new Legends game. I thought Pokémon Legends: Arceus was the refresh this series needed and while Pokémon Scarlet & Violet weren’t perfect, I was glad to see some of the additions from Arceus make their way into the game.

With that in mind, I went into Pokémon Legends: Z-A hoping that it’d be yet another chance to innovate, experiment, and generally push the boat out a bit.

I’m happy to say it does that. The changes Legends: Z-A makes to the series’ formula are solid despite a few teething issues here and there.

Breakneck Battle Speeds

Starting off strong, the battle system. Pokémon Legends: Z-A has set a new standard with its overhauled battle system and it carries the game on broad shoulders. Players can freely move around wherever a battle has commenced - whether it be a street, park, alleyway, rooftop and more - in encounters more in-line with the anime than what we’ve seen in prior games.

This is more than a perspective change too. This new form of battle adds depth and challenge we’ve never experienced before. At first, it was difficult to wrap my head around it as, like many, I’d gotten so used to the way things used to be. You give commands in the same way you would in previous games but instead of the moves relying on PP they now work on a cooldown mechanic. Each move has its own cooldown time and some moves take a bit longer to get going than others. For instance, Quick Attack will see your selected ‘mon immediately strike your opponent whereas Hydro Cannon will see them stand in place for a bit as they charge up the attack.

You have to time your moves carefully as while your attack might hit harder, your opponent’s attack might hit faster, snatching victory from you in the blink of an eye. Because your Pokémon are basically attached to your hip the whole time as well, you’re the one responsible for their dodges. If you see a Malamar rushing over for a close-quarters attack, you might be able to get your partner out of the way before it hits, so maybe hold-off on that Bubble Beam until you get them out of harm’s way.

The Pokémon Company

The way you begin a battle has also changed. Most trainer battles now take place in Battle Zones, special areas that open up when the sun sets and see trainers from all over Lumiose City duke it out for a Challenger Ticket. The Battle-Royale assigns every contestant with a Z-Rank upon entry, with a top prize offered for those that ascend all the way up to an A-Rank. A Challenger Ticket enables you to take part in a special bout that’ll increase your level if you win.

In these Battle Zones, trainers will respond in the same way they would normally: if they see you, they’ll battle you. However, you can turn the tables by sneaking up and catching them off-guard, attacking their lead Pokémon and giving you a head-start in the ensuing battle. Upon victory, you’ll get some medals that will convert to currency when the sun rises, in addition to some points towards your Challenger Ticket. Cards can also be collected in Battle Zones that’ll grant you more points for fulfilling their requirement, like hitting Pokémon with super-effective moves or starting a battle with a sneak-attack. It’s a nice change to the formula and encourages you to pick your battles.

Simply put, the new battle system is phenomenal through and through. To have a Pokémon game that has me actively thinking about my next move rather than spamming the same attack over and over until I win is immensely refreshing, and I’ll be gutted if this style isn’t carried over to future games.

As a new mechanic though there are expectedly some teething problems. Nothing game-breaking though, just the occasional bit of jank such as my Pokémon getting temporarily stuck to a lamppost or wandering off a rooftop. Overall, I thought the AI performed well, and when it did slip-up, it was more of a minor annoyance than full-blown frustration.

Now, onto the next major selling point of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the return of Mega-Evolutions.

Mad, Mad Megas

While not a new mechanic, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings back Mega-Evolved Pokémon from Pokémon X & Y and functions in largely the same way. Mega-Evolved Pokémon get a new form, sometimes change their type, and generally have bolstered stats and different strengths/weaknesses.

What Pokémon Legends: Z-A does differently though is treat these Mega-Evolved Pokémon as the apex predators they are. The story tells us that for some bizarre reason Mega-Evolutions are occurring without a trainer being present, with the resulting ‘mon going on a rampage until it’s defeated and calmed.

The Pokémon Company

These are essentially the boss fights of the game, with you, your team and usually an AI helper throwing everything you have at these enraged beasts. Each Mega-Evolution has a mix of normal moves and area-of-effect moves, and unlike trainer battles, you can absolutely be the target of an attack. Suffer too much damage and you’ll black out, forcing you to either take it from the top or start from the midway point of the fight. These raid-style battles offered a serious challenge even if you have a good time at your disposal. For the best chance of victory you’ll need one or two Pokémon of your own that are capable of Mega-Evolution, but you can still win without them if you prepare adequately.

These were a real highlight of the game for me and there’s just enough of them to break up the trainer battles without outstaying their welcome. While you couldn’t catch the Mega-Evolved Pokémon after defeating it, you do get its Mega Stone, more of which can be purchased from the game’s vendors.

Return To Kalos

Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings gamers back to Kalos and is set entirely within Lumiose City. What was once one area of X & Y is now the entire map, and as such, it’s had a bit of an expansion. This is explained in-game as the result of the urban redevelopment plan, courtesy of Quasartico Inc.

Initially, I was concerned Lumiose City would feel too restrictive to be the sole setting of a Pokémon game, but I was pleasantly surprised. Wild Areas make a return and typically take the form of parks. Here, you can battle and catch a select few ‘mon to build up your team, with more being introduced via new Wild Areas that unlock as you progress the game. Catching functions similarly to Pokémon Legends Arceus and Pokémon Scarlet & Violet where you can either throw a pokéball straight away and hope you catch it the first time round, or send a member of your team out to deplete its health first. Alpha Pokémon also make a return and can be powerful additions to your team, if you can defeat them first.

During my preview sessions, I was concerned these Wild Areas would be the only way to catch ‘mon but thankfully I was wrong. More Pokémon can be found throughout the city such as in rivers, public park spaces, and chilling on the rooftops. Which Pokémon can appear is also dictated by the day and night cycle, such as Ghost-Type Pokémon being more common in the evening. Combined with the NPCs that often stood interacting with their own Pokémon, it made Lumiose City feel alive at first glance, that is until you look a little more closely.

Sins Of The Past

Pokémon fans have been saying it for years, these games need a glow-up. Visually, Pokémon Legends: Z-A isn’t much to look at. Lumiose City is based on Paris and while the architecture looks the part, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. I really couldn’t put my finger on why until I took a closer look at some of the buildings and realised they were flat textures. Nothing protruded, no window frames or lintels; it was like the city was made out of cardboard. The lack of colour didn’t really help either.

I’m not expecting Red Dead Redemption 2 levels of detail in my Pokémon games, but we’re really due a visual overhaul at this point, especially now that we have the Nintendo Switch 2. Pokémon Legends: Arceus wasn’t the prettiest game going but it was helped along by a more distinct visual style and its varied environments/biomes. Lumiose City is separated into districts but they do little to distinguish from one another and moving from A to B wasn’t very exciting.

The Pokémon Company

Another returning problem comes in the form of the story; not the story itself, but the way it’s presented.

Like the visuals, another common complaint you hear about Pokémon games is the lack of dialogue. Pokémon Legends: Z-A is another game that lacks a voice and it's arguably more jarring than ever. Like previous games, the story consists of characters standing in circles spouting exposition at each other with no real emotion to what they’re saying. Every now and then one model will change its facial expression or offer a fist-bump but at the end of the day, you’re still just reading block after block of text.

Some main story cutscenes were gorgeously animated too but still lacked voice-acting, and while it was sometimes quite comical to see a group of characters scream and shout in dead silence, I couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh every now and then. Again, I’m not expecting award-winning performances, just something with a little more heart to it. Going from genuinely exciting combat to static storyboards really kills any momentum the story wants to achieve which is a shame because I don’t think the story is half-bad in this game. It expands on elements from Pokémon X & Y quite well while still doing a good job of including players who might have skipped that generation.

Side Content And Post-Game

Like Pokémon Legends: Arceus, players will be assisting in extensive research into the Pokémon found in Kalos. You’ll fill out your pokèdex like in any other game and be rewarded for your troubles with TMs and other goodies. In addition to that, there are a lot of people living in Lumiose City, each with their own stories to tell and troubles they need help with. Players will be able to interact with these citizens and complete their side missions, which can range from battling them, showing them a specific Pokémon, recovering a lost time and more. There are loads of these missions scattered throughout Lumiose City and while they offer a quick deviation from the main story, they’re well-worth completing for the rewards. Some will give you a new Pokémon to add to your team whereas others will grant you special items, like evolution stones or EXP candy. They’re not mind-blowing but they’re relatively straightforward and worth looking into every now and then.

When all is said and done though, it’s the post-game that I know fans will be really interested in. Without going into spoilers, the post-game will grant you new challenges to undertake as well as the opportunity to complete your pokédex. There’s also a little more story left to tell so I’d heavily suggest you stick around for a bit after the credits, but I’ll leave it at that to not give too much away.

Conclusion

When all is said and done, I think Pokémon Legends: Z-A is a fantastic Pokémon game. The new battle mechanics are a stellar addition to the formula and it was great to see Mega Evolutions return in such bombastic fashion. It feels like the continuation Pokémon X & Y needed but never got, as it’s always felt like those games never truly got the love, respect and time they deserved.

Unfortunately, the Pokémon series continues to be held back by the same old problems, and while graphics aren’t the be all and end all, I do think it’s about time we got a fully-voiced Pokémon game. We’ve waited long enough.

Pros: Overhauled battle system sets a new standard, Mega-Evolutions return in triumphant fashion, Wild Areas work well, does Pokémon X & Y justice, side content and post-game are decent

Cons: Visuals are still disappointing, lack of voice-acting continues to be jarring

For fans of: Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Pokémon Scarlet & Violet

8/10: Excellent

Pokémon Legends: Z-A is out on 16 October for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 (version tested). A review code was provided by the publisher. Read a guide to our review scores here.