Pokemon Legends: Z-A - Switch 2 Review

You might be in for a mega surprise when you find out that Pokémon Legends: Z-A is, without a doubt in my mind, the best Pokémon game in the Switch generation of titles. Returning to Lumiose City after 12 years of *existential dread*, we take the role of a tourist who immediately gets stolen from and, in the process of retrieving our property, are pulled into the battle competition that's taken over the city. It's time to make a legend of yourself, climb to rank A, catch all the Pokémon, and mega evolve your way to victory.

The Good

Pokémon battles are the main focus of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, with nighttime having its own designated battle areas. Battles play out similarly to the Xenoblade series, with attacks on a cooldown as you run around commanding your Pokémon. Despite being a turn-based combat purist, I genuinely had a lot of fun in combat and find myself engaging in mechanics like switching to avoid attacks or manipulating Pokémon positions for optimal attacks. 

The Switch 2 is probably the best thing for the Pokémon franchise, as most performance issues that were infamous on the Switch are a moot point now. With fast loading, smooth transitions, a populated city, and Pokémon just living their lives, there's a huge improvement over titles like Scarlet and Violet on the Switch.

I don't care what people say; these new mega designs are amazing! Mega Starmie is absolutely hilarious to watch running around, and Mega Victreebel is so goofy that I can't help but smile when I see that bloated boy bounce around. Then you also have some of the coolest designs I've seen, like with Mega Hawlucha, who just looks so extravagant swapping out the lucha mask for a new golden one. Although this is a missed opportunity to add some new convergent evolution and regional variant Pokémon to Kalos.

TL;DR

• Engaging combat
• Runs smoothly
• Fun mega designs

The Bad

My first two hours of Pokémon Legends: Z-A just seemed to eternally drag on as Taunie pulled me around Lumiose City, slowly introducing me to the base mechanics. This isn't the biggest issue; however, I struggled to pay attention fully and just wanted to explore the city already. This problem feels exacerbated with the refusal to include voice acting in Pokémon titles. Even if it's just the cutscenes. Voice acting brings so much life to a scene and captures players' attention more. 

Lumiose City is visually very much the exact same across the entire city, lacking any variety at all. Having an industrial area, business area, and residential area more defined with different colours, types of buildings, or anything to stand out from different sections would make such a difference. Without the map I had no idea where I was going and had to constantly double-check to make sure I was heading towards my intended goal, even with pins.

TL;DR

• Extended tutorial
• Lack of voice acting
• Visual variety insufficient

Final Score: 8/10

If you're a Pokémon fan, you're probably already playing Legends: Z-A, but if you're not, I can't help but recommend jumping in now, even if you're only able to play on the Switch. You've just got to get through the slow start and keep yourself entertained without voice acting. The best Pokémon game in recent years and hopefully a sign of overall improvements in the years to come.

Thank you for checking out our Pokémon Legends: Z-A Switch review, thank you to Nintendo AU/NZ for providing the review code and thank you to our Patreon Backers for their ongoing support:

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