Pokémon Legends: Z-A had finally been released last October 16, 2025 and while it may have been released to mixed reviews, there’s still a lot to look forward to especially as a Pokemon fan.
During the Thailand Game Show, gamers from all over are treated to a taste of Pokemon’s latest offering through the first play demo of the country. After having experienced it first hand though I’m pretty hyped to play the game in full.
Like with Pokemon Legends Arceus, even though the region the game is set in is derivative of a previous game like the Sinnoh region in Diamond Pearl Platinum in the current day or the Hisui region as it was known in the past, Legends Z-A takes place in the modern day Kalos region!
Fan Favorite Starters Return!
You’re sure to find the gen 6 starters Chespin, Fennekin and Froakie roaming around in the wild but the starters for Pokemon’s latest outing are Chikorita, Totodile and Tepig. Long time series favorites Chikorita and Totodile haven’t been seen in quite a while with their most recent starter moments being in Heart Gold and Soul SIlver while Tepig was last seen in gen 6 in Black and White. While the trio may seem incomplete we need to remember that Cyndaquil was in Legends Arceus getting a regional variant in the process.
IT’S A SEQUEL!
One aspect that made Legends Arceus unique was that it was a prequel. Here in Legends Z-A though, we’re actually treated to a glimpse of the future with it taking place 5 years after X and Y. In legends Z-A it’s not just the Pokemon that evolved but even the characters as well with fan favorites like the mysterious AZ making a return.
New Mega Evolutions
Speaking of evolution, when it comes to the Kalos Region, Mega Evolution makes a comeback with Pokemon both new and old getting them. Old favorites like mega Absol take the stage with mega newcomers Victreebel and co even getting their own spotlight.
Revamped Combat
While Legends Arceus brings you to a 1v1 for an overworld encounter, in Legends Z-A trouble could come in groups with you facing off against possibly more than 1 Pokemon at a time. Combat isn’t just your typical turn based affair but a full on RPG experience with each of your 4 moves having their own cooldowns and doing away with the the strong and agile styles introduced previously.
More To Come
While my time with the demo was short being cut after 10 minutes, as a long time fan of the franchise, its a fun step forward with enough distinction to make it a good 2nd entry into the legends series of games. There are some aspects though that keep me a bit hesitant like DLC being announced from the get go but at this point it’s pretty typical coming from Pokemon of all things. It doesn’t detract the game being fun though and that’s what really has me excited.
