Pokémon Legends ZA plays it safe, but still too safe.

The new title in the pocket monster franchise opts for a cautious approach and avoids big risks. The result is a game that doesn't achieve the same impact as its predecessor. Pokemon Legends: Arceus, and reinforces the difficulty of Game Freak in defining the direction of the series — and, above all, in understanding what players really expect from it. Below, you can find out everything about it. Pokémon Legends ZA to find out if this new venture from the world's most famous gaming franchise is really worth it.

History

On the last day October 16, Game Freak and Nintendo They launched what would be the first game of Pokémon protocols for Nintendo Switch 2 — and also the first title cross-gen between generations of the company's hybrid console.

Em Pokémon Legends ZAIn this game, the player takes on the role of a tourist. Lumiose city, located in Kalos region, originally presented in Pokémon X e Y on the Nintendo 3DS. Right at the start, you are greeted by a companion—male or female—whose identity depends on the customization of your character. This friendship becomes essential for exploring Lumiose, which, this time, It makes up the entire game map..

Here, the game presents highs and lowsLumiose is more detailed and immersive in 4K on the Switch 2, but it has lost some of the stylized personality it had on the 3DS. On the other hand, exploration has improved. greater verticality, allowing it to traverse rooftops and buildings, even with the absence of skates — one of the defining elements of X e Y — limiting part of the movement. With Game Freak, there always seems to be a trade-off: something new arrives, but another mechanic is removed for no clear reason.

The plot is simpler than that of Arceusbut it still involves mysteryDuring its journey, a cell of zygarde It ends up in her bag, and it's up to her group — acting as a sort of investigative team — to discover the origin of this phenomenon.

Gameplay

The biggest problem of Pokémon Legends ZA — and it's not a good sign when gameplay needs to be presented through a problem — is the rhythmInterestingly, this did not happen in ArceusTherefore, it's not a recurring flaw in the series. The game features a long and drawn-out tutorial...which extends far beyond what's necessary. He simply doesn't let go of the player's hand, which sounds anachronistic for a franchise that's approaching 30 years old. It's understandable not to assume everyone knows how to play. Pokémonbut it would be more sensible to adopt a assisted mode for beginners and a Free mode for veteranshow does it Super Mario Odyssey, for example.

For those who have played virtually every title in the franchise, the last thing they want is to be forced to review basic tutorials. The gameplay of Pokémon Legends ZA It exaggerates this aspect, forcing the player to follow redundant dialogues that explain mechanics known for decades by any fan.

And since we're on the subject of problems, there's also a miscalculation in... balance of mechanics. ZA It is heavily focused on battles — which would be natural in Pokémon —, but this comes at the expense of exploration. The result is a game nicknamed on social media as Fast Travel Simulator, an accurate nickname. During the lengthy tutorial, the player is forced to teleport between points of interest, completing missions without actually exploring or connecting with Lumiose.

Even when the game finally allows freedom, Walking around the city becomes discouraging.Most NPCs remain static, without expressions or reactions, conveying the feeling of an artificial and lifeless world. Lumiose ends up looking like a ghost town, populated by purposeless figures that merely fill the space.

The positive side is that ZA I knew how to incorporate and improve good ideas of Arceus, refined in Scarlet/VioletThe capture and battles in real time They bring a more fluid and challenging dynamic, demanding constant attention and strategy — an improvement for a series known for its excessive ease.

All positive inheritances The following are present: Infinite TMs, full customization of moves, which eliminates the hard limit of four attacks, and the Access your Box anytime., allowing you to manage your team in a practical and intuitive way.

Unfortunately, the game It is not localized in Brazilian Portuguese.The language available for Latin America is Spanish, which is far from sufficient. While future updates may correct this, for now... Pokémon Legends ZA It still ignores the Brazilian audience, which is disappointing for a franchise with global reach.

Na Lumiose explorationThe game features the wild zonesThese are small capture ecosystems that function well within the reduced scope of the map. They are more contained—and more efficient—versions of... Wild Areas de Sword e ShieldAlthough they don't bring anything groundbreaking, the smaller scale makes the experience more cohesive and understandable.

Even with exploration taking a backseat, the title attempts to compensate with side missions that enrich the journey. There is also a search system inspired by Pokémon GO...ensuring that the player always has something to do. Hunting and registering Pokémon remains the focus, but now there's more. additional rewards for helping the inhabitants of Lumiose solve their problems — a simple detail, but one that keeps the game active and purposeful.

From Z to A

The name of the game comes from its main mechanicsRanked battles in Lumiose City. Each victory allows you to move up one letter in the ranking. As a novice tourist, you start at... Rank Z and needs to face coaches who also want to reach the Rank ABefore each ranked battle, it is necessary to... battle ticket, obtained overnight in the city.

When the sun sets, a Random Battle Zone It emerges. It works similarly to... wild zonesBut instead of wild Pokémon, you'll find coaches in search of challengesApproaching stealthily can offer an advantage: by draining some of the opponent's Pokémon's energy, you prevent the initial attack from being just a test and can then counter it.

These zones also offer cards with special rules, which can be applied during battles to grant extra points, speeding up the process of obtaining the daily ticket.

Whenever a new opponent—one who holds the next letter you need to conquer—becomes available, your Rotom Phone will send a notification. Then simply retrieve the ticket and prepare your best team. As the challenges increase, the Real-time system with free 3D movement. It provides strategic surprises, keeping the experience engaging even for more traditional players of the franchise.

mega pokemon

It's common in the franchise for some features to completely modify the... gameplay structure from one game, only to disappear in subsequent titles, even if they are innovative and potentially useful in future iterations. It's difficult to understand the logic behind the decisions of... Game FreakHowever, the history of new mechanics becoming established in later projects shows that there is wasted potential — the series Mario Kart That's a good example. In PokémonHowever, many ideas seem to go against the grain.

By lot, ZA It takes place in the same generation and the same city as X / Y, which perhaps introduced the A more creative change to the mechanics of the little monsters.: Mega Evolution.

Mega Evolutions are temporary transformations that drastically alter the appearance and power of Pokémon. Interestingly, all of these forms follow a visual pattern reminiscent of the letter X ou Y, an easter egg referencing the origin of power. In ZANew Pokémon have gained the ability to Mega Evolve, bringing curious and creative concepts to monsters already familiar to players.

Besides offering a more impressive visual appearance, Mega Evolutions temporarily make Pokémon stronger, serving as strategic tools for more difficult battles. However, there is a cost To use them, then prepare your resources and your virtual wallet to strut around Lumiose with stylized Pokémon, facing trainers who may also have Mega-Evolved companions.

Visual and Audio

Aesthetics 3D plasticized It works for Pokémon models, but it often makes characters and environments generic and lacking personality. Pokémon It always worked better with higher graphics. stylized; or cell shading A more "designed" style brings the models to life, something that in ZA It ends up erasing some of Lumiose's charm.

This limitation, combined with the complete absence of dubbingThis compromises immersion in a world that, being more contained, should be more engaging. The game is mission-focused, and often the player follows along. extensive cutscenes The text is a mix of characters explaining the history of the location or the Pokémon world—all in text only, without any dialogue. The result is a bitter taste of incompleteness. silence of the scenes It's almost embarrassing, especially considering the industry's advancements in recent years, and it reinforces the feeling that Pokémon It continues to lag decades behind other IPs.

we are talking about most profitable franchise in history...with dozens of audiovisual materials filled with charismatic characters and memorable voices. And yet, the games still lack protagonists, companions, enemies, or trainers with... personality or voice acting...elements that could create real connections between players and the universe. It's high time to stop treating the... Game Freak As an indie studio, the developer seems to operate on a minimum-for-maximum-profit model, suggesting that future projects may follow an even more limited approach.

Graphics and performance

Even though it still seems like an approach shy and cautious on Nintendo's part — with a modest lineup and lots of content cross-gen - Legends ZA It already makes good use of what the new generation offers. The game It runs flawlessly on the Nintendo Switch 2., without any hiccups and with near-instantaneous loading times, both at the start and during fast travel across the map. An ironic detail, considering that the almost travel It has become a more widely used resource than captures and battles themselves.

The visual attempts to stand out with bright and vibrant colors and an aesthetic reminiscent of GameCube 3D...but it's hard not to compare it to games already released on the Switch, such as... Breath of the Wild, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 or, for a fairer aesthetic comparison, Super Mario OdysseyIn these comparisons, Pokémon It always feels like it's from a few years ago: everything sounds outdated, as if the engine is obsolete, without any art direction capable of masking that, like Elden Ring He does it masterfully.

The models look lazyThe aesthetic becomes tiresome, and it feels like playing the same game from decades ago. Despite the new mechanics and a completely different gameplay of battles and captures, Very few changes actually impact the experience..

Pokémon needs a page turn In every sense. Pokémon Legends ZA This demonstrates that development time wasn't the only problem with the franchise.

The final balance tends to be positive, as there is still... There's something playful about catching little monsters. and in the act of completing the Pokédex, but it falls short of what one would expect from such a rich series — not just in terms of money, but in diversity, ecosystem, characters and PokémonWe still feel like we've barely scratched the surface of what the Pokémon universe could offer.

Availability

Pokémon Legends ZA is available at Nintendo Switch eShop for R$349,00 and in Nintendo Switch eShop 2 for R$439,90. The upgrade package The Switch 2 version costs R$59,90. The game can also be purchased on Amazon for... R$325,00 for the Switch version. e R$409,10 for the Switch 2.

Conclusion

But anyway, Pokémon Legends ZA Is it worth it? The game marks the second episode of the sub-series that began with Arceus and had a longer development time than the main titles in the franchise, which raised expectations for a more polished and consistent product. The game adopts a different visual style, opting for more rounded and glossy textures, features already familiar from other games in the series on the Switch.

ZA This broke the franchise's annual release cycle, known for delivering rushed and unfinished games—promising ideas with flawed execution. The longer production interval is noticeable: the game has more technical care and a more balanced pace. Still, it's clear that the series needs not only more time, but also... more creative effort.

Pokémon Legends ZA Is it good? Yes, but despite Game Freak's efforts in... evolve the franchise (With the pun intended), the result still seems stuck in the past. Pokémon It remains visually pleasing, but falls short of the technical standards of other titles on the console. On the Switch 2, the impression remains: the new game repeats old problems and introduces new ones, making each release harder to get excited about.

And you, what did you think of our review? Pokémon Legends ZA And what are your thoughts on the new game? Tell us in the comments!

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Text revised by Alexandre Marques in 30 / 10 / 2025.