A Legend from X and Y to Z-A: Interview from a Pokémon Fan

The latest title in Pokémon’s new Legends game series, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, was released on October 16 of this year. Z-A acts as an official sequel to Pokémon X and Y (2013), taking place five years after. 

Not only was this game met with a lot of excitement upon its announcement, bringing back the fan-favorite Mega Evolution gimmick and introducing a new battle system, but it later sparked some controversy closer to release. 

This article will discuss some of the controversies surrounding the game, but ultimately serves as a review of Legends: Z-A. 

It’s also important to note that since the game has been out for over a month at the time of writing, many of the controversies have since simmered down and are no longer as prevalent as they once were. 

Controversy

Upon Z-A’s announcement, there was no controversy and fans were all excited to play it; but as the release date crept closer and more news got revealed, some players’ perspectives shifted. 

One significant issue some players faced was the news of paywall content. Many players were excited at the introduction of Megas for the Kalos starter Pokémon, Greninja, Delphox, and Chesnaught. However, shortly after their reveal, it was confirmed that their mega stones- the item required to make a Pokémon mega evolve- would be locked as season rewards behind Z-A’s online ranked battle mode. Meaning players would need to purchase Nintendo’s online service to play.

Some players were notably upset at this news, which, coupled with the lack of information at the time, left many players discouraged from getting the game. 

Another issue some players had was the game's price tag. Z-A was released on both the Nintendo Switch family of systems and on Nintendo’s new Switch 2, which itself had already sparked controversy for pricing every game on the system at $70, including Z-A. The price tag, paired with the game’s graphics, left many players upset, saying the graphics didn’t justify the $70 price.

Review

Z-A opens with our player’s character arriving in Lumiose City via train. Upon exiting the station, we meet Urbain or Taunie, depending on which gender you pick at the start of the game, who gives you your starter Pokémon and ropes you into joining their team, Team MZ, with the goal of helping Hotel Z, owned by the mysterious man AZ. 

You and Team MZ take part in the Z-A Royal, which is a citywide competition hosted by the company Quasartico Inc. where you must climb the ranks starting at Rank Z all the way to Rank A. While taking part in the Z-A Royal, Vinnie, the secretary of Quasarito’s CEO, also tasks Team MZ with calming the Rogue Mega Pokémon popping up around Lumiose.

Going into the game, I didn’t know what to expect, which made me even more excited. Pokémon’s mainline games usually fall into the same formula, so going in with no prior understanding of what to expect had me bubbling with excitement. 

Playing through the game, I was enjoying every second. Seeing all the new Mega evolutions and characters had me gushing over their designs. The story had me so captivated that I found myself playing whenever I had a chance. Z-A changed  the traditional eight Gym Leader formula from the mainline games to including eight significant named trainers instead, each with their own unique Mega Pokémon.

Finishing the game had me enthralled at every turn. I will not go into too much detail about the story's ending and climax to avoid spoilers. However, I will say I was pleasantly surprised at how they tied everything up nicely in not only the Z-A’s story, but also the loose ends from X and Y’s story. 

Interview

I asked fellow Pokémon fan and friend of mine, David Trujillo, to share some of his thoughts on the game. 

Do mind, we bring up minor spoilers from Z-A’s story. Read at your own discretion.

How long have you been playing Pokémon?

I’ve been playing since I was around five or six. I am now 22.  I remember playing on the DS, and I was playing Pearl. 

Pearl was my first game originally. I did have the Game Boy, but I didn't get the other games until much later. 

What were your thoughts when Z-A first got announced?

I was excited, very excited actually. I really love Mega Evolution, as it's my favorite gimmick. I really wish it was the only gimmick; other than Z-Moves, they weren't actually that bad. I liked them. Z-Moves and Mega Evolution are my favorite; they still are, mainly Mega Evolution, because I love Mega Gallade, one of my favorite Pokémon of all time. I don't care what anyone says.

What was your reaction to seeing the real-time battle system?

I was not disappointed, actually. I like trying new things. I knew Legends wasn't gonna be like the same. I kind of expected it to be like Legends: Arceus, so for the real-time battle system, I guess it wasn't bad or anything; it was interesting. I do prefer the classic turn-based game. 

Do you think the new system will affect future Legends games down the line?

I don't think it's gonna affect it. I think they're just gonna do more projects with it. Legends: Arceus had a turn-based system, while Z-A is time-based with the moves. They’ll probably just experiment more and see how it goes. Maybe it’ll be something new again, I don't know what. Honestly, they’ll probably surprise me again with the next Legends game. I really hope it's a Unova game, though.

What was your favorite moment while playing Z-A?

It’s difficult, honestly. I think my favorite was finding out Lysandre lived. I was shocked to see him alive.

Going off of that, do you think Z-A is a good sequel to X and Y’s story?

As a sequel, I don’t think so. I don’t believe the story was crazy bad; I didn’t feel very connected to it. However, I personally, if Lysandre was alive, I would’ve liked him to stay as a villain, not as something who believes he’s reformed as a good guy. Even if he lost his memory and all, I was really hoping I needed to reshape this world again. No, my mission is not done. Zygarde gave me this chance; he must want me to do it again. He was saved for the wrong purposes, he believes.

You believe it has good connections to X and Y, but not as a sequel?

Yeah. I don’t think it's a good sequel. I don't like how everyone says, “oh, it's all sunshine and rainbows. Everyone's getting along.” No. I’ve always loved the idea of secret bad organizations; it's fun to me.

Getting a bit more controversial, what are your thoughts on people’s "critiques" of the game, about the graphics and such?

The graphics aren't crazy bad. You gotta think about it in another form. They made the map, not too big obviously; it's pretty small, but  also the whole map is an entity. So it makes sense that the power limit of the Switch and the Switch 2 can only do so much. However, graphically wise, if we’re like talking about looking at Pokémon and such, those are really good. If we are talking about structures, again, I don't really care. I don’t really look at windows and think, “Oh wow! I can look at people! Wow, look at the windows! This is great!” I really don't care. I'm in it to play Pokémon and fight. I'm not really in it for the graphics.

Which of the new Megas is your favorite?

Skarmory. I’ve been really loving Skarmory a lot recently, and I'm telling you this now when I heard about Mega Skarmory. I was in love. 

Did you enjoy any of the call-backs or references to, not just X and Y, but the older games? Did you find them enjoyable?

I did. I was passing by one of the non-player characters (NPCs), and I don't know if you noticed it, but I noticed it. I took note. Back in X and Y, I don't know if you remembered. But in one of the towns, there was an NPC who told you, you needed 5 million Pokédollars to join their team. And one of the NPCs in Z-A were saying, “Back then, trying to join Team Flare, you needed 5 million Pokédollars.” And I think, “Damn, they remembered.”

Knowing that you played on the Switch 2, did you see any difference between playing the Switch and Switch 2?

Never played the Switch version, so I wouldn't really know. I do have the OLED and the original Switch, but I haven't really tested it. I have noticed, by looking at reviews, the differences. They're not crazy bad, obviously, it's just some things are downgraded, that's all. So it's not something crazy. 

The people who complain about it are like, “Oh, the floor looks too weird. The ones on Switch 2 look…” It's the floor, I’m not paying attention to the floor. As long as I don’t glitch through the floor, then I don't have a problem. As long as I'm not falling constantly like in the Paldea region, Scarlet and Violet. I'm always falling through that one. 

Would you recommend someone who wants to get the game, should they get the Switch version or the Switch 2 version?

If they already have a Switch, just get the Switch version, mainly because it's a waste of money if you're gonna spend $450 plus tax over what you already have, right? If I had the Switch and not the Switch 2, and I had the option of getting the Switch 2 version and not having the Switch 2, then I would do it. But what you can do, technically, you could get the Switch 2 version and still play it on the Switch. I found out it's cross-combatible, so you can do that. So if you plan on getting the Switch 2, then why not get the Switch 2 version of Z-A, because in the end if you wanna play Z-A on your Switch 2 and it's the Switch version, it’s going to ask you to pay for the upgrade pass, and at that point, why buy the Switch version if you’re gonna get the Switch 2 in the future? So just buy the Switch 2 version, you can play it on the Switch.

Final Thoughts

Legends: Z-A takes us back to the Kalos region, bringing back the fan-favorite Mega Evolution gimmick and introducing new Mega Pokémon. Z-A not only gives us a new story and characters, shaking up the traditional formula of Pokémon, but it also ties up any loose ends present in the original X and Y, bringing everything full circle.

If you’re a Pokémon fan, want to get into Pokémon, or just like games with amazing creatures/character designs, I highly recommend giving Legends Z-A a try.