What parents need to know
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is a spin-off of the Pokémon franchise, the spiritual sequel to Pokémon Legends: Arceus released in 2022 on Switch.
We go back to Lumiose, the Pokémon-ian equivalent of Paris in France, 5 years after the events of Pokémon X/Y. Team Flare has been put out of action, but Lumiose is not out of the woods; Pokémon are settling in increasing numbers within the city limits, with some reaching mega-evolution while losing control.
As a newcomer to Lumiose, you quickly join Team MZ, a team of young trainers who are trying to protect Lumiose and stop Mega-Evolved Pokémon.
In Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the city of Lumiose contains demarcated wild areas in which you can catch Pokémon. At night, some sections of the city are converted into combat zones, where trainers will face us as soon as they meet our eyes. By beating trainers, you accumulate points that allow you to get a participation ticket. This ticket allows us to face a champion and move up in the Z-A Royal League, moving up from Z to A rank.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A continues the real-time gameplay experiments started in Arceus. Not only can you catch Pokémon by throwing balls directly, without entering into battle, but now battles are also in real time. We must avoid attacks from enemy Pokémon so that our trainer is not knocked out, and we can also help our Pokémon avoid attacks by moving.
Plus, no more PP for attacks. We can now use our Pokémon’s attacks as many times as we want, but they all have to go through a cooldown before they can be used again.
We may not be releasing Lumiose in this edition of Pokémon, but the developers have densified Lumiose. We can now explore part of the sewers and the roofs of Lumiose. There are also small platforming sections with scaffolds to climb.
Details
Level of experience required
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Evaluation
The Pokémon fight each other (that’s the heart of the game, by the way), but the violence is cartoonish and it doesn’t really feel like the creatures are suffering.
None.
The vocabulary is simple. On the other hand, especially since the Pokémon franchise is targeting a younger audience, it is high time that the dialogues were played by actors.
As usual, the friendship and bond between Pokémon and trainers allows them to save the world.
The real-time system requires a little more execution with the controller, but Legends Z-A is still a pretty easy game.
The base game is already very expensive, and the DLC, announced even before the release of the game (which gives the impression of content cut from the base game), is very, very expensive.
Local game modes
Players can play the single-player mode.
Online Game Modes
You can trade Pokémon and battle friends and strangers online.
Expansions/Add-ons (DLC)
The Mega Dimension expansion was announced even before the release of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. The release is scheduled for February 28, 2026. It will offer new Pokémon as well as an additional story chapter, at a cost of $40.
Our opinion
This new episode of Pokémon, the first available on Switch 2, has caused a lot of ink to flow, sparking polarized opinions. Let us add our brick to the edifice.
The satisfaction that players will have with Pokémon Legends: Z-A will depend greatly on their expectations. To the disappointment of many, Lumiose is never taken out of this adventure. Pokémon X/Y nostalgic who were hoping to see Shalour City or Vaniville Town again will be left wanting more. We never leave the city walls.
Collectors who were hoping to finally find a complete Pokédex with all 1025 catchable (or tradeable) Pokémon won’t find satisfaction either; Legends Z-A contains only 230 Pokémon, less than in Legends Arceus (or any other game since the second generation at the Game Boy Color).
The same goes for those who were hoping for a large-scale role-playing game à la Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (or even the indie Expedition 33). Despite Pokémon being the biggest multimedia franchise in the world, it seems that the developers at Game Freak prefer to keep their games on a smaller scale, so that they can continue to launch them at the same frantic pace.
The graphics are functional, the facial animations are even pleasant, but Pokémon Legends: Z-A is certainly not the most beautiful game on Switch 2. We haven’t tested the Switch 1 version, but we guess that it shouldn’t look like much either.
Music, on the other hand, remains a strong point of the Pokémon franchise. The soundtrack is once again excellent, if slightly repetitive.
All that being said, players who are willing to accept Pokémon Legends: Z-A for what it is, which is a simple JRPG designed for the widest possible audience and having fun experimenting with the codes of the franchise, will find satisfaction.
The new gameplay works well. I don’t necessarily want these new real-time battles to completely replace the franchise’s traditional game system, but for a side game, it’s a lot of fun. Unlimited PP and real-time combat change strategy. It becomes more viable to have more attacks of the same element in our arsenal, or to favor speed over pure damage.
Lumiose is also fun to explore. There are plenty of nooks and crannies, and I enjoyed wandering around the city hoping to find rarer Pokémon outside of the wild areas. Wild areas are also a nice idea, with progress being rewarded with new areas that offer us new Pokémon.
The story is never Pokémon’s strong point, but this one is a little more developed than usual. The cutscenes are sometimes a little too long and above all, impossible to skip, but the dialogues made us laugh several times.
The problem, in the end, is the same as with all of Nintendo’s recent releases. Pokémon Legends: Z-A is an enjoyable experience that dares to play with the codes of the franchise that is celebrating its 30th anniversary.
But when they have to pay $99.99, players expect a rich, generous and above all, impeccable experience, which Pokémon Legends: Z-A fails to offer, despite all its qualities.
Note: A code has been given to us for review by the publisher. This does not affect our rating.
