Sorry Pokémon Fans, But We Deserve Better Than Legends: Z-A

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Okay, so *Legends: Z-A* was the first game out on the new Switch 2, and honestly, it felt like Game Freak and The Pokémon Company were trying to really finish off Generation 9 with a strong title. Just like *Pokémon Legends: Arceus*, it was hyped up to be something different and exciting. And yeah, the reviews were pretty good – it’s sitting around an 81 on OpenCritic right now – but even with all the positive stuff, a lot of us players were still a little disappointed, you know?

While *Legends: Z-A* introduced exciting new features like real-time battles, it didn’t quite meet today’s gaming expectations, and it didn’t feel as innovative as *Arceus*. For a long time, fans have excused flaws in *Pokémon* games due to their strong loyalty, but eventually, that tolerance will likely fade. Fans deserve a higher quality experience, and Nintendo and The Pokémon Company need to fix these problems before it impacts the franchise’s popularity.

Legends: Z-A Was Supposed To Be The Next Evolution Of The Pokémon Series

Released in 2022, *Pokémon Legends: Arceus* felt like a welcome change for the series. Its expansive world and improved gameplay, particularly the simplified Pokémon catching process, suggested that Game Freak was responding to what players wanted. While not perfect, it was a positive step and showed genuine care and effort in its development.

While *Legends: Z-A* borrows ideas from *Arceus*, it doesn’t quite feel like an improvement. It runs better than *Scarlet & Violet* and looks good for a Pokémon game, but the overall presentation is weak. The game uses low-resolution textures and repeats the same elements too often, making areas like Lumiose City feel empty and lifeless.

Furthermore, limiting the setting of *Legends: Z-A* to a single city is concerning. While *Arceus* wasn’t fully open-world, its diverse environments created a sense of a large world, and Jubilife Village offered a welcome respite. A smaller scope might be acceptable for downloadable content or a smaller game, but fans expect more from a full-priced title. It’s disappointing to see The Pokémon Company potentially compromising quality and delivering a less-than-ideal experience.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A Is Pressuring Players To Pay For DLC

Legends: Z-A feels short on content for a $60-$70 game, and players are facing extra costs. Nintendo announced a $30 day-one DLC called Mega Dimensions, which includes Pokémon like Mega Raichu that aren’t available in the main game, and will add more story content later next year.

Plus, some of the game’s features require a Nintendo Online subscription. Specifically, players need to compete in online Ranked Battles to unlock the Mega Evolutions for Chesnaught, Delphox, and Greninja. While Pokémon content has been behind a paywall before, making players pay extra to access all of the game’s Mega Evolutions still feels frustratingly unfair.

Okay, so I’m really excited for *Pokémon Legends: Z-A*, but I’m a little worried about the price. It costs as much as a big, brand-new game this year, but honestly, it doesn’t *feel* like one. They’re using a lot of stuff from the previous games, and the biggest thing for me is the lack of voice acting – it’s really noticeable during the story scenes and kind of throws me off. If Nintendo wants us to be okay with these smaller Pokémon games that don’t have all the latest features, they really need to adjust the price to match.

Despite recent issues, Pokémon games continue to be popular due to the franchise’s strong fanbase. However, fans are frustrated with the bugs and performance problems in *Scarlet & Violet*, as well as the expensive add-ons for *Legends: Z-A*. Hopefully, The Pokémon Company will address these concerns and deliver a better experience with the next generation of games.

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2025-10-20 20:37