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Pokemon Legends: Z-A Nintendo Switch 2 User Reviews
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4.3
User Score
Generally Unfavorable
positive
131 (31%)
mixed
37 (9%)
negative
249 (60%)
Showing 228 User Reviews
Oct 18, 2025
After just a few hours, it’s painfully clear this is another low-effort Pokémon cash grab. The visuals are rough, the gameplay feels slapped together, and there’s zero polish. It reeks of minimal effort, and honestly, it shows. Definitely not worth the price
I’ll be returning it
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
Graphics slightly better than pokemon XD. (2005)
For comparison, it's not as good as the transition from GTA Sans Andreas (2004) to GTA 5. (2013)
The spawn distance of NPCs is laughable.
There is no life in this game.
Having played Pokemon Red since I was 4, I find the lack of graphical and technological development intolerable.
This is my first "Pokemon refund." Enough is enough.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
Flat buildings with a texture on, one city not even a whole region, poor parkour, poor quests, and combat is not responsive.
The game looks bad on both Switch and Switch 2, terrible price, and DLC announced ahead of the time, Greedtendo has really done it now.
and of course critics score is 79 cause they can't mark down a Nintendo game can they?
but User score is real 4.2
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
The tl;dr version of my review is this: Everything that works well in this game is recycled from past entries and would work in any case. This includes the choice of music, the capturing mechanic, the recurring characters and the joy of hunting critters for sport. Everything Gamefreak had to get creative for, though, is a complete mess. The plot drags on with meaningless dialogues and occasional unlikeable characters. Everything in this way too small and ugly city treats you like a superhero. My working theory is that people in Lumiose City have an IQ way below average. The tutorialitis and handholding are very apparent in this game. Overall it feels like it is made by Ubisoft, to be honest, except that those games have way better graphics. All in all it is not worth its price tag. I wouldn't mind spending $30-35 on it for the things it does deliver, but Gamefreak lost their minds charging full price for a demo bloated with filler content.
For anyone interested in details, here is the long version:
First of all, since people ranking this a full 10/10 are certainly gonna question my credibility, here are some hard facts about me. I
- started my first Pokémon journey with Pokémon Yellow on the GameBoy back in 2000
- collected and played every Pokémon console game released in the EU, including spin-offs
- upload and stream content on YouTube since 2010, including major Pokémon releases like Legends Arceus and Scarlet/Violet
- have released both a randomizer for gen 2 through gen 5 and a fan translation of Pokémon Conquest
- and used Pokémon games to learn a third language
So if you think I might be just some rando talking smack, try to convince yourself, but at least I can rightfully say I gave you enough evidence on the contrary.
But this review is not about me, but about what I would like to call the most shameless cash grab (or scam) Gamefreak and the Pokémon Company ever pulled with a console release.
Let me start with some positive remarks.
1 - The music carries the game. Well, most of it is based on the X/Y soundtrack, so why shouldn't it?
2 - Collecting Pokémon works as well as always. Sneaking up to Pokémon and entering battles seemlessly makes this part of the experience very enjoyable.
3 - In 15 hours of gameplay I couldn't find major glitches. I read that others did, but I personally cannot say that we have another S/V release situation here.
Now what is my problem with this game? Well, it is that I don't see a reason to spend $60 or more if I could have more fun replaying Legends Arceus or even X/Y. And this is where my negative remarks come in.
1 - Hours of introduction of the most basic mechanics before you can roam free. Tutorials and mission descriptions drag on forever.
2 - For a game about exploration, the city is way too small. No variety in buildings. Apart from a few sights, it all looks copy-pasted.
3 - Inconsistent art style and graphics. Most buildings are boxes with flat textures. The surrounding area is just a green mush that reminds me too much of Attack on Titan. Not even roads or small villages to be seen anywhere around the city. Pokémon and trainer models stand out too much compared to the rest.
4 - A lifeless environment. There are lots of areas where NPCs just stand there doing nothing. No natural movement at all. This is mostly reserved for Pokémon in wild areas.
5 - Uninspired, sometimes obnoxious storytelling. Your tasks are introduced in long sequences with too many attempts at comic relieve that are ruined by every joke being explained afterwards.
6 - People in Lumiose city are both stupid and intrusive. Two people install dubious apps on your phone, you basically get kidnapped in a hotel, you cannot voice concerns (sadly, that's a recurring thing since gen 4, but here it is heavily abused) and still everyone hails you for doing basic Pokémon stuff like you are the Pokémon worlds most competent human.
7 - There is a point in the game, where a large portion of the game gets condensed into one mission. This is just lazy. Had Gamefreak not done that, they could have spent more time on fleshing out the characters and lore.
8 - A certain quiz part. The game could have taken its time to make our opponent interesting, if it wasn't for the aforementioned skip in the story, but nope, instead one gets presented with an entitled brat from start to finish that you cannot even feel sorry for. This was such a wasted opportunity to first make the character sympathetic, only to reveal their actual personality.
9 - The ending... Well, I won't spoil it, but at this point the game becomes ridiculous to the point where you barely recognize being in a Pokémon game. And it's not even a good ending as in Legends Arceus. It's just a fever dream.
Sadly, those points are already pretty condensed because of the 5000 character limit, but I hope it still explains in sufficient detail how you should not pay money for Pokémon Legends Z-A if you ever want Gamefreak to make decent games.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
Pokémon Legends: Z-A — A Legendary Letdown.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A on Nintendo Switch 2 is proof that more power doesn’t automatically mean better games. What was supposed to be a bold new chapter for the series ends up feeling like a tired imitation of past failures — a game that looks and moves as if it never left the previous generation. Lumiose City, the supposed heart of this adventure, feels less like a living metropolis and more like a stage set, a hollow backdrop that never convinces you it’s real. The buildings are flat and lifeless, the streets lack atmosphere, and even when the game tries to look busy, it somehow feels empty. Windows and doors look painted on, lights don’t behave naturally, and there’s a sense that everything was built from recycled assets rather than actual design **** most painful part is that Z-A arrives on new hardware and yet shows almost no visual progress. Textures are blurry, models are stiff, and the lighting is static and uninspired. Even when the frame rate holds steady, the visuals remain so dull that it’s impossible to care. You can tell that the developers tried to play it safe, keeping the same outdated engine rather than rebuilding something truly modern. The result is a “next-gen” Pokémon title that feels visually and artistically stuck in 2010.Lumiose itself, the one environment we spend the entire game in, ends up betraying the concept. Every district looks the same; every corner feels copy-pasted. What could have been a vibrant urban ecosystem turns into a repetitive maze of identical streets, robotic NPCs, and static props. There’s no sense of depth, no reason to explore — just the growing feeling that you’ve seen everything long before the credits roll.What makes this failure worse is that the potential was enormous. A Pokémon game focused on a single, detailed city could have been brilliant — intimate, alive, and full of character. Instead, we get a technically shaky and visually uninspired experience that feels like a step backward. The Switch 2 deserves better, and so do the fans. Pokémon Legends: Z-A isn’t just disappointing; it’s a reminder that Game Freak’s creative stagnation runs deeper than any hardware limitation.Final verdict: visually dull, artistically flat, and utterly forgettable. A “legend” in name only.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
Having played the series since Red and Blue. This is just a completely lazy excuse ****. Trapped in a wherethegameusedt be a grand adventure. Removal of all the systems that made the games beloved. Exploration, the elite 4 and a great refined battle system. Replaced with this anti aliasing struggling game with an ugly U.I. that looks like something outofa mobile game.
This coming from oneofthe biggest franchises to ever exist. This is just a sad lazy excuse ****. An fans will just continue to make excuses for the series short comings. An severe lack of investment from the Pokemon Company,Game freak and Nintendo.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
I've been playing every generation since red and blue and follow the competitive scene.
ZA's framerate seems to be a solid 60 FPS. It's twist on the battling is really interesting and may have surprising depth and a high skill ceiling, although perhaps with a higher requirement on the player's dexterity than is normal for the series. For example, a well timed protect nullifies opponent's attacks and is very satisfying to pull off. Another interesting option I've not made work yet involves combining AoE attacks with others that forcibly reposition the opponent (i.e., back into the AoE).
The visual designs of the mega evolutions are a mix of cool, goofy, and majestic, and are fantastic. The models for pokemon and NPCs in general are nice. The world layout is surprisingly complex and exploration is quite rewarding. I've had multiple instances of wondering how to reach an item and actually having to use at least one braincell to get it. For example, an item 10 feet off the ground that is only reachable after you find a ladder on the opposite side of the building to climb the roof and drop down.
ZA's day-night cycle feels unique and I've been having a lot of fun with it, although goes a bit fast, creating a time pressure that took me some getting used to.
ZA is held back by the usual tedious storytelling, inane side characters, and pointless dialogue options, but at least there's no voice acting to make it even worse. While there's plenty to see and do, the environments themselves are very monotonous and the textures on close inspection can be outrageously poor, especially for a game with this marketing budget from the world's biggest franchise. The monotony can make the game hard to navigate for some.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
Way below any acceptable standard in 2025, both visually and gameplay-wise.
••• Gameplay is unengaging, there have recently been lots of competitive titles offering a much richer monster-battling experience. "Wow look - you can dodge by rolling now". What good is a roll when the battles and map designs are unengaging?
••• Trainer battles are the worst offender, you just run up to the trainer's Pokémon and blast it's HP down to a quarter's health, before they even get to react. Also, you better hope there are no bushes or benches in the way, those will mess up the pathfinding.
••• Outside of battle, the world itself is empty, boring and dead. The lack of any soundscape doesn't help. No voice acting is a baffling decision, there's no excuse for it. Add text-based cutscenes that go on forever into the mix, and you've got a recipe for pure boredom.
••• Visuals are subpar, both in a technical and an aesthetic way - the game suffers from severe lack of visual depth. Objects appear floating, making navigating the threedimensional space difficult.
••• The game also suffers from a lack of visual variety, everything takes place in the one same city map, built to litterly make you run in circles. The buildings are not even properly modeled, the balconies, windows and doors are just 2d textures. Character models are the same, being static and lacking expressions.
••• What's alright then? The most fundamental idea of monster catching is still intact, and it still proves to be a good concept. But in 2025, there are so many better games. Just go to one of the competitors, and hope that the Pokémon Company doesn't sue them.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
It's a modern Pokémon game on the switch, I believe that's a good enough descriptor that tells you everything you need to know already, also, good God are most new megas horrible looking, seriously, it feels like they practically didn't even try this time around, it breaks my heart because I really do like the mechanic, but it only made me stay away from megas altogether due to the terrible stylistic choices and that new horrible NetEase like battle system, funnily enough, most modern gacha phone exclusive games have more gameplay depth than Pokémon Legend: Z-A will ever hope to reach, which mind you consists in awkwardly running and kiting enemies in a circle like you're playing Serious Sam or something.
My personal recommendation is: Please return to the 2D bread and butter traditional turn base games' formula, it's where Gamefreak excels in the most, and every time they diverged from it, the result was either middling or a disaster, much like in this case, and that's without taking into account the horrible technical state the game's presently on release.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
They did it again, no money wasted on this trash ****, not only it has one of the worst maps on all of the franchise being only a big circle with the same two or three buildings copy pasted over and over again, no where else to go other than the city, the most boring combat system that not only barelly changes anything from the normal battle system from the normal pokemon games but makes it much worse, battles are so boring that the story premise of going from rank z to rank a it's cut short as you just skip to rank F as fast as you can because they already knew how boring the gameplay was, the games is so easy that even a baby could beat it, you need to try very hard to lose any pokemon battle and against the megas you can only lose if you stop dodging because they never attack your pokemon directlly they go against you, the start of the game is the most annoying since they have you following the tutorial for at least an hour making it worse than the already trash introduction on 7th gen games, the designs of the mega evolutions are just trash and only a couple are saved, and now we get to the stupid price a 60$ game with content locked behind a dlc announced before it even came out and more content locked behind the online suscription, in conclusion one of the worst pokemon games ever and all thanks to those fans who love to kiss ass to a millionaire company who doesn't care at all about the qualitty of the product, just a no buy
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Nintendo Switch 2
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
Texture inaccettabili, poco dettagliate e ripetitive. I dialoghi in gioco sono per la maggior parte inutili e ripetitivi. Il tutorial spiega cose ovvie e non cose più utili come il significato degli status. Per l’ennesima volta, game freak non porta rispetto per il suo pubblico e per il brand di Pokemon, dovrebbero vergognarsi per i prodotti che pubblicano, hanno la fortuna di avere un pubblico che ama il brand che trattano nei loro giochi e questa softwarehouse ci mette ANNI per pubblicare questa schifezza di giochi. Io credo che the pokemon company debba liberarsi di geame freak perché così non funziona. In Giappone chiedono scusa perché i treni arrivano in ****? Bene! E per questi giochi VERGOGNOSI cosa fanno? Niente, ne fanno uno nuovo e il ciclo riparte. Non esiste un’altra azienda al mondo che ha un così grande pubblico affezionato e così deluso ad ogni nuovo prodotto messo in vendita dall’azienda. Riescono a farsi prendere in giro da tutto il mercato videludico. Nintendo guadagna soldi ma perde di immagine per colpa loro.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
pokemon za is my goty 2025 with silksong, hades 2, expedition and mario galaxy bundle. Best pokemon game since black and white
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
There are really no excuses for releasing a smartphone-quality game on the latest Nintendo console in 2025.
The whole “game” has been made with 2billion of yen, and it shows..
Gameplay-wise, just awful.
No exploration, unwanted semi-action gameplay, wild areas are just bad, big random rocks in the middle of the city, invisibile walls….
Paying 80€ for this is just getting robbed.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
Game Freak, Pokemon and Nintendo should be ashamed of themselves.Pokemon is a multi billion company and they produce slop like this which shouldn't be considered good enough to be F2P mobile. No voice acting, boring gameplay, non-existent AI and a city that's more like a maze to explore.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
Such a bland game. Its a $70/$60 game with $30 DLC and you need $20 for switch online if you want to get all the mega evolutions, some of which are locked behind pvp. There are flat wall textures everywhere, no voice acting, mid story, and you cant go into any of the buildings. The new combat is nice, but it ends up turning into a button mash for moves.
It just feels like there was no effort put into this game.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
C’est le pire jeu pokemon jamais réalisé !!!! Il est terriblement laid et ennuyeux…
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
We deserve better.
70 $ for a game that has worst texture than ps2 games? Hell no
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
I really can’t understand how a franchise this big can release something like this in 2025. The visuals feel outdated. It’s not about realism. It’s about having an art direction that respects what Pokémon always stood for. The world feels restricted and empty with little incentive to explore. I hit invisible walls repeatedly when I tried to wander around. I found many NPCs standing in T-poses like they were unfinished. I also had lots of combat bugs that broke the flow of battles. The game costs around €70 and that price is ridiculous compared to the content you get. Small studios manage to create beautiful ambitious games with far fewer resources. There’s no excuse for a company this huge to deliver something that feels so unfinished.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
I really enjoyed this game all the other revieware prob people that just watched ayet video got all mad a wrote a review on a gamethey haven’t played. I really liked this game it is a good sequel to x&y. I like how they kept the French feel I think they have mostly nailed the battling yeah great game.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
Great game for Game Boy. The Pokémon models clash with the overall city and the Pokémon seem to float, NPCs have 3 animations, no voice acting, many Mega Evolutions are ugly and lazy, the city is empty, just empty corridors, and catching the same Pokémon over and over again becomes boring, especially if you base the entire game in a single, unexplorable city... The buildings are cubes with glued-on textures and make you lose immersion. Is the tutorial part of the story? It's too long. Artistically and aesthetically, it's not great. The ways to "move" around the city are lazy and ugly. Great game for an indie company like Game Freak...
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
Pokémon released a new goatest game, most of defaults of scarlet and violet are corrected
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
DasSpiel sieht einfach hingeklatscht aus, hab jetzt 7Stunden gespielt. Die Kämpfe sind neu aber echt krampfig.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
This is not review bombing, this is us trying to judge a product for what it is rather than nostalgia feels.
Tech demo of a pre pre alpha. Not just for the graphics. The world is so small, there's no adventure, no exploration, no mountains, nothing. Just giga cubes with windows painted over.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
We have to say stop to this! How can we accept this gameplay and technical level.
The game can be played by repeating pressing the same button over and over. The buildings are flat with texture on top like wallpaper. Remember that this is part of the most profitable brand in the world! We should ask for something better. This is unacceptable. And for people that say that this is a game for kids, I answer: kids deserve grow up with a better memory of their first games...
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
This game is a total disappointment: graphics unworthy of a modern game, boring and repetitive gameplay, and a so-called open world that comes down to spinning in circles in a small town with large empty streets even the added verticality can’t fill that
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
Legends: Z-A does nothing well, save for the soundtrack
With a tiny map like this, you would expect a plethora of things to do. But the game is empty. "Walk here, climb up, jump down, pick up thing." Tedious.
The inside of shops aren't rendered. You just talk to a vendor outside the store. Save for some exceptions, you can not enter buildings, which are grotesque cubes with building-textures plastered onto them.
NPCs standing around A-posing, popping in and out of existence. An NPC 5 meters in front of you might faze out of existence, while an NPC 15 meters away from you loads in. It makes no sense.
The only good thing is the soundtrack. If you close your eyes, put your controller down, and listen to the ambience, you will have the best experience Pokemon Legends: Z-A has to offer.
Also $70 price tag with a day-one $30 DLC, which is confirmed to be cut content. Meaning? $100 game.
The next step in GameFreak's long standing history of failing to reach a bar so low, it has already hit bedrock 10 years ago.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
3 hours of cutscenes. Lifeless bland world. There are alot of annyoing new implementations such as if you are battling a wild pokemon and the day/night cycle changes, you are removed from battle and the world resets. The new battle system is okay enough but I'd prefer the traditional turn based style alot more. The ability to capture fainted pokemon is nice even though you get 1 chance and 10 seconds to do so.
This is the only game I've told life long Pokemon fans to avoid. Its slow, frustrating, and absolutely not worth 70 dollars. At some point pokemon fans should expect more and this game just doesn't deliver. Save your money. Skip this game.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
Visuals: 3/10 I get the switch is underpowered and ZA needs to run on the switch 1, but this is an embarrassment, theres no reason it should look worse than some games from 2005.
Gameplay: 6/10 Sidequests are pretty good and varied,
Real time combat is at least new but unfortunately not that fun, it could have definitely used more flushing out and more depth.
The best part of the game is working up through the league.
Traversing the city doesn't feel that great, it could use work.
Setting: 2/10 This was probably one of my biggest disappointments, you're confined to the city and the city alone, it feels like indie level work, 99% of the buildings can't be entered. If you're going to make the setting a city you need to make it alive.
Music: 7/10 the music sounds good, it's better than a lot of games but some games just blow it out of the water.
The game is mediocre, it's not awful but it definitely didn't get the love it deserved. Pokemon is the highest grossing franchise in the world you can do much better and fans deserve better. It's a 4.5 but I'll give it a 5 to be nice.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
This game improves on previous switch pokemon games with good frame rates and performance. Additionally the new battle mechanics are fun and bring battling closer to the anime, with exciting fast paced battles. The graphics are improved but should be better. Although unless you are purposefully looking for the flat textures they do a good job at hiding the fact. The city scenery aids in bringing more life to the game as there are less empty areas in the game unlike previous titles. Furthermore, they clearly put a lot of work into the pokemon and character models. This legends game is more heavily focused on battling which adds more purpose to catching a large number of pokemon since you have several battles to experiment with different new megas and pokemon. Overall this game is a step in the right direction theres a lot to be excited about and its a very fun experience.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
This would be a 5-6 if Pokemon weren't a multi billion dollar enterprise. They have the money to make a fantastic game. Unfortunately, this isn't it.
Pros: Mega Evolution is back! New battle system is fairly snappy. The museum displays are cute. Scolipede is there.
Cons: Repetitive environments, flat planes with columns drawn on them, far too expensive for what it is. I am extremely disappointed that the Mega Evolutions for the Kalos starters are locked behind making it halfway up the ranked match ladder. Not only are they unobtainable during a story playthrough, they necessitate both a paid Nintendo Online subscription and enough PVP battle chops to scrabble up the ladder - I don't think that's fair to casual players.
I'd be willing to forgive a lot of this if the game wasn't $80 with paid DLC announced before it even launched. It's fine, it's functional, it should not be more than $35.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
Honestly ignore the bandwagon hatera and make you own decision game is pretty fun really nice addition to the collection🩷
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
They’ve definitely made real progress this time. I played it on the Switch 2, and it features impressive graphics, smooth performance, and beautiful art that vividly brings to life a city coexisting with Pokémon. The quality of the side quests is excellent. It’s a remarkable attempt, and it makes me excited to see how future Pokémon games will evolve on the Switch 2.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
As a Pokemon fan of over 15 years, this game is just meh. Unless you LOVE Pokemon
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
El juego es una pasada, dejad el maldito review bombing, es cierto que los gráficos son muy cuestionables. Pero no es como Escarlata y purpura, el juego tiene diseños increíbles, un sistema de combate chulísimo y una ambientación muy guay. Ignorar las reseñas de peña picada con gamefreak, que las entiendo, pero merece la pena darle una oportunidad.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
I am at a point where i have no beliveing left. The trust was broken to many times. Bad graphics with png's and bad texture.
No abillites and an early upcomming dlc because the game isint complete.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is the priciest entry yet—and somehow the emptiest. The entire game takes place in one city, but you can’t even enter buildings. Gameplay is **** someone who grew up with Pokémon and played every game, it's extremely sad that this is what the series has come to...
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
i think that the game can be genuinely fun at times, however id say you probably wont get much out of this if you arent a fan of XY. for me the fanservice made the game more fun, but i think if you dont care about that the main issue is the fact theres only the city to explore, which can be fun but i very quickly miss exploring like i did in legends arceus, which atm is my fav 3d pokemon game, although this one is still pretty fun
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
The map is completely empty, there are no textures and the game is more boring than ever. They are laughing at our faces and most of you keep trying to defend this poor bilionarie company. Absolutely disgusting game.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
I think Pokémon games should basically be about adventure with Pokémon. The game has only one city that you can catching Pokémon, and the city is so lifeless that it's baffling. At first I thought the map was so small that there was even an underground map, but even the door wasn't the actual door. Mega-evolution design is simply an insult to traditional Pokémon design. However, the design differs from person to person, so let's move on. The biggest issue is story and the story seems so childish that ChatGPT wrote it, and the tutorials are so repeatable that I only have to keep following me here and there.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
Cannot think of a fairer score.
Is a mixed game. It creates a new battle system that while needs refinement, is the foundation of something potentially good. The mon designs hard carry the franchise again.
The map is empty, barren and limited while secondary missions are pointless.
The full presentation is compromised: visuals (textures, models, animations), art style (looks plastic), animations (look poor and wonky), is outright pulled from wii era. I can look back at PS3 games like ni no kuni or uncharted 3 and wonder why Nintendo still makes wii games but now in 4k. This happens with metroid 4 & air riders too based off the trailers.
It would be ok, if their games weren't full price as they have limited budgets, but they are going a bit far into the ugly side now. They are asking $70 (+$30 on ZA), for games that look pretty cheap and while visuals & presentation aren't the only important things, i feel insulted whenever i see games like death stranding 2 or ghosts of yotei for $70 looking like 2042 if this is 2025.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
Its a shame and a dissapointment even for a 7 year old kit, we expect more than forced to learn "HMs" again, a loveless city, bad graphics, worst gameplay than before... this full game is trash. Everyone who gives it more than 5 points is joking. Sure enjoy the game, but even its basic mechanics are trash. No looking target and targeting is a new feature, is just a joke.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
This game is objectively bad. A budget of 13 Million Dollars is so low especially considering that this is pokemon a company who makes Billions every year. The fact that the whole Town is always rendered kinda explains why everything is so ugly and is one of the most stupid decisions they could have made. This game is ugly, boring and absolutely lazy programmed.
If you want a game where you fight with cute creatures play Pikmin it is 1000x betterand even the oldest Pikmin games who released on Game cube had better graphics.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
Compared to what Digimon games look like in 2025 I was expecting way more out of this,new fighting system and megas are cool but the city feels so dead
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
For the price of this game, it’s not worth it at all. I had much more fun playing older Pokemon games on the DS, rather than whatever this slop is. You can’t go in buildings, NPCs don’t give you items, the texture of the world is terrible. Pokemon is about exploring the world and catching cool Pokemon this game just completely ruins that aspect; since there’s not even much to explore, and even when you do everything just looks ugly, for new upcoming game standards. It’s honestly just so sad, I love Pokemon but this game drags the Pokemon game franchise through the mud, the worst part is that this game cost 70 dollars. Just a total waste.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
Empty lifeless setting, horrible exploration, nothing worthwhile, incredibly repetitive gameplay loop. Mega battles ****, nothing interesting about them. Battle zones also completely uninteresting. Combat system was barebones, underutilized, and generally broken. Story is thrown together, and character relationships and arcs are not established enough to be impactful of even interesting. Removed linking cord for some reason? This game should not be more than $20. quite literally mobile game quality.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
Trash game.
No deep story, no emotion,
no good graphics,
no heart.
Just another discarded Pokémon demo that Gamefreak decided to sell for an absurd price. The only cool thing is the combat, and that's it.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
The brand new action-based gameplay makes you immersed in the game and want to keep playing!
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
3 i feel is the fairest score without hyperbole. I will list of all the problems in order from most severe to least severe:
1) The games soundtrack contains the least amount of tracks i've ever seen for a modern release, the overworld track becomes grating **** just that, it's basically all remixes. Additionally, some FX sounds(like the sound for running on stone) were badly mixed and sound out of place
2) Pacing is abyssmal, Scarlet had the large advantage of being able to tackle difficulty however you want it (difficult areas first, then feel like a god blitzing through missed easy parts) Here, you are forced to fight multiple mega fights in a row, promotion matches must be instantly tackled -
Sidequests are not just barebones but mostly offer complete air as reward
3) Fakeout with the combat system - It pretends to be really deep but the forced repositioning during attacking makes it so the strongest combat strategy tool is actually switching because its instant and can actually reliably dodge some attacks.
Personal Gripe: The meta can never fully evolve on this because PvP ranked mode is a 4 player arena that rewards cheesy kills instead of 1v1 6 pokemon
4) after around 5 hours or so, the entire map is a déja-vu and escaping it through fast travel rushing still gets hampered by padding like trainer rematches that feel the exact same
5) Rotom Jump in itself is the jankiest double jump i've ever used, making parcour feel like an early alpha game
Now for some things I feel didn't matter much
1) Graphics, while bad, are at least coherent (and feel like theyre in a proper place when immersed in a battle)
2) No voice acting - The typical gamefreak npc movements were more 4th wallbreaking than anything else, i feel like the story being bland causes too much flak to be on the vocalisation
3)Inability to enter buildings - If parcour and rotom jump were fine i feel like this would get less flak
Apart from all this, my personal pet peeve (apart from the more objective flaws) was the failure to properly break away from a feeling of gym leader gauntlet, something i'd expect the spinoffs to handle with a lot more grace
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
This game was embarrassing, and everyone who gives it a good review should be ignored. This is why things don't get better, Nintendo has proven it should not keep its game mechanics patents. It's a PS2 game with a small, dead world. You don't even rank from Z-A, they skip half of them and there's no power scaling to it, and you spend forever in a tutorial hell. Laziest garbage I've ever seen from a high end company and it's the highest baseline price I've paid for any game. Do not buy the next pokemon, to punish Nintendo,, and maybe the one after that will actually be made with care and intelligence. THIS IS INSULTING.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
i thought it was fun for a while i enjoyed it but i started to get that feeling i get when a game gets boring far in that i cant wait for it to be over, and that is not good its a sign **** not having good story or gameplay, and THE CUTSCENES MY GOD THE CUTSCENES we do not need that much dialogue atleast make it autoplay or something.Sword and shield was better
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
The combat system was kind of **** cuz it delayed so bad that when i tried to switch out my pokemon mid battle the opponent got a free hit. The graphics look like a bunch of stock image found on internet, the story was not very good either. This game just doesn’t worth 70$ to me
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
By far the most dull Pokemon game to date. Feels like Im walking around a zoo visiting different parts to capture Pokemon. Extremely repetitive system of ranking up. I can not see myself doing the same thing over and over to reach rank A. Real time combat is interesting.Game is laggy and buggy. Environmental objects pop in frequently.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
I would have rated this a "7," but I'm pulling it up to an "8" to combat all of the review bombs. I understand the frustration behind the laziness of Game Freak and The Pokemon Company. Could this came be better? Absolutely. But it is not a "0," just like I wouldn't say any game really is a "10." I've played enough to confidently say that the gameplay is fun--loving the new battle system--Shiny Hunting is still a blast, and the music is fantastic (beyond the nostalgia). Lumiose City could have been so much more, but there still is some charm there and some unexpected areas to be enjoyed!
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
I want to start by applauding the effort: Pokémon Legends: Z-A attempts something different, with real‑time combat and a shift away from the usual formula. That’s the game’s few redeeming qualities.
But unfortunately, those few bright spots don’t make up for how underwhelming much of the rest turns out.
- The world feels small and repetitive. Lumiose City has pretty décor, but many areas look too similar, key landmarks or meaningful exploration are lacking.
- Visuals are bland in places; textures feel flat, details often seem minimal. Big name studio + big fanbase = higher expectations, which this doesn’t always meet.
- Mechanics like the combat changes are fun in theory, but feel shallow or unpolished in practice — the novelty wears off, and you’re left with systems that don’t feel deeply satisfying.
- On the consumer side: locking content (Pokémon via DLC) behind needing an online subscription is a troubling, borderline exploitative move.
If you’re a hardcore fan or just curious, you might find a few hours of entertainment here. But for what this costs and what it could’ve been, it feels like a huge missed opportunity.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
I found the new battle mechanics quite interesting. I agree with the city feeling a bit empty but still find something that are very interesting. Wish it had full dex or at least a bit more. Loved the megas. Loved the overall visuals but building texture and lack of interior spaces were a bit disappointing HOWEVER I still had a good time overall and the notion you are a shill for liking something someone else may not is laughable. The world's an ugly place, life is hard, work is hard so even if the game is a bit more simplistic sometimes thats all you need. If you want to be a sweat theres plenty out there for you and thats dope. Also, if you're that hung up on voiced characters you need to reevaluate a bit.
HOWEVER
With how expensive things are, and the dwindling state of job prospects overall I get why people are more critical with where their money is spent as they have every right to be and I understand I speak from a place of privilege
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
The beginning tutorial reminded me of the old days. Much too long, but the refreshed combat and lessons they learned from Arceus were well applied. This is the best looking Pokemon game and most fun I've had with an entry since...well Arceus. It's awesome on Switch 2.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
Absolutely went backwards on this. The “new” fighting mechanic is just a sloppy version of Legends Arceus battle mechanic from almost five years **** graphics are obviously decades behind (literally). The tiny map is entirely lifeless with almost zero interaction with people and buildings. Annd the wild area is which is the driving force behind the franchise is absolutely pitiful compared to even recent installments of this franchise. It’s still hard to believe that such an empty game could cost $70 from a company this large and profitable . Truly insulting.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
First let me say that all these review bombs for pokemon za with zeros, just shows you how spoiled and rotten some people have become, is pokemon za a 10!? No... but it's a fantastic game worth you're time. Yes voice acting would of been nice, yes better graphics would of been nice too! However the sound track and the new combat system is fantastic!.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
I’m honestly just disappointed. How can Xenoblade Chronicles give us these massive, incredible worlds, and yet I’m paying this much money for what feels like a half-finished city made of copy-pasted assets and one mind-numbing game loop? I’m done with Pokémon for now. I’m not spending another dollar until they actually care about improving the design. Don’t fall for this MONEY GRAB.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
Estamos en 2025. Ya no se puede seguir siendo comprensivos con una compañía tan avara como esta, una de las que más dinero mueve en el mundo, que ha decidido sacrificar calidad en favor de márgenes de ganancia absurdamente altos, confiando en que sus juegos se venderán igual.
No es justificable que, como consumidores y jugadores, sigamos perdonando las carencias de los juegos de Pokémon en los últimos años. Sí, pueden ser divertidos, porque mantienen una fórmula probada e infalible, pero carecen totalmente de cariño y cuidado. Se nota que los títulos se desarrollan con el presupuesto mínimo, no solo en su apartado gráfico, sino también en el sonoro y técnico en general.
El contenido es escaso, y todos sabemos que en parte es porque planean vendernos un DLC aparte, como si el juego base —ya de por sí caro— ofreciera suficiente por lo que cuesta.
Y no, no estamos hablando de un estudio indie que lucha con recursos limitados, sino de una compañía multimillonaria, una de las que más recursos tiene en toda la industria.
Inexcusable.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
Hands down, this is the sloppiest and laziest game I've seen in recent years. The lack of effort to make something that meets modern standards is obvious. For starters, the mega forms are horrendous, the graphics look like they're from a 3DS, there's no voice acting for the characters, and no subtitles for other countries. The game's 'world' is tiny, just like the evolution you'd expect. Digimon Time Stranger was way better, and even it wasn't perfect. Legends Z-A isn't worth even half of what they're currently charging.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
The game feels the same as the old poor Pokémon world development with an underwhelming story, poor sprite design for the new megas and overall for the price feels lackluster and empty, expect about 18 hours to finish the game and then the lifeless shiny hunting made easier through mechanic abuse in a world without much to offer and a tiny map. The game would have been considered a success we're it developed 20 years ago but in the current era of games is merely preying on the suceess of its predeccesors
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
While technically competent, the game struggles to stand out. The visual design feels uninspired, the maps lack personality, and the gameplay offers little in terms of innovation. It’s hard not to draw a comparison to the annual smartphone releases — marketed as new and improved, yet ultimately offering more of the same.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
Genuinely the most disappointing pokemon game I've ever played.
To start, the graphics its self is just plane lazy with errors everywhere. The npcs seem lifeless with them just standing in odd places. The battle system, while is an attempt of something new, is full flaws and feels ragged.
The world itself seems empty. How can you make the setting an entire city but only have a few building you can enter. With what you can do in the world is boring and repetitive. Same side missions over and over again. Traveling the city is boring as well, with everything looking the same and no interest ways to traverse.
The plot is a joke. I won't spoil anything but it feels like theres nothing there.
Now the ranking system is funny, you battle to gain ranks starting from z-a, which seems like there will be alot to do. But in a few battles, you go from x-f, which seems like the did this on purposes to shorten the game.
I can go on and on about why this game is not good, but the biggest slap in the face is the cost. You want to play this game in its complete form? Congratulations, you'll need to buy a switch 2, the online service, the game, and the DLC, all costing you about 700 bucks.
Joke ****, the only reason this game gets a 3 is because some of the character designs look good.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
Is this what Nintendo is abusing Patent Infringement against PocketPair for? The blatant copying of Palworld mechanics just to suit patent abuse is unbelievable.
Apart from that the city itself is so boring that the graphics is worst than Arceus and that is a better game in the current Legends series. Oh and Mega Starmie is nothing but a glorified toddler running around acting like Patrick from SpongeBob SquarePants.
Sorry to say but this time round Digimon Story Time Stranger is a way better game.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
The game is fun in some parts, but in others it falls flat!
Ugly and repetitive scenarios made with low-quality PNGs, a lifeless city, tiny Pokémon capture areas, and the beginning of the game is boring and monotonous.
This game makes Scarlet/Violet a masterpiece.
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Nintendo Switch 2
Oct 18, 2025
Pokémon Legends: Z-A promised a fresh take on the series with real-time battles and a Kalos return, but it stumbles badly into mediocrity. The core flaw is its suffocating single-city setting in Lumiose, which feels lifeless and restrictive—far from the vast, untamed wilderness of Arceus. Exploration is shallow, with repetitive side quests and a bland narrative that drags on without meaningful progression. Technically, it's a mess: underwhelming visuals with flat textures, sticker-like buildings, and constant pop-in of NPCs; stuttering cameras during cutscenes and battles; longer load times on older Switch hardware; and performance hitches even on Switch 2 that undercut the chaotic Rogue Mega Evolution fights. The overhauled real-time combat sounds innovative but often overwhelms with poor pacing and clunky mechanics, making boss battles frustrating rather than thrilling(song do this ever again,Bring Back Turn based) No voice acting leaves dialogue feeling dated and relic-like, while the overall presentation screams laziness from Game Freak—after 30 years, you'd expect polish, not this unpolished relic. It's a step down from Arceus, proving the series coasts on nostalgia without real innovation. Skip it unless you're desperate for Kalos filler.
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Nintendo Switch 2
