Welcome to EXPlay, (Explain & Play) the review series where we care not for scores, but tell it how it is when it comes to every game we get our hands on, all whilst including some lengthy gameplay, to give you, the reader, the chance to form your own impressions and views while reading and watching.
In this explanatory review, we’re covering Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition by main developer, GAME FREAK:
Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (Nintendo Switch 2)
Mainly developed by GAME FREAK, with Artdink on board as a support studio and Creek & River Co., as a partner studio, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is the latest 3D Pokémon game to grace a Nintendo platform with its presence, releasing on October 16, 2025, for both the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 systems.
Contrary to popular belief, as many dispute it, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is, in fact, a main series title, just like how Pokémon Legends: Arceus is also a main series game, but many choose not to believe it. Moreover, while Z-A is not a direct sequel to Arceus, as it features a new protagonist, Z-A has strong ties to the game that came before it and even stronger ties to Pokémon X and Pokémon Y, thanks to continuing the story that the Gen VI games first established and giving them a somewhat satisfying conclusion.
Still, that’s all we’re going to say on the matter, as we will be adhering to a strict no-spoilers policy for this review and will outright ignore the leaks that came about just days before the game’s release. However, we will be addressing a number of the questions that were asked throughout Z-A’s development, where possible. Still, please note that all discussion about design and graphics will be directed to the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition version of the game, as that is the one we have played and are reviewing, but some time has been spent playing the Nintendo Switch version as well, for comparison. Nevertheless, it’s time to get this review properly underway.
Let’s start where we always do, with the game’s story Pokémon Legends: Z-A takes place in Lumiose City in the Kalos region and is set five years after the events of Pokémon X & Y. You play as a young Pokémon Trainer who has come to the big city for reasons unknown to us. Upon arriving in the city via train, the protagonist leaves the station only to be encountered by another young trainer called Taunie (or Urbain, depending on the gender of the avatar you have chosen for yourself) who requests their help in making a video ad for a Hotel. While doing so, the protagonist is distracted and is unaware that a Pancham has stolen their travel bag. Upon realising their bag is missing, the protagonist and the other young trainer set off to retrieve the bag from Pancham. This then leads to a Pokémon Battle with Pancham’s trainer, which introduces you to Pokémon Legends: Z-A’s style of Pokémon battles.
After the battle, you will then be invited to Hotel Z, the establishment that Taunie/Urbain was trying to record an ad for. It is here you will meet AZ, who some players may recall from Pokémon X & Y, who is trying to atone for his previous misdeeds, as well as other young trainers staying at the hotel for their own reasons. From here, you will learn more about Lumiose City and the Z-A Royale that takes place every night in order to find the strongest trainers in the city. The reasons as to why are later revealed during the story, but let’s avoid that spoiler for now. We shall let you find out for yourself.
Okay, so with the game’s plot out of the way, let’s dive into gameplay. For the most part, it is essentially your typical Pokémon game, but with a twist. It takes the foundation of core Pokémon games, but instead of turn-based strategy and moves requiring PP to use, your moves actually have cooldowns, so that you don’t spam the same moves over and over again. This means that you must resort to using other moves whilst others are on cooldown. We actually found it quite refreshing as we are more inclined to use moves like Protect and Barrier whilst waiting for my more powerful moves to come back online. As for your avatar, you can also freely move them around during battles and can run or dodge Pokémon attacks when they target you. This particular mechanic was also used in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and I am quite happy it made a return for Pokémon Legends: Z-A.
Back on the topic of moves, when a Pokémon reaches a certain level, these moves can become Plus Moves. By pressing the + button just before using them, you will be able to administer a much more powerful attack by using the Mega Power that you have accumulated. Mega Power is gained by using standard moves in battles. However, if the Mega Power gauge is full and you have the necessary Mega Stone, you can Mega Evolve your Pokémon temporarily and do a lot more damage to your opponents. Now, not every Pokémon has a Mega Evolution. You also have to acquire a Mega Ring and the necessary Mega Stones that you can eventually obtain later in the game.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A features a day/night cycle, and during the daylight hours, you are generally free to complete the main story missions, take on side missions, or catch diurnal Pokémon in the wild zones. At nighttime, nocturnal Pokémon are now available, and some of the Pokémon that were available during the day will disappear and be replaced by other Pokémon that only come out at night. The Z-A Royale is an event that also takes place at night and grants you the opportunity to battle other trainers so you can acquire points and increase your ranking. As the name of the game suggests, you are initially given the rank of Z, but after battling your way through other trainers and acquiring enough points, you can obtain a Challenger Ticket. This ticket will allow you to battle a particularly strong trainer, where you both compete for the opportunity to increase your rank.
Lumiose City doesn’t have a Gym system like the core Pokémon games, nor is there a league or an Elite Four to go up against. Instead, you could say that the Battle Zones are essentially the Gyms where you fight trainers, and upon getting enough points, you will fight your current rank’s champion. You don’t always have to fight in Battle Zones every single night in the game, if you don’t want to. You can always do other things instead, like catching Pokémon or finishing off side missions. Just bear in mind that if you want to finish the game’s story, you will need to battle your way through the Z-A Royale.
Now, Pokémon Legends: Z-A doesn’t offer numerous different regions or environments to explore in the traditional sense, like many Pokémon games before it. This time around, all of your adventuring takes place inside Lumiose City. The metropolis is divided into districts, and there are several areas that have been cordoned off into Wild Zones, where 230 different species of wild Pokémon roam and can be caught. These areas include the likes of a typical city park, a graveyard, a snow-covered park, a power plant, and other areas where you can find Pokémon specific to those kinds of areas. Outside of the Wild Zones, you can also find some wild Pokémon in the streets, up the trees, and even on the rooftops. You can occasionally find Alpha Pokémon, which are much larger and stronger than your average Pokémon. We are glad to see these make a return, as we do love creating a team out of these supersized Pokés and have them tower over my opponents. They look particularly spectacular when they have mega-evolved as well. It truly is a sight to behold when using a Mega Alpha Gengar or Mega Alpha Houndoom!
When it comes to traversal, the city itself can be quite a maze at times. However, you can take to the rooftops via ladders, scaffolding, and holovators to get from place to place a bit easier. Also, upon visiting a location at least once, you will unlock a fast travel point to that location so you can quickly return whenever it’s required. You can find some rather interesting Pokémon on the rooftops, and you are often required to scale Lumiose City’s buildings to complete certain missions.
Of course, you can’t have a Pokémon game without the necessary trading. Some Pokémon, like Haunter, Machoke, and Kadabra, can only evolve via trading with another player. Pokémon like Scyther and Onix require a specific item to be held before they can evolve upon trading. Now, it is possible to find some of these Pokémon in the wild, but it would most likely be during late or post-game. If you want to get hold of them earlier, though, you will need a friend or someone you can trade with either locally or online.
A big part of Pokémon Legends: Z-A is, of course, battling. Pokémon Legends: Arceus was more about catching Pokémon and learning about them, but Z-A is all about Pokémon Battles. Not just in the main game but also in online and local multiplayer. When it comes to playing online, there are two distinct modes within the game’s Battle Club Z-A: Ranked Battles and Private Battles. Ranked Battles is where you and three random opponents must duke it out in an arena using your Pokémon within a time limit. You must score points by knocking out your opponent’s Pokémon whilst making sure yours doesn’t get knocked out in the process. For every Pokémon you knock out, you will score a point. If one of yours is knocked out, you will be put on cooldown for a few seconds and can then join the battle again. After the clock has run out, whoever has the most points is the winner, but you still earn points depending on where you come that will count towards your current ranking.
At the time of release in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, there is a reward for at least reaching Rank K in Ranked Battles in the form of Greninjite that will allow Greninja to Mega Evolve. To reach Rank K, though, you will need to do reasonably well in Ranked Battles, and it can take about an hour or so, depending on how well-balanced your team is and how well you perform. As for Private Battles, this is just like Ranked Battles, but you can create or join a room with friends using passcodes. Whoever creates the room has control over the battle rules, of which there are five different rule sets to choose from that set the limit to how many and what kind of Pokémon can be used.
As we wrap up this review, we should mention that any differences between the Switch version and the Switch 2 version of Pokémon Legends: Z-A are rather marginal. It truly comes down to some slight performance improvements with the Switch version running at 30 fps and the Switch 2 Edition running at a nice 60 fps. The Switch 2 has some slightly sharper models, and the draw distance is much greater. Pop-in is not as in-your-face as other games, as NPCs and Pokémon gradually fade into existence instead of immediately popping in right on top of you.
While we would argue that Pokémon Legends: Arceus is still the better Legends title, for the most part, Z-A is still a good Pokémon game, nonetheless. It’s taken much of what worked well in its predecessor and adapted it as best they can to suit the new gameplay mechanics and story scenario. Not everything was improved in ways we would have liked, but that being said, Z-A is still one of the better Pokémon games available on the Nintendo Switch.
It makes for a fitting finale for Pokémon’s Switch saga, but as far as Nintendo Switch 2 saga goes, it’s a fine starting point. That said, the time has come for Pokémon to undergo its next evolution and do something drastic to blow us away with Gen X, especially when the next main series Pokémon game should be a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, and we’re dying to see Pokémon get its very own Bananza moment. But, until that time comes, we must settle for waiting for the eventual release of the Mega Dimension DLC that is currently in development.
Game Specifications:
Developers: GAME FREAK, Artdink, Creek & River Co.
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo Switch 2 (Physical)
Genre: Action, Role-playing
No. of Players: 1 (Single System) | 2 – 4 (Local Wireless) | 2 – 4 (Online)
Release Date: October 16, 2025
Price: $69.99
File Size: 7.7 GB
Nintendo.com Listing
