Those pesky fire dogs wouldn’t leave me alone.
A pack of roving Houndour had been chasing after me, led by an alpha Houndoom — its red eyes signaling it was a cut above the rest — and, overwhelmed in one of Lumiose City’s Wild Zones, I booked it. But unlike most mainline Pokémon entries, there’s no clean way to flee the battle in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. Those pups were nipping at my heels.
I sent a level-20 Gyarados out into battle, but that fire-type Houndoom, with its alpha status and a 13-level difference, was too strong. Amid the chaos, I was able to escape, though my Gen 1 classic had fainted, along with some of my other ‘mons. Crouching and hiding in a bush, I revived and healed my little guys and went off to explore the urban area some more.
I ventured around alleys, streets, and even rooftops. I wandered by a Pokémon battle court and headed for a yellow teleporter to fly off to the rooftops. However, to get there I had to pass the pack of Houndour again and oh no they’re following me again, will you please just give me a break I don’t want to die.
The teleporter sent me to the roof, and I panned around to take in the city. Any scenic views were cut short as I immediately noticed two Houndour had rushed across the court. They were waiting below for my return like horror movie villains. The roof wasn’t any better — an alpha level-42 Pikachu, double the level of my ‘mons, was waiting. Off the roof I go!
Such is the life of a trainer in Lumiose City.
I attended a guided preview event earlier this month for Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the next entry in the long-running franchise, and spent about an hour getting a feel for its core gameplay loop: catching Pokémon, battling trainers at night, winning a rank promotion battle, and encountering a rogue Mega Evolved Pokémon. As someone who’s been playing the series on and off since the Game Boy Color days, there was a lot of familiarity in sitting down to play Z-A — it’s Pokémon through and through — with just enough of a twist on the traditional formula to feel innovative and original.
Legends: Z-A is the second entry in the Pokémon Legends series, meaning it eschews the traditional trainer-packed routes and gym battles. Wild Pokémon roam the streets at all hours in Lumiose City. Some, like Buneary, weren’t too aggressive, while others came at my trainer with every move in their arsenal. Catching Pokémon feels a lot like catching them in Legends: Arceus, as you’ll want to be sneaky in your approach. When focusing on a Pokémon, arrows pointing up will indicate how likely you are to successfully catch ‘em, and the best way to do so is by tip-toeing up from behind.
Some Pokémon can be caught during battle once their health is weakened enough, while others will have to be fully defeated to be caught, depending on how outraged or aggressive they are. After depleting their health, you’ll have a brief window to throw a ball at them before they disappear. (To where? Who knows, but vanishing is definitely the right choice. I definitely don’t want to see the streets littered with the bodies of unconscious Pokémon I’ve defeated!)
The real-time battle mechanics are the biggest change in Pokémon Legends Z-A. Instead of going in a turn order during battle, each of your Pokémon’s moves works on a cooldown, so you’re free to cycle through them in battle. But that also means there’s no time for a breather, as your opponent will also be cycling through its moves.
Battling out in the wild was overwhelming at first — those freakin’ Houndour nipping at my heels — as wild Pokémon enjoyed ganging up on me. Going one-on-one against a trainer’s ‘mon was a little less frantic, though still exhilarating. The only way to pause the action is to pull up the menu, meaning you can’t freeze the battlefield and assess the situation, like using Dragon Age: Inquisition’s tactical view, for example.
Instead, the menu is your only reprieve, and you’ll have to go through the menu to access your satchel. Items are also on a cooldown timer, and only one can be used at a time. There’s no way to revive a Pokémon and heal it immediately after; you’ll have to wait for the cooldown to cycle through.
Battles take place in a 3D space, so your positioning matters. Your Pokémon in battle will follow you, meaning you can lead them out of danger. Each of their moves have varying ranges and attack styles, which will also influence your positioning. A Fletchinder’s Flame Wheel will roll forward in a straight line, while AOE (area of effect) attacks will target a specific spot. You’ll also want to be mindful of keeping your own Pokémon out of harm’s way. Keeping an eye on all these elements felt a bit chaotic at first, though that can also be chalked up to being thrown into the thick of things in a mid-game demo.
Each night, you’ll collect ticket points by defeating trainers and completing optional objectives, like sneaking up on a foe and hitting their Pokémon with a Flying-type move. Defeating trainers of a higher rank will yield higher rewards, incentivizing challenging battles. Once you hit the necessary amount (your points carry over night-to-night, ensuring you’re always making progress), a promotion battle will become available.
The “Z-A” in the title indicates the ranks of trainers in Lumiose City. You’ll start at the bottom, rank Z, and work your way up to rank A. My promotional battle was against a restaurant owner in his establishment (I love this wacky world) as diners watched. About 45 minutes into the preview, the stress of the real-time combat had worn off a bit and I was able to focus on strategy.
I’m typically the type of trainer who throws stat-changing moves to the wind and is all attack, all the time, but in Legends: Z-A, moves like Focus Energy or Leer will be a regular part of my rotation. Boosting stats while a prime attack is on a cooldown feels worthwhile here, in contrast to the turn-based games, when using buffs can feel like wasting a turn against tough opponents who can one-shot your Pokémon.
The final part of the preview showcased Z-A’s Mega Evolutions and how your trainer will investigate Pokémon Mega Evolving seemingly at random. I had a team of Pokémon around level 37 to battle a level-34 Mega Victreebel. Thankfully, I wasn’t alone as an NPC joined the fray, someone we’ll apparently get to know in the full game.
The battle against the Mega Victreebel felt a bit like the Noble Pokémon battles in Legends: Arceus. Though, instead of throwing calming balms at the Mega Victreebel, I used attacks to whittle its health down and make it drop Mega Orbs. Collecting those Orbs built up my Mega Ring, and Mega Evolving was my way of gaining the upper hand.
The tables had turned for me in this fray: instead of a Houndoom trying to eat me alive, I had one on my team. Its Mega Evolution is as intimidating as ever in Z-A, and helped me secure victory. Though, that victory wasn’t without its challenges: even with a type advantage, my Houndoom did faint once.
Like during the trainer battles, there was a lot to keep track of when facing off against Mega Victreebell. I was so focused on collecting Mega Orbs I didn’t even notice my Houndoom’s health depleting. Amid the heat of battle, one of the people guiding my preview had to remind me that I could swap Houndoom out for another Pokémon while collecting orbs, and put Houndoom back into the battle when it was time to Mega Evolve — and mega make use of its type advantage. All in all, it was a thrilling battle, and I look forward to seeing more Mega Evolved Pokémon throughout Lumiose City.
Ever since Pokémon Crystal, my first foray into the series, I’ve loved battling in these games. For years, I could take or leave filling out a Pokédex; it wasn’t until Scarlet that I completed my first. Capturing and collecting has never been the main appeal for me, and that’s part of the reason why Legends: Arceus — with its dearth of battles — never quite hooked me like the others did, with their gyms and Elite Fours.
So Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels made for trainers for me. It’s all about battling. Sure, there’ll be a Pokédex to complete and a story to explore. But the core gameplay loop is centered around endless trainer v. trainer battles, and the real-time elements breathe new life into those encounters.
I came away from my demo feeling like I could have spent all day and night battling and ranking up, and I look forward to doing exactly that when Pokémon Legends: Z-A comes out.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A will release on Oct. 16 for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.
