Pokemon Legends: Z-A is one step forward and two steps back

Pokémon Legends: Z-A is the latest entry in the Legends spinoff series - preceded by Legends: Arceus. I recently played the preview of Legends: Z-A and enjoyed the battle system, which you can read about that here. Unfortunately, this is still the only part of the game that shines through the dirge of its systems.

That's probably the biggest issue with Pokémon Legends: Z-A: There are pure and unfiltered glimmers of innovation and nuance within it. But they are not ideas that are supported by the rest of the game in any meaningful way.

The aforementioned battle system is perhaps the biggest reason I keep returning to Z-A. It's fun, fluid and constantly challenging - no matter what level one is battling at.

The idiosyncrasies inherent in the Pokémon universe (type matchings, sizes, stats, etc) are expanded upon with this real-time battle system for the first time ever. And I can see why Game Freak relied on it during the game's marketing: It's entirely addictive and thrilling, and the absolute peak of the series' battle systems.

But that's where the fun and passion begins and ends.

The city of Lumiose is entirely bereft of character. Sure, there are characters on every corner, but they don't breathe any life into the world. Instead, when activated, they throw vapid comments at the player, not providing any comedy, lore, joy, or gameplay benefits (except the odd free item from NPCs). And that is all on top of being graphically hideous (with an extremely stable and silky frame rate, mind you).

Likewise, the story throughout Pokémon Legends: Z-A is incoherent and rambling. It's really quite nice for a Pokémon game to have a long and elaborate story, but I wish it were not written with such paper-thin plot hooks.

With a mysterious force on the edges of a growing Rogue Mega Evolution Pokémon epidemic, and a (not-so) subtle legendary beast roaming through the streets of Lumiose (fashioned after Paris, France), it is up to the player's character to figure out what's going on and how the situation can be stopped.

Truly, no boundaries are being broken with this story. Filled to the brim with awful dialogue and languid tropes, this Pokémon game's story is somehow one of its worst yet.

The story is at least broken up by the new Battle Zones, which pit players against trainers in the dead of night for points in a new ranking system (from Z to A...) - but this shtick gets old fast. Really, it's the Wild Zones where players will find the most joy in Legends: Z-A. In these strict areas, wild Pokémon roam free and chase players down for fights.

However, it isn't until the final chunk of the 70+ hour experience that Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as vibrant and exciting as it deserves to be. As more of these Wild Zones open up (there are 20 in the game) Lumiose becomes more lived in; teeming with rare and powerful Pokémon on every corner.

Until then, players are going to struggle to enjoy living in this supposed world of Pokémon.

In theory, Pokémon Legends: Z-A should be the purest and most exciting advancement in the franchise since Sword and Shield. It brings to life the dream all Pokémon players have been yearning for since the heady days of 8-bit joy in Pokémon Red and Blue: running around a fully-realised world, throwing digital creatures at one another, screaming attacks in the process and levelling up along the way. It's just a shame the world surrounding the player is entirely flaccid.

While Pokémon die-hards like myself will still get some enjoyment out of Legends: Z-A and its new features, gamers who are not so familiar with the franchise may struggle to see what all the fuss is about.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A is out now on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.