Pokémon Legends: Z-A is Disappointing But Also Sometimes Fun

Console: Switch 2

Time Played: 30 hours

Pokémon Legends: Z-A is a total mixed bag. There are certain aspects to it that I definitely enjoy, but in a lot of key areas the game also really misses the mark. I think the fact that Pokémon and Nintendo are willing to take the Pokémon franchise in a different direction with the games in this Legends series is a major positive. However, after having loved Pokémon Legends: Arceus when it was released three years ago, it’s hard not to view Z-A, its successor, as somewhat of a disappointment.

What I enjoyed most about Pokémon Legends: Arceus was it’s open world aspects and just how much the game seemed to focus on the idea of simply catching different Pokémon. Sure, it seems pretty simple – a Pokémon game that focuses on catching Pokémon, but up until Arceus, Pokémon’s main titles always centered around beating other gyms/trainers, defeating the Elite Four, and becoming League Champion. Filling out your Pokédex was always a secondary part of the game.

Did Arceus lack a real story? Sure, it did. But I didn’t really mind that so much since I enjoyed exploring the different environments and catching Pokémon. I never felt the urge to complete a Pokédex in any Pokémon game until Arceus.

With Pokémon Legends: Z-A it’s almost like the developers said to themselves, “Remember how you loved an open world filled with Pokémon to encounter? Remember how much fun it was to explore and go at your own pace? Well, forget all of that.”

For some reason, instead of giving us more, even fuller open environments to journey though, they decided to set Z-A entirely in one concrete city. Pokémon’s plots have never been a strongpoint, and this game is no exception. If you love bland cutscenes where you can frequently choose between two dialogue options that are basically the same response, you’re in for a treat. Ultimately, the only real thing Z-A has in common with Arceus is that it’s different from a mainline Pokémon game.

For these reasons, in the first few hours I was playing this game, I did not enjoy it one bit. I strongly considered stopping playing altogether. But, as we all know, acceptance is the first part in moving forward, and that’s true for Pokémon games too. When I took a step back and accepted that Z-A wasn’t going to be a game I was as fond of as I was Arceus, I was able to finally appreciate the game for what it does do well.

While taking place entirely in Lumiose City is a missed opportunity, the game does a great job at making the city feel full. My favorite part of the game was exploring the city and doing Side Missions. There are over 100 of these little quests that pop up as you play through the (mostly blah) main storyline.

These Side Missions are totally optional and vary widely in how easy they are to accomplish. Some are just battling other citizens, but you’ll also have to do things like help a film director get certain Pokémon for his movie or help a furfrou trimmer learn new styles and then face a league of furfrou trainers. I really enjoyed searching out these little quests and accomplishing them. 

As you play, certain areas of the city also become designated Wild Zones where Pokémon can be caught. The game uses a real-time battle system instead of the typical turn-based system when you encounter a wild Pokémon, and I felt like it worked pretty well. I actually prefer turn-based combat but switching it up here wasn’t something I minded. Battling and catching Pokémon in Wild Zones was a fun part of the game.

Another aspect of Z-A is working your way up the ranks in Ranked Battles. To do this you have to face off against trainers to get points before you can accept a promotion match. Every night, a certain area of the city will be delegated as having the other trainers to battle. I thought that the jarring, abrupt switch from day to night could be annoying, but I didn’t mind having this sort of system for fighting a bunch of trainers when that was something I felt like doing.

Overall, I think I liked this game. I didn’t love it, but it wasn’t bad. The main story was subpar, and I could’ve done with less of it. Still, there were enough fun components to the game, like the Side Missions, catching Pokémon in Wild Zones, and the battling other trainers when I was in the mood for that all in a row.  If you can get over that initial disappointment, there’s definite fun to be had here if you can just accept the game for what it is.

Grade: 7/10