WOO BOY
There’s almost too much to say, and yet also so little to say.
Pokemon Legends Z-A was such a blast. I really, really, really enjoyed it. And am still enjoying it, and will probably be enjoying it again next week when DLC comes out.
I thought the battle system was pretty cool, took some getting used to though with it basically not being turn based anymore. I mean kind of still but more of an active battle type system. Like they took what was neat in Arceus and turned in up to 11. Especially when it came to mega battles. Which was something that as soon as I finished the first one, I stopped and told anyone I could who even would remotely care “I just did the coolest thing I ever have in a Pokemon game.”
Really enjoyed quite a lot about this game, including but not limited to:
- Pokemon Collecting
- 100% completed Dex and I’ll be keeping it that way as they release new ones. Even got double the collecting with the Mega Dex. I get why there isn’t an Alpha Dex… but I had my own fun with finding those. Might keep working on that over time.
- Open World Exploration
- I was afraid the city would feel small as the game went on, but no. I think I could have fun walking from one end to the other, and I did, many times collecting mega shards. Plus I liked that doing the… I guess I think of them as “jump quests” from days of old, but the construction scaffolding you climb, I liked that they had a permanent increase benefit. Didn’t expect that. Neat.
I guess that’s kind of it, now I’m drawing a blank. Probably shouldn’t have made that a bulleted list if I only had two.
Oh wait what about going through the museum, that was pretty cool, especially since I enjoyed Arceus so much.
And the outfit options, always a fan of having more options to play around with. I tended to change up the entire look after most major events or points I got to. I think it would be fun to collect all the possible outfit options as well, just reminds me of what I did in Red Dead 2. Something fun to collect while I’m just enjoying the base gameplay at it’s core.
Oh and also they story, I don’t remember every detail about X/Y but I got what they were putting down there. Kind of makes me want to replay that generation now, yet again. Just to pick up the rest that I maybe only half remember.
Yeah okay, that’s enough of what I enjoyed I think. I will briefly say, the ranked battle system is not for me and I force myself to do it only when there is a reward for a mega evolution I don’t have. I had flashbacks of working through all my missing Mega Evolutions to complete the Dex back when I was recording it. If I stay on top of it now, we shouldn’t have that issue with any gaps. Thankfully it’s just a few minutes each time usually, 3-4 battles of me getting utterly destroyed by 3 other people at the same time. It’s funny how it feels like identifying the weak one is instant, I’m almost always dead last. Makes a lot of sense when the first time I tried it I was only a few hours in, and people were using fully evolved and end game Pokemon.
But even just yesterday when I needed to get through it for the Chesnaught stone. Ah well, it’s a quick pain to get through. Competitive was never my thing and it’s even less so now.
I’m also working through the GRIND that is doing 1000 night time battles. I’ve been doing just a little each day since I completed the main campaign. And I’m now almost to the… halfway point. Seriously I’m at like 400. It’s one of the last things I’m planning on doing, because I’m so close to that shiny charm. There’s also a few side quests left that I haven’t gotten around to because they require battling with a specific Pokemon that I didn’t bother leveling up yet.
This game, overall has made two major impressions on me.
1. It actually did the thing that none of the others have done. The legendary you get is well worth it, that final battle is ROUGH. And as soon as it was over that guy went straight into my party and I’m thrilled to have them. Instead of just going “welp, I got the thing. You aren’t really worth it though, go into a box and sit there” which is pretty much how I’ve played every Pokemon game.
2. I realized while playing it, and discussing with my brother, that I had always had in my head that Pokemon was first and foremost a game for children. Not to say that it’s not fun for all ages of course, but it was geared towards being accessible by the very young. You don’t need speed for example, like you do in a lot of other games. If you don’t have great reflexes, you’re not going to have the best time in a fast paced game like a Dark Souls.
This game really changed that, and I was thinking “man this would have been too much for young Michael.” Dodging a live battle where the trainer can take damage, on top of controlling your Pokemon, and then all of the usual battle mechanics of Pokemon. It’s a lot and can be overwhelming for sure. I had a realization though, and it’s dumb that I never thought about it before, but games now and what kids are actually playing… is pretty fast paced already. I think I played Fortnite for about 30 minutes one time. I’m aware of… Roblox? I don’t know what else kids are playing. I don’t have any and don’t plan to so I don’t really occupy my time with what is or isn’t children friendly.
But yeah, I guess kids could be playing this no problem. I still don’t think it’s great for any person’s first dip into Pokemon. They do not take time to explain the basics, and that’s okay. It’s a sequel. I’m glad they didn’t waste the time going “and this is how super effective moves work.”
I’m multiple decades into Pokemon. I think I know at least some of the basics.
And since I’ve been into tracking my own time in each game:
- Pokémon Legends: Z-A; Main Story 10/16/25 – 11/16/25 (36:31)
- Pokémon Legends: Z-A; Post Game 11/24/25; (59:40)
- Pokémon Legends: Z-A; Post Post Game (Until DLC releases)
Anyway, here’s a collection of photos that I took while I played through this. What a great journey. Excited for more and looking forward to the DLC.
Oh and also I found this one, I was in such a Pokemon mood leading up to the release of Z-A I played through Shining Pearl. I made it a goal to swap out as soon as I had collected them in the game, for a shiny version I had caught previously. (Wish I had found a shiny of all 6, ah well)
Okay but also there’s apparently some trick to shiny hunting in Z-A that I read about, and tried kind of, but nothing. I don’t expect to continue doing that either, some trick where you rest at the bench over and over. I tried it a little but I guess people are like setting up macros on their controllers and leaving the console running overnight. I’ll tell you I care a bit about having a realistic playtime so I don’t plan to do that. I’m sure I’ll find my first Z-A shiny at some point. (Not counting the one they give to you)
But I’ll give it a shot with the shiny charm. Honestly doubt I’ll have it by the time the DLC comes out next week, but it would be cool to maybe get it sometime after that.
Instead I’ll continue with what’s been keeping me interested after the post post game. Building a team of all 6 Alphas, that can mega evolve, and have two types. Got to have something to battle with for the next 500+ battles.