Pokemon Legends: Z-A is finally here, and some people are (understandably) cautious about whether they should purchase it on release or not. They certainly can’t be blamed because, despite how massively popular the Pokemon IP is, some of its most recent entries—like Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl and Scarlet & Violet—had quite a polarizing reception.
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Gamers (especially longtime Pokemon fans) have high expectations for Pokemon Legends: Z-A, hoping that its unusually extensive development period allows Game Freak to create something truly special and, most importantly, polished. The game itself is not without its flaws, but it certainly has many positive qualities that are worth the price of admission. For anybody who’s still struggling to decide whether to buy Legends: Z-A or not, here are some pros and cons about the game that should help them make a final decision.
Pro: The New Style Of Pokemon Battles
The Real-Time Combat System Is Very Refreshing
One of the biggest selling points of Pokemon Legends: Z-A is its new combat system, in which trainers can move around the battlefield and change their Pokemon’s positions in order to help them avoid incoming attacks and/or land powerful moves of their own. Naturally, some fans had their reservations about this drastic change in gameplay, but now that the game is out, it is safe to say that it works extremely well.
Truth be told, Legends: Z-A has one of the best combat systems in any mainline Pokemon game. Its battles are a lot quicker, more thrilling, and more chaotic than ever before. If players want to come out victorious, they’ll need to hone both their decision-making skills and their quick reflexes, instead of just having to click the strongest move in a menu without worrying about a timer. Longtime Pokemon fans have been asking for a dynamic, real-time combat system like this one for decades, and Legends: Z-A does not disappoint in that regard.
Pro: Mega Evolution Is Back!
This Beloved Mechanic Takes Center Stage
Generation Six introduced Mega Evolutions, a new battle mechanic that allowed certain fully-evolved Pokemon to unlock a temporary new form that made them extremely strong and durable in battle. To no one's surprise, Mega Evolutions quickly became very popular among Pokemon fans, which is why they were outraged when the mechanic was completely removed in Generation Eight.
Fortunately for them, Pokemon Legends: Z-A is the first mainline entry in the series in over seven years to feature Mega Evolutions once again. The best part is that this beloved mechanic was not added haphazardly, as it’s actually the star of the show here. Not only does Legends: Z-A introduce a bunch of brand-new Mega Evolutions (like Mega Dragonite or Mega Hawlucha), but players will also have to search for and take down powerful Mega Evolved wild Pokemon that have gone berserk due to a mysterious phenomenon called Rogue Mega Evolution, fully integrating this beloved mechanic with the game world.
Pro: The Return Of The Legends Formula
This Is A Worthy Follow-Up To One Of The Best Games In The Franchise
Back in early 2023, Pokemon Legends: Arceus was highly praised for being a semi-open-world adventure that focused mainly on catching Pokemon, researching them, and building a Pokedex, while simultaneously ditching random encounters and unnecessary battles against trainers. This was the big shake-up that the franchise's signature formula desperately needed, and as a result, some people were slightly disappointed when the next games in the series, Scarlet and Violet, went back to the classic gameplay style (with a few substantial changes).
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As its title implies, Pokemon Legends: Z-A brings back the formula introduced in Legends: Arceus, so players who loved that game will definitely enjoy this one as well. Trainers can instantly catch Pokemon outside of battle by throwing a Pokeball at them, and if a wild Pokemon finds them first, they’ll have to avoid their attacks by rolling and running around. Even the epic and challenging encounters against the Rogue Mega Evolved Pokemon feel like a natural evolution of the boss fights against the Noble Pokemon in Legends: Arceus.
Pro: It’s A Continuation Of The Kalos Storyline
This Underrated Region Finally Gets The Love It Deserves
Pokemon X and Y are not bad games per se, but they were definitely less engaging than their predecessors. Back then, it quickly became evident that Game Freak had spent most of its resources on translating this franchise to the world of 3D gaming, instead of building an engaging, challenging, and interesting experience. However, that wasn’t really a big issue, because many other Pokemon Generations before those gamees also had lackluster first entries (like Red & Blue or Diamond & Pearl) and didn’t achieve legendary status until their subsequent third versions (Yellow or Platinum, respectively), so surely a hypothetical Pokemon Z would fix most of X and Y’s issues and add a bunch of new content to improve the entire experience.
Sadly, Pokemon Z never materialized, and for over a decade, Kalos remained the only Pokemon region to be explorable in just a single pair of games. That’s precisely why Pokemon Legends: Z-A is such an important event for fans, as it feels like Game Freak is finally giving this beautiful French-inspired region the love and care it always deserved. Not only is exploring Lumiose City with modern HD graphics downright breathtaking, but Legends: Z-A also works as a direct sequel to X and Y that takes place five years after the events of those games, meaning that many returning characters make appearances in this new game and have important roles in its story.
Pro: It Looks Great And Runs Very Well
No Need To Worry About Any Technical Or Graphical Issues
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are solid games, but they were also heavily criticized due to their slew of graphical and technical issues, including low frame rates, missing textures, sudden pop-ins, and egregious visual glitches. This was undeniable proof that The Pokemon Company and Game Freak were rushing the development of these games, and naturally, fans were worried that Pokemon Legends: Z-A would meet the same fate.
Fortunately for anybody who had doubts about buying this game over fears that it would look and run as badly as Scarlet and Violet did, Legends: Z-A has almost no technical or graphical issues at launch. It's not the best-looking game out there, but at least the art style is charming, the frame rate is consistent, and there are little-to-no significant bugs or glitches. While it obviously runs perfectly on Nintendo Switch 2, fans may be surprised (and relieved) to find out that it also runs smoothly on the original Nintendo Switch.
Con: Repetitive Environments
Takes Place Entirely Within Lumiose City
One of the many reasons Pokemon Legends: Arceus was so well-received was its diverse environments, as it took place in an ancient version of Sinnoh known as Hisui. Its semi-open-world map was divided into five sections, each with its own geography, climate, flora, and fauna. Naturally, when it was announced that Pokemon Legends: Z-A would focus heavily on Lumiose City and its urban development plan, fans were hoping that the entire game wouldn’t take place in the city alone, and that they’d be able to visit other parts of Kalos. Sadly, this isn’t the case.
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This new version of Lumiose City is absolutely gigantic; it feels very alive and is brimming with things to do, but the urban environments of Legends: Z-A can eventually become repetitive to look at. The Wild Zones do add some much-needed variety, but they’re not big nor interesting enough to make up for the fact that the rest game takes place entirely within the same city. Hopefully, the upcoming Mega Dimension DLC will allow players to visit other areas, especially other iconic parts of the Kalos region.
Con: Not A True Open-World Game
It Follows A Linear Mission-Based Structure
Pokemon Legends: Arceus marked a long-awaited moment: when the Pokemon franchise dipped its toes into the open-world formula. Then, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet finally made the full jump to open-world gaming. Despite all their technical and graphical shortcomings, the Generation Nine games were praised for their open-ended structure, in which the players could explore any part of Paldea’s map and complete missions in whatever order they wanted. This change in gameplay was a breath of fresh air, and it felt like the Pokemon franchise was heading in an exciting new direction.
Any fans who were looking forward to playing Pokemon Legends: Z-A and hoping that it would follow in the footsteps of Legends: Arceus and Scarlet and Violet should know right now that this game is way more linear than its predecessors. Yes, it is possible to freely explore sections of Lumiose City from time to time, but the main campaign follows a strict mission-based formula, and players can’t complete main story missions in any order they want. This formula still works wonders for this type of game, and the main campaign is admittedly very interesting, but it's definitely something that fans of the franchise's open-world turn will not be very excited about.
Con: Catching Pokemon Is Not As Important
This Game Is More About The Battles Than The Research
In Pokemon Legends: Arceus, exploring natural environments while catching wild Pokemon to assist Professor Laventon with his research was incredibly fun, relaxing, and refreshing, especially for players who did not care all that much about intense Pokemon battles. As previously mentioned, Pokemon Legends: Z-A brought back the formula that its predecessor introduced, but curiously enough, the priorities are reversed this time around.
Of course, catching Pokemon is still a huge part of the Legends: Z-A experience, mostly thanks to Professor Mable, who rewards the player with TMs and other items if they complete her special research missions. Nevertheless, Pokemon battles are the main focus of Legends: Z-A, and players will spend most of their time either fighting Rogue Mega Evolved Pokemon or other human trainers in the Z-A Royale competition. Needless to say, this style of gameplay is very entertaining—the new real-time combat system really carries the load here—but gamers who were looking for something more laid-back are likely to feel disappointed by this change.
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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
