Opinion: Legends Z-A's Xenoblade-Style Battles Are Pokémon's Most Exciting Evolution In Years

What? Pokémon is evolving!I'm going to go out on a limb here and say something crazy: I like the look of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. I reckon I have about five minutes before the torches are lit and an angry mob appears outside my house, so let me throw another bombshell out there. I think the series' turn-based battles have grown stale, and no amount of Mega Evolving, Gigantamaxing or Terrastilizing has done enough to move the needle. The series deserves a break from tradition, and I'm excited by the prospect of Z-A doing exactly that.Like all Pokémon defenders, I have taught my brain to turn on a rose-tinted filter when I get a first look at visuals. In truth, the Z-A art style looks a bit naff to me too — a step up from Scarlet and Violet, but still a little more reminiscent of a Wii game than I'd like in 2025. With my brain fighting hard to resist writing the whole thing off as an ugly mess, two things stood out to me in last week's Pokémon Presents trailer: 1) that real-time battle system sure looks like a shake-up, and 2) has 10% Forme Zygarde's butt always glowed bright green when it barks?Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Mar 7, 2025 - 18:39

Opinion: Legends Z-A's Xenoblade-Style Battles Are Pokémon's Most Exciting Evolution In Years

What? Pokémon is evolving!

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say something crazy: I like the look of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. I reckon I have about five minutes before the torches are lit and an angry mob appears outside my house, so let me throw another bombshell out there. I think the series' turn-based battles have grown stale, and no amount of Mega Evolving, Gigantamaxing or Terrastilizing has done enough to move the needle. The series deserves a break from tradition, and I'm excited by the prospect of Z-A doing exactly that.

Like all Pokémon defenders, I have taught my brain to turn on a rose-tinted filter when I get a first look at visuals. In truth, the Z-A art style looks a bit naff to me too — a step up from Scarlet and Violet, but still a little more reminiscent of a Wii game than I'd like in 2025. With my brain fighting hard to resist writing the whole thing off as an ugly mess, two things stood out to me in last week's Pokémon Presents trailer: 1) that real-time battle system sure looks like a shake-up, and 2) has 10% Forme Zygarde's butt always glowed bright green when it barks?

Read the full article on nintendolife.com