Whenever Nintendo releases a new system, it's a big deal, but there's also a sense of intrigue about how quickly it'll manage to get some huge franchises loaded onto it with new games. In the case of the Switch 2 we got Mario Kart at launch, Donkey Kong a few weeks later, and now another truly big hitter in the form of Pokémon.
Pokémon Legends Z-A is the first game in the series since the undeniably messy launch of Scarlet and Violet on the Switch, and sees the spin-off Legends brand expand with another non-mainline adventure, this time in Lumiose City, the Paris-like city that starred in Pokémon X and Y years ago.
More importantly, it's also the first Pokémon game to launch with a native Switch 2 version, rather than a performance patch like the one given to Scarlet and Violet. That means higher expectations around its visual performance, so I was really interested to boot it up over the weekend to see how it fares.
As someone who enjoyed the new gameplay formula of Scarlet but felt seriously let down by its choppy performance and craggy visuals, then, I've been really pleasantly surprised by Legends Z-A so far. I'm about five hours in, and while there's no doubt that repeated textures and pop-in are a bit of an issue, the game is transformed by the extra power of the new console.
The big things here are character models – both for humans and Pokémon. When these are pixelated and low on detail, the whole game starts to feel pointless, but on Switch 2, Legends Z-A has really nice and detailed models for all the monsters in its roster. They can all be let out of their ball to move around with you, and have characterful animations to enhance that effect, too.
It's amazing how much of a difference that makes to me as I play, and I'm also enjoying exploring a city that feels like it justifies the huge expansion of its footprint compared to what we got when it first appeared in the series. The new battle system (especially as someone who didn't play Pokémon Legends: Arceus) is also a fun one to get used to, with far more active play involved.
That makes it slightly less relaxing to play, too, though, as someone who always used to enjoy how I could play Pokémon at whatever pace I feel like at a given moment. Still, change is good, especially for a franchise that has been in danger of stagnating a fair few times down the years.
Of course, it helps that much like plenty of Pokémon games before it, Legends Z-A has some genuinely stellar musical tracks to back up your action. Whether you're wandering around the boulevards looking for items to pick up, battling away against other trainers, or sneaking up on wild Pokémon, it's got a tune to match.
So, my first impressions are a positive surprise, after a few years of Pokémon games landing half-cooked. I'm not the only person expecting Legends Z-A to sell a gazillion copies, but trying it out confirms that those playing on Switch 2 should be able to enjoy a crisper, better-looking Pokémon game than has been available in a good long while.
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