Developed By: Game Freak
Published By: Nintendo
Category: RPG
Release Date: 10.16.25
Price: $69.99
I’m surprised that I have never reviewed a Pokémon game here. Pokémon is one of my all-time favorite gaming franchises and I even wrote a 13,000-word review of Pokémon Sword for another site. But I never reviewed one for here… until now. Originally, I was going to wait a while before playing Pokémon Legends Z-A because of the price, but I was recently able to get my hands on the Switch 2 version.
First, we need to address the elephant in the room. Legends Z-A is very different from the other Pokémon games, even from Legends Arceus. For starters, the game moves away from the turn-based battles that everyone grew up with in favor of active battles like the Xenoblade Chronicles games. This means there’s no turns and no waiting. Each button corresponds to a move, and if your cooldown is up, you can spam as many as you like.
I think this is an awesome concept. There’s nothing wrong with turn-based battles, but these active battles are quicker, more engaging, and require quick thinking. Unfortunately, this makes Legends Z-A a poor choice for younger gamers, newcomers, and casual players because it can be more challenging. But the extra level of engagement makes it perfect for more competitive players and longtime Pokémon fans.
In addition to the combat changes, there are three additional ways in which Z-A is different from the other Pokémon games. The first is that the game takes place entirely within Lumiose City. There’s no region, routes, or towns, just one massive city. Historically, Pokémon cities look small. But this version of Lumiose is huge with so many buildings, streets, and rooftops to explore.
The next big difference is the wild zones. The city built small areas where wild Pokémon can live peacefully. These are the only spots where you can catch wild Pokémon and is are similar to the wild area in Pokémon Sword and Shield. It’s a great way to incorporate wild Pokémon into a bustling city, but I would have personally liked if the zones were bigger.
The last big difference is how trainer battles work. At night, battle zones appear around the city where trainers can challenge you. These battles make up the Z-A Royale, a tournament that decides the strongest trainer in the city. As you win battlers, you can take part in promotion battles that will increase your rank.
You play as a tourist who gets roped into the Royale while uncovering the secrets and mysteries of the city and its people. The game also serves as a direct sequel to Pokémon X and Y rather than a spinoff. This is because the game takes place a few years after the events of X and Y and include quite a few characters from the original 3DS games. I really liked all the references.
I’ve already mentioned a bunch of cool things that the game is packed with, but that only scratches the surface, there’s a lot more cool stuff going on. For starters, the game runs surprisingly well on the Switch 2. The real time battles are way more demanding than your average turn-based battles, but it runs well here. The models and animations are fine, and the overall game looks and runs very well on the Switch 2.
The music was another aspect that I liked. This one didn’t have as many instantly iconic songs as the other games from the Switch generation, but the overall soundtrack was pretty good. My only gripe with the sound design is that there was no voice acting. Having full character models and animation but no voices often felt distracting.
With all that being said, is Pokémon Legends Z-A a goof Pokémon game? Personally, I really liked the city layout, the characters, and the battle system. But I did also think that the overall story was weaker than some previous titles and there was a lot more repetition involved. But overall, it’s still a lot of fun but should be avoided if you’re a newcomer or a very casual Pokémon gamer. Definitely worth checking out if you’re a longtime fan or are more competitive.
4/5
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