Pokémon Legends Z-A Preview: On the Road to Lumoise City

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I’ll never forget discovering Pokémon for the first time. I was living in Georgia, and it was incredibly hot. I made the mistake of walking to my friend Brian’s house, and almost passed out from the heat – it was over 100 degrees, and the humidity made it even worse. I finally arrived, drenched in sweat and feeling awful, and found Brian completely absorbed in playing *Pokémon Red* on his Game Boy.

My parents really disliked video games back then, although they eventually let me get an N64. Because of this, I hadn’t even heard of Pokémon until my friend Brian introduced it to me. He showed me how to play, explaining everything as he went, and even let me have a turn – I was extra careful not to erase his progress! It was the first time someone had really walked me through a game. Naturally, I went home and pleaded with my parents for a Game Boy Pocket and a copy of *Pokémon Blue*. They weren’t thrilled, but I kept asking until they finally gave in.

As I started writing this, I kept thinking back to my childhood. Now in my thirties, I’ve watched Pokémon go from a fleeting trend to a cultural phenomenon lasting almost three decades. When I was a tutor in graduate school, kids would often bring their Pokémon cards and toys to our sessions, eager to share their favorites with me. My own interest in the games has come and gone over the years – I still firmly believe the Gold and Silver versions are the best, and I never really liked Ruby and Sapphire – so I haven’t played *Arceus*, though I did try *Scarlet* and *Violet*. Everyone says I should have played them in the opposite order! Recently, I had the chance to play a demo of *Pokémon Legends: Z-A* at PAX West and loved it. So, when I was offered a longer demo without having to travel to the West Coast, I jumped at the opportunity – it was an offer I couldn’t refuse!

Legends Z-A is a unique Pokémon game set entirely within Lumiose City, a place built for both Pokémon and humans to coexist. Think of Professor Oak’s introduction in the original Pokémon games, but brought to life on a large scale. The city features wild areas for Pokémon, official trainer battles, and everything you’d expect from a fully realized Pokémon world. It feels like the perfect Pokémon city… but it’s controlled by a corporation, and I suspect they’re up to no good.

I spent a while customizing my character’s appearance – there are tons of clothing options and ways to personalize everything from their style to colors. Once I was happy with how they looked, I entered the open world areas and experienced the game’s exciting real-time combat system. It’s a huge improvement over traditional turn-based battles! Now, both you and your Pokémon move and attack in real-time. This also changes how the wild Pokémon behave. For example, Bunnelby are friendly and will approach you, while Houndour are aggressive and will look for a fight. While you *can* take on multiple wild Pokémon at once if you’re confident, it’s generally better to face them one at a time.

One of the best parts of the new battle system is that battles happen in real-time, so moves now have a limited range. For example, if my Watchog wants to use Bite, it has to get very close to the opponent, leaving it vulnerable to attacks that can hit from farther away. I mostly used a Gyarados during this part of the game, because its Waterfall attack has good range. Also, moves like Whirlpool, which used to damage Pokémon gradually in the older games, now create hazards on the battlefield. If the opposing Pokémon stands in the hazard, it will take damage.

It’s really satisfying to set traps and control the battlefield with moves like these – especially powerful ones like Toxic Spikes. However, remember that moves now have cooldowns, so you can’t use them constantly. For example, Thunderbolt is still incredibly strong, but you’ll need to time your attacks carefully and stay safe while it recharges.

You’ll encounter stronger, more evolved Pokémon in the wild areas. Remember how I said Houndours were quick to attack and it’s best not to fight too many at once? That’s based on firsthand experience! I accidentally angered a lot of Houndours and ended up facing their very powerful mother, Houndoom, who wasn’t pleased. That made it harder to catch the younger ones. Good news: when you lower a Pokémon’s HP, it doesn’t vanish right away. It’ll be stunned, giving you time to throw a Poké Ball. But don’t wait too long, or it will faint and you’ll lose your chance to catch it.

I was constantly on the move, trying to protect my Pokémon and dodge attacks, all while trying to catch Houndours – the classic “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” motto kept running through my mind! And I definitely didn’t want to anger the powerful Big Momma Houndoom. Luckily, I had plenty of items, but there was a twist: using an item locked me out of my bag for a short time. I used more items in Pokémon battles during this Legends Z-A demo than I ever have before, and I really appreciated the tension and strategic thinking it added, especially when deciding when to use a potion or revive.

Once I got the hang of catching Pokémon, using items effectively, strategically positioning myself and my Pokémon in battles, and keeping track of move cooldowns, I entered a battle zone. These zones appear at night and are where you improve your battle rank, going from Z all the way to A, by defeating other trainers. It’s really satisfying when my strategy works! The catch is you’re racing against the clock – battle zones only last until morning, so staying focused is crucial. While there’s plenty to explore and items to collect, the main goal is to win against other trainers and earn enough Ticket Points for a promotion match.

The core gameplay remains familiar to longtime Pokémon fans. If you encounter another Trainer, a battle begins, and you might be at a disadvantage if they spot you first. However, if you can surprise them with a sneak attack, you’ll have the upper hand. Battles themselves are similar to those in the wild areas, though other Trainers present a tougher and more interesting challenge (though none are quite as formidable as Mama Houndoom!).

You earn points not only by winning battles, but also by finding bonus cards throughout the area. These cards give you extra challenges, like using particularly strong attacks or starting fights in a certain way. They’re a nice little addition, and I had fun completing them. The most interesting part, though, was figuring out how to explore and collect enough points to unlock the next level. I managed to do it, and I also made a list of things to go back and find when the complete game comes out.

After finishing one challenging battle, it was time for my promotion match against Rintaro the Waiter. The fight took place in his restaurant, with a lively crowd cheering us on. The match was exciting, but I especially enjoyed the unique atmosphere of the arena. And I even got to battle with a Staryu – who could resist that? While the promotion match was just one part of my performance, I definitely hope to return for another round, or maybe even a few!

I finished playing Pokémon Legends Z-A with a battle against a Mega Victreebell, and it was a truly bizarre experience – almost like something from a horror story! The game features unstable Mega Evolutions happening in Lumiose City, which leads to giant Pokémon suddenly appearing. The Mega Victreebell was a challenging opponent, but thankfully I had a team with Houndoom and Gardevoir, giving me a type advantage to win.

I was weaving around Mega Victreebell’s poisonous attacks and dodging its Bullet Seeds while hitting back with Ember and Psybeam. Each time I dealt damage, it dropped special orbs that I could use to power up my attacks. If I collected enough, I could even Mega Evolve my own Pokémon to even the odds. While Mega Victreebell is pretty terrifying, it couldn’t handle my Mega Gardevoir and a very determined Houndoom!

I was among the last to finish my hands-on demo, but that’s probably because I was having so much fun. Walking out into the surprisingly warm September air in New York City, I found myself remembering playing Pokémon at a friend’s house when I was a kid. If my nine-year-old self could see me now, getting paid to play a Pokémon game and witnessing how the series has grown, he’d be thrilled. If Pokémon Legends Z-A lives up to the potential I saw, it’s a game he would have absolutely loved. It’s amazing how things change, isn’t it?

Will Borger is a freelance games critic, as well as co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of Skybox.

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2025-09-24 15:58