Announced during the Pokémon Day 2024, Pokémon Legends ZA marks the return to the Kalos region after Pokémon X and Y in 2013. This time, the adventure takes us exclusively into the metropolis of Illumis, a futuristic version of the city inspired by Paris.
Unlike Arceus legends that plunged us into the ancestral past of Sinnoh, ZA projects us into the future with the mission of participating in the Illumis urban redevelopment project. The title wants to revolutionize the Pokémonesque urban experience while reintroducing The highly anticipated mega-evolutionsabsent since the sixth generation.
Presented in preview at the Pokémon 2025 world championships, this new opus will be released simultaneously on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 on October 16, 2025. Here are our first impressions after this exclusive discovery session.
A DA which already shows technical limitations
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The start of the game begins in a rather strange way, revealing pebbles roughly blocking the path, leading the player in the right direction. Hopefully this is not a recurring element of the title, because starting from the principle thatLight Inspired by Paris, this is sorely lacking in consistency. It would have been simpler and realistic to opt for site barriers or work panels.
The cutscenes remain static, which certainly corresponds to the traditional artistic direction of Pokémon, but seriously begins to date. This impression is all the more marked with the arrival on Nintendo Switch 2, a console with much higher capacities. Unfortunately, the simultaneous release on Switch first generation visibly bridle the potential of the title. The facades of buildings and Their railings without any relief lack the authentic charm of Haussmann architecture.
The Switch 2 version, however, stands out pleasantly by its constant fluidity at 60 fps and certain successful light reflection effects. Fortunately, the Character Design remains generally convincing and faithful to the visual identity of the franchise.
Dodge + attack = a new dynamic combat system
The combat system adopts a resolutely dynamic approach, inspired by the current trend of Dark Souls games. Major innovation: The trainer can now undergo damage from opposing Pokémon, making the dodges essential.
The fights abandon the traditional turn by turn for a real -time system with Cooldown attacks. The latter remain limited to four, assigned to buttons A, B, X and Ypreserving the accessibility of the series.
There you see me, there you see me more
Surprisingly, Pokémon ZA legends incorporates stealth game phases. At night, Pokémon fights are organized in certain urban areas, delimited by imposing red light barriers requiring interaction to return. An approach that lacks subtlety and harms immersion.
In these areas, the trainers automatically identify you to challenge you, unless you adopt Crouching and stealthy progression. This mechanics nostalgically recall the first opus, when we carefully avoided the eyes of other trainers with a weakened team and an empty bag of potions.
Are we taking the player again by the hand?
The level of challenge seems fairly low regarding a possible difficulty. Although our session was short and the start of a game naturally guides the player, the impression of being constantly taken by the hand was omnipresent. An aspect, which is well mastered in Pokémon arceus legendswhich makes us skeptical about the challenge that this new title will represent.
The return of mega-evolutions
To the delight of trainers, the mega-evolutions make their comeback. We were able to face a mega-absol Suffering from a spontaneous mega-evolution, plunging the poor Pokémon in pain. This boss fight, with an imposing life bar, stages a mega-evolved Pokémon actively looking to hurt the trainer.
The alternation between attack and dodge becomes essential to triumph, demonstrating All the dynamism of the new combat system. An aspect that has definitely convinced us about the merits of this change.
A grip that has not raised the greatest question with regard to Pokémon Za legends
The most worrying point concerning this ZA Pokémon in our opinion remains the apparent absence of various biomes, which constituted the strength of arceus legends by accentuating This “real world” aspect where the adventure resonated in each place. During this grip, it was impossible for us to truly explore illuminated to judge whether the city had enough life to captivate us.
It will therefore be necessary to wait until October 16 and the official release of Pokémon ZA legends to learn more about this crucial aspect.
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