Pokemon Legends: Z-A verdicts are in - and everyone agrees one thing is missing | indy100

Reviews for Pokemon Legends: Z-A continue to keep coming in but there's one thing in particular it seems a number of critics have already pointed out is missing from the game.

At the time of writing, the new Pokemon spin-off has a Metascore of 81 based on 45 reviews, earning it the status of 'generally favourable', with the same score on OpenCritic earning it a 'strong' title.

To compare it to its predecessor, Pokemon Legends: Arceus, that game has a score of 83 on both MetaCritic and OpenCritic.

WHY NOT READ: Pokemon Legends Z-A full Pokedex leaked online and gamers all say same thing

With Pokemon Legends: Z-A, it seems there's one key thing that critics agree is missing from the game - and that's a lack of exploration.

Given the game is entirely set in Lumiose City in the Kalos region (the setting for Pokemon X & Y on 3DS), it was something there were concerns from some about heading into the game and it seems the element of exploration has fallen by the wayside to a degree.

Having said that, one aspect it seems Pokemon Legends: Z-A has really pulled through on is the new active battle system, with this being heavily praised in the majority of reviews.

from gaming

Redditors in the Gaming Subreddit have been reacting to the critic scores and verdicts so far, especially for some giving the game a perfect score.

One user said: "Giving this game a perfect score seems crazy to me."

"100/100?" another questioned. "I love Pokemon as much as the next man but there is no way lol."

A third agreed: "I'm not as cynical as a lot of people about Pokemon and even I'm laughing at the 10/10 score."

"Pokemon is weird because it's constantly only compared to previous Pokemon games by critics and hardcore fans alike," a fourth commented. "Despite being a $70 game, it's never held to the same standard as other $70 games. Even in these comments people hand wave the comparison away because the budget was only $13m compared to other AAA-games."

And a fifth said: "Lack of exploration in a Legends game is pretty epic."

Pokemon Legends: Z-A releases on Nintendo Switch 2 and the original Switch on 16 October.

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