Pokémon Legends Z-A review: a bold new frontier

It’s rare that a franchise can continue to surprise decades after it debuted but in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, developer Game Freak has delivered something dazzling. This is an evolution of the franchise formula that’s sharp, snappy and exciting in each new phase.

It consistently introduces fresh new gameplay options as a compelling plot advances, with fun traversal challenges, sleek Pokémon collecting and moreish exploration opportunities providing ample reasons to forge on.

At its core, Pokémon Legends: Z-A remains a relatively linear experience, encouraging players along a pathway that features Pokémon catching and evolution as you form a team of creature friends. But much like its Legends predecessor Arceus, there’s a breezy freedom in how you embark on your adventure.

Lumiose City is a grand backdrop for Pokémon Legends: Z-A

In Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the iconic Lumiose City is reimagined as a towering and expansive city filled with all sorts of breathtaking sights. Aided by the Nintendo Switch 2’s graphical prowess, each part of this game looks brilliant – and even those pesky draw distance issues from Scarlet/Violet have been addressed. You can see far off into the horizon, and watch Pokémon and people flit about in harmony.

In Lumiose, that harmony is key but equally important is Pokémon battling. During the day, you may roam the city freely, catching Pokémon in dedicated Wild Zones, chatting with folks nearby, collecting various items and completing platforming challenges or side quests. But as night falls, you fight through the city’s community-based Z-A Royale, where you must battle to achieve Rank A, all the way from your starting Rank Z.

The dual day-night cycle of exploration and battling is entirely novel and allows each day in Lumiose City to feel different from the last. It also lends a core sense of purpose to your travels, with a timer backing your movements. As night falls, you must prepare your team to head into intense, real-time battles, and as day breaks, you can settle in for a day of visiting Wild Zones and ticking off Pokémons in your collection.

Shaking up the Pokémon battle formula

Beyond this novel open world that encourages deep exploration over both day and night, what feels most fresh about Pokémon Legends: Z-A is its battle system – which is a visually stunning representation of Pokémon battling that captures the feeling and excitement of each attack.

After all these years and experimentation with turn-based battling, new sprites and new animations, this is Pokémon battling in its purest form – exactly how I imagined it as a kid watching the Pokémon anime. The combat system places you directly in the action, in third-person real-time skirmishes that force you to think on your feet.

Your character exists within each battle and must be protected as much as your chosen Pokémon, so you need to run and dodge to ensure you aren’t caught in blasts while also positioning your Pokémon well for its next attack.

Rather than relying on PP, battles now depend on good timing and planning. Each of your creatures has access to an array of moves, which each have their own cooldown timer. You must wield these moves wisely in battle, ensuring you’re deploying your most powerful attacks when you’ve got an opening, and that you’re biding time for your next attack.

It makes each battle feel incredibly lively and high-stakes – particularly when you’re throwing out new Pokémon to counter differently-typed rivals, or to ensure your main fighter stays alive and ready to fight in case bigger Pokémon emerge. It’s all very exciting and with streamlined functionality across the board – you can throw Poké Balls whenever you like, attacks are easily deployed and dodging is simple – you can fully throw yourself into battle and embody that childhood dream of being a Pokémon Trainer.

Watch the trailer for Pokémon Legends: Z-A

A new frontier for a brighter future

In its colourful blend of new and old, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is a major success. It’s an innovative and bold new experiment that diverges from the formula significantly enough to feel different but is also equally compelling in the modern Pokémon landscape.

While there will be some disappointed with how far it strays from the classic badge-collection gameplay and how the action is focused on a siloed area – you’ll remain within the bounds of Lumiose City as you explore – the game does plenty to keep you enthralled by this location and everything it has to offer. The Z-A Royale is a well-designed challenge that defines your adventure and elsewhere you’ll find a neat mix of side quests and Pokémon-catching that should keep you well occupied.

In a sea of other modern games beholden to the formula, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is a bright, creative new franchise entry that is bold, confident and charts its own wonderful course.

_{A code for Pokémon Legends: Z-A was provided by the publisher for the purposes of this review.}

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