The Pokemon series has been in need of serious evolution recently. 2022’s “Pokemon Legends: Arceus” switched up the traditional Pokemon RPG formula by introducing real-time combat elements, a semi-open world, and a new way of story progression. It was a breath of fresh air for the franchise that had a stagnating turn-based battle system.
Whereas “Arceus” was a prequel to the Pokemon Diamond and Pearl games, the newest entry “Pokemon Legends: Z-A” is a sequel to the “Pokemon X and Y” ones. This time around, Z-A makes a few bold changes from “Legends: Arceus” for the better, but also some for the worse. Z-A’s battle system has been much improved, but the game is hampered by bland exploration. It also runs incredibly well on Nintendo Switch 2, but its presentation in other areas is lacking, especially in the graphics department.
“Pokemon Legends: Z-A” takes place five years after the events of the “Pokemon X and Y” versions. Lumiose City is currently going under a redevelopment plan, and that has caused the rise of Rogue Mega Evolutions, where certain Pokemon are forced to undergo further changes to make them even stronger. Players must uncover the mysteries behind the Rogue Mega Evolutions while also climbing the ranks of the Z-A Royale, a Pokemon battling tournament. As players make their way to the top, the winner will be allowed to have one wish granted.
Pokemon has never had the most complex stories, and “Legends: Z-A” is no different. However, what’s baffling is that, after all these years, Pokemon games still don’t have voice acting. It’s really jarring to see NPCs in cutscenes “talk” but emit no sound whatsoever. What makes the experience even more confusing is that NPCs will make exertion noises. For example, if a character whips their arm to throw a Pokeball, you can actually hear the sound effect of an arm going through the air. There are some emotional scenes involving key characters from Pokemon X and Y’s storyline, but those scenes fall flat due to the lack of voice acting.
It is so difficult to feel invested in “Legends: Z-A”’s story that, halfway through, I just started ignoring it. However, what kept me engaged until the end of the story was Z-A’s fun battle system. Whereas “Legends: Arceus” had modified turn-based combat, Z-A completely commits to real-time action. This makes for more exhilarating battles, and the attacks have been cleverly fitted to take advantage of it.
In the mainline Pokemon games, it was easy to get by having your Pokemon know four attacking moves and leave the other non-damaging ones alone. For example, moves like Tail Whip would lower your opponent’s Defense stat, but you’d want to maximize your damage output, thus getting rid of that for an attack that does actual damage. However, with the new real-time combat system, these non-damaging attacks are suddenly more important than ever.
Each attack has a cooldown period, and so in between the waiting time, you’ll want to use other moves. That’s where moves like Tail Whip can come in really handy. While you’re waiting for your Tackle attack to recharge, you can use Tail Whip and lower the opponent’s Defense stat, ensuring that the next Tackle will knock it out. While this strategy works just as well in the purely turn-based mainline Pokemon games, the nature of these real-time battles recontextualizes them, making “Legends: Z-A” stand out compared to its predecessors.
The day and night cycle is utilized in this game where you’re able to challenge other NPCs to battles during the night time in designated Battle Zones. By defeating trainers and completing side objectives such as hitting a specific weakness a certain number of times, you can earn points to win a Challenge Ticket. This usually progresses the story by letting you fight the next boss, a welcome change to the typical Gym Leader structure that mainline Pokemon games had.
During the story, you’ll also be asked to take care of Rogue Mega Evolved Pokemon in order to keep Lumiose City safe. If you take down these giant Pokemon, you’ll earn their Mega Stone, which allows you to summon their respective Mega Evolutions, given that you have the proper Pokemon. I really enjoyed these as they switched up the game’s pace.
The biggest disappointment with “Legends: Z-A” is how boring Lumiose city is. In “Legends: Arceus,” players have the entire Hisui region to explore. But all of “Legends: Z-A” is confined to just one city with designated Wild Zones to catch Pokemon in. These Wild Zones are entirely too small and with the new battle system, fights can feel claustrophobic. These Wild Zones lack any discernable features and look as muddy and uninspired as the rest of Lumiose City.
Outside of the Pokemon and character models, Lumiose City is so boring to explore. Buildings are dull, and the columns and windows aren’t even in 3D. The textures are quite literally flat pictures copied and pasted onto the buildings themselves. Lumiose City is so unimaginative, especially coming from the open regions in “Legends: Arceus”.
I really don’t understand how Pokemon can be the one of the most profitable media franchises in the world yet still can’t produce a decent looking 3D mainline game. Other Nintendo properties like “The Legend of Zelda” and “Donkey Kong” have received complete artistic overhauls and creative design directions, but Pokemon games don’t receive the same level of meticulous care. Along with the lack of voice acting, these games continue to look and feel cheap.
At the very least, Legends: Z-A runs incredibly well on the Nintendo Switch 2, a far cry from the technical woes plaguing the last mainline Pokemon games. Although there are still some distracting pop-in issues with characters and Pokemon sometimes appearing out of nowhere, the game is smooth and playable.
“Pokemon Legends: Z-A” continues the experimental direction of “Pokemon Legends: Arceus,” opting for real-time combat which makes battles more strategic and engaging compared to the traditional turn-based format. However, the game suffers from uninteresting exploration, dated graphics, and the continued absence of voice acting. Despite this, if you’re a Pokemon fan, this game still might be up your alley. Even as it stays stuck in the past, it’s a difficult franchise to leave there.
A copy of Pokemon Legends: Z-A was purchased by the reviewer. It is now available.
