Pokémon Legends: Z-A previews are out, but you might have missed these changes to the battle system

Today, previews have dropped for the upcoming Pokémon Legends: Z-A. While I wasn’t lucky enough to get a chance to play it myself, as a long-time fan of the series, I couldn’t help but notice some interesting details, along with a hot take or two. Legends: Z-A is planned to be released on October 16th, 2025, and will have both a Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 version. This entry distinguishes itself the most by having real-time battles, ditching the turn-based system seen in every other mainline Pokémon game since 1996.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A makes some notable changes to the series’ battle system and more

First of all, shout out to Serebii and VideoGamesChronicle. I’m totally not jealous that you guys got to play this game, and thank you for uploading video footage for all of us to look at. The big, cinematic moment of the demo appears to be the battle against Absol, the rogue mega evolution, but I couldn’t help but focus on some minor details from VGC’s slightly less tense battle with a Bellsprout.

Notice that Bellsprout's Atk and Sp. Atk returned to normal.Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Developer: Gamefreak. Screenshot from VideoGamesChronicle.

Bellsprout uses the move Growth, which raises the user's Attack and Special Attack by one stage. So far, totally normal and in line with the previous games. On the right-hand side of the screen, notifications appear to alert you to what is happening in the battle. At one point, two of those notifications read: “Bellsprout’s Attack returned to normal!” and “Bellsprout’s Sp. Atk returned to normal!” This seems to hint that stat boosts are temporary in Legends: Z-A, which breaks from the traditional mechanics where stat boosts are permanent until the Pokémon either switches out of battle, is defeated, or wins the battle. This makes me very curious to see what other changes they have made to stat boosting moves. How long will they last? Are they more powerful in some way now that they are temporary?

Notice that Bellsprout's "movements" returned to normal.Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Developer: Gamefreak. Screenshot from VideoGamesChronicle.

Another moment from this same battle was a notification that reads: “Bellsprout’s movements returned to their normal speed!” As far as I can tell, Bellsprout wasn’t using any speed-increasing moves, but it is an edited video, and we did not get to see the entire battle in full. But it does make me wonder. In this same screenshot, you can also see the Fletchling’s Peck attack slowly filling back up. So, this might not have anything to do with the Bellsprout’s Speed stat, but the rate at which they can use one of their four moves. Of course, this is still speculation, but it sounds like an interesting strategy to slow down your opponent’s ability to use attacks. I couldn’t tell from the video footage if this is a side effect of one of Bellsprout’s moves, like Growth, or if it perhaps came from the Fletchling’s Growl. No matter what, it seems like the new battle mechanics in Legends: Z-A are going to be fun to explore.

The other major part of the demo appears to be the battle with Mega Absol. This section confirms that, once again, the trainer can be the target of a Pokémon’s attack, although it’s not clear if this will only happen in these boss battles or if it can also happen elsewhere. The real-time action and the dodge rolling look like fun, but I am also hopeful that not every rogue mega battle will take place in a nondescript circle. While watching this footage, all I could think was how cool it would have been to have this fight on the rooftops of the city, or in the park, or somewhere with dynamic terrain and obstacles. If all the boss battles take place in the same vague, nondescript place, that would be a little disappointing.

Rock block the path.Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Developer: Gamefreak. Screenshot from Serebii.

Thanks to the video from Serebii, we also got a closer look at the exploration of Lumiose City. At one point, we see a street blocked off by rocks, a classic obstacle for any Pokémon game. This will likely require one of your Pokémon to learn Rock Smash before you can pass through, especially since Fletchling’s Peck seemed to deal no damage. Another moment showed a strange red crystal blocking a ladder up to the roof of a building. This obstacle remains much more mysterious. Hopefully, this is just a glimpse at the obstacles we’ll encounter in Legends: Z-A.

A strange object blocks a ladder.Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Developer: Gamefreak. Screenshot from Serebii.

I am still looking forward to Pokémon Legends: Z-A, but that’s why I’ll always be critical and hopeful that it will be the best game it can be. As a long-time Pokémon fan, it’s a constant struggle I’m all too familiar with. The hidden details in this demo are exciting, though, and I hope there is a lot more to discover.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A

October 16, 2025

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