By: Peggy Sue Wood | @pswediting

It has been a year and one day since Pokémon Legends: Z-A released and I thought I’d share my review as a non-gamer who really loves this game.

It is a well-known fact among my friends—especially the majority that are gamers—that I, myself, do not do much of any gaming. My gaming credentials basically include finishing a few Pokémon titles over the years, usually with a guidebook open beside me (and still taking months to do so), mobile games, and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 DS, which I accidentally played on a self-inflicted hard mode for most of the game because I didn’t realize that gaining levels wasn’t automatically applied (I swear, it’s like my ability to read shuts off the minute I’m playing).

I bought my Switch back in 2018 thinking I’d get into gaming more during a depressed state I was in while living in NY/NJ. It was at the insistence of a friend who thought Stardew Valley would help (it didn’t). In reality, I started playing Runescape instead, which helped a lot, and my Switch now mostly sits quietly until the next Pokémon release tempts me to pick it up again for another go where I eventually grow tired and return to my reading nook. Pokémon Legends: Z-A is a perfect example of that, as it was probably the first time in a few years that I spent money on a new game.

I saw the trailer and was ecstatic at the idea that we would revisit Lumiose City in Kalos with far more detail to allow more world exploration. Until now, Pokémon X & Y was my favorite of the Pokémon installments. I relished in laying havoc for Team Flare across the plains of Kalos with my team of almost all fire-type Pokémon while never using the mega-evolve feature (except when absolutely demanded to as the only option to move forward). However, Lumiose City, which had been one of the most hyped elements of X&Y, was one of the greatest disappointments for me out of that game.

In X&Y, the streets were practically un-recognizable from each other and so I spent little time there. Instead, I went about to the epic roller skating areas found in other parts of the game and took great joy in sitting around just feeding my Pokémon for hours on end. For a game I love, the idea that a new installment would be correcting the one area of the game that felt under-developed made this game a priority for me to acquire and, on the week of its release, acquire I did.

Since then, I’ve sunk hours into playing it and I’m happy to say it has delivered on all of my hopes. After spending time with the game, I’d give it a solid 8/10 overall for someone like me. It’s not flawless, but it’s the most enjoyable Pokémon experience I’ve had in a long time, especially once you push past the opening tutorial stretch. That early section feels a bit slow (and maybe a little hand-holdy to more experienced players), but once it opens up, Z-A really starts to shine. I’m the kind of player that needs that kind of hand-holding. The simplicity if fine for me and, one that note, I liked the longer tutorial. Personally, I felt it would be great for first-time Switch users or—those like myself—who struggle getting used to system controllers in general and don’t game often.

The freedom to wander around, explore, and interact with the city makes it feel more alive than previous entries, especially since you have a lot more side quests. You still catch and battle pokémon, of course, but the pace is less about grinding through routes and more about immersion—wandering side streets, discovering new spaces, and occasionally getting pulled into something bigger. There’s a clear sense of history in the world this time, literally a museum you can walk through and read some history for too. That’s part of what makes it rewarding for someone like me who’s a completionist at heart but struggles with things that drag on or things that are too complicated. It’s easy to play in short bursts while still feeling like you’ve made significant progress within those bursts since there are so many short side quests to do.

I think it could have done a bit more with some of the buildings. I mean, aesthetically the museum in Z-A is clean and nice, but I’d love more depth to it where you can comfortably just hang out. More places to relax would be great and make this city much more livable. I hear that the Pokémon Pokopia, which is only on Switch 2, is a lot more interactive like that, but I’m not sure “interactive” is exactly what I want in Z-A. Like, the cafe’s are nice, but you only get a couple spots in each section of Lumiose. Like I said, the museum is nice, but its not really the kind of place you can “sit” in for an hour in while the music plays in the background, like you can in Animal Crossing… you know?

The expansion pack(s) / DLC could make this world way more immersive in future update(s). Or, like the option to have the hotel, your pseudo home, be a more engaging place that you can customize a bit as your home away from home–like the tree house from older Pokémon Games (LET ME PUT DIGITAL PLUSHIES IN MY ROOM, GAMEFREAK. LET ME COVER MY ROOM IN THEM AGAIN). Entering other rooms in the hotel whenever would be nice too, as would being able to jump off the roof of that specific building, or jump onto the room like you can with other buildings.

You know, more freedom would be nice. I do not own the DLC right now, but I’m hopeful that, like Animal Crossing, we’ll get more as time goes on.

Visually, Pokémon Legends Z-A looks fantastic on the Switch. It’s not photorealistic, but the lighting and atmosphere—especially around sunset in the city—are genuinely lovely. Though, the start and end of the Royale Battle Zones at night is a bit of an interruption to the pretty view.

Still, gameplay-wise, Z-A refines a lot of what I felt was missed in X&Y. Catching Pokémon feels smoother, and the battle system strikes a good balance between strategy and simplicity. If you like strategy, you can definitely make things go way faster for you. However, if you are like me and your brain shuts down to brute force your way through–well, this is can be very straightforward just as much as strategic. At one point, I just brute forced my way through a restaurant battle series that Krow took several tries with. Hey, who said just spamming hits until you make it can’t work? LoL.

The missions and research tasks can be repetitive if you’re binging the game, but they also make it easy for less experienced players to feel like they’re achieving something meaningful each session and that was a great element for someone like me. The game rewards curiosity without punishing mistakes, which makes it approachable even if you don’t normally think of yourself as “good at games.”

The only “fainting” I’ve seen is during Mega Battles–which is nice too. 

Overall, I think that what Pokémon Legends Z-A gets right, especially for casual players like myself, is its tone. It doesn’t rush you. It doesn’t demand mastery. It just invites you to explore the world of Pokémon at your own pace which has always been the draw for this title in the first place. You are meant to enjoy the world, and feel part of it. If that’s what you go in mind with for this game, then I think this is the game for you.

This is the perfect middle ground: nostalgic, accessible, and genuinely fun. So if you’re looking for a game that lets you rediscover Pokémon without stress, one that feels both familiar and new, Pokémon Legends Z-A is worth picking up. For me, it’s been the kind of cozy, satisfying experience that reminds me why I still reach for the Poké Ball, even all these years later.

Also, it is so much easier to evolve Magikarp in this game: 10/10!