Pokemon Legends: Z-A Reviews
Pokémon Legends Z-A takes up the mindset of its predecessor Arceus and interprets the familiar Pokémon gameplay a little differently. Instead of collecting badges, we increase our rank by battling other trainers in order to gradually rise to become the best Pokémon trainer. We also follow various main and side quests and different challenges instead of wandering more or less aimlessly from arena to arena. The open game world, which consists of an atmospherically designed city, invites us to explore and offers us not only different districts but also so-called wild sectors for catching wild Pokémon. The environment is surprisingly lively in the central locations and impresses with its successful atmosphere – in the more remote areas, however, it looks much gloomier. At the heart of the game, however, is the new real-time battle system, which leaves the turn-based battles of the past behind and puts us, as trainers, right in the middle of the action, both when battling other trainers and when catching Pokémon. We really liked the new battle system, because it finally brings more action to the familiar gameplay and thus also a much-needed breath of fresh air – especially in combination with the Mega Evolutions. The Pokémon series could also really use this breath of fresh air in terms of its graphical presentation – but Legends Z-A can't really deliver on that front. Although the game world is really impressive with its great atmosphere and its remarkable day and night cycle, if you take a closer look, flat and blurry textures, flat windows without reflections, and rather sporadic movement of vegetation, hair, and clothing are somewhat disappointing. The power of the new Switch could definitely have been put to better use here. In terms of gameplay, however, Pokémon Legends Z-A was really fun and gives us hope that the main series might also get a facelift in the near future.
Review in German | Read full review
This game is different from what Pokémon fans are used to, but it’s a good kind of different. Pokémon Legends: Z-A adds another good game to the Switch 2 just before the holiday season.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is a fun game and an excellent way to start the series on the Nintendo Switch 2. The gameplay innovations are very good, and the combat system is the most fun the franchise has to offer so far.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Z-A is a good Pokémon game, but not the big leap that many were expecting. It's a title that relies more on nostalgia and experimentation than on consistency, and one that will likely divide opinions among fans.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Game Freak succeeds in taking the strengths from Pokemon Legends: Arceus and Pokemon Scarlet and Violet to create what felt like its freshest take on Pokemon’s battle system and exploration yet. I especially recommend it to both newbies and longtime fans who enjoy exploration, experimenting with Pokemon teams, and customizing their outfits.
Pokémon Legends: ZA brings exciting real-time action and a bold new style to the series, but its lack of variety and a lifeless city prevent it from reaching its full potential.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
With fresh ideas and innovative combat for the franchise, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is a title full of ups and downs. It does offer a fun campaign, engaging characters, and a dynamic battle system, but lackluster visuals and some odd limitations dull the shine of what could have been one of the series’ best entries.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is the best game in the franchise in many years, but it still doesn’t update the formula enough for you to feel like you’re playing a truly modern version of what Pokémon should be in 2025. With its highs and lows, we hope that Game Freak has learned its lesson and will continue moving in the right direction from here on out.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Pokémon Legends: Z-A swaps open fields for urban sprawl and structured ambition. A satisfying gameplay loop and some bold new ideas go a long way toward offsetting its shortcomings. It’s not as strong as Pokémon Legends: Arceus, but that still makes it the second-best Pokémon game of the last decade.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A promised a lush environment, a magical city, and fun Poké fights. It was unfortunately half-baked all of it, but the potential is there. We have high hopes for the next Legends game in the series.
Review in Czech | Read full review
Pokemon Legends: Z-A doesn't move the needle for the series as much as Arceus did, but the great changes to combat do a lot to keep you engaged, even when it stagnates and feels uninspired in other areas.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is recommended for being a very entertaining title with its own unique essence. Its reinterpretation of what it means to be a trainer makes it one of the freshest, most human, and most coherent installments in the entire series. It is a game that combines innovation and nostalgia and, despite its technical issues, gives the impression of being a new starting point for Pokémon.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Pokémon Legends Z-A also offers a unique experience for the Pokémon license, in which players will share their time climbing the ranks of the rankings, completing the Pokédex by traveling to all the wild areas even if it means crossing paths with formidable Pokémon Barons, completing secondary missions with multiple rewards, and appeasing Mega-Férox who serve up nervous battles of great intensity. This is the first time that we explore a metropolis without leaving it, players will have reason to be disconcerted and regret an exploration that is much less engaging, even if the game benefits from an unprecedented verticality by offering the rooftops of Illumis as a playground. Nevertheless, the adventure is convincing overall and will keep us on the edge of our seats for a good thirty hours, more for the most completionists.
Review in French | Read full review
Real-time combat and strong storytelling make Pokémon Legends: Z-A a bold step forward, even if restrictive zones, Lumiose’s limits, and no voice acting hold it back from true greatness.
After the success of Pokémon Legends Arceus, fans hoped that Pokémon A-Z would breathe new life into the series, but the opposite appears to be true. The story takes place entirely in Lumious City, an atmospheric, empty city without charm or depth. Although the new action-oriented combat system is a nice addition, it lacks variety and quickly becomes monotonous. The limited world, dull graphics and lack of interaction with Pokémon ensure that the magic of the franchise disappears. Pokémon A-Z is simply not worth seventy euros and shows that Game Freak urgently needs to find a new direction.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is an overall strong step forward for the series, as it utilizes past mechanics alongside interesting new changes to great effect. The visuals are still underwhelming, and it takes a good while to get going, but other than that, this really does feel like the Pokémon Z we thought we’d get so long ago, but with plenty of exciting modern twists.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is an excellent title for fans of the franchise, featuring dynamic and strategic combat, a captivating story, and enjoyable gameplay. Despite below-expected graphics and the lack of Portuguese localization, the battles and the franchise’s signature charm deliver an engaging and promising experience
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Pokémon Legends: Z-A departs from the mainline Pokémon titles and succeeds in telling its own story, with a very engaging battle system. It has a great gameplay loop that kept me hooked from start to end, and plenty to find in a small city. While not perfect, it feels like a new take on Pokémon, with elements I'd love to see carry over to the next mainline installment.
Pokémon Legends Z-A is a welcome change of pace in a series that’s been running for almost 30 years. Here’s hoping the Legends games continue to serve as testing grounds for new ideas, and that the core mainline games can bring some learned lessons in exciting ways.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A represents a step forward for the series, offering a fresh and, above all, entertaining experience that makes hours of gameplay fly by like minutes. The only real obstacles lie in its outdated game engine and a level design that sometimes hinders the player, undermining the overall experience and lowering the game’s value. Nevertheless, there is strong hope that this marks the new direction Game Freak intends to pursue for future titles, and that the studio will finally set aside its now overused engine to deliver a game that, both visually and technically, truly lives up to its name.
Review in Italian | Read full review