Longtime Pokémon fans know more or less what to expect from the series’ mainline RPGs, which is why the idea of a Legends spin-off is so enticing. In 2022’s Pokémon Legends: Arceus, players could embark on a sprawling adventure in the wide-open Hisui region and were tasked with filling out the area’s first Pokédex. Outside of its focus on exploration, Pokémon Legends: ZA has little in common with its predecessor, instead establishing Legends spin-offs as places for Game Freak to experiment with the core Pokémon formula while still delivering an experience that’s a little too familiar at times.
Instead of venturing out into the wild like in Legends: Arceus, Legends ZA confines you to Lumiose City, the largest metropolis in the Kalos region of Pokémon X and Y. While I prefer the more open exploration of Legends: Arceus, Lumiose was a powerful host throughout the 30+ hours of gameplay. A denser city offers more opportunities to find hidden items, side missions, and Pokémon Centers, and with plenty of swift travel locations, I was joyful to move quickly once I figured out the missions.
The plot involves entering ZA Royale and battling a growing group of trainers in Battle Zones that appear each night. With a novel real-time battle system where you command your Pokémon to attack using face buttons, you feel closer to being a trainer in the Pokémon world than ever before. Giving commands and watching them play out with timing and positioning and matching types made me feel like I was in an anime episode.
The moves are the same ones we’ve been using for years, but with novel considerations like cooldowns and preload times, I had to rethink which attacks I wanted to give to my favorite Pokémon; I found myself using moves I rarely exploit in other games and changing loadouts frequently, which is a testament to this novel system. I’ve always been a fan of turn-based battles, but the immersion this real-time system provides is unmatched in the series.
Speaking of Pokémon fantasy, the game’s Wild Zones offer concentrated areas where you can find Pokémon to add to your team. I like that if you knock out a wild Pokémon, which is easier to accidentally do in a faster fight, you still have a chance to catch it rather than disappearing like in previous games. And coming across powerful Alpha variants of wild Pokémon always led to intimidating but satisfying mini-boss-style encounters. Taking the time to fill out your team through Wild Zones is crucial when night falls and ZA Royale begins.
Once in Battle Zones, you can sneak up on Trainers and their Pokémon to perform sneak attacks. This satisfyingly tricky strategy starts the battle with you ahead, and in some cases knocks out a Pokémon in a single punch. I loved throwing myself at other trainers for an uncomplicated battle, but the stealth system is antiquated and unreliable; I hit it a few times, but the coach saw me when I hit it and it didn’t count, so they got the advantage. Fortunately, these battles are rarely arduous, so the penniless stealth mechanics only delayed my victory.
Tough battles were usually reserved for promotion matches that occurred after defeating enough trainers. By winning them, you climb the ZA Royale ranks and advance the story. I like the tournament-style premise and the more habitual Mega Evolutions that take the X and Y gimmick beyond the “press to win” button. However, where the tournament intertwines with the story, the execution falls tiny. You omit most rankings for the sake of storytelling convenience, and all promotional matches focus on characters appearing at the right time, which causes a fascinating initial idea to be revealed as a paper-thin narrative façade.
The more fascinating narrative moments come from the phenomenon of Rogue Mega Evolved Pokémon spawning around town. I liked the continuing thread of connections between the events of Pokémon X and Y and these overpowered bosses that appear throughout the game. And defeating them in battle is even more fun. In addition to targeting your Pokémon, these Rogue Mega Evolved creatures also focus on your character, which means you’ll have to constantly dodge during these fights. Battles are intense and well-paced, but I found it frustrating when I lacked a specific type of Pokémon to oppose, as your monster not only needs to be the right type and level, but also be able to Mega Evolve to really make an impact.
If you’re not climbing the ZA Royale ranks, filling out your Pokédex, or quelling Rogue’s Mega Evolved Pokémon, Lumiose has plenty of extra content and exploration to keep you occupied. By completing research tasks, such as catching different types or completing Wild Zones, you earn TMs and other occasional items. Meanwhile, other city dwellers ask you for assist with various tasks, which often involve trading or fighting with them. While they are usually uneventful and occasionally veer into tutorial territory, I completed everything I could because the rewards are worth it.
These side missions also sometimes open up paths to rooftops where rewards and wild Pokémon rest. Once I unlocked the ability to glide using my Rotom phone, exploration opened up further as my character could jump from rooftop to rooftop. I also looked for different configurations of construction scaffolding that serve as diminutive platforming puzzles. Finding your way up isn’t arduous, and projects are often left unfinished, but it’s a unique way to take advantage of the city’s verticality.
While Legends: ZA performs well, which is more than can be said for other recent Pokémon games at launch, the technology still remains woefully inferior to other long-running and successful franchises. The lack of voice acting is perhaps the most noticeable element, but the animations, graphics, and sound effects feel like they’re generations behind other RPGs. Pokémon was once narrow by handheld gaming technology, and for its first few Switch entries, it seemed like Game Freak was still finding its footing on consoles. Now, seven years after the series debuted on Switch, it feels like the presentation should evolve beyond that point.
Even though I last visited Lumiose City over a decade ago in Pokémon X and Y, I couldn’t assist but feel a constant feeling of déjà vu, not because of the city, but because of Pokémon’s routine. Still, where Legends: ZA experiments with the Pokémon formula, it manages to deliver a novel experience that will hopefully encourage Game Freak to continue to question what Pokémon games could be in the future.
