Pokémon Legends Z-A review: Evolution without exploration

One of my favorite things about Pokémon Legends: Arceus was the sense of wonder it captured. Exploring the untamed Hisui region felt like uncovering secrets in a world that had never been touched before. Not only did it take place hundreds of years before the mainline games—tasking you with creating the very first Pokédex—it also completely reimagined the traditional Pokémon formula, trading its usual turn-based flow for something that felt refreshingly new and alive.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A also takes a step away from the standard main series formula, though this time it shifts the focus from exploration to battles. Instead of trekking across a full region, your journey is contained within one massive city brimming with trainers, Pokémon encounters, and story-driven battles. It’s a bold idea that sometimes feels magical—but at other times, it feels like it could have been much more.

A Tale of One City

Set five years after Pokémon X and Y, Legends: Z-A brings us back to Lumiose City in the Kalos region. Rather than exploring other towns or routes, the entire adventure takes place within Lumiose itself—a city inspired heavily by Paris, France. That Parisian flair shines through everywhere: boutiques lining the streets, open-air cafés, galleries, and even the occasional French phrase tossed in by NPCs.

There’s a distinct charm to Lumiose that wasn’t fully captured in the original games. It’s now a fully realized city with different districts, winding streets, and even rooftops to explore—even its soundtrack now features remixed versions from the original with added oomph. Running through its avenues to get your bearings is actually one of the more enjoyable parts at first, since you’ll revisit the same spots multiple times. But that constant backtracking also makes the world feel confined, limited by the city walls surrounding you.

Unlike Legends: Arceus, where exploring new environments was part of the thrill, Z-A trades those sweeping biomes for smaller “Wild Zones” that appear throughout Lumiose. These zones pop up in various neighborhoods and feature just a handful of Pokémon species, which the game helpfully tracks so you know which ones you haven’t caught yet. But don’t expect wide-open meadows or volcanic craters—these zones stay true to the city’s urban setting. Even the “ice” area is basically a park with snow scattered around, as if the city just sprayed some artificial frost to attract Ice-types.

From a story perspective, the idea works—wild Pokémon suddenly start invading the city, and it’s up to you and your team to contain the chaos. Some Pokémon even undergo rogue Mega Evolutions, and it becomes your job to calm them down through battle. But outside the narrative, the idea of dividing a city into fenced-off monster zones doesn’t quite hold up. Wouldn’t the locals still need to get home or go to work? Who’s running the shops while an Alpha Bellsprout is thrashing around outside?

Even with its verticality and rooftop access, Lumiose often feels small and samey. The buildings blur together, the streets start to look identical, and aside from the iconic Prism Tower, the skyline is fairly bland. It’s clear that compared to Hisui’s natural beauty, this cityscape just doesn’t have the same magic or sense of discovery.

An Evolved Battle System

Where Z-A really shines, though, is its battle system. Ditching the traditional turn-based format, battles now happen in real time. You have to think on your feet—positioning your Pokémon, dodging attacks, and managing cooldowns for your moves. Once you use a move, you’ll need to wait for it to recharge before using it again, forcing you to either improvise with another attack or dodge while waiting. It’s a faster, more action-driven approach that leaves less room for deep strategizing—but it definitely keeps you on your toes.

Still, this is a Pokémon game, so the classic elements are still there. Type advantages, move sets, and stat builds all matter, and the stronger your moves, the longer their cooldowns. It’s a clever blend of traditional Pokémon strategy with action mechanics, making battles feel fresh and unpredictable in ways the series hasn’t before.

Mega Evolutions—first introduced in X and Y—are back in a big way and play a major role in Z-A’s story. Some of the game’s best moments come from battling rogue, oversized Mega-Evolved Pokémon that behave more like boss fights in an action game. You’ll have to dodge attacks, time your moves, and stay alert since your character can actually take damage too. A poorly timed dodge could easily send you blacking out from a stray Hyper Beam.

The Highs and Lows of Battles

This real-time battle format extends to the nighttime Battle Zones, where you’ll face off against other trainers in the Z-A Royale circuit. Progressing through the story involves climbing the ranks by defeating trainers of increasing skill, leading up to promotion matches that echo classic gym battles. Unfortunately, the ranking system feels underdeveloped—you don’t have to grind through each tier, and the whole process flies by faster than it should. You can revisit these battles post-game for tougher challenges, but it still feels like a missed opportunity for something bigger.

Adding to the frustration, trainer battles only happen at night, and the day-night cycle isn’t skippable. Each transition triggers a short cutscene, which breaks the flow when you’re just trying to explore or catch Pokémon. A smoother or optional cycle would’ve made a big difference here.

The game also gives you plenty of reasons to keep catching Pokémon and battling even after the credits roll. Completing research tasks rewards you with useful items like TMs, which not only encourage you to fill out your Pokédex but also help you build stronger teams with the right moves and stats. And, of course, the ultimate prize for dedicated players—the coveted Shiny Charm—awaits those willing to put in the effort. There’s a surprising amount to do post-story if you’re ready to grind and see everything the game has to offer.

Final Thoughts

At its best, a Pokémon game thrives on the joy of exploration and discovery. Legends: Z-A delivers some of that with new Mega Evolutions that breathe life into older Pokémon—some more impressively than others (looking at you, Mega Starmie). It’s fun to mix old favorites with new forms, and it gives longtime fans a reason to experiment with different teams again.

But while Lumiose City is massive and packed with shops, battles, and wild encounters, it never quite captures that sense of awe Legends: Arceus had. There’s no mystery or untamed wilderness to uncover—just streets and rooftops that start to blend together. Even so, the soundtrack is absolutely stellar, filled with vibrant, catchy tracks that perfectly match the city’s electric energy.

In the end, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is another bold experiment from Game Freak. It may not fully succeed in building a cohesive, immersive world, but its innovative battle system and exciting new Pokémon make it a fascinating step forward. Not everyone will love its changes, but it’s another strong reminder that Pokémon can still evolve in surprising ways. If this real-time system gets refined for the next mainline entry, the series could be in for a thrilling new era.