It's time for some Legends.

So, in a moment of weakness, I bought Pokémon: Legends ZA. I’ve been a fan of Pokémon my entire adult life (they released when I was 18 or 19 years old!), and I own most of the regular series games. So, it’s not a stretch to imagine me playing Legends ZA.

However, this game is quite different from the other Pokémon games. Most, if not all, are turn-based. This one is too, for the most part, but it has a more freeform approach to it. Instead of both Pokémon (yours and your opponent) taking a move each round, all you have to do is wait for moves to “recharge”. You can just spam damaging moves, honestly, though that isn’t always the best option for you to do.

I don’t know what to think of the game exactly. It’s still Pokémon, but it is an evolution of the series that I was afraid would be taken. I am also a long time fan of the Final Fantasy series of games… at least of their older stuff. I haven’t played Final Fantasy 12 or 13 (or any of their spin-offs), and for the most part, it’s because of the changes to the battle system they made. No longer are they turn-based strictly. I own and have played a little of Final Fantasy 15 (14 was an MMORPG), and I do not like it’s battle system.

Don’t get me wrong, I am fan of a lot of games that take a more action approach to games. The Legend of Zelda, for instance. (The upcoming Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment game looks beyond excellent!) But when I play a game like Pokémon or Final Fantasy, I am used to turn based RPGs that allow me time to analyze and make up my strategies as needed without being pressured for time. But now, Legends ZA is starting to take that part away from me as a player.

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My first impression of the game is that it seems like a pretty fun game. But I am not really all that into it. Perhaps it’s burnout on the series. Perhaps it is for the reason that I mentioned above. But I am not sure. It is partly because the game holds my hand for way too long. Sure, a little bit of hand holding is expected, more so in a game that is expected to be played by kids…. but this game takes it to a new level.

After Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, where you go anywhere and do anything after only a few minutes into the game, this game has you do things that you may not be yet interested in doing just yet. I love the exploration part of games. This game doesn’t let you explore very much for quite a while.

Overall, the game looks like it’ll have some great content, but I am not sure I am going to end up seeing it all. Its compatibility with Pokémon Home, which comes at the beginning of next year sometime, will also suck. It’ll be “one-way”. Pokémon from the other games (mostly) will be transferable into ZA, but any Pokémon that was in ZA can’t, from that moment on, be transferred into any other previous game. What?

Am I going to keep playing? Yeah, some at least, but I am not sure for how much longer. Legends Arceus was a great game that I enjoyed a lot, but I have barely played it. I am afraid that this one will end up with the same fate.

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