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Pokemon Legends: Z-A Nintendo Switch 2 Critic Reviews

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Metascore Generally Favorable

positive

35 (83%)

mixed

7 (17%)

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Showing 45 Critic Reviews

Oct 14, 2025

Pokémon Legends Z-A is a grand adventure that once again proves that the Legends series is home to the most interesting ideas Game Freak has. It's a game that understands its audience, and feels like a love letter to both players who grew up with X & Y, and those who've been here the whole time. The new battle system really worked for me, and the Rogue Mega Battles are bombastic fun, even if, like the traditional turn-based offering, it can get very easy as you level up your team. I hope the Pokémon Legends series is here to stay.

Nintendo Switch 2

Oct 14, 2025

Unlike the most recent Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is a game that really holds your attention. The spiritual successor to Legends Arceus, it’s learned from the mistakes of the distant past and beautifully shows what city life is like in the Pokémon universe. I can see myself playing this for another hundred hours as I finish my Pokédex, shiny hunt and generally have a great time. This is easily the best Pokémon game on the market.

Nintendo Switch 2

Oct 14, 2025

Thanks to its mature story tinged with nostalgia, its fast-paced gameplay, and its remarkably smooth performance, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels like one of the best entries in the series — a must-play for any Pokémon fan. While it pays heartfelt tribute to the franchise’s past with its Kalos setting, it also stands as a clear glimpse of what the future of Pokémon can become.

Nintendo Switch 2

Oct 14, 2025

I’m sure of it: beyond its imperfections and the unfinished business Game Freak has yet to resolve, Pokémon Legends: Z-A marks the first step in a smart direction—one that aligns with what many fans have been asking for over the years and shows particular respect for the legacy it inherits from the most successful franchise in history. I’m convinced we’re looking at one of those special games, one of those one-in-a-million experiments that end up working out. This time, Game Freak, you have my full attention.

Nintendo Switch 2

Oct 14, 2025

With a well-rounded gameplay flow, seamless catching and fighting as well as a smooth performance, Pokémon-Legends: Z-A is the best game delivered by Game Freak in the last ten years.

Nintendo Switch 2

Oct 14, 2025

Pokémon Legends: Z-A reinvents the series with bold real-time battles and an ambitious urban world. Though exploration feels limited, its combat depth and smooth performance make it a standout evolution for the saga.

Nintendo Switch 2

Oct 14, 2025

It's a fun, fresh take on the series' formula that really helps Pokémon Legends: Z-A set itself apart as one of the best entries yet.

Nintendo Switch 2

Oct 14, 2025

Pokemon Legends: Z-A gave me just about everything I wanted from a new Legends game. It continues the trend of bucking against series norms while maintaining the essence of what makes these games so special for fans.

Nintendo Switch 2

Oct 14, 2025

Two games in, it’s clear now that the Legends subtitle is for experimental ideas and gameplay concepts. Pokémon Legends: Z-A experiments a lot, taking big swings with its action combat system and smaller, more focused world, but it’s a very successful experiment and hopefully a sign of great things to come for the Pokémon franchise. Minor quibbles aside, Legends: Z-A very quickly became my favourite Pokémon game in the modern era, and probably the best Pokémon game in years.

Nintendo Switch 2

Oct 14, 2025

TechRadar Gaming

People often say you can't reinvent the wheel. Pokémon Legends: Z-A proves that sometimes you can improve on perfection, and while some changes need some fine-tuning, the experience it delivers is one I hope I'll see again from this franchise.

Nintendo Switch 2

Oct 14, 2025

Years ago, I said that Pokemon Legends: Arceus proved that there was room in the Pokemon world for more games like Pokemon Colosseum to exist, and to even thrive. While Pokemon Legends: Z-A wasn't quite what I had in mind, it feels like validation nonetheless. Pokemon is at its best when Gamefreak is allowed to experiment with what a Pokemon game can actually be, and Pokemon Legends: Z-A is an affirmation that the series isn't done evolving, much like the Pokemon themselves. If this is the future of the series - more experimental "Legends" titles which attempt to broaden the Pokemon world in ways that only they can, instead of merely retreading old ground with remakes - I couldn't be happier.

Nintendo Switch 2

Oct 14, 2025

Pokemon Legends: Z-A is a follow-up to Arceus that feels both similar and different due to its focus on living alongside Pokemon in a modern city. The two themes are Mega Evolution and embracing life alongside Pokemon, and Game Freak and Nintendo are constantly showing and telling how that works. Admittedly, I miss the more varied biomes and locations from Arceus. But I do appreciate the story, the ambiance, the attention paid to characters, and how much it feels like a real city. After over 35 hours with it, I’m quite pleased.

Nintendo Switch 2

Oct 14, 2025

At its core, Pokemon Legends: Z-A proves to be a highly entertaining and competent RPG. Its revamped gameplay mechanics inject a new level of freshness into the overall experience. Revisiting Mega Evolutions goes beyond mere nostalgia. It represents a smart decision, bringing attention to Pokemon that had likely been forgotten.

Nintendo Switch 2

Oct 14, 2025

Pokémon Legends: Z-A refines the series’ formula with a leaner, more focused, and genuinely fun experience. Despite its dated visuals, Game Freak delivers one of the most enjoyable entries in years a “sequel to a spin-off” that carries the kind of soul we hope to see return in the mainline games.

Nintendo Switch 2

Oct 14, 2025

Pokémon Legends Z-A is one of the most intelligent entries in Game Freak's recent games. The studio knew how to build key new mechanics such as the real time combat with the enough focus in the little details. There's things that still have potential to improve, but overall our stay in Lumiose City was great.

Nintendo Switch 2

Oct 14, 2025

While the technical leap is rather meager, developer Game Freak demonstrates great courage in terms of content with the switch to real-time combat, successfully enriching the gameplay. If this radical change for the series isn't a no-go for you, you should pick it up.

Nintendo Switch 2

Oct 14, 2025

Pokémon Legends: Z-A is a hugely important game for the series. The game experiments with its structure and combat, and while I don't think everything we see here will be part of Generation 10, it's likely some ideas will be reworked or expanded upon in the next Legends installment. No, it's not a perfect game, but it's still a lot of fun that makes it clear that Pokémon still has enough energy to keep players engaged for years to come.

Nintendo Switch 2

Oct 14, 2025

Pokémon Legends: Z-A is the next step in the series' mega-evolution, a title with fresh ideas, a spirit of renewal, and a desire to do things right. While there's still work to be done, this is the path future Pokémon games should follow.

Nintendo Switch 2

Oct 14, 2025

If Pokémon Legends Arceus captivated you with its innovative gameplay and a flow that always made you want to play just a little longer, Pokémon Legends Z-A could have the same effect. It may be too complex to be someone's first Pokémon, but those who come with the prospect of playing a Pokémon game without having played the series for years will find a different, profound, addictive title, and, due to its themes, focused precisely on the thirty-something audience who grew up playing the classic editions.

Nintendo Switch 2

Oct 14, 2025

Pokémon Legends: Z-A neatly solves the biggest problems of Scarlet & Violet for me. The creative interpretation of the battle system combined with the Mega Evolution battles truly makes this Pokémon a joy to play again. The fact that the game holds your hand quite a bit and the story is as transparent as cling film is something I’m more than happy to accept.

Nintendo Switch 2