Pokemon Legends: Z-Ais fast approaching as one of the Nintendo Switch family’s big year-end titles, and the firstPokemontitle to debut with a native Switch 2 version. As of the Pokemon Presents airing on June 28, 2025, the game is roughly three months away, and it feels like Game Freak is finally letting fans know exactly what to expect from it. Returning toPokemonGeneration 6’s Kalos region during a time when Lumiose City is being redeveloped for better Pokemon coexistence,Pokemon Legends: Z-Aisn’t the Legends follow-up many expected, and it’s full of plenty more surprises.
Besides beingPokemon’s latest stab at a true open-world setting and its experimental all-urban setting,Pokemon Legends: Z-Ais givingPokemon’s mechanics a major shake-up.Legends: Z-A’s Z-A Royale tournamentgives players a reason to hone their battle skills, and they’ll need to do so now that the combat system is no longer turn-based. For the first time in a mainlinePokemongame, battling involves ordering Pokemon to use moves and reposition in real-time, which should make plenty of familiar features feel new all over again, and should help a returning mechanic crystallize into its best possible form.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s Mega Evolution Is Back In A Big Way
In the spirit of revisitingPokemon’s 6th generation, Mega Evolution has also returned toPokemon’s main stage. By the look of things, most or all of the old Mega Evolution forms are returning, and leaks have teased thatmany more Pokemon are getting Mega formsof their own. As far as generation-exclusive battle gimmicks go, Mega Evolution remains a fan favorite, so seeing it come back, potentially with forward-compatible support for the Generation 10 games, has been one ofPokemon Legends: Z-A’s strongest selling points.
However, Mega Evolution will not work the way it does in traditionalPokemongames. Instead of allowing a single Pokemon equipped with its corresponding Mega Stone to Mega Evolve until the current battle ends, or they’re knocked out, a small new HUD element briefly seen in trailer footage suggests that transformations will now be temporary and limited by a resource. Considering thepower boost that Mega Evolved Pokemon receive, that makes sense for the potentially longer and more involved fights of a real-time game, and there may even be wider-reaching benefits in the full game.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A May Have Given Mega Evolution A New Lease On Life
Mega Evolution’s Restriction In Z-A Could Be A New Kind Of Freedom
WhatLegends: Z-A’s Mega Evolution looks like in action hasn’t been fully explored yet, but its new time limit may actually be a solution to an existing quirk. Depending on the frequency and methods by which the Mega Evolution gauge fills, and whether this take on Mega Evolution supports canceling the transformation early, this mechanic could take on a more versatile role in battles. Pokemon could treat Mega Evolution like an ult in a competitive game, popping it mid-battle when necessary.Legends: Z-A’s battles care about move ranges, so those changing in Mega forms would add another layer of strategy to this mechanic.
Furthermore, the player could potentially use more than one Mega Evolution per battle. ThePokemon Legendstitles are built as single-player experiences, so something that sounds overpowered like that has more of a place inLegends: Z-Athan in aturn-basedPokemongame. Allowing one Pokemon to Mega Evolve multiple times, and potentially more than one Pokemon in a team to Mega Evolve in a single battle, would add a whole new dimension to how Mega Evolution is used. Depending on howPokemon Legends: Z-Ahandles its Mega Evolution, the mechanic could reach greater heights than ever before.
