Pokémon Legends: Z‑A Is Fast, Fashionable, and Missing Mega Evolution
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is a new entry from Game Freak and The Pokémon Company, released for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. The game is set in Lumiose City (the Paris-inspired city from Pokémon X and Y) and uses a real-time battle system with cooldown-based moves. The review build was played on Nintendo Switch 2 for nearly 30 hours.
Game overview
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo. It launches players into a single urban area: Lumiose City. Instead of traveling across a region, progression is focused on the Z-A Royale, a ranked series of trainer battles that culminate in promotion matches and the goal of reaching rank A.
Real-time battles
The game replaces turn-based combat with a real-time system. Moves have cooldown timers, so attacks become available again after a short delay. Consequently, players and AI can sometimes attack at the same time, which may lead to simultaneous hits.
Positioning is important: your partner Pokémon follows you or moves to set locations to use certain moves. Some abilities are long-range, while others require close proximity. Trainer matches in the Royale occur at night, and players can sneak to trigger surprise openings for a free attack.
During fights, the interface shows attack results and status effects on screen, but those messages appear briefly. Players may need to rely on visual and timing cues while watching opponents, since the action moves quickly.
Exploring Lumiose City
Lumiose City in Z-A is smaller than region-spanning maps from some past entries, but it is dense with locations and NPCs. Wildlife and Pokémon appear in urban contexts: for example, Pidgey move along sidewalks, small monkey Pokémon (the Pan Trio) appear on lampposts, and bug-type Pokémon like Kakuna cling to trees.
Indoors, the game presents a variety of battle venues. Matches can take place in restaurants with patrons watching, in tournament courts with chandeliers overhead, and inside faction headquarters with distinct decor. These indoor arenas provide different visual contexts for battles across the Royale and other events.
Final notes
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is available now on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. The review was conducted on Nintendo Switch 2 after almost 30 hours of playtime. The game keeps the series’ core loop of catching and battling Pokémon, while introducing a city-focused map and a real-time combat system.
