Pokemon Legends Z-A Review
Release Date: 16/10/2025
Platforms: NS/NS2
Platform played on: NS2
Hours Played: 70 (100% Completion)
Score: 9/10
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is the follow-up to Legends: Arceus, and while it’s still technically a spin-off, it feels like a confident step forward. The Legends series isn’t mainline Pokémon. It trades the strict turn-based format for a freer, more active combat style. And this new entry shows just how well that approach can work when refined.
Right away, the biggest difference is where the focus lies. Arceus pushed you to endlessly farm wild Pokémon, catching the same species over and over to fill your Pokédex. Z-A flips that idea around. Most of your progress comes from battling trainers instead of grinding captures, and that one change makes a world of difference. You’ll still do some catching near the end if you want to complete everything, but for most of the game you’re fighting, ranking up, and exploring. It just feels more alive.
The entire adventure takes place within Lumiose City, the bustling hub from Pokémon X & Y. When I first realized it was limited to one city, I thought it would be a major step back. It isn’t. Lumiose has been completely reimagined. Taller, denser, and layered with paths across rooftops, alleys, and plazas. I won’t pretend I didn’t wish I could venture beyond the city limits, but the verticality and amount of detail here keep it engaging. By the end, I’d grown attached to the place.
Day and night play a bigger role this time too. During the day, you can freely explore, complete side quests, and train. At night, special battle zones open up across the city. These zones are where most of the action happens: you take on waves of trainers to earn points, climb through the ranks from Z up to A, and challenge powerful opponents in promo matches. The loop is addictive and gives the story a clear rhythm.
Combat feels much tighter now. The freer movement system returns from Arceus, letting you reposition during fights, dodge attacks, and line up moves. It’s faster and more responsive than ever, with cleaner animations and real impact behind the attacks. Mega Evolutions are also back with over sixty of them — and they slot perfectly into the flow of battle. They add a welcome bit of spectacle without breaking balance, which makes them fun to use even outside of competitive setups. Combined with finally a stable frame rate, the battles can look and feel great.
Visually, for a Pokemon game, it’s solid. Some textures still look rough if you stop to notice them, but the lighting, scale, and performance are a huge improvement over previous titles. The one technical letdown is the continued lack of voice acting. Characters now move their lips and have expressive animations, yet the silence during big scenes feels awkward.
Since the story is confined to one city, the traditional “routes” are replaced by Wild Zones. Small, contained areas that open up as you progress. Each has a handful of Pokémon to catch, and while the idea occasionally feels a bit artificial, it works well enough to add variety. You’ll find plenty to do beyond the main story too: over a hundred quick side quests, lots of collectibles, and a trimmed but manageable Pokédex of 230 Pokémon.
The quality-of-life improvements are also worth noting. You can evolve Pokémon directly from the menu once they meet the level requirement, move multiple Pokémon between boxes easily, and even get a little thumbs-up icon when trading to show what the other person doesn’t have. There’s even an NPC who retrieves any Poké Balls you miss — small details that make a big difference.
By the time the credits roll, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels far more substantial than its spin-off label suggests. The single-city setup might not be for everyone, and if you’re a hardcore competitive player, you may not find your next meta team here. But if you just want to have fun and enjoy Pokémon again, to explore, battle, and experiment without the grind. This game delivers.
It’s stable, fun, and surprisingly full of life. If Game Freak can take what works here and expand it beyond the city walls next time, the Legends series might just outgrow its “spin-off” status entirely.
