Pokémon Legends: ZA is out, and there’s a lot to like about it. While I was pensive at first, being stuck in a city all the time, I quickly got used to it after seeing how expansive Lumiose is this time around. The main problem is that it takes forever to explore it.
A central objective of Legends: ZA fights, but it’s unfortunately wrapped up in a long series of tutorials that prevent you from going out and having as much fun as possible. Even if things eventually relax and you gradually gain access to the entire city, this “fun time” ratio will need to be adjusted significantly in the future. Legends the games, not to mention the series as a whole.
If you give us a city, let’s explore it
Lumiose is interesting, but it takes too long to see it
After starting Pokémon Legends: ZA and I was shown the splendor of Lumiose City, I remembered the first time I encountered this Parisian-looking place back then Pokémon X and Y. Even though the visuals were much more limited compared to FORI was always surprised by the size of Lumiose and would have liked to be able to run in a fully realized version.
This reality finally came true with FORbut you’re not allowed to see Lumiose in all its glory until you’ve played a ton of the game. Even though excessive tutorials are commonplace in Pokémon games, it felt considerably different, as many areas of the city were arbitrarily closed off until I completed a certain number of story missions.
It’s one thing to see barriers and be annoyed by that closed-off feeling of exploration, but it’s another to be constantly pestered by NPCs to “not explore too much.” As a spin-off, Legends games don’t need to adhere to the same design principles as the larger network’s main entries, and I hope Game Freak considers adding some looseness in this department in the future.
When the game starts, it really opens up. I loved exploring Lumiose’s various collectible build yards, finding new side quests (many of which give you really good rewards or unique Pokémon), providing research data for rewards, and battling to reach the top rank.
Pokémon Legends ZA might be too slow for some
Get us into action faster
Game Freak has a long development path ahead of it, like many Pokémon games are undoubtedly in the works, from mainline entries to side projects. With each passing generation, it seems that many advances move at a snail’s pace, and sometimes even regress. This series makes a ton of money, but surprisingly hasn’t been given a bigger budget or more time to breathe, which could cause people to get tired of the IP.
For a spin-off, Pokémon Legends: ZA succeeds in much of what he tries to do. I can get used to these “single-locale” side games, as long as the areas are interesting to explore. Lumiose City understands this to some extent, but it takes far too long for this concept to come to fruition.
- Released
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October 16, 2025
- ESRB
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Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence, In-Game Purchases
- Developer(s)
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Game Freak, Creatures Inc.
- Editor(s)
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Nintendo, the Pokémon Company
- Engine
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Owner
