Twelve years after the release of *Pokémon X* and *Pokémon Y*, we’re finally returning to the Kalos region with *Pokémon Legends: Z-A*. The newest entry in the mainline series and the second “Legends” title, PLZA reinvents the core battling system of Pokémon and introduces a vibrant cast of new characters. It’s a refreshingly fun adventure that’s strongly enhanced by the power of the Nintendo Switch 2.
### City of Lights
*Pokémon Legends: Z-A* is set entirely in Lumiose City, Pokémon’s Paris analogue. It’s here that players join Team MZ, a small group of Pokémon Trainers looking to maintain peace in Lumiose City. Together, you battle villainous foes and embark on a mission to solve the mystery of Rogue Mega Evolution, a phenomenon affecting the wild Pokémon that call Lumiose home.
The core cast of PLZA quickly became one of my favorite Pokémon ensembles in recent memory. They all have vastly different ambitions and backgrounds that led them to join Team MZ. Although they spend a significant amount of time bickering, there’s a genuine family feel to this small crew. Nearly every Main Mission involves at least one of Urbain/Taunie, Naveen, and Lida, and the game does an excellent job of fleshing them out.
This sentiment extends beyond Team MZ as well. Both visually and narratively, PLZA is packed with unique and interesting characters that jump off the screen. It’s this group of colorful NPCs that makes the story of PLZA so engaging. As the strange phenomenon of Mega Evolution continues to worsen, you slowly unfurl the mysteries of Lumiose City and its history.
*Pokémon Legends: Z-A* is, in many ways, a pseudo-sequel to *Pokémon X* and *Pokémon Y*. Fans of those 3DS games have an absolute buffet of references and narrative tie-ins to dig into here. I had a big grin on my face for many of PLZA’s reveals and climactic moments.
It was understandable to be a bit concerned when Game Freak announced that *Pokémon Legends: Z-A* would be entirely set in one city, especially given the expansive map featured in *Pokémon Scarlet* and *Pokémon Violet*. However, players should rest assured knowing that this is a fully realized Lumiose City. The small circular town from Gen 6 that you could explore in less than 20 minutes is now a sprawling metropolis filled with new structures and areas to explore.
Even as I eclipsed the 30-hour mark during my playthrough, I was still discovering new things and thinking to myself, “Huh, I didn’t know that was over there.”
### Mega Evolving the Formula
The introduction of Mega Evolution in *X* and *Y* kicked off a tradition of adding new gimmicks to every new generation of Pokémon games, but nothing quite matched the spectacle and competitive twist that Mega Evolving gave to the series. Thankfully, Mega Evolution is back in a massive way in *Pokémon Legends: Z-A*.
As players progress through the story, they’ll find a plethora of new Mega Evolved forms for Pokémon that previously didn’t have them, like Dragonite and Hawlucha. It felt great to be collecting Mega Stones again, and I was wowed by several of the new forms.
Mega Evolution is, of course, a battling mechanic, which brings me to the most significant change between *Pokémon Legends: Z-A* and all that came before it: real-time battles. The turn-based format is gone and has been replaced by an action system that demands quick reactions and a high volume of inputs.
Similar to some of the other Pokémon games of the Switch era, your trainer can walk around the field during a battle. Now, though, your Pokémon will follow you. With the new action system, you dodge attacks by physically getting out of the way before an attack reaches you. When dishing out your own moves, you have to consider field placement and the time it takes for a move animation to finish.
PP, which previously determined how many times a Pokémon could use a certain move, has been replaced by a cooldown timer, with stronger moves taking longer to become usable again.
The real-time battle system in *Pokémon Legends: Z-A* is simply awesome. It feels like the series has finally delivered on the fantasy of experiencing battles that play out like in the Pokémon anime. It also recontextualizes nearly every move in the game.
For example, moves like Protect and Detect have to be used quickly and in anticipation of an incoming attack. You’ll only have a brief window to give the command when an enemy opponent rears up for an attack, but it’s incredibly satisfying and rewarding to counter your opponent.
Moves like Bullet Seed and Flamethrower can be dodged by leading your Pokémon away from the incoming projectile. Do so fast enough and your opponent will be left wide open for a counterattack. There’s a sense of fluidity to it that makes every battle feel cinematic.
There will undoubtedly be players who yearn for the classic system, but if you can get on board with the new format, there’s a lot of fun to be had.
### Wild Encounters
This new real-time system also applies to your encounters with wild Pokémon while exploring. When you spot a creature going about its business, you can just chuck a Poké Ball at it to attempt to capture it. If you fail, it may attack you or flee, depending on its disposition.
This also means that you can find yourself in a situation where multiple Pokémon are attacking you at once. In one area, I got overwhelmed by a group of Pyroar and had to use the wide-reaching move Surf to dispatch multiple creatures at once.
The majority of Pokémon are found in Wild Zones, but not all of them. You’ll also spot them in trees, alleyways, and various lakes and manmade bodies of water. Some Pokémon can only be found on the rooftops of Lumiose City or during nighttime.
Alpha Pokémon have made their return, and these oversized creatures are still as scary as ever. Running away from a Pokémon that is trying to straight-up kill you simply never gets old.
### Night Life and the Z-A Royale
You’ll do the majority of your battling at night during the Z-A Royale. This city-wide tournament sees the best trainers battle in order to secure Points, which can eventually be redeemed for a Challengers Ticket. These tickets are then used to participate in Promotion Matches as you attempt to go from rank Z to A.
While in the designated area for the tournament, known as a Battle Zone, the classic philosophy behind Pokémon battle still applies: it’s on sight. If another trainer spots you, it’s time to fight. If another trainer sees you first, there will be a brief period at the start of the battle where you are unable to act, leaving your Pokémon open for an attack.
Because of this, you’re encouraged to use stealth and initiate the battle yourself, allowing you to get the first attack in. Points are earned by winning battles, but you can multiply your earnings by picking up Bonus Cards. These add an extra challenge to your battles and can yield a large sum of Points if completed.
Bonus Cards typically ask you to eliminate Pokémon using a certain move type, start a battle without being spotted, inflict a specific status condition, and so on.
Your performance in the Z-A Royale is directly tied to story progression, meaning that your promotion matches will become available after Main Missions are completed. It does take some of the competitive edge out of the “ranked tournament” aspect, and I outright disliked a component of this feature that I won’t get into here for spoiler reasons.
Still, it’s cool to see the characters they throw at you for Promotion Battles, and I liked that they were all actual NPCs that I could go find somewhere in the city.
I never once grew tired of battling in *Pokémon Legends: Z-A*. The decision to make them a designated activity during certain times of day helped fight off the fatigue that usually sets in after a while in traditional Pokémon games.
I was bummed out to learn that there are no Abilities in PLZA, as they add an important dynamic to battling and team-building.
Trainers will continue to generate within a Battle Zone until day breaks. That said, you’re also free to do other things during the night, if you so please. The day and night cycles are both timed, but you can rest on a bench to fast forward to either.
You have to watch the full sunset and daybreak animations every time they trigger, which does get a bit tiresome after a while, even though they’re pretty short.
### A Generational Leap
I played the Switch 2 Edition of *Pokémon Legends: Z-A* for my review, and it was a breath of fresh air after an entire generation of Pokémon games that suffered from performance issues on the base Switch.
PLZA runs at a high framerate in both TV and handheld mode. I noticed virtually no stuttering or slowdown during my entire playthrough, a stark contrast to *Scarlet/Violet* and *Pokémon Legends: Arceus*, which suffered performance issues so strong that it took away from my experience.
Even if you aren’t a specs junkie, you will appreciate the improved performance of *Pokémon Legends: Z-A* on Switch 2. There’s an added level of immersion when everything runs buttery smooth and you don’t have to look past constant hitches and textures popping in and out.
When fast traveling and exiting buildings, the game loaded so fast that I couldn’t finish reading the tip on the loading screen.
With all that being said, I’d still hesitate to call *Pokémon Legends: Z-A* a visual showcase. The game runs incredibly well, but it still has that rough look that has become synonymous with the 3D Pokémon games. There is still that aliasing effect that makes edges look rigid and unfinished.
The human characters cycle through the same handful of stiff animations. It gives the game a lower-budget feel (by AAA standards), which is a shame because we know how much of a money maker this franchise is.
### From Lumiose, with Love
*Pokémon Legends: Z-A* gave me just about everything I wanted from a new Legends game. It continues the trend of bucking series norms while maintaining the essence of what makes these games so special for fans.
I fell in love with these characters, and I’m excited to continue my adventure with them in the DLC. The new battle system feels like a watershed moment for the franchise, and I hope we see it again soon.
As a fan who always lamented the fact that we never got a “Pokémon Z” after *X* and *Y*, this return to Lumiose City is what I’ve been waiting over a decade for.
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*This review is based on a Switch 2 code provided by the publisher. *Pokémon Legends: Z-A* launches on October 16, 2025, for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.*
https://www.shacknews.com/article/146331/pokemon-legends-za-review-score
