The Nintendo Switch 2 has recently debuted in the market and is still anticipating its first must-play exclusive RPG, yet that anticipation could soon conclude with the upcoming release of Pokémon Legends: Z-A on Oct. 16.

While the game is officially launching on both the Switch 2 and its earlier version, my hour-long preview indicates that it might represent a crucial evolution for the series. Game Freak, the longstanding Pokémon developer, has made significant advances lately, such as incorporating open-world features in Scarlet and Violet, but the combat has remained static since 1996.

The demo of Legends: Z-A showcased more than just combat, yet the modifications to battles were the most impressive. As someone who has wished for Game Freak to quicken the pace, the alterations in Legends: Z-A are exhilarating. Let’s dive in.

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Pokémon Legends: Z-A hands-on preview: A monumental shake-up

Pokémon Legends: Z-A distinguishes itself from other titles in the celebrated franchise. It’s a spin-off, not the next significant generational advancement, which is expected next year. This allows Game Freak the opportunity to explore new ideas, and based on my brief experience, it appears to have been successful.

Similar to its forerunner, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, this is an open-world game where wild Pokémon can launch attacks on both you and your Pokémon. If you aren’t careful, they can defeat you, resulting in a respawn at an earlier checkpoint. Sneaking and timing your Pokémon’s strikes against wild ones is a crucial aspect of the game, but that’s not entirely innovative.

What is different is the combat system. Battles in Arceus still adhered to the traditional turn-based model from the Game Boy era. In Z-A, battles unfold in real-time. If you stay inactive, you’ll be at a disadvantage as the adversary continues to attack. Instead of choosing moves from a menu, you assign four moves to the face buttons, which operate on cooldowns, permitting frequent usage.

This fundamental change affects gameplay immediately compared to earlier Pokémon games. Moves like Protect or Double Team, which grant defensive or statistical advantages without causing damage, are now significantly more effective than in a turn-based scenario. Protect functions as a timed shield move; opponents utilized it to counter my strong attacks, which was frustrating yet motivating as I recognized I could apply the same tactic.

Positioning plays an essential role in this new framework. Without commands, your Pokémon follows you during battles, which is crucial for evading attacks. Many moves now have areas of effect, such as Flame Wheel moving straight ahead and Whirlpool generating a destructive circle.

It offers a distinctly different experience from games like Scarlet and Violet. Battles are swift, making it difficult to keep track of everything, but that’s part of the thrill. A rolling log of combat updates replaces the unskippable text boxes of older titles, making it challenging to follow, but in a positive way. As someone who has desired a quicker Pokémon experience, I finally got what I wished for.

A notable instance of these systems working cohesively was a boss battle against Mega Victreebel, a new, gigantic iteration of an original Pokémon. During the encounter, Victreebel spread circular pools of poison to evade. A tactical element is temporarily withdrawing your active Pokémon to avoid harm. The battle also enabled me to Mega Evolve some Pokémon, and while the mega meter decreases during Mega Evolution, you can stall it by defensively pulling back your Pokémon.

Running and dodging while managing traditional Pokémon mechanics like type advantages and stat boosts is quite a lot to oversee, and I only started to comprehend it by the conclusion of the demo. We’ll discover how the combat fuses with the remainder of Legends: Z-A when it launches on Oct. 16, but for now, I applaud Game Freak for innovating, even if it might disturb some players.