Upon learning about the transition from turn-based to a real-time battling mode in Pokémon Legends Z-A, I had my reservations as I lined up at the Nintendo booth at PAX Aus 2025 early on Friday morning. As a lifetime fan of the Pokémon franchise, removing a core gameplay mechanic or altering it in a way excites me but provides a little bit of anxiety as well.
We’ve seen long-time turn-based franchises experiment outside of that traditional turn-based combat formula, Final Fantasy being the most notable. If you’ve been following me for a while, you would know I’m a massive Final Fantasy fan, and I took to Final Fantasy XVI’s Devil May Cry-style combat quite well. It offered a new lens into the franchise, one that I appreciated.
Picking up the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, what I first noticed about Pokémon Legends Z-A is how smooth it runs and how crisp the graphics and textures are in the game. The inadequate look and performance of the original Pokémon Scarlet and Violet release had my “lifetime fan” status feel compromised, but thanks to the power of the Nintendo Switch 2, that has since been remedied. Playing Legends Z-A on a docked Nintendo Switch 2 at PAX Aus, I can only say great things about how the game ran and looked the little slice I got to play.
Pokémon Legends Z-A had two demos to play at PAX Aus, with Demo A being focused on showcasing trainer battles in a battle zone and Demo B showing off a Mega Evolution battle against a Rogue Mega Absol.
Beginning with Demo A, the new real-time battle system took a little to get adjusted to, but it ultimately still feels like a Pokémon battle that we’ve all participated in thousands of times. Swapping between your party Pokémon is as simple as pressing a button, and the same can be said for using your Pokémon’s move set. Moves have a timed cooldown, with different cooldown times depending on the attack. It never felt like I was waiting too long to attack again.
Demo B began with a cutscene relating to a Zygarde, a key Pokémon in Pokémon Legends Z-A, and a Rogue Mega Absol. Once the battle began, I was partnered with a Lucario, one with the ability to Mega Evolve. A Mega Power gauge is presented in the bottom-right corner of the HUD and is filled by battling with your Pokémon’s move set or picking up Mega Power orbs to replenish. Once filled, I could Mega Evolve Lucario. I actually found this battle quite challenging, as the Rogue Mega Absol was not only attacking my Lucario, but myself as well. This could have just been because I was still new to the new real-time combat, though.
The demo timed out before I could finish the Mega Evolution battle, but it left me eagerly awaiting the full release of Pokémon Legends Z-A on October 16 to see just how much Nintendo and Game Freak have shaken up the formula.
