Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Legends: Z-A has been a divisive game since its launch earlier this month, but most Pokémon games are these days, at least until the next one comes out and everyone looks fondly back on the previous one. In an effort to skip the usual doomsaying about the state of the franchise, I’m gonna skip to the end and talk about how cool Legends: Z-A is when you don’t have someone telling you that window textures are the most important thing in a video game. This return to the Kalos region takes place entirely in one city, and making an entire game in one place required Game Freak to rethink everything we think we know about Pokémon games. What it lacks in distinct areas and traveling, it makes up for in a centralized story about people from all walks of life coming together to defend the city they love. Its real-time battle system turns so many Pokémon fundamentals on their head that even a seasoned veteran will find new challenges while building their team, facing powerful Rogue Mega Evolutions, and capturing new monsters in Lumiose City’s various Wild Zones. 

Legends: Z-A may still be in the “everybody on the internet is yelling at each other about it” stage of its life, but I’m pretty confident that with distance, more people will appreciate the swings it’s taken.