Quick Verdict
As a very casual Pokémon fan, I can’t help but wonder why Nintendo and Game Freak insist on creating the most basic games possible for the franchise. I completely understand that Pokémon ultimately caters to kids, but at this point, Pokémon GO and the Pokémon Trading Card Game have more complicated mechanics than the console games. The continued lack of voice acting really hurts the game more than you can imagine, as each of the characters’ personalities falls flat without it. I just had such a hard time forming any connection to any of the characters in Pokémon Legends: Z-A throughout my 35-hour playthrough.
Initially, the gameplay and combat feel fresh, but they quickly get boring and repetitive, even with so many different Pokémon at your disposal. As expected, Lumiose City grows bland within a few hours, and there isn’t the same sense of discovery you get in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Unfortunately, none of this will stop it from selling millions of copies, and that’s probably the main reason Nintendo and Game Freak continue to play it so safe.
AZ and Confused
Before you spend the time to read my full Pokémon Legends: Z-A review, I need to make it clear that I’m far from a Pokémon expert. In fact, I’d consider myself a filthy casual, and I’ll be comparing Pokémon Legends: Z-A against other modern video games. I played a bit of the Pokémon series in the Game Boy era before taking a very long break until Pokémon X and Y. I then did a playthrough of Pokémon Sword and Shield, followed by Pokémon Legends: Arceus. I really enjoyed Pokémon Legends: Arceus, so I had high hopes for Pokémon Legends: Z-A, especially since it was a follow-up to X and Y.
After an intense September and October reviewing games and hardware, I looked forward to a more casual and laid-back experience with Pokémon Legends: Z-A. I loved the idea of taking a break from precision parrying and loot RNG to freely run around and fill up my Pokédex. As someone who consistently skips over games in the Pokémon franchise, I always hope that, each time I return, it feels innovative and new. I did get that feeling with Pokémon Legends: Arceus, but the new combat system in Pokémon Legends: Z-A wasn’t enough to deliver that same sense of excitement this time around.
Truthfully, the novelty in Pokémon Legends: Z-A wears off after a few hours, and even Mega Evolutions don’t change much in terms of gameplay. The combat system is definitely more engaging than previous Pokémon games, switching to a cooldown-based system similar to what you’d find in an MMORPG or Xenoblade Chronicles game. It still lacks depth, and most battles involve spamming the same inputs in the same order, with little reason to react and change your strategy.
Mega Meh
As I mentioned in my Quick Verdict, it was really jarring when Pokémon Legends: Z-A started, and there was no voice acting, even in the opening cutscene and the game’s introduction. Coming off Ghost of Yōtei, the importance of good voice acting in modern games was fresh in my mind. In the past, Pokémon games could get away without voice acting, but its absence is really felt now. With the launch of the Switch 2, Nintendo and Game Freak really have no excuse for not including voice acting, especially for a title they know will sell millions of units worldwide.
Visually, Pokémon Legends: Z-A on the Switch 2 is without a doubt the best a Pokémon game has looked on console. But that’s really not saying much, because the presentation still leaves a lot to be desired. It’s interesting how a 3D Pokémon game can look so flat, given the way textures are applied to buildings throughout Lumiose City. Speaking of the buildings, you can’t enter most of them, and there really isn’t much variety in the city to keep it interesting. All that said, though, it’s impressive that you can explore Lumiose City mostly without loading screens, and the verticality greatly expands the explorable area. Unfortunately, the lack of a jump button is extremely frustrating in 2025 and shows how dated Pokémon games continue to be. To me, it just feels lazy to not include a jump button so that it’s easier to prevent the player from going to certain areas. There were several moments where I just rolled my eyes, having to go in circles to reach a specific rooftop spot on the map.
Performance on the Switch 2 Edition, though, was great. I didn’t notice any major frame drops, and the game really does look good in handheld mode. It still left me thinking this isn’t the best the hardware can do, with many character designs repeated throughout Lumiose City. Pokémon Legends: Z-A definitely feels like an anime in that respect, where you know which characters are actually part of the main story because they look so different. Everyone else? Copy-paste with different hair or eye colors.
Team Flare-Out
The new combat system has been the main talking point for Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It’s a real-time system where you issue one of four commands to your Pokémon, with skills operating on cooldowns instead of PP. If you’ve ever played an MMORPG such as World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy XIV, or any game in the Xenoblade Chronicles series, it’ll feel very similar. Where it gets frustrating, though, is trying to command your Pokémon to move to avoid an attack. While you can freely move your character during combat, your Pokémon are stubborn and prefer to stand directly in the path of multi-hit attacks. It also feels really clunky to use items mid-battle this time around, and I found myself spamming the X button only to watch my Pokémon die because the menu never popped up.
The combat system is more entertaining and fun than previous Pokémon games, but again, it feels like a half-step. It doesn’t take long to understand how it works, which is great for younger players, but there’s little to no depth. Eventually you’ll get the ability to use stronger + skills and Mega Evolutions, but the general gameplay remains the same. You’ll run around as the player character, trying to avoid attacks since the character can fall in battle, while spamming skills with your Pokémon. Of course, it’s still very much a rock-paper-scissors system with many different Pokémon types, and you’ll be able to customize and teach your Pokémon different skills. I’d say there were a handful of fights that were genuinely fun, as things got hectic and I had to adjust strategies on the fly. But that was extremely rare and didn’t happen until very late in the game.
The other main aspect of a Pokémon game, catching Pokémon, feels improved compared to Pokémon Legends: Arceus. You can freely run around Lumiose City and throw Poké Balls at Pokémon with a chance to capture them, but you can increase those odds by battling them and whittling them down to zero HP. You get a short window to throw a Poké Ball once you knock them to zero HP, but it’s still not guaranteed. My favorite quality-of-life change in Pokémon Legends: Z-A is the lost Poké Ball collector that stands outside each Pokémon Center. Now, if you accidentally throw a Poké Ball or miss a throw, it’s not lost forever and the collector returns it to you. It’s a handy feature, too, because getting used to cycling through the different Poké Balls and choosing the one you want to throw takes time.
Fairy Average
Once you’re free from the rather long tutorial and can explore Lumiose City without constant interruptions, the core gameplay loop of Pokémon Legends: Z-A is a day-night cycle. During the day, you can run around the city or Wild Zones, where Pokémon are mainly concentrated. It’s also a great time to complete the many side quests that are in the game, some of which are very shallow while others offer a cute story that brings the Pokémon to life. At night, Battle Zones appear, where you challenge other Pokémon Trainers to earn points toward a Challenger Ticket. Challenger Tickets are required to take on your designated opponent to rank up in the Z-A Royale. At any time, you can use a bench to swap from day to night or from night to day.
Personally, I spent my daytime capturing all the Pokémon in each Wild Zone, which also resulted in some grinding for my team. You’re able to keep six equipped at any time, and you’ll find yourself swapping quite a bit until you get the team you’re happy with. During the evenings, I mainly ignored Battle Zones until I needed a Challenger Ticket for my main quest. The day-night cycle is interesting, but it can also be frustrating. When the cycle flips from day to night (or night to day), it completely interrupts what you’re doing. If you’re in the middle of a battle, you’ll lose all progress, and the fight will reset. Even your Pokémon go back into their balls. Granted, the game gives you ample warning before it happens, but it’s still frustrating if you aren’t paying attention to the notice. It would be simple to delay the cycle change until the player is out of combat.
For the most part, the game involves exploring Lumiose City to reach your quest destination and doing a lot of Pokémon battles. If you enjoy the combat system, you’ll very likely enjoy much of the game. If you love capturing different Pokémon and experimenting with a variety of skills, Pokémon Legends: Z-A excels there, too. But at this point, those features are the bare minimum we’re expecting with a Pokémon game, and it feels a bit silly praising it for getting that part of the game right.
Haute Take
It’s not really an exaggeration to say many mobile games have more detail these days than Pokémon Legends: Z-A. I understand that Nintendo and Game Freak are in an interesting situation, with both an aging demographic of Pokémon fans and an entirely new, much younger generation. It will never be easy to design a game that caters to both audiences, but at this point you’re almost offending both groups by keeping the games as simple as they are. The reason this review took so long to publish is that I frankly got bored playing Pokémon Legends: Z-A. I just found a game like Megabonk so much more entertaining and fun to play.
The frustrating part of all this is that Pokémon will always print money, which means Nintendo and Game Freak don’t have a pressing reason to push the games to a new level. This latest entry builds on Pokémon Legends: Arceus and innovates a bit with the combat system, but compared to other modern games, it’s a very average experience. The multiplayer system follows suit, and I couldn’t find it terribly engaging or fun. It’s honestly a bit chaotic and feels like a crapshoot if you’re trying to be competitive.
Overall, the story and characters feel pretty generic and bland. It was nice to revisit Lumiose City and see some familiar faces, but the entire experience wasn’t very memorable. It might sound like I’m being overly critical, but at this point, I’m just really disappointed that this is the Pokémon game kicking off the Switch 2 era. I know it’s probably held back by being a cross-generation title, but Pokémon fans really deserve better. For now, though, it seems like I’ll go back to taking a hiatus between major Pokémon games. Disappointingly, this wasn’t a long enough break to feel like the series is finally making strides in the right direction.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A
Pokémon Legends: Z-A has an official release date of October 16, 2025, for Switch and Switch 2. This review is based on a purchased retail copy of the game on Switch 2. While FullCleared does have affiliate partnerships, they do not influence our editorial content. We may earn a commission for purchases made through links on this page.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A Review Gallery (possible spoilers!)
