After years of being criticized for relying on the same old formula, Game Freak did something completely different with 2022. Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Abandoning the traditional Pokemon formula for a whole new kind of experience, Pokemon Legends: Arceus was an instant hit and stands as one of the highest rated games in the franchise's history. Many hoped that Game Freak would return Legends style of play, so it was carried to great fanfare Pokemon Legends: ZA when it was first announced. Leaks hurt enthusiasm for Pokemon Legends: ZAbut after spending a lot of time with both the main quest and the side missions, it's still an easy recommendation for Arceus fans and Pokemon fans in general.
Pokemon Legends: ZA takes place in Lumiose City in the Kalos region, actually Pokemon franchise view of Paris, France, complete with its own version of the Eiffel Tower. While still not a truly full open world, Legends: ZAlike Arceus before that it contains open zones to explore. Players are free to roam Lumios to sightsee, find items, and shop, but there are also segmented Wild Zones that feature an increased population of wild Pokémon and a natural landscape that offers respite from the concrete jungle of the city. Finding Wild Pokemon v Legends: ZA is exciting, the game features over 200 Pokemon for players to add to their rosters.
WITH Pokemon Legends: ZA set in the Kalos region, it's no surprise that the entire game revolves around Mega Evolutions. The driving force behind the story is the fact that some Pokémon experience Rogue Mega Evolution, which means they transform without a trainer, a process that is painful and causes them to start wreaking havoc on the town. Boss fights against these Rogue Mega Evolutions are some of the most challenging battles in the game, with players having to be especially strategic about which Pokémon and which moves they bring out if they don't want to have a particularly long and drawn-out fight.
Rogue Mega Evolution battles are larger in scale than typical Pokemon battles, and are a great way to show off new designs that are ready. Pokemon Legends: ZA. Most Mega Evolutions originated in the previous one Pokemon games are coming back Legends: ZAbut you can also discover completely new designs. The new Mega Evolution designs range from the downright bizarre, like the leggy Mega Starmie and the bulbous Mega Victreebel, to the quite striking, like the golden Mega Skarmory and the glowing Mega Malamar.
Pokemon Legends: ZA Shakes Up Combat
As in the previous one Pokemon in games with Mega Evolutions, this feature plays a huge role Legends: ZAfight. However, there is a twist Pokemon Legends: ZA features a real-time combat system, abandoning the proven turn-based combat that the franchise has relied on for years. As usual, Pokemon have access to four moves in any given battle FOR set everything to cooldown timers. Type battles are still by far the most important factor in any Pokemon battle, but players also need to be mindful of their Pokemon's position, how long a move takes, and whether they're better off waiting for one move's cooldown timer than wasting time using something else. Pokemon Legends: ZAThe battle system is fun and removes some of the more boring elements of turn-based battles that could sometimes get bogged down by status effects (they are still in FORbut they happen in real time instead of appearing as text messages at every turn).
In Pokemon battles, there was a strict rule governing Mega Evolutions where players could only Mega Evolve one Pokemon per battle. That's thrown out the window Pokemon Legends: ZAand it's for the better. Whenever players have accumulated enough Mega Energy, they can click the right stick, and if they have a Pokemon that can do this and the matching stone, Mega Evolution is possible. The ability to Mega Evolve multiple times in a battle can sometimes make certain encounters trivial, but it adds another layer of strategy to the game's tougher battles, as players must be smart about which Pokémon they choose to Mega Evolve and when if they want to succeed.
One downside to such a heavy focus on Mega Evolution is that it can sometimes feel like the slot is wasted when it's used for a Pokémon that can't Mega Evolve. One of my favorite Pokémon is Arbok, but in the end I couldn't justify keeping him in my party if I wanted to have the most effective team to fight Rogue Megas and higher level trainers. While they cannot benefit from the benefits of a proper Mega Evolution, Arbok and other Pokémon in the game who cannot Mega Evolve can still benefit from Mega Energy through Plus Moves. Plus Moves are extra powerful versions of attacks that deal significantly higher damage in exchange for Mega Energy. It's still much more efficient and makes a lot more sense to save Mega Energy on Mega Evolve and Pokemon, but I appreciate that at least some consideration was given to keeping Pokemon without Mega Evolutions relevant.
Pokemon Legends: ZA Multiplayer Mode
Pokemon Legends: ZA features ranked multiplayer where players battle each other to earn special rewards. Mega stones for X and Y starters are locked to seasons of this mode which is very unfortunate. The mode itself is serviceable, but it's clearly an afterthought compared to the rest of the game.
In addition to solving Rogue Mega Evolutions, Pokemon Legends: ZA players must also work their way up the ranks of ZA Royale. With the game taking place entirely in Lumiose City, ZA Royale is an opportunity Pokemon Legends: ZA players to get into trainer battles that would normally be spread across routes. ZA Royale Battles are available at night in specific parts of the city, with the ultimate goal being to earn enough points to earn a Challenger's Ticket, which allows players to battle the person ranked ahead of them and move up the leaderboard (Z to A). Optional challenges encourage players to experiment with different Pokemon and moves in exchange for bonus points, making these battles a little more interesting.
There are also side quests and the like Arceusthey're a mix of ridiculously short adventures to pretty interesting detours that lead to great opportunities for Pokemon collectors. Pokemon Legends: ZA is packed with over 100 side quests that complement the meaty main quest line. Combined with the ever-rewarding catch-them-all task and research challenges to unlock special moves, there's plenty of content to keep you Pokemon fans were engaged for dozens of hours.
Pokemon fans will get their money's worth Pokemon Legends: ZA in terms of the content itself, but they can't be blamed if they feel shortchanged by the presentation. Pokemon Legends: ZA is technically a Switch 1 game, not a native Switch 2 release, so there's an element of it being held back by older hardware. Still, it's hard not to be disappointed by the graphics. While Pokemon are bright and colorful, and the novelty of seeing them out and about never gets old (even simple things like Magikarp jumping out of the water and landing on the bridge in front of me are magical), the world they inhabit has clearly cut some corners.
Pokemon Legends: ZA has stunning graphics and sound
Lumiose City doesn't feel like a city. Most of the NPCs are standing around and the buildings are flat with lots of repetitive textures. Wild zones look better with wild Pokémon running around and little 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: ZA doesn't do a good job with the concept.
An even bigger problem with Pokemon Legends: ZAThe presentation, which is even more striking than the graphics, is the sound. Pokemon Legends: ZA recycles a lot of old sound effects from previous ones Pokemon games, which is fine and may be nostalgic, but Pokemon “cries” is in desperate need of an update. Pokemon Legends: ZAThe complete and utter lack of voice acting is also jarring, and in the grand year of 2025, it's downright weird. Pokemon Legends: ZA is the kind of game that could get away with not having voice acting for the vast majority of its dialogue, but without it for the more important cut-scenes are unnecessarily awkward.
Pokemon Legends: ZA could have done a lot better with the graphics and sound, even though it's technically a Switch 1 game, but at least it's performance is significantly better than Scarlet and Violet. Especially on the Nintendo Switch 2, Pokemon Legends: ZA delivers a solid performance. I haven't experienced any technical issues or any weird graphical quirks during my time with the game. It's a much more complete experience than the previous main series Pokemon games and that is greatly appreciated.
Credits on Pokemon Legends: ZA I threw in about 22 hours, but that was also by doing about half of the side missions first.
Pokemon Legends: ZA is much better than Scarlet and Violet all around, even if it doesn't reach the heights it does Arceus. The new battle system is fun and completing the Pokedex is as rewarding as ever, but the lackluster presentation keeps the game from reaching its full potential. Even so, you can easily get lost in it Pokemon Legends: ZA for hours, and with the major Mega Dimension DLC on the way, even more Pokémon will soon be catchable.
Pokemon Legends: ZA is now available for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. Game Rant reviewed the Switch 2 version of the game.
