Approximately three years have passed since the release of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, and even more time since the surprisingly enjoyable and innovative Legends: Arceus. The upcoming game, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, is generating a lot of anticipation as it’s set to be the next role-playing game in the classic series, focusing on dedicated adventure.
The game doesn’t just build upon the innovations introduced in Legends: Arceus, but also blends mechanics from previous Pokémon games. Particularly, it re-emphasizes the Mega Evolution, a feature first seen in X and Y games, adding some new Mega Evolutions such as the highly anticipated Mega Dragonite.
In an unexpected turn of events, while in Anaheim, California, prior to the Pokémon Worlds 2025 tournament, TopMob Gaming was given the exclusive opportunity to try out Pokémon Legends: Z-A before its scheduled release in October.
After a brief preliminary glance, we’re already quite excited for what’s to come in its entirety.
Behind closed doors, a hands-on demo for media and content creators was divided into two segments, approximately 10 minutes long each. The initial segment showcased the new Battle Zone in Legends: Z-A, a significant area within Luminose City. This zone is designed for nighttime battles where trainers engage in combat to ascend the ranks of the game’s Z-A Royale.
The demo for media professionals was separated into two sections, each lasting about 10 minutes. The first part demonstrated a new Battle Zone in Legends: Z-A within Luminose City, where trainers face off at night to move up the ranks of Z-A Royale.
To acquire the necessary points for a Challenger Ticket (a special item), we needed to fight against several other Trainers. This experience served as an introduction to the brand new real-time battle system.
Initially, the fights between Areceus’ bosses and enraged Pokemon might remind you of past games, involving mere dodging and the use of specific items. However, Legends: Z-A sets a new standard for the Pokémon series by fully embracing real-time battles for the first time.
Initially, the game might seem overwhelmingly chaotic if you’re accustomed to turn-based Pokémon games. However, once you get the hang of it, the action-oriented style becomes more approachable, as both you and your Pokémon can freely move around, dodge attacks, and pick your preferred moments to strike.
Additionally, it’s important to note that you can’t repeatedly use actions without a break, as each action requires some time to recharge or reload before it can be used again.
The duration of each recharge appears to be influenced by the strength and frequency of each move. For example, my demonstration partner Pokémon, Chikorita, seemed to need approximately 10 seconds to recharge its Leafage attack, whereas it could use Growl in a much quicker timeframe.
On its own, it presents numerous tactical opportunities. For instance, you learn to navigate, organize teams according to speed and strength, and determine when to swap Pokémon during battles for a more effective type advantage.
Adjusting to monitor an opponent’s Pokémon actions for evasion, managing my HP to decide when to use healing items, and selecting the right attacks based on their availability felt overwhelming initially while learning the controls. However, after about 10 minutes, it became a natural habit.
It turns out that this was essentially a warm-up to the second half of the demo.
Following a brief pursuit of Zygarde through the city’s outskirts, we encountered our initial glimpse into the game’s narrative involving unscrupulous Mega Evolutions.
Enigmatically, an Absol suddenly underwent a powerful evolution, causing it to behave chaotically. This necessitated us to deploy our Mega Lucario to bring the rampaging Absol under control.
In these ‘mon fights, the rules are similar to those in Trainer battles, but these renegade boss ‘mons prove to be particularly challenging to defeat compared to others.
To avoid defeat, it’s crucial to dodge. Only another Mega Evolved Pokémon can take down a renegade Mega Pokémon. By launching attacks, you collect Mega-like orbs which gradually fill your Mega Evolution gauge.
It’s essential to evade if you want to win, as only another Mega Evolved creature can defeat a rogue Mega Pokémon. Attacks yield Mega-esque orbs that progressively power up your Mega Evolution ability.
The battle was manageable due to our ample supply of potions ensuring survivability, however, engaging without any healing items would have been significantly tougher. Additionally, adapting to the unique mechanics of the boss fight, such as its widespread area-of-effect attacks, presented an added challenge.
Moreover, despite the chaotic nature of the boss fight, the novelty of the new controls kept things exciting. The exhilaration of such a challenge was reminiscent of victory. As the demo came to a close, all pieces seemed to fall neatly into place.
By skillfully evading the aggressive attacks of the enraged Absol, I countered it with a variety of Mega Lucario’s Fighting and Steel-type moves. The stunning visuals and exhilarating soundtrack kept me captivated, making the experience momentarily feel like being in the midst of the thrilling Pokémon battles depicted in the classic anime series.
Or:
I managed to dodge the swift attacks of the agitated Absol using my dexterity, and retaliated with an assortment of powerful Fighting and Steel-type moves from Mega Lucario. The mesmerizing graphics and pulse-pounding music made me feel like I was experiencing firsthand the intense Pokémon battles from the classic anime shows for a brief moment.
As I pondered about it, my excitement grew over what more thrilling movie-like battles I might encounter throughout the entire game.
Or: Contemplating further, I got even more excited at the prospect of encountering additional cinematic battles within the complete game.
Despite this, the narrative skillfully sets up an intriguing depiction of how the story in Z-A might unfold, evoking the investigative-style atmosphere of the Detective Pikachu film while incorporating numerous Pokémon combat sequences.
Not only was Pokémon Legends: Z-A visually stunning and sonically impressive on the Nintendo Switch 2, it also showcased an attractive polished appearance, with Mega Evolution effects creating a dynamic spectacle on the screen.
One could easily imagine that Luminose City might have appeared even more stunning, had the game not needed to make technological sacrifices in order to run smoothly on the Nintendo Switch 1 (a version we unfortunately did not get a glimpse of).
In our gameplay with Switch 2, the broader visual elements, such as the architectural structures in the city, appeared somewhat bland, lacking depth, and seemingly repeated countless times.
Regardless, if you’re using the latest generation console, you’ll find the overall appearance and satisfactory performance on the Switch 2 version to be quite enjoyable.
The game is visually appealing, seamlessly integrating into intense real-time battles, and it seems to offer an engaging storyline.
For those Pokémon enthusiasts, whether experienced or newcomers, the release of Legends: Z-A has undoubtedly sparked even greater eagerness, given its initial reception.
While the initial glimpse was indeed quite modest, it has nevertheless provided a tantalizing sneak peek into the main essence, leaving us intrigued and excited for further revelations. We can’t wait to explore more!
Pokémon Legends Z-A is set to release on the 16th of October, available on both Nintendo Switch and its successor, Nintendo Switch 2. Pre-orders are now open if you’d like to secure a copy ahead of time.
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2025-08-15 16:47