Maybe I Was Wrong About Legends Z-A

I know, it may be hard to believe, but I may have rushed to judgment when it comes to the quality of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's hard to believe that the guy who confidently declared we would never see a return to Daredevil in the MCU or dismissed Fortnite as a weird game that people won't like back in 2018 would make a miscalculation like this, but based on firsthand accounts out of the World Championship in Anaheim, it appears that the game is way better than we would have thought based on their July filibuster, I mean Pokemon Presents presentation.

We knew that Legends: Z-A would use a different battle system from the traditional turn-based system we have seen for the overwhelming majority of the last 30 years because Legends: Arceus also had a slightly different take. This one seems to be expanding on what we already knew worked, which is more of a real-time system with a cooldown on moves. This would adjust the gameplay to be more dynamic with action more closely mirroring what we saw in the anime, rather than the slower, more methodical action you get with turn-based gameplay.

The fact that they have gone through this method to promote the game indicates to me that they're probably a little apprehensive of the response that audiences will have to the game. Perhaps showing off how it looks in gameplay in a presentation could have led to consternation among a very easily riled fanbase. If things like removing the national dex or releasing a 3rd party produced faithful remake that had the audacity to be faithful to the game it was remaking were enough to cause unrest, let alone the janky mess that was Scarlet and Violet, upending the entire gameplay system would definitely lead to complaints.

The idea of not fully unveiling it until the press (and a very friendly audience) gets to play it suggests to me that they want to address any complaints by letting people actually play the game before showing off extensive footage. This way, if someone asks, "Will this work?" a person who played it at the World Championship can affirmatively say yes.

Now I haven't played the game, I'm not in Anaheim, and have not had any hands-on time with the game, but reports from trusted sources indicate that the new system handles very well. Considering where the franchise is, this is actually an interesting crossroads going into the 10th Generation. If this is broadly well-received, could this be the new dominant gameplay system for the franchise going forward? Could Pokemon finally evolve into an action RPG series, especially in a world where people who want the traditional turn-based system can hang out Champions?

I say all this with a grain of salt because this is a friendly audience. If someone is willing to travel to Anaheim to watch other people play Pokemon, network with other fans, and play the demo for this game, odds are they're already pre-sold. It's like when Disney or Warner Brothers holds "fan first" screenings for die-hard Marvel, DC, Star Wars, or other franchise fans to try and control the narrative early before potential negative reviews creep in.

If you want to see some gameplay, check out Sports Illustrated's article, where they have some interesting footage. It could be interesting to see how this plays out in the future as the franchise evolves, especially if the final game looks and feels as good as the videos look when the full game releases.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A releases on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 on October 16th, 2025.