Pokémon Legends: Z-A Hands-On Preview Leaves Me Eager for Lumiose City

Although I strongly believe Pokémon Scarlet & Violet warrant a wide reassessment now that they perform well on Nintendo Switch 2, my favourite Pokémon game of 2022 was unquestionably Pokémon Legends: Arceus. That title, set in the far-off historical version of Gen IV's Sinnoh region, presented Pokémon in a different format. Instead of setting out to chase battle prestige and capture as many Pokémon as possible, players had to soothe Frenzied Noble Pokémon and conduct research for the region's first Pokédex. It was an invigorating variation on the established Pokémon formula, so news that the Legends sequel would move to the present day and restrict its setting to a city initially made me uneasy. Fortunately, after joining a guided look at the various gameplay loops within Lumiose City itself – Paris, France – Pokémon Legends: Z-A has rapidly become one of my most anticipated games for the rest of 2025.

Where Legends: Arceus had you exploring the unexplored Hisui Region, Pokémon Legends: Z-A casts you as a newcomer to Lumiose City in the Kalos Region previously visited by trainers in Pokémon X & Y. Taking place after Pokémon X & Y, Legends: Z-A shows Lumiose City in the middle of an urban redevelopment scheme headed by a company named Quasartico Inc, intended to establish a city where humans and Pokémon can live side by side. As part of that project, Pokémon are given dedicated spaces around Lumiose known as Wild Zones. My Pokémon Legends: Z-A gameplay session begins in one of them.

Before I get started, an early cinematic shows the player character stepping off a train in Lumiose. A person filming Lumiose tourism content spots them in the street and starts asking questions, only for a video advert from Quasartico CEO Jett to interrupt. In it, she explains the corporation's ambitions for Lumiose, laying the groundwork for the adventure ahead.

Before entering the Wild Zone in front of me, I spend some time customising my character. Separate menus let me change their equipped shirt, trousers, hat, glasses, gloves, socks, shoes, satchels, and earrings, allowing me to get the look exactly how I want it. There is also a category for complete "all-in-one" outfits, though unless I find something especially stylish during the adventure, I cannot imagine using it. Pokémon has steadily enhanced the customisation options available to players, so I am pleased to see it continuing to embrace greater player expression.

Catching On

Upon entering the Wild Zone, I start throwing Poké Balls at nearby Buneary. This save file gives me an existing Pokémon roster, but low-level, placid creatures such as these can be caught with little difficulty. Around the next corner, though, a Houndour proves considerably livelier and forces me to weaken it with the new action-focused battle system. Positioning and timing are vital here: you must deploy your Pokémon's four available moves strategically, with each one assigned to a face button. After a move is used, whether it connects or misses, it enters a cooldown period. The Pokémon are not the only danger either, as the trainer can be struck by attacks. Take too much damage and the battle ends, sending you straight to a Pokémon Centre. This adds another action layer to play, since I constantly have to shift position as attacks fly towards me while also ensuring I am well placed when it is time to throw a Poké Ball at the wild Pokémon.

Chikorita and Flabébé would have no hope against Houndour's fire attacks, so I send out Gyarados to cool its temper. After lowering its HP with Water-type moves from the Water/Flying-type Pokémon, I throw a Poké Ball at it and bring it into my roster. Because I added Buneary to my team at the outset, Houndour is automatically sent to my box, which is thankfully accessible at any time. I heal the team and continue onwards, only to find a fresh challenge just around the corner: an Alpha Pokémon.

This Alpha Houndoom is roughly 20 levels above every Pokémon I have encountered so far, and the fight reflects that. Even my super-effective Gyarados cannot stand up to its focused fire blasts and punishing dark attacks. Once it has defeated Gyarados and Watchog, all I have left are Pokémon vulnerable to Houndoom, so I know the battle is nearly over. Thankfully, the save file contains plenty of healing items. I revive Gyarados while sacrificing Chikorita to the dark flames of the dog-shaped Pokémon. With Gyarados restored and ready to fight, however, I manage to scrape out a victory and capture the Alpha Pokémon.

Following that demanding encounter, I decide my team needs adjusting. In the menu, I replace Vivillon with Houndour and add the Alpha Houndoom to the team. I also spot that Chikorita is able to evolve into Bayleef, which I initiate through the menu. After healing again, I find a route up to a nearby rooftop and discover my next test: an Alpha Pikachu. The fight is far easier than the Houndoom battle with my new Bayleef, and I am keen to add the formidable Pika to my team. Sadly, when I encounter this Wild Zone's third and last Alpha Pokémon – an Alpha Binacle – the Electric Mouse feels less useful than I had expected.

Pikachu's level is so high that it refuses to obey me. I do not know whether this is tied to my trainer rank in the Z-A Royale, which I will return to shortly, or another level-related requirement, but I quickly recall Pikachu and send Bayleef out again. With several non-Alpha Binacle nearby, it begins to seem as if an unruly group of Water-types is surrounding me. They attack more relentlessly than the other Alphas did, and while the situation becomes rather tense at points, I capture the third Alpha Pokémon in the Wild Zone just before this session ends.

Time to Rank Up

Capturing wild Pokémon one after another was thrilling, but my next session begins as night falls. Roaming Lumiose and catching Pokémon is great fun in daylight, yet when the sun drops below the horizon, battling takes centre stage. On entering a Battle Zone, I find an entirely different team in this save file: Totodile, Fletchinder, Pikachu, Sylveon, Honedge, and Roselia. As I explore the Zone, I spot trainers and their Pokémon in the distance. I can search the area for items, Mega Shards, and cards containing side missions, or challenge any trainer present. Walking into a trainer's eyeline triggers a battle; alternatively, you can sneak close and order your Pokémon to attack for an early advantage.

On my way to the first opponent, I collect side missions requiring me to sneak up using a Normal-type attack, defeat a Pokémon with a Water-type attack, and score a one-hit KO against an unaware Pokémon. Completing these side missions grants Prize Medals, which can be traded for items such as TMs. The more important reward is Ticket Points, as these unlock access to a Rank-Up Battle. In the Z-A Royale, you begin at Rank Z and battle through the tournament ranks to ultimately reach Rank A. In this save file, I am Rank W and aiming for Rank V, but I need to gather sufficient points before I can challenge Rintaro for that rank.

My first opponent sends out Chespin, which Fletchinder disposes of easily. I then use Honedge to defeat her Pikachu and Ralts. The second trainer's Abra and Ralts are equally incapable of dealing with my powerful Fletchinder, while the last trainer's Beedrill gets a chance against Roselia because I am attempting to finish a quest beforehand. Its Bellsprout then suffers Fletchinder's same airborne fiery wrath. By sunrise, I have enough points to take on Rintaro in a Rank-Up Battle, so I accept and face him at his elegant restaurant.

This encounter uses another save file, meaning Tepig is my starter for the fight and the rest of the team differs as well. Rintaro is a fairly uncomplicated opponent with a Gen V Elemental Monkeys team. Fortunately, I have a well-equipped group of elemental Pokémon that counters the monkey Pokémon perfectly: Tepig destroys Simisage, Pikachu and Weepinbell deal with Simipour, and Simisear has no answer to Staryu. My victory over the waiter earns me Rank V, leaving one final confrontation before I have to hand back the controller.

A Mega Match-Up

The closing portion of my Pokémon Legends: Z-A hands-on demo takes me into one of the game's boss fights against a Rogue Mega-Evolved Pokémon. These serve as replacements for Legends: Arceus's Frenzied Noble Pokémon: arena-style boss battles that require you to consider both your position and role in the fight while trying to calm the rage behind the outbreak. Unlike the bosses in Legends: Arceus, however, Rogue Mega-Evolved Pokémon can be tackled with not only your own Pokémon but an NPC partner too.

This encounter pits Rogue Mega Victreebel, whose Mega-Evolved form makes its debut in Legends: Z-A, against my trainer and Naveen, another Team MZ member. Naveen brings out Ariados, which does little beyond distracting Rogue Mega Victreebel. Anyone familiar with games such as Borderlands or Elden Ring knows that even a little aggro can be useful in a boss battle, but it makes limited difference against Rogue Mega Victreebel because many of its attacks affect an area, including poisonous pools and far-reaching projectiles. Naveen's Ariados may not contribute much, but my team can compensate.

The six Pokémon on this save file are Absol, Meowstic, Gardevoir, Diggersby, Dedenne, and Houndoom. Three – Absol, Gardevoir, and Houndoom – are capable of Mega Evolving, but I first need to collect the orbs Rogue Mega Victreebel drops throughout the battle. I evade its attacks, monitor the cooldowns on Houndoom's fire moves, and gradually reduce Victreebel's imposing health bar. Once I have gathered enough orbs to fill Houndoom's Mega Evolution gauge, I activate its Mega Evolution and begin inflicting serious damage on the boss.

Even those powerful flames are insufficient, so I must repeat the process to return Houndoom to its Mega-Evolved state. After several minutes of steadily wearing down Rogue Mega Victreebel, it eventually yields to the assault and returns to its normal form. My reward is a Victreebel Mega Orb. I do not see much beyond that, as my time expires and the demo concludes.

My time playing Pokémon Legends: Z-A resolved many of my questions in the best possible manner, causing most of my concerns to disappear and elevating the game close to the top of my most anticipated titles for the remainder of a packed 2025. Since the mostly smooth gameplay session took place on a Switch 2, though, I am still curious about how the game will perform on Switch 1, an area Pokémon has not traditionally handled well. We probably will not know the answer until the game launches on October 16. For now, though, I am very eager to return to Lumiose City.