Pokémon Legends: Arceus marked a significant change for the long-running franchise. Veering into action, and providing large open zones for players to explore, the thrilling changes to capture mechanics and the gorgeous world of Hisui ushered in a new series’ high.
- The Escapist recaps
- A city escape
- Studying the blade
- A new batch
- A generational leap
- A new legend is born
- Ask The Escapist
- References
Now, a few years later, and as we rapidly approach Pokémon’s 30th anniversary next February, Pokémon Legends Z-A is set to shake up the Pokémon formula similarly. However, the adventure in Lumiose City is more focused, streamlined, and a different beast altogether.
The Escapist recaps
- Pokémon Legends: Z-A follows on from Legends: Arceus, a new branch of the mainline Pokémon franchise that explores new mechanics.
- Battles in Pokémon Legends: Z-A are real-time, with moves swapping PP for a cool-down timer like the Xenoblade series.
- Wild Pokémon are scattered across Lumiose City and also contained within Wild Zones, with the amount and variety increasing as you progress.
- Mega Evolution returns from Pokémon X & Y, alongside most of the original Mega Evolutions, and the introduction of several new Megas as well.
- Pokémon Legends Z-A is available for both Switch and Switch 2, with the latter offering improved visuals, framerate, and general performance.
A city escape
Pokémon Legends: Arceus was a shot in the arm for the franchise. A bold new entry that changed core mechanics, and for many (myself included), those changes created one of the best Pokémon games in years, and certainly the best to grace the Switch. So then, Legends: Z-A has a legacy to uphold and expectations to meet. Which is why it’s so interesting to see that Game Freak didn’t just copy what worked about Arceus.
Gone are the large open zone areas, forget about the feudal Japan aesthetic, and don’t expect to discover regional forms of beloved Pokémon. Instead, your adventure through Lumiose City is sharply designed to encourage and reward battling. At first glance, this wasn’t exciting to me, and I wished for a closer sequel to Arceus, perhaps exploring the history of Johto. But like all the best surprises, I’m happy to have discovered something I didn’t know I wanted.
Lumiose City is dense, it feels well populated, and there are cafes and clothing stores down every street. As you explore, you find Pidgey hanging on street lamps, Trubbish tucked behind bins in dark alleyways, and Kakuna hanging on trees. The scope of Z-A’s world feels smaller, but it is so rewarding to explore.
Studying the blade
The first few moments of Legends: Z-A have your player travelling through Kalos and arriving at Lumiose City, one of the major locations in Pokémon X & Y. Set five years after those titles, your adventure quickly has you meeting Team MZ, a bright bunch who occupy Hotel Z, alongside the returning AZ and his Floette.
Then, you are drafted into the Z-A Royale, a tournament that has you rising through the ranks and defeating a slew of weaker opponents to earn your chance to take on more challenging promotion matches. There is a lot of battling in Z-A, so it’s great that Game Freak has created its best battling system to date.
Shifting from the classic turn-based to real-time action is risky, but here it makes battles more engaging and demanding. From here, I hope the Pokémon franchise is split, much like Square Enix treats modern Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. Both systems have their perks, but they can also both exist at once.
Similar to Xenoblade (which we know Z-A Director Haruka Tochigi is a fan of), battles demand you consider placement to strengthen moves, while hazards such as Stealth Rock now occupy a physical space you have to avoid. The cooldown timer means stocking up your Pokémon with just the strongest moves leaves you vulnerable, so other moves are now more viable and generally encouraged.
The strategy added to the existing Pokémon formula is already great, but it’s the added dynamism of moving your Trainer around while controlling Pokémon that sells it. You can even sneak up on other Trainers and just charge with a move to wipe them out; every element of battling just feels so satisfying. This is frankly the most fun I’ve ever had battling in a Pokémon game, and I hope the Legends series never changes back.
A new batch
Perhaps the other defining feature of Legends Z-A is the return of the beloved Mega Evolution mechanic, where Pokémon take on a powerful but temporary new form that changes their appearance, stats, and occasionally even their typing. Not just thrown in for fan service, here it works wonderfully alongside the more active battle system, working as a crescendo that rewards both training your Pokémon and smart in-battle choices.
In particular, you will fight bosses in the form of Rogue Mega Evolved Pokémon, where a rampaging creature like Mega Absol needs to be soothed. Here, the Pokémon attack the player themselves, and you have to balance maneuvering and dodging, alongside commanding your Pokémon.
These bosses are seriously tough, and each new Rogue Mega brings different challenges to the fight. It’s also an absolute joy to see a new Mega Evolution for the first time here, with these boss fights working as grand set pieces to reveal the new forms. Some new Mega Pokémon slap, some are fine, but the strength of these boss fights is undeniable.
A generational leap
While Z-A might not mark the beginning of Pokémon’s 10th generation, it does mark the first entry with a Switch 2 Edition. Importantly, it wasn’t made for Switch 2, but instead, this is a game clearly developed for the original Switch. I haven’t played the OG Switch version; instead, I’ve spent all my time on Switch 2 to enjoy the improved graphical fidelity and load times.
Z-A certainly runs well, and considering the faults of both Scarlet/Violet and occasionally, Legends: Arceus, it’s good to see that performance shouldn’t impede gameplay. The 60fps gameplay helps battles feel smooth, the enhanced 4K visuals make Lumiose City sparkle, and jumping between fast travel points feels near instant.
However, if there’s one element I miss from Legends: Arceus, it is the strength of the art direction. There, Hisui used a particular painterly style and a very colourful palette to give the game a unique and standout visual identity. Z-A looks technically better in every way.
Yet, I wish some of that effort had been poured into making the buildings less mundane, crafting better lighting effects, or bringing more variety to the different regions and rooftops you explore across Lumiose City. The smaller setting is inspired and feels teeming with life. I just wish it looked a little prettier, not better.
Thankfully, rounding out the package is some impeccable character design, especially for the Team MZ crew, such as Naveen, and the immediate fan-favorite Canari. Another element strongly worth mentioning is the incredible soundtrack, with a full-bodied and rich arrangement that pumps energy into every encounter.
It’s a testament to the game’s writing and story that Legends Z-A feels like the strongest narrative throughline in any Pokémon game for years. Even sidequests have some laugh-out-loud dialogue, and there are plenty of them to round out your adventure well beyond when the main quest is finished.
Progression is also encouraged by the fantastic Mable’s Research, a path of challenges that intuitively reward you for exploring. The steady stream of rewards, like TMs and other rare items, helps push you to catch every Pokémon in Wild Zones and explore every corner.
A new legend is born
Pokémon Legends Z-A improves on its predecessor, Arceus, by making battles just as fun as the previous entry made catching. The Z-A Royale and the mystery of Rogue Mega Pokémon mean exploring Lumiose City is a consistently rewarding delight, especially when every corner feels carefully curated with Pokémon quests, items, and more.
While visual fidelity is no match for Arceus’ better artistic direction, Z-A runs flawlessly. Plus, visually, both Lumiose City and the title’s character designs have moments of brilliance. Altogether, whether exploring Wild Zones to uncover Pokémon, steamrolling through battles, or leaping across rooftops, Pokémon Legends Z-A is a consistently and brilliantly rewarding entry in the Pokémon franchise that hopefully heralds the start of a new standard.
Ask The Escapist
Outside of a few Easter Eggs, there is no narrative cohesion between the titles. Legends Z-A can be played and enjoyed with no prior Pokémon knowledge. However, fans would benefit from playing Pokémon X & Y to better understand the story.
Yes, Shiny Pokémon announce their arrival with the same jingle from Arceus. They also have a consistent sparkling aura like Pokémon Let’s Go, and even have the Shiny icon next to their name when you focus on them.
While Pokémon has confirmed that compatibility with Pokémon Home is coming in the future, it is not available at launch. It’s likely to be months away, similar to the same timeframe afforded to Legends: Arceus.
Yes, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have already announced the Mega Dimension DLC, alongside two new Mega Evolution forms for the Pokémon Raichu. Not much else is known about the DLC at the time of writing.
Last Updated On: Oct 21, 2025 6:56 pm CEST