GameFreak’s “Pokémon Legends: Z-A” was released on October 16, 2025 on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 worldwide. Since this game is currently just over one month old, it is important to take the time and see what everything has to offer and to be patient with it as a general consumer. “Pokémon Legends: Z-A” is one of the many installments of the Pokémon franchise and as an avid fan, I could not wait for this game. It made me very nervous to see early negative reactions of the game being due to the poor graphics which honestly does bother me a lot that Pokémon has not worked with Nintendo and GameFreak on improving the visuals of the game. But even with the low quality backgrounds and sluggish rendering, this game was still so much fun and addicting.
*DISCLAIMER* I am playing this on a Nintendo Switch OLED, instead of a Nintendo Switch 2 but I am very positive there is not a huge difference.
One of the biggest appeals of this game was the return of Mega Evolution. Ever since Pokémon introduced the concept of Mega Evolution in “Pokémon X” and “Pokémon Y” (2013), I have been waiting for its return to the video game scene. It is such an awesome moment to see your Pokémon in its Mega Evolution form and have it follow you all over Lumiose City. In addition, the reintroduction of alpha Pokémon from “Legends: Arceus”, makes these creatures even larger than life when they Mega Evolve! My favorite new Mega Evolutions have been Dragonite and Victreebel.
The battle style of Pokémon has changed from a turn-based system to a real-time action-based system where you can actually dodge attacks. Although the departure of the turn-based system will be missed and will make some fans a bit upset, this new real-time action based system which is similar to “Legends: Arceus”, is so much more fun and engaging as well.
As with any Pokémon game, almost every Pokémon Trainer wants to shiny hunt. How is the shiny hunting in this game? Well some gamers might see it as being too “easy” but I thoroughly enjoy the different mechanics that come into play for shiny hunting. There are bench methods and fast travel methods that make respawn rates happen more rapidly and increase your chances. You can also finish Mable’s Research to obtain a Shiny Charm to make it even easier (those 1,000 battles are brutal though).
Now the biggest negative and sometimes very hard piece to ignore, are the visual backgrounds and graphics of the Pokémon World. Lumiose City is less vibrant and subpar compared to the visuals of “Legends: Arceus” but it renders much faster than “Pokémon Scarlet” and “Pokémon Violet” which is not saying a lot. The world of Pokémon is such a fun and exuberant place to explore and keeping it confined in a monochromatic city robs that wonder. Another negative is the fact that there is an additional $30 downloadable content (DLC) to this game which makes me view “Legends: Z-A” as a cash grab rather than a gift for long-time Pokémon Fans.
Overall, “Pokémon Legends: Z-A” visually pales in comparison to many games that are out right now but if you are craving for some nostalgic gameplay with some new twists here and there, you should definitely pick it up.
