Some creators and news outlets have been given a hands-on preview of Pokémon Legends: Z-A ahead of its release on October 16. We’ve rounded up some of the videos and excerpts from articles so that you can peruse their impressions!
They were given the opportunity to explore a Wild Zone, participate in the Z-A Royale and battle a Rogue Mega Victreebel!
Takeaways from final previews of Legends: Z-A
Here are some interesting points pulled from different previews of the game:
- ‘Plus Moves’ are specific moves that allow for players to use the plus button to power them up when used but they will cost power from the Mega Ring — Mega Evolved Pokémon will automatically use Plus Moves
- Serebii has shared that the Trainer clothing options seem much more robust than Scarlet and Violet
- Some players noted distracting pop-in of characters, even on the Switch 2
- When in longer Alpha Pokémon battles, the time-of-day cutscene can interrupt the battle and restore the Alpha Pokémon’s health back to full — this may be a bug
Preview roundup
PKMNcast
Serebii
“I can tell this game is going to be a bit divisive due to the battle system and exploration changes, but I just can’t wait to see more. There’s some strong potential here and if they hit the mark with the battle system as perfectly as the foundations are making it to appear, we may have something special.” – Full preview
Nintendo Life
“the game doesn’t look bad, just dull and serviceable. This is probably due to the game also coming to Nintendo Switch, but the end result is, sadly, uninspiring. I’m hopeful that the combat will be enough to do a lot of the heavy lifting, but until we get our hands on Pokémon Legends: Z-A proper, hoping is all we’ve got.” – Full preview
IGN
“After watching its intro cutscene and playing, overall, more than an hour of Legends: Z-A, I have to say I’m still skeptical if I’ll appreciate this experience more than I did Legends: Arceus. But I didn’t dislike anything I’ve played or seen, and absolutely had fun with it. Legends: Z-A’s gameplay loop is unique, and I’m looking forward to experimenting with and mastering the new, real-time battle system. I appreciate the risks Pokémon is taking here – I just hope they fully pay off.” – Full preview
GameSpot
Eurogamer
“I’m looking forward to seeing more of that, to following what’ll no doubt be another oddball but quietly affecting story, and to digging into the finer points of its battles for any hidden strategy within. In the meantime, I’m a little skeptical as to whether Pokémon’s real-time reinvention is really for the best.” – Full preview
Let us know if anything you read or watched from the previews has you more or less excited for Legends: Z-A in the comments! Don’t forget to jump into the discussions on our forums or in our Discord server.
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