After years of being criticized for relying on the same-old formula, Game Freak did something completely different with 2022's Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Abandoning the traditional Pokemon formula for a brand-new kind of experience, Pokemon Legends: Arceus was an immediate hit and stands as one of the highest-rated games in franchise history. Many were holding out hope that Game Freak would return to the Legends style of game, and so there was a great deal of fanfare for Pokemon Legends: Z-A when it was first announced. Leaks hurt enthusiasm for Pokemon Legends: Z-A, but after spending a great deal of time with both its main quest and side missions, it's still an easy recommendation for Arceus fans and Pokemon fans in general.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A takes place in the Kalos region's Lumiose City, effectively the Pokemon franchise's take on Paris, France, complete with its own version of the Eiffel Tower. While still not a truly full-blown open world, Legends: Z-A, like Arceus before it, features open zones to explore. Players are free to roam around Lumiose to take in the sights, find items, and do some shopping, but there are also segmented Wild Zones that feature increased wild Pokemon populations and nature landscapes that offer a break from the concrete jungle of the city. Finding wild Pokemon in Legends: Z-A is a thrill, with the game featuring over 200 Pokemon for players to add to their rosters.
With Pokemon Legends: Z-A set in the Kalos region, it's no surprise that the entire game revolves around Mega Evolutions. The driving force of the story is the fact that there are some Pokemon experiencing Rogue Mega Evolution, which means they transform without a trainer - a process that is painful and causes them to start wreaking havoc on the city. Boss fights against these Rogue Mega Evolutions are some of the more challenging battles in the game, with players having to be especially strategic about which Pokemon and moves they bring if they don't want an especially long and drawn-out fight on their hands.
The Rogue Mega Evolution fights are larger in scale than typical Pokemon battles, and they are a great way to showcase the new designs cooked up for Pokemon Legends: Z-A. The majority of the Mega Evolutions established in previous Pokemon games return for Legends: Z-A, but there are also brand-new designs to discover. The new Mega Evolution designs range from downright bizarre, like the long-legged Mega Starmie and the bulbous Mega Victreebel, to rather striking like the golden Mega Skarmory and the glowing Mega Malamar.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A Shakes Up Combat
Like in previous Pokemon games with Mega Evolutions, the feature plays a huge role in Legends: Z-A's combat. However, the twist is that Pokemon Legends: Z-A features a real-time combat system, abandoning the tried-and-true turn-based combat that the franchise has relied on for years. As usual, Pokemon have access to four moves in any given fight, with Z-A putting everything on cooldown timers. Type match-ups are still by far the most important factor in any given Pokemon battle, but players also have to keep in mind the position of their Pokemon, how long it takes to execute a move, and whether they may be better off waiting for one move's cooldown timer instead of wasting time using something else. Pokemon Legends: Z-A's combat system is fun, and it removes some of the more tedious elements of the turn-based battles which could sometimes get bogged down with status effects (they're still in Z-A, but are happening in real-time instead of popping up as text messages every turn).
There used to be a strict rule governing Mega Evolutions in Pokemon battles where players could only Mega Evolve one Pokemon per fight. That's thrown out the window in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, and it's for the better. Whenever players have enough Mega Energy stored up, they can click in the right stick and as long as they have a Pokemon capable of it and their corresponding stone, Mega Evolution is possible. Being able to Mega Evolve multiple times in a fight can sometimes trivialize certain encounters, but it adds an extra layer of strategy to the game's tougher battles, as players have to be smart about which Pokemon they are choosing to Mega Evolve, and when, if they want to succeed.
One downside to having such a big focus on Mega Evolution is that it can sometimes feel like a slot is being wasted when used for a Pokemon that can't Mega Evolve. One of my favorite Pokemon is Arbok, but eventually I couldn't justify keeping it in my party if I wanted to have the most effective squad to fight the Rogue Megas and higher-level trainers. While they can't reap the benefits that come with a proper Mega Evolution, Arbok and the other Pokemon in the game that can't Mega Evolve can still take advantage of Mega Energy through Plus Moves. Plus Moves are extra-powerful versions of attacks that deal significantly increased damage in exchange for Mega Energy. It's still way more efficient and makes much more sense to save Mega Energy to Mega Evolve a Pokemon, but I do appreciate that there was at least some consideration to keeping Pokemon without Mega Evolutions relevant.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A's Multiplayer Mode
Pokemon Legends: Z-A features ranked multiplayer where players battle each other to earn special rewards. The Mega Stones for the X and Y starters are locked behind this mode's seasons, which is very unfortunate. The mode itself is serviceable, but it's clearly an afterthought compared to the rest of the game.
Beyond dealing with the Rogue Mega Evolutions, Pokemon Legends: Z-A players also have to fight their way up the ranks of the Z-A Royale. With the game set entirely in Lumiose City, the Z-A Royale is an opportunity for Pokemon Legends: Z-A players to get in trainer battles that would normally be spread out across routes. Z-A Royale battles are available at night in specific sections of the city, with the ultimate goal to earn enough points to get a Challenger's Ticket, which lets players battle the person ranked ahead of them and advance in the rankings (from Z to A). Optional challenges encourage players to experiment with different Pokemon and moves in exchange for bonus points, which makes these fights a little more interesting.
Side quests are also available, and like Arceus, they are a mix of laughably short adventures to rather interesting diversions that lead to great opportunities for Pokemon collectors. Pokemon Legends: Z-A is stuffed with over 100 side quests to complement the meaty main questline. Combined with the ever-rewarding task of catching 'em all and the Research challenges to unlock special moves, and there is enough content here to keep Pokemon fans engaged for dozens of hours.
Pokemon fans will get their money's worth with Pokemon Legends: Z-A in terms of sheer content, but they can't be blamed if they feel short-changed by the presentation. Pokemon Legends: Z-A is technically a Switch 1 game, not a native Switch 2 release, and so there is an element of it being held back by the older hardware. Still, it's hard not to be disappointed by the graphics. While the Pokemon are bright and colorful and the novelty of seeing them out and about never gets old (even simple things like when a Magikarp jumped out of the water and landed on the bridge in front of me feel magical), the world they inhabit clearly cut some corners.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A Has Underwhelming Graphics and Audio
Lumiose City doesn't feel like a city. Most NPCs stand around, and the buildings are flat with a bunch of repeated textures. Wild Zones look better thanks to the wild Pokemon running around and small touches like detailed grass blowing in the wind, but the city leaves a lot to be desired. The concept of a Pokemon game set entirely in a centralized location like a city isn't a bad idea, but Legends: Z-A doesn't do a good job with the concept.
An even bigger problem with Pokemon Legends: Z-A's presentation that is even more egregious than the graphics is the audio. Pokemon Legends: Z-A recycles a lot of old sound effects from previous Pokemon games, which is fine and can be nostalgic, but the Pokemon "cries" desperately need an update. Pokemon Legends: Z-A's complete and utter lack of voice acting is also distracting and in the big 2025, it's flat-out weird. Pokemon Legends: Z-A is the kind of game that could get away with not having voice acting for the vast majority of its dialogue, but not having it for the more important cut-scenes makes them needlessly awkward.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A could have done a lot better with the graphics and audio, even with it technically being a Switch 1 game, but at least its performance is significantly better than Scarlet and Violet. Especially on the Nintendo Switch 2, Pokemon Legends: Z-A delivers solid performance. I have experienced zero technical issues or any kind of weird graphical oddities during my time with the game. It's a much more polished experience than the last mainline Pokemon games and that is very much appreciated.
I rolled credits on Pokemon Legends: Z-A about 22 hours in, but that was also with doing roughly half of the side missions first.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A is much better than Scarlet and Violet all around, though it does fall short of the heights reached by Arceus. The new battle system is fun and filling out the Pokedex is as rewarding as always, but the lackluster presentation keeps the game from reaching its full potential. Even so, it's easy to get lost in Pokemon Legends: Z-A for hours and with the substantial Mega Dimension DLC on the way, there will be even more Pokemon to catch soon.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 79 /100 Critics Rec: 66%
- Released
- October 16, 2025
- ESRB
- Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence, In-Game Purchases
- Developer(s)
- Game Freak, Creatures Inc.
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo, The Pokemon Company
WHERE TO PLAY
- Real-time combat is a nice change of pace
- Catching 'em all never gets old
- None of the performance issues that plagued Scarlet and Violet
- Meaty main quest complemented by a ton of side content
- Lumiose City is bland and lifeless
- Distracting lack of voice acting
Pokemon Legends: Z-A is available now for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. The Best War Games reviewed the Switch 2 version of the game.