Pokemon Legends: Z-A launched yesterday, and the community can’t agree if it’s brilliant or disappointing. The game ditches turn-based combat for real-time battles and confines players to a single city. Reviews are sitting at 79-86 on Metacritic, but player reactions tell a messier story.
What’s Different
The biggest change is real-time combat. You can move around during battles, dodge attacks like in the anime, and launch moves without waiting for turns. TechRadar called it “the Pokemon game I always wanted,” praising how positioning and timing finally matter.
But Reddit’s response is mixed. Some players love the action-focused system, while others say the cooldown-based moves feel “awkward” and remove strategic depth. One NeoGAF user summed it up: “Big turnoffs for me is UI and the 4 moves being cooldown based.”
The game also takes place entirely in Lumiose City from X and Y. No routes, no wilderness, just urban exploration with “Wild Zones” scattered throughout. Performance is way better than Scarlet/Violet (solid frame rates on Switch 2), but GameSpot gave it a 7/10, noting the single location “loses some of the Pokemon magic.”
Community Reactions
YouTube and Reddit comments range from “graphics look like 2010” to “this is exactly what the series needed.” The positive camp loves Mega Evolutions being central to the story and the improved technical performance. Critics argue exploring rooftops and cafes doesn’t match the joy of trekking through forests.
One consistent complaint: no voice acting in 2025 feels dated, especially for important cutscenes.
The Bottom Line
If you loved Legends: Arceus and want to see Game Freak experiment more, Z-A is worth trying. The real-time combat alone makes it one of the most unique Pokemon games in years. But if you value open-world freedom over dense urban gameplay, the single-city setting might wear thin.
Are you picking this up or waiting to see how it holds up?
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