Scarlet Pokémon et Violet will blow their third candle this year and it is therefore high time to turn the page to discover the next chapter of the franchise. While the 10th generation of little pocket monsters is in preparation in the shadows, the Pokémon Company and Game Freak invite us to discover a new stamped opus Legends. After a return to Sinnoh’s past in Pokémon arceus legends In February 2022, the developers were interested this time in the future of the Kalos region, and more specifically of its illuminated capital.
Pokémon ZA legends should therefore make it possible to fill all the scriptwriting shortcomings of the episodes X et Ywhich had greatly suffered from the absence of a third version Z. This next adventure will enter Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 on October 16, but we have already had the chance to discover a game on the occasion of the Pokémon World Championships, which took place in Anaheim, in California. The handling allowed us to obtain a first feeling of the new combat system.
The proposed demo was divided into two parts: a first devoted to the discovery of the Royal ZA, the Nocturne tournament of Illumis, then a second dedicated to a boss fight against a absolute victim of a spontaneous mega-evolution, also called mega-ferox evolution. The focus was therefore placed on Pokémon’s fights, but the chosen extracts were unfortunately shown a little too restrictive.
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A demo that is content to be a tutorial
In order to be able to carry out a large -scale test during the World Championship Pokémon, the Pokémon ZA legends demo proposed Two 10 minutes timed segments, taken from the game tutorial segments. We were therefore held by the hand of A to Z and from Z to A (we had to do this joke), with NPCs which indicated all the solutions and which treated our Pokémon, without the possibility of exploring outside the limits fixed by the demo.
So it is Impossible to judge the restricted card of Illumis, Or talk about gameplay aspects other than Pokémon fights. Knowing that the main concern of the players lies in the identity and the structure of the city, the test version of the game could not meet our expectations on this aspect.
What is Pokémon on Switch 2?
Since we played Pokémon ZA legends On Switch 2, the game has shown unparalleled fluidity. We were not waiting for this edition of the game, especially since the visuals, although improved on the new generation console, remain a simple upscale of the SWITCH 1 version. So we find certain faults specific to Scarlet et Violetnamely Too often repeated textures (especially on buildings)from vegetation that lacks relief or water with questionable reflections. For Having benefited from a longer development time than usual, we regret that the graphics of the 2 -edition switch are not more striking.
But let’s give back to Pikachu what is in Pikachu: the fluidity of the image frequency, the quality of the 3D models of the characters and the Pokémon, as well as the Character Design of the NPC suggests the very good for the future of the franchise on this new platform. The first Pokémon game which will not stradle between two generations of console could well be grand.
A promising combat system
Real -time fights are the great novelty of Pokémon ZA legends. The first trailers suggested a system similar to Xenoblade Chronicles 3and our first grip of the game confirmed these impressions, with some subtleties all the same. We were able to participate in fighting against trainers, as well as a boss fight against a mega-absol.
The battles against the trainers took place in a part of the game where the protagonist did not yet have access to the mega ring and therefore to the mega evolution. These clashes allowed us to familiarize ourselves with the dynamics and unusual controls of the new gameplay. From the pressure of the left trigger, the four attacks of the Pokémon appear in the interface, and can be activated thanks to buttons A, B, X, and Y.
Each skill has a recharge time, enough to avoid spam and bring a new strategic dimension to matches. Basically, Pokémon’s fights work on the same principle: you have to put KO the creatures of the opponent by taking advantage of type affinities. Only this time, the responsiveness is essential. In the absence of a tower system, the Pokémon follow the trainers, and it is therefore possible to avoid certain attacks by placing themselves strategically in the combat zone.
The functioning of the dodge system is still a little vague, since certain attacks are self -guided and others not. We hope that the final game tutorials will explain these aspects of the more in -depth gameplay. Regarding the mega-evolution, it works differently than in previous titles. Here, you must recharge a gauge over time as well as the help of orbs that certain attacks can reveal in the combat zone. Once the gauge is full, the evolution activates a pressure of the right joystick, and it continues until the accumulated energy is exhausted.
This new combat system offers unique and blurring sensations. For the very first time, a Pokémon game allows you to experience clashes as dynamic as in anime. Other mechanics of previous generations also make their return, such as the application of poison damage outside the fighting. So it seems that Pokémon ZA legends Building on real time in all the details of the gameplay.
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