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Last September I took the bait and finally purchased a Switch 2 in advance to Metroid Prime 4. I know I could have played on my Switch 1 or even emulated it for improved performance and blahblahblah, but I’ve been waiting for this game to release since it was announced in 2017— or for a good metroid in any capacity since 20 years ago; so damn it, the occasion deserves it. But until then, there were other games that I wanted to play, too— and one of them was Pokémon Legends Z-A.

Pokémon is not a series that I hold in high regard nowadays, but in my childhood it was my shit, like seriously. From first to third gens, it was probably one of my deepest obsessions; but as time passed it stagnated and never shined as brightly again for me. That’s not to say that never played any newer Pokémon: Every now and then a new Pokémon game catches my attention, but I haven’t played a mainline title since the 6th gen. Since then, the only titles I’ve enjoyed have been Pokémon Let’s Go and Legends Arceus.

DAYUM, it rocks!

Arceus was definitely a step in the right direction, but it lacked something that made it feel a bit shallow, a bit empty. And when they showed Z-A… HOLY SHIT. All I could think is that if I could tell my 10yo self they’re going to release an open world Pokémon with real time combat, she’d go fucking bananas!! The combat system is pretty much what I envisioned 20 years ago, and even if many purists complain it’s too simplistic and basic, fuck them: that’s what the main series and its stagnation is for. I honestly applaud Game Freak’s decision to take this subseries to try new things and experiment with mechanics, iterating over their previous work until they achieve something really notable.

I was also pleasantly surprised of how much they nailed the gameplay loop this time: Nerfing the requirements to mark pokémon as caught as well as giving more weight on the activities around the city and seamlessly transition between going on with the story or procastinating a little bit turns your gaming session into an addictive loop every time you get in the loop. For a few weeks my bf and I were completely focused on completing the pokédex (he was playing it on the OG Switch) and it was a blast! I also went the extra mile and completed Mable’s research requests to get the Shiny charm.

The not-so-good

Sadly, it’s not perfect either: There are over a hundred side quests and even though some are required to get some pokémon, many of the late-game ones feel like a chore. Can you explain me why the fuck should I now, out of nowhere, train a fucking Raichu up to level 60 to win you in a battle so I can register Alolan Raichu? And there are a bunch of this ones, just because reasons. Honestly, the worst part of the game hands down.

Oh, right; I forgot to talk about graphics and how bad it looks, as it’s everything people seemed to focus when bashing this game. Game looks fine, nothing like the stutters on Scarlet/Violet or those horrible texture fields on Legends Arceus, and it holds surprisingly well 30 fps on Switch 1 and 60 on Switch 2. I’m here for the fun, and if the performance is alright and the art style is a hit, I fail to find any issue.

Though I guess after my last entry I’m a ragebaiter already. Can’t help it, duh.