I've played Pokémon Legends: Z-A for 60 hours — and it's my favorite Switch 2 game yet

Pokémon Legends: Z-A is unlike any other Pokémon game I've ever played.

From the moment I stepped off the train and entered the exciting new world of Lumiose City, I was awestruck. Although the game follows similar story beats presented in predecessors, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Z-A offers a fresh spin on them, breathing new life into a soon-to-be 30-year-old series that feels totally rewarding.

Where Arceus focused on building out your Pokédex and catching Pokémon, Legends: Z-A makes battling and Mega Evolutions its primary focus. It's a brilliant successor, giving players a glimpse into a whole new real-time battling system that feels as fun as it is totally chaotic.

Legends: Z-A also offers a myriad of cameos, Easter eggs, and lore for players to unpack. Set five years following the events of Pokémon X & Y, there are more than a few nods to its predecessors. Despite the lack of voice acting, the story in Legends Z-A is plenty engaging, especially for X & Y fans.

After nearly 60 hours of gameplay, here's why I can't wait to dive back in.

Pokémon Legends Z-A: The Basics

• What is it? Pokémon: Legends Z-A is a spin-off game set in its new Legends series. It's a smaller-scale Pokémon experience that builds on the franchise's lore with new mechanics and Mega Pokémon to battle.
• Who is it for? Pokémon Legends: Z-A is geared to hardcore Pokémon fans and newcomers alike. Its new real-time battling system and extensive tutorials make it easy for newer players to dive in, and hardened veterans to appreciate.
• What's the price? The standard edition of Pokémon Legends Z-A is $59. The Switch 2 Edition costs $69 and includes improved performance. You can also buy a Switch 2 Edition Upgrade Pack for the standard Switch edition for $10.
• What other games has the developer made? Pokémon Legends: Z-A was developed by Game Freak, best known for its many years of creating Pokémon titles. Game Freak has also developed other lesser-known games, like Pulseman, Drill Dozer, Little Town Hero, and others.
• What games is this similar to? Pokémon Legends: Z-A is unlike anything that's come before due to a redefined battling system and world setting, but it mirrors Pokémon Legends: Arceus in a lot of ways. It also follows many story beats and mechanics, like Mega Evolution, first introduced in Pokémon X and Y.

Lumiose City, the way it was intended

Legends: Z-A takes place entirely in the city of Lumiose, the beating heart of the Kalos region. Largely modeled after Paris, France, the city features a thriving network of cafes, boutique shops, hairstylists, and the like, making it feel all the more lived-in and thriving.

It's a joy to behold this city once more in a whole new way. Fans of Pokémon X & Y know just how annoying it was navigating the cobbled streets on the 3DS, given its myriad of mirrored buildings and circular plazas labeled only by colors. While it still takes a bit to get used to, Lumiose feels like home in no time.

It's made all the better with a multitude of scaffolding puzzles, denizens offering side quests, and bounding rooftops. The verticality in Lumiose makes up for its smaller size, giving way to tons of unique Pokémon, mega crystals, and various items to loot.

From the outset, some fans were concerned about the smaller size of Legends: Z-A, but I found more than enough to sink my teeth into. Whether it was catching Pokémon within the many wild zones littering the map, following up on side quests, breaking mega crystals to get more Mega Stones, or finding Colorful Screws to upgrade my player, there's plenty to do in this city.

And, I haven't even touched on the most exciting bit yet: Lumiose City's Z-A Royale.

Pokémon battles at their most chaotic

Like Lumiose is to Kalos, the Z-A Royale is the beating heart of the city's nightlife. When the sun goes down, the Z-A Royale kicks into motion, revealing a spot on the map where trainers will duke it out for ultimate supremacy.

It's here where Legends: Z-A comes to life like no other Pokémon game before it. The Z-A Royale offers an endless spree of Pokémon battles to enjoy, featuring tough opponents and a completely redesigned formula. Instead of the turn-based combat of previous Pokémon games, battles in Legends: Z-A are entirely set in real-time.

It's both chaotic and totally exhilarating. You have to be quick on your feet as well as strategic in choosing which attacks you deploy. Do you go for the stat-boosting Swords Dance, or do you simply knock your opponent out with a super effective attack? You can even time-switch Pokémon as a way to counter moves, which feels slick and refreshing.

The Z-A Royale and the new battling mechanics were some of the most fun I've had in a Pokémon game in years. It puts a whole new coat of paint on a series that's longed for major changes for several generations.

What makes battles even more exciting is Mega Evolutions. The mechanic was also first introduced in Pokémon X & Y, offering specific Pokémon a chance to evolve while holding a corresponding stone and only while in combat.

I had to go with Charizard X for Legends: Z-A, but with so many options to choose from (both new and old), you'll be constantly switching your Pokémon roster over the course of the game. In fact, Legends: Z-A adds a layer on top of this with its own Mega Evolution dex, allowing you to see certain Mega Pokémon and learn more about them. It's a nice touch for fans of the mechanic.

Building on the groundwork left in X & Y

As I mentioned before, Legends: Z-A picks up five years in the wake of Pokémon X & Y. A lot has changed since then, as Lumiose has now become a melting pot of Pokémon thanks to new Wild Zones created by Quasartico. Aside from the Z-A Royale, Wild Zones will be yet another place where you'll spend most of your time in Lumiose.

Upon arriving in the city, you're instantly thrust into a group known as Team MZ, led by the bubbly Taunie. Through Taunie, you're introduced to the city of Lumiose as a total newcomer. It's a brilliant way of slowly making the player feel right at home in a brand new world. Taunie will eventually introduce you to Mable, who acts as a stand-in for the professor in this game.

Mable is your go-to for all things Pokémon. She's the person who gives you your Pokedex and tasks you with uncovering more about Pokémon within the Wild Zones. How you do these tasks is up to you, and you can complete tasks in several ways, such as gathering mega stones, catching Pokémon, evolving Pokémon, and more.

The story will also see you tackling various Rogue Mega Evolved Pokémon running amok across Lumiose. These are particularly tough boss encounters that test your battling and your supply of Mega Stones. Alongside your trusty new pals in Team MZ, you aim not only to stop the mega evolution crisis but also to save Lumiose from an ultimate catastrophe brewing in the background.

There are so many awesome, beautiful callbacks to X & Y, it makes my heart swell. I don't want to spoil anything, but if you haven't played either game, I highly recommend it. While the story doesn't require it, you'll get far more out of Legends: Z-A knowing the broader details of Lumiose's past.

A plea for VAs and better stealth

Despite its new battle mechanics and brilliant new graphical fidelity on the Nintendo Switch 2, Legends: Z-A still falls into the Pokémon trope of ignoring the need for voice actors. Much of the dialogue is delivered in text bubbles, which even extends to various cutscenes. This leaves a lot to be desired.

I know Pokémon games have long ignored spoken dialogue, but I think the game and its story would have fared even better with it. The deeper, emotion-rich parts in the latter half of the game would have felt far more impactful with real actors and voices behind the characters, especially given the awesome cutscenes in the late-game.

I also wasn't too fond of the stealth mechanics in Legends: Z-A either. They were a little too under-baked and largely didn't work as intended. I'd often get caught by Pokémon trainers while sneaking up on them, or watch specific Pokémon get spooked and run off despite hiding inside a bush.

Legends: Arceus had a slew of tools at your disposal to make sneaking that much better, like smoke bombs and even berries you could throw to distract Pokémon. I wish Z-A had similar functionality to make stealth feel more thorough. It would also be nice if you could upgrade stealth with the plush dolls that allow you to increase catch rates and more.

Pokémon Legends Z-A review: Verdict

To say that Legends: Z-A has been the most exhilarating Pokémon game I've ever played would be an understatement. Despite its minimal setbacks, Legends: Z-A takes the franchise in a new direction, led largely by its enticing battling mechanic and the new focus on Mega Evolutions.

I'm really hoping Pokémon games stick with this new battling format. A few tweaks to how it plays could make it supremely fun, but I can see where some players might be turned off by it. It's a big learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, battles are far faster and so much more rewarding.

I've spent over 60 hours playing Pokémon Legends: A-Z in just a matter of days, and I feel like there's still so much more for me to uncover. It makes me that much more excited for the upcoming DLC. With that said, it's back to hunting for wild shiny Alpha Pokémon.