The Pokémon Company International invited press and influencers to Paris for an exclusive hands-on with Pokémon Legends Z-A. The event was held at the Eiffel Tower, where members of the press, including Serebii, Skill Up, and The Verge, played around 90 minutes of the game.
The demo was split into multiple parts: exploring Lumiose City, trying the new ZA Royale mode, battling a Mega Boss, and regular gameplay. All gameplay footage was provided by TPCi. Independent recording was not allowed.
Serebii’s Impressions
Joe Merrick of Serebii, the world’s biggest Pokémon site, shared detailed thoughts after his session. His 90 minutes were split into four areas: a Wild Zone, ZA Royale, a Mega Boss battle, and free exploration.
Catching and the new battle system
- The first wild zone they visited was Wild Zone 6 in the southeastern part of Lumiose City.
- You can catch Pokémon by simply throwing a Poké Ball, similar to Legends Arceus. It works well, though there are minor issues with hitboxes and sleeping Pokémon.
- Angry Pokémon must be battled if you want to catch them, and they will engage you directly.
- Alpha Pokémon return in Legends Z-A.
- Joe noted he never had to juggle healing items as much in past games, especially with nearby Pokémon joining mid-fight.
- You can use objects like taxis and market stalls for cover, which helps a lot.
- Some Pokémon use abilities right at the start, like Binacle using Protect, forcing you to think strategically.
- For the first time in the series, you can miss simply by not hitting the Pokémon’s position. Joe shared that while battling a Swablu, his moves kept missing because it was flying too high, so he had to switch Pokémon.
- Obstacles were mentioned again as very useful during combat.
Rogue Mega Victreebel battle
- The fight felt great thanks to the mix of Victreebel’s targeted and AoE attacks. It spawned poison puddles on the floor that had to be avoided. Stepping into them dealt damage and sometimes inflicted poison.
- It was noticeably more difficult compared to the Mega Absol fight from the previous demo, but Serebii was able to complete it without any fainted Pokémon.
- You are also accompanied by another Trainer in this battle, which makes things a bit easier.
The combat system
- There is much more to combat than just combining type effectiveness.
- You need to be strategic, think about timing, and combine positioning with attacks and cooldowns.
- Spamming attacks will not work. This feels like a completely different experience compared to previous Pokémon games.
- Plus Moves are an additional mechanic that let you power up a move at the start of battle, making it deal extra damage. All moves used by Mega Evolved Pokémon are Plus Moves.
Trainer customisation
- You are given a very wide selection of options to customise your Trainer, and clothing is not gender-locked.
Pokémon evolution
- Evolution works the same as in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
- If you are not in battle, you can simply select evolution from the Pokémon menu at any time.
- Moves can also be learned directly from the Pokémon screen, with both level-up moves and TM moves available.
- Pokémon can even learn moves during evolution. For example, when his Chikorita evolved into Bayleef, it came up with the idea for Giga Drain. Joe was able to open the menu and immediately teach Bayleef that move.
Other
- The demo was played on Switch 2, and the game ran beautifully at 60 frames per second.
- Draw distance felt a bit restrictive, but that will need to be verified in the final build.
- Music was excellent, mixing classics from X and Y with new tracks.
- Overall impressions were optimistic, though there are still concerns about the city setting.
- The battle system stood out as the best part, and TPCi may be on the brink of something special.
Skill Up feedback
Skill Up doesn’t usually play Pokémon games, but he is a well-respected YouTuber known for honest feedback.
He enjoyed the new combat system, but felt the game doesn’t look that great graphically. The open world feels empty, there is no voice acting, and setting the entire game in Lumiose City makes everything look rather similar.
Visuals
- Even though the game launches on Switch 2, it will also be available on Switch 1. Because of this, it feels held back.
- Skill Up pointed out that many Switch 1 titles look better than Pokémon Legends Z-A.
- The visuals are clean and crisp, but feel very last-gen.
- Putting the entire game in a single city makes the environments look too similar, with little biome diversity.
Voice acting
- Despite being a game focused on characters and Pokémon design, there is no voice acting at all.
- Skill Up found this very disappointing, as it robs characters of personality and makes interactions feel flat.
Combat system
- The new real-time battle system completely replaces the old turn-based style, and Skill Up felt it was a huge improvement.
- In certain areas of the city, you can engage Pokémon and Trainers by targeting them and using one of your Pokémon’s abilities.
- Pokémon move freely to perform actions, closing the gap for short-range attacks and keeping distance for long-range ones.
- Positioning is crucial. AoE, cone, and piercing attacks can hit multiple targets, so dodging is key.
- You can also herd opponents together to land multi-target hits.
- Abilities work on cooldowns instead of PP, allowing for dynamic play and repositioning while waiting for abilities to recharge.
- The turn-based system isn’t fully gone. A hidden “metronome” prevents spamming, stops instant swaps during enemy attacks, and limits item use. This forces tactical decision-making.
- Combat felt similar to Xenoblade Chronicles.
- Switching and combining your whole team is seamless. You can easily apply a status effect with one Pokémon and then continue attacking with another.
Lumiose City
- The city is divided into zones that are fun to explore during the day, with ZA Royale zones becoming available at night.
- In ZA Royale zones, Trainers mostly stand in place waiting for you to engage them, or you can complete Challenge Tickets that ask you to finish mini-assignments to earn points for the Royale Showdown.
- The Royale Showdown itself has you face off against a high-level Trainer. Beating them progresses your rank from Z to A, one letter at a time.
Mega Victreebel boss battle
- Everyone in the demo faced a Rogue Mega Victreebel.
- The fight was fun and interactive, with lots of movement and dodging required.
- You could attack freely and reposition as needed, making it feel engaging.
- Skill Up noted, however, that it wasn’t drastically different from boss battles in other games.
Conclusion
Pokémon Legends Z-A is shaping up to be one of the boldest entries in the franchise. Both Serebii and Skill Up agreed that the new real-time combat system is the clear highlight. It demands positioning, timing, and strategy in ways Pokémon has never seen before – finally!
However, Opinions split when it comes to presentation and Lumiose City: Serebii left optimistic about Lumiose City’s density and detail, while Skill Up felt the city-only setting made the world look repetitive.
We also feel that Lumiose City could be repetitive, but we hope there is more hidden under the surface.
At this point, just the fact that we get smooth performance on Switch 2, vdry engaging boss fights, and a battle system that feels genuinely fresh, makes Legends Z-A feel like a turning point for the series.
Whether the city setting and visuals can deliver over the full game remains to be seen, but the potential is there.
The Pokémon Legends Z-A releases on October 16, 2025.
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