Pokemon Legends: Z-A Is Terrible Value

By Nintendo Co., Ltd./Game Freak Inc./Creatures Inc. - https://press.pokemon.com/en/Release-Date-for-Pokemon-Legends-Z-A-Revealed-and-Pokemon-Presents-Vid, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=80792028

I have been playing through Pokémon Legends: Z-A on the Nintendo Switch 2, and I want to tell you my thoughts on the game. Prior to obtaining this game, I think I have heard every kind of extreme opinion where I have heard unnecessary praise, as well as unnecessary hatred of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. The truth is, Pokémon Legends: Z-A falls somewhere in the middle of these two extremes. I have already talked at length about Game Freak's (lack of) role in the development of this game, so I am just going to focus on what I liked and did not like about the game.

I first want to pay particular attention to this game's story and characters. I enjoyed the overall story of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, and there has been a noticeable improvement in the writing of the story and the various characters over other previous Switch titles such as Sword/Shield and Legends: Arceus. The personalities of the major characters are on display to the benefit of the story. However, it is still criminal that this 2025 release of a major Pokémon title does not have voice-acting. There were RPGs that came out over 25 years ago that have voice-acting in their games (like Final Fantasy X and Shenmue) and Game Freak still refuses to implement it. Voice-acting is an easy way to significantly improve the story experience.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A does away with the traditional turn-based battle system, and in its place, implements a real-time battle system between Pokémon where the moves that you use has a cooldown timer before you can use the move again (instead of Power Points). There is an additional element of strategy as your Pokémon can now move around with you to avoid certain attacks. The real-time battle system is a nice idea, but there is room for refinement and improvement. For example, instead of controlling the Pokémon trainer in a battle, you can control the Pokémon itself. Also, Pokémon abilities are no longer in Legends: Z-A, so it would be nice to have those as well.

Performance wise, Pokémon Legends: Z-A runs well on the Switch 2 with no hiccups or framerate slowdowns, which is a far cry from playing Scarlet/Violet on the Switch 1. This game, at the very least, meets the minimum standard on how a video game should perform. As for visuals, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is a mixed bag. The grass, trees, and Pokémon all look good and detailed. I also like how well-furnished the interior sections look. On the other hand, the textures on the buildings look horrible, and it is unacceptable on a Switch 2 title.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A takes place within the walls of Lumiose City in the Kalos region. Admittedly, this is a small map, especially when you compare this game to Legends: Arceus. A small map is not a bad thing if there are many things to see and do within the city. Just look at the Yakuza games as an excellent example on how to deliver with a small map. Lumiose City feels empty and bland. There is a lack of interesting things to see and do in this city, and you can only traverse the streets and rooftops for so long before everything feels the same.

Overall, I think Pokémon Legends: Z-A is just okay. I did have some fun catching and battling Pokémon all over the city. There are improvements to the story, writing, and game performance, but there are still familiar issues with no voice-acting, subpar visuals, and repetition in the gameplay loop. I do not think Pokémon Legends: Z-A is an improvement on Legends: Arceus, but rather a lateral shift in the franchise, and that is not good enough. I will say that I prefer the gameplay loop in Legends: Z-A with more of a balance between catching Pokémon and battling (maybe more weight towards battling) than the primary gameplay loop of catching Pokémon in Legends: Arceus.

There is one more thing I want to mention, and this is my biggest criticism of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. The Switch 2 edition of this game is $100 CAD plus tax, which is an insane price. Luckily, I had a couple of recent used games to trade in, so I ended up paying less than $30 CAD. Regardless, there are too many flaws and not enough content to justify paying full price for this game. Pokémon Legends Z-A is probably the worst value-for-money game I played this year, and the post-game DLC being $40 CAD further contributes heavily to the lack of value. I cannot in good conscience recommend this game at full price to anyone except for hardcore Pokémon fans, who were going to buy the game at full price anyway.