- Above: Rogue Mega Victreebel in its appearance as a story boss
Game8 had the opportunity to play Pokémon Legends: Z-A in a Japan-exclusive pre-release event. We've shared our first thoughts on the game here and details on all the features we had the chance to experience.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A Japan Exclusive Pre-Release Event Details
| Duration | 1 Hour |
|---|---|
| Purpose | To provide initial impressions for news coverage |
| Contents | Wild Zone, Z-A Royale (Battle Zone), Promotion Match, Rogue Mega Victreebel Battle |
NOTE: This event was held exclusively in Japan and was not accompanied by any overseas event.
Game8 had the chance to play four excerpts of gameplay from the upcoming title, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, at a Japan-only event intended for news coverage. Although it was only a taste of what the game has to offer, we're excited to share what we learned and our thoughts on what we experienced at the event.
Wild Pokemon Battles are Truly Wild
We first stepped into the world of Pokémon Legends: Z-A's Lumiose City within one of its Wild Zones, an enclave inhabited by wild Pokémon ripe for the catching. With their paved roads and buildings, I came in with the expectation of a small neighborhood where humans and Pokémon live together peacefully, but make no mistake – Wild Zones live up to their name in a big way.
The first two or three Pokemon were fine, a quick battle and catch; then I tried a Houndour, and was surprised to find that another nearby Houndour joined the battle and started attacking my Pokemon 2-on-1. That's supposed to be against the rules, right? My Pokemon was taking too much damage, so I cut my losses and ran away. With no divide between the battle screen and regular gameplay, I just opted to turn a corner and make some clear distance.
Next, I wanted to try sneaking up on a Pokemon to throw a ball for an easy catch, a core mechanic in the 2022 title Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Against my better judgment, I approached an Alpha Houndoom sleeping beside a car. But just as I readied a Great Ball to throw, the Houndoom awoke suddenly, and I realized to my horror that the two Houndour had followed me, woken up my next target, and turned a 2-on-1 into a brutal 3-on-1 beatdown.
- Above: This is what true fear looks like.
Rooftops Provide a Breath of Fresh Air
After escaping a near-brush with a whiteout, we made our way to a rooftop to survey the city. Wild Zones feature areas both on the ground, and on the roofs of buildings, where flying Pokemon like Swablu can be found.
The rooftop view provides an overview of the environments we can expect for Lumiose City, with a generous amount of green space scattered throughout. Still, coming from a series set primarily in natural environments, the transition to a world bound by the city walls was already tangible in the demo we played. If Pokémon are only found the gaps between busy city streets, it might be difficult to recapture the excitement of finding a rare Pokémon in an obscure section of the map.
That said, as I’ll mention later in the Battle Zone section, there seem to be some areas which can only be accessed with specific upgrades. We might be able to expect rare Pokémon popping up in hidden areas requiring the Rotom Phone to reach, which could help maintain the complexity of catching ‘em all even within an unfamiliar environment.
Increased Focus on Battling and Weakening for the Catch
After healing my Pokémon, I returned for one final rematch with the Alpha Houndoom. This time, it was a 1-on-1 match, with nothing holding me back.
Although my Pokémon were severely outleveled, Gyarados was able to push through with super effective damage and wear Houndoom down into catching range. After a hectic battle with plenty of dodging, commanding, and switching, I cast my Great Balls valiantly and... yeah, I couldn't catch it. But, this battle emphasized how Pokémon Legends: Z-A puts a new focus on intense battling, including with wild Pokemon.
Gone are the Bait items and other throwables that made catching easier in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. They've been swapped out for a focus on type matchups and real-time battle strategies that allow players to survive and aim for the catch even when outleveled or outnumbered. We're excited to see these strategies develop more in the full game.
Trainer Battles Bring Attack Strategy into Focus
- Above: Flame Wheel has the potential to be a key positioning Move.
Unlike the all-out brawls I had experienced in the Wild Zone during the day, the Battle Zone brings a cooler, more refined strategy with the night air.
The aspect which has me the most excited about this is the difference between each Move; the animation is no longer aesthetic, but instead a key aspect of how each attack functions. I was pleased to see that Aqua Jet is actually fast, and still fulfills its role of a great finisher which can KO a weakened opponent while they're charging up their next attack. And while most attacks I saw were ranged blasts or quick hits, Flame Wheel has your Pokemon smash through the opponent and across to the opposite side, providing potential for dodging and repositioning for a follow-up.
Exploration Within the City
Despite the name, there was more to the Battle Zones than just Pokémon battles. In fact, there was a good amount of climbing and even platforming to find goodies throughout.
At one point, we stumbled upon a glowing purple Poke Ball, an object used to indicate an obtainable item in the Pokémon series. However, it was across a gap which we were told can only be crossed with an upgrade to the Rotom Phone which we hadn’t yet obtained. Upgrades of this sort might serve as a way to segment content within an otherwise open world, similar to how HMs functioned to allow access to new areas in previous games in the Pokémon series.
Mission Objectives Introduce Another New Element
- Translation: "Victory Against a W-Rank Opponent: 500 points", "Start a battle with a Normal-type Move!: 200 points"
While coming to grips with the real-time battle system, players must also grapple with Missions which grant bonus points for reaching the next Rank; these included tasks like starting a battle with a certain type of move, and knocking out a Pokémon in one hit. While considering the type matchups and priorities of the current battle, players also must tactically handle these missions during their battles to reach a higher Rank. In the section me and my colleague played, we were aiming to level up from the W to V Rank, but only reached just over 4000 out of the required 5000 points total within the allotted time.
- Above: Players can see the Pokémon their opponents have readied to strategically prepare attacks and clear Missions efficiently.
The day-night cycle seemed to last about 15 minutes in our playthrough. Both the Wild Zone and the Battle Zone showed messages on screen about the oncoming dusk or dawn at around the ten-minute mark, so players will need to be fast in accomplishing their goals. With a real-time mechanic defining both the battles themselves and the overall flow of the game, Pokémon Legends: Z-A looks like it will keep players on their toes throughout.
Rank Boss Matches Put Your Strategy to the Test
- Above: Simipour uses Protect to guard against a Knock Off from Weepinbell.
Even without getting the required 5000 points in the Battle Zone, we were generously ushered to the next section, a head-to-head against the Rank Boss of the W Rank.
With a three-type trifecta of Simisage, Simisear, and Simipour, the battle seemed tailored to teach beginners the mechanics of Pokémon battles within the new format. However, the opponents frequently used Protect to block my strong moves, preventing me from simply bashing my way through the fight.
In this and the preceding Pokémon fights, I tried using status effects like Paralysis and Drowsiness to slow down the opponents, but honestly was unable to tell if they had effects like reducing attack animation speed or cooldowns, as my foes continued to unleash blows mercilessly. We’ll likely need to take a closer look at these on release to understand how to use them effectively.
Rogue Mega-Evolved Pokémon Battles Bring New Twists
If the real-time mechanics weren't enough already, the boss battles with Rogue Mega-Evolved Pokemon bring another new layer to the combat. Not only will you be dodging, commanding, and switching, but now you'll need to collect Mega Power orbs which scatter around as you damage your foe.
These Mega Power orbs will present you with a further choice; you can either save them up to charge up your Mega Gauge and Mega Evolve your Pokemon, or you can spend them to unleash Plus Moves (official English name to be confirmed), strengthened versions of your regular attacks. Mega Evolved Pokemon will always use Plus Moves in place of the regular versions without consuming any extra Mega Gauge (the gauge runs down over time after Mega Evolving), while using a Plus Move outside of Mega Evolution ate up a fair chunk of the gauge, so this mechanic seems to be intended for securing a KO at the end, or for Pokemon who cannot Mega Evolve to use in a desperate situation.
A Unique Battle for Each Boss
The 2022 title Pokémon Legends: Arceus featured a series boss fights against Frenzied Noble Pokémon with battles occurring in real-time. In those battles, your character was tasked to toss projectiles at a foe while dodging a flurry of attacks, and the sudden jump from the standard gameplay loop made these some of the most difficult and engaging sections of that game.
The battle with Rogue Mega Victreebel brings back memories of the Frenzied Noble Pokémon battles, as you navigate your character around pools of poison and dodge the blasts it fires from its gaping maw. Bringing your Pokemon and its moveset into the fight adds an additional layer to consider, and although the controls can take some getting used to, it feels like a natural evolution of the prototype seen in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
A New Step for the Pokémon Series
From what we've seen so far, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is looking to be both a clear successor to 2022's Pokémon Legends: Arceus and 2023's Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, and a brand new step for the Pokémon series as a whole.
Each of these games has pushed the path in new directions for the Pokémon series, while building upon new ideas established in previous installments. Each new entry does not reject the previous game’s ideas to try to serve as its replacement, but instead focuses on a new idea, and builds upon the tools which the previous title experimented with when they mesh with its concept.
While Pokémon Legends: Arceus reimagined the basics of catching Pokémon, and Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet subverted the traditional story structure with multiple paths, Pokémon Legends: Z-A now seeks to create a new framework for arguably the most famous aspect of the series – Pokémon battles. The question we’re all asking is, will this new system really be the future of how we battle Pokémon? With the introduction of the Z-A Battle Club, an fully-fledged Ranked Battle mode announced to release alongside Pokémon Legends: Z-A, that seems to be a question which the game’s creators are not afraid to pose. The answer might take some time, but we’ll get our first taste when Pokémon Legends Z-A releases on October 16, 2025.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A Product Information
 |
 |
| Title | Pokémon Legends: Z-A |
|---|---|
| Release Date | 2025/10/16 |
| Developer/Publisher | The Pokémon Company |
| Distributor | Nintendo |
| Supported Platforms | Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 |
| Genre | Action RPG |
| Number of Players | 1-4 |
| ESRB Rating | Everyone 10+ |
| Official Website | Pokemon Legends Z-A Official Website |
Screenshots and footage are from a product under development. Some gameplay images taken from Nintendo Switch 2 version. Actual gameplay experience may vary.
