Pokémon Legends: Z-A Review
"A" Comme Aligatueur, "B" Comme Bulbizarre
It has been a long time since I had the chance to write a timely review of anything Pokémon -related. Thanks to a surprise Christmas present, I have the opportunity now, and it's for Pokémon Legends: Z-A . Now, the last game in the series I played was Pokémon Sword , so I skipped most of a generation here. Bear with me if I start discussing things that were introduced in the gap.
It's been over a decade since RPGamers first experienced the Kalos region, and for the capital city of Lumiose, it's been five years in-universe since a violent clash of legendary forces nearly rained destruction upon all. In the time since, the citizens of Lumiose have tidied up the damage and continued with their lives—or they would, if wild Pokémon weren't showing up within the city in ever greater numbers. Following a mysterious event that put the city's signature tower in a perpetual state of repair, wild Pokémon have become a permanent fixture of city life. They hide in the trees of the boulevards, prowl the parks, swim through the sewers, and flit about the flowerbeds without a care in the world. Humans just have to deal.
[caption id="attachment_173041" align="alignnone" width="640"] Some things are more easily dealt with than others.[/caption]
And to deal with it, Quasartico Inc. has stepped in. This tech conglomerate has been tasked with bringing Lumiose into the 21st Poké-Century, though some can and do question its methods. First of all, sections of the centre-ville have been set aside as Wild Zones to help contain the wild critters during the adjustment period, and the number and variety of zones increases over the course of the game. Different zones have their own indigenous species, as well as the occasional Alpha Pokémon appearing to ruin someone's day. Some zones are more intricate than others, requiring exploration, alternative entrances, and occasionally a different time of day to catch 'em all.
On the human side of the equation, Quasartico has organized the signature event of this game, the Pokémon Royale M-Z, an ongoing free-form tournament open to any and all trainers within the city, played out every evening. At nightfall, the same technology which sets the Wild Zones apart is used to create Battle Zones, where trainers roam in search of challenge. Defeating other trainers in the zone wins the player coins, redeemable at dawn for Poké-bucks, and points towards a Challenger's Ticket for the qualifying match to reach the next rung on the ladder. Challenge Cards can be found which, if their objectives are met that same night, net even bigger rewards. The first few rungs, Z thru W, are humdrum matches against taxi drivers and office ladies, but then the plot kicks in and the player and friends find themselves in the upper echelons of the fight for the future of Lumiose.
[caption id="attachment_182774" align="alignnone" width="640"] It’s all for one and free-for-all.[/caption]
It should be specified again that this game is a direct sequel to Pokémon X/Y , and the mysterious Monsieur AZ and his special Floette from that game are central to it all. They own and operate the Hôtel AZ, out of which the main cast operates. Upon their arrival in town, the player makes the acquaintance of either Urbain or Taunie (depending on the player's chosen gender) and becomes an important member of the hotel's team of trainers. They work with Monsieur AZ and Quasartico Inc. to investigate the mystery of the Tower Incident, its connection to the weird purple crystals growing from the woodwork all over town, as well as the frequent and unfortunate appearance of feral Mega-Pokémon in forms never before seen.
Combat in Legends Z-A has moved firmly into a more active mode, with the player able to send out a chosen critter to follow them around. Available targets are shown with reticles, and a press of the L1 button locks on and allows the player to give commands. Each attack has its own range of effect and cooldown period, making placement and active evasion on screen important elements of the fight. It's also possible to withdraw one's critters completely while still in active battle, a tactic that helps to avoid the worst damage to them during the big Rogue Mega battles. However, the player can and will take damage if they get hit, and both Alpha Pokémon and Rogue Megas will target trainers directly. Players don't get a health bar, but the borders of the screen will change to indicate damage or recovery thereof.
[caption id="attachment_182775" align="alignnone" width="640"] Raising the rooftops![/caption]
The emphasis on range and positioning could have been handled better, however. Alpha Pokémon in particular are always extra-large and imposing, but this also makes their hit boxes that much larger. Conversely, smaller critters are better able to duck and dodge. As an example, an Alpha Gyarados is absolute terror with Hydrocannon—if it hits. But as the targeting and movement AI isn't always the brightest, that Alpha Gyarados won't take range into account properly. Instead, it will close the distance before firing, and the target can hide literally under its big snout. While it's a solid base, this form of combat needs more tweaking.
Whenever the player is locked onto a critter with L1, pressing R1 brings up the Ball Menu. Balls can be thrown at any time, though if they don't catch the target on the first try then it may become too irate to try again until it's at K.O., when there's a brief window to toss one last ball before it disappears. The usual array of specialty balls can be acquired, often directly off the ground as the player explores the city, but in the chaos of battle it's not often worth the trouble to cycle through to find the best one. On the plus side, any balls thrown in error, i.e. they don't hit anything, can be recovered from a lost-ball service in front of any Pokémon Center.
The graphics benefit from all in-game action occurring within the bounds of the centre-ville, as Lumiose possesses a signature style of architecture that helps make the city itself a character. Despite the repetitive nature of the given style, there lies a good deal of variation for building layouts or street plans, and it also makes the special locations stand out more. Whether at ground level running errands or doing parkour Pokémon-hunting over the rooftops, the city remains a constant, interesting terrain. The minor NPCs and trainers draw from a large pool of characteristics, so individuals in the same basic class (e.g. artists, joggers, or livestream fanboys) can have identifiable appearances in a scene. The major NPCs and rival characters are also well designed, with their personalities and likely favored Pokémon types telegraphed by their appearance, but they also have leeway in their critter lineups that a more traditional Gym Leader from earlier games might not have. They're a weirdly lovable gang of characters.
[caption id="attachment_166498" align="alignnone" width="640"] Y not?[/caption]
It's difficult for me to say anything about the localization on this one. Not because I played it in Japanese, mais parce que je l'ai joué tout en français. Illumis, c'est le cité des lumières, après tout, comme Paris. C'est presque la même place, donc il faut que j'en fais l'expérience en la langue appropriée. Et la localisation en français, je la kiffe. Les localisateurs ont fait du bon boulot ici, en preservant les nuances des personnages par les choix de mots. Les sbires du Clan Derouillard tous parlent comme les gangsters, avec les syllables courts et les manières brusque. La streamer en direct Narica et ses fans de Digi-Z4P font d'un argot internet plein des abréviations et verlan. Et entre Violine et Delphie de la Fédération Rex in Majestam (le FRIM), les niveaux et nuances de tutoyer et vouvoyer mettent en evidence leur rapport de dominatrice et soumis. Mais, grâce aux gentilhommes du podcast Q&A Quest, je peux dire que the English localization has been well handled as well.
Legends Z-A has a rocking soundtrack. While it is certainly derivative of everything the series has done before, as a Pokémon soundtrack by definition, the renditions and novel tracks are beautifully done and are well matched to their situations. The only non-positive thing one could say is that the general town theme starts to wear on the ears after so many hours spent running all over Lumiose. Further variations on the theme would have been welcome.
While it wasn't the game I had thought to spend much of my winter holiday pursuing, Pokémon Legends Z-A turned out to be a pleasant romp, a delightful return to a part of the game world I hadn't seen in over a decade, and the chance to learn many new and interesting words in French. I shan't be delving too deep into the post-game or DLC, so others may touch on those as they wish. All I may say is that this was, in the end, a very welcome Christmas present.
This review brought to you by the fine folks at Q&A Quest who helped me remember what all the proper nouns happened to be in English.
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