With the Pokemon Presents on February 27th, many Pokemon world news surprised players of all their games. However, many of us waited specifically for any crumbs of information about their biggest titles. Fortunately, this event did not disappoint and brought a teaser of the new Pokemon Legends. Looking closely at the video, we already have what we consider to be the best and worst things about Pokemon Legends Z-A.

5 Things I Love From Pokemon Legends Z-A

The New Combat Style

For almost all of my life, which is almost as long as Pokemon has been around, combat has been my favorite thing about the games. However, I have always dreamed of being like Ash, giving directions to my buddies, ordering them to dodge, and using special moves against the other Pokemon.

It’s not that Pokemon Legends Z-A has an action combat, but it’s one of the best, being a hybrid with Pokemon Legends Arceus fights. At the start of a battle, we will have the attacks at our fingertips, not after searching through a few menus. Besides, the UI is more like Pokemon Scarlet & Violet or Pokemon Legends Arceus, as in real-time battles. Yet, it seems that for your Pokemon partner to avoid attacks, you must move your trainer around the battlefield.

Lumiose City’s Larger Scope

Kalos is one of my favorite regions, and I think it’s one of the most beautiful, with all the details of French architecture. Besides Lumiose, being the main city of the region and being based in the Parisian capital, it was already one of the largest cities with many interesting activities. But for our second visit to Kalos, Lumiose City will have much more to offer because the city will be much bigger than we remember.

The Exploration

We can access new heights in the city in several scenes from what appeared in the Pokemon Presents trailer. Our character will go to balconies and rooftops of buildings to find more Pokemon. In one part, the protagonist jumps off a building and seems to be “gliding” for a few seconds.

The Catching Mechanics

Whether you’re a Pokemon collector or, like me, I only catch the team I will use against the Elite Four. Whatever your play style, the fact that you can catch a Pokemon without even fighting makes life a thousand times easier. And if the Pokemon is a tough one, just send your companion for a couple of attacks, and voila! You will have a new entry in your Pokedex.

The Return of Mega Evolutions

The Pokemon Company seems to love to innovate with amazing new mechanics here and there, only to forget about them. That is until they make a remake or spin-off. Fortunately, one of the best mechanics Game Freak ever added was the Mega Evolutions that will return for Pokemon Legends Z-A. I would love to see new Mega Evolutions, but that’s another story.

5 Things I Don’t Really Like From Pokemon Legends Z-A

Limited to Only One City Instead of a Whole Region

As I mentioned, I love revisiting the big city that is Lumiose city, because I remember its wide streets, transportation services and above all the stores. But while I know that the city will be much larger than its first appearance in the franchise, I don’t know how much more it can offer when we won’t have to revisit the rest of Kalos, or if Lumiose City will have enough content to match a whole region.

The MC’s Design

Compared to other MC’s, especially the latest Pokemon games, the Pokemon Legends Z-A MC’s designs look like one of the worst. Well, maybe I’m exaggerating, but the main characters usually have flashier, more colorful, and even sportier outfits. And if I have to emphasize some particular designs, the Kalos’ characters have more of a fashion sense. Meanwhile, in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, the MCs were limited to wearing a simple uniform; the protagonist of A-Z wears just denim pants with a green jacket, a T-shirt, and a hat that I don’t know why is there. However, things change if we have the same mechanics to customize our avatar.

The Starter Pokemon Lineup

Although I love all the starter Pokemon, the choice for the Pokemon Legends games and the lineup seem strange to me. In Hisui, seeing other evolutions of Rowlet, Oshawott, and Cyndaquil was great. At first, I thought the Hisui starter’s choice seemed somewhat arbitrary; at least they had a “Japanese theme.” However, in a modern Kalos, having Chikorita, Tepig, and Totodile doesn’t make much sense. Of course, every player has their own preferences, but these Pokemon aren’t the most popular starters. Also, I can’t imagine the reason for putting two from Hoenn, but it will depend on whether these starting Pokemon have other forms.

The Graphics

The graphics are not bad per se, but they look the same as Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. However, Generation 9 had many complaints about its strange trees and massive glitches. The biggest graphic issue will have to do with when the Nintendo Switch 2 will arrive. Rumors point to the new console coming in April or sometime in spring 2025 when Pokemon Legends Z-A will arrive in late 2025. From the trailer, the graphics don’t look like they are in the next generation unless they change completely for the game release.

You Can’t Choose Which Rival You’ll Get

Rivals in Pokemon always share our journey and test our skills, so they are a big part of the game. Each time, the rivals have more and more backstories and personalities, which continues in Pokemon Legends Z-A. But what seems strange to me is that the opponent will depend on which MC we choose, and we can’t decide if we want the boy or girl to be the opponent, mainly because I don’t know how much it could affect this decision in the story. I would also like to know why we only have one opponent when we had up to five in Pokemon X & Y, Kalos.