On October 16th, 2025, Game Freak released a brand new Pokémon game titled Pokémon Legends: Za. The game follows a new trainer entering Lumiose City, a bustling city where people and Pokémon co-exist. The game innovates on the previous game mechanics of the franchise; however has received some criticism from fans due to poor performance and high price point.
Graphically, the game looks average, nothing special, it’s nothing offensive to the eyes, but nothing that draws me away. The Pokémon also received new animations, which greatly help the game feel more lively. However, the game looks somewhat barren compared to other games in the franchise.
Pokémon Legends: Za also re-events the battle system with the game featuring real-time battles and a cool-down on Pokémon’s moves. The game also features a ranking system, which allows you to fight other trainers in Lumiose City and gain points to fight higher-level trainers. I like this system and really enjoyed fighting other trainers; however, at the beginning of the game, the game decides to raise you 15+ levels to fight harder trainers. I spent 60 dollars on this game. I do not want the game to skip half of the battles, and I still don’t fully understand why they did this.
The game also reintroduces mega evolutions, which allow some Pokémon to evolve into a very powerful last form that gives a boost in their stats. Some Pokémon also receive brand new mega evolutions, which are hit or miss. Some look very cool, like Mega Scolipede and Mega Hawlucha; however, others look somewhat goofy. I personally like the new goofy Megas, such as Mega Victreebel and Mega Starmie; however, some believe that all Megas should be cool and intimidating.
Overall, I don’t think the game is bad; it’s far from it. The new battling system is great however the game skips over it in the first half makes the game feels cheap and with the 60-70$ price tag it makes the game in my eyes struggle greatly.
5/10
