Pokémon Legends: Z-A Review

Legends: Z-A is two games wearing one cartridge. The first is the most interesting combat Pokemon has tried in a generation. Battles now play out in real time, where you move your trainer, position your Pokemon and time attacks by their cooldowns rather than waiting for a menu, and the return of Mega Evolution gives the late fights real spectacle. Setting the whole story inside a rebuilt Lumiose City, rather than another sprawling region, is a smart way to focus everything.

The second game is the one Game Freak keeps shipping, and it drags. The city looks dated up close, with flat textures and pop in that a 2025 release should be past, and the world outside the battles is thin, a set of blocks to walk between rather than a place. The story is pleasant and better structured than most in the series, but nobody will mistake the presentation for a technical showcase.

If you can look past the visuals, the battle system alone makes this the most forward looking mainline adjacent Pokemon in years, and a hint of what the series could be. If presentation is where you live, temper your expectations. It sold enormously either way, which means the ideas here will not be the last we see of them.