Pokemon Legends Arceus Vs. Pokemon Legends Z-A: Which Is Better?

The release of Pokemon Legends: Z-A is a huge event for the Pokemon series. It’s the newest main installment and directly continues the story from 2022’s Pokemon Legends: Arceus. This confirms Pokemon Legends as a dedicated spin-off series, and suggests we’ll likely see more games like it in the future.

It’s no surprise that Pokemon Legends: Arceus and Pokemon Legends: Z-A share some similarities, but they also have some unexpected differences. This has led many fans to wonder: which game is better? Both titles excel in different areas, so here’s a detailed comparison to help answer that question.

Legends: Arceus – The World

Multiple Free-Roaming Maps With Diverse Environments

Okay, so Pokemon Legends: Arceus isn’t a totally open-world game like some others, it’s more like it has big, open areas. But it was the first Pokemon game to really try out that style of gameplay, and I loved it! The Hisui region is broken up into five different areas you can explore as much as you want, catching and battling tons of wild Pokemon. Plus, you get to ride around on five different Pokemon, which is awesome and makes getting around so much more fun!

Fans really liked the changes made in previous games, which helped create the large open world of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. However, Pokemon Legends: Z-A doesn’t offer the same freedom. Exploration is much more restricted, as the entire game takes place in just one city, Lumiose City. This makes the gameplay feel repetitive and less engaging, and the lack of features like bikes or Ride Pokemon doesn’t help with getting around.

Unlike previous games where Pokemon roam freely across large, lively maps, in this game, wild Pokemon are limited to smaller, hidden areas called Wild Zones. Because of this, players who love exploring and having adventures in the Pokemon world will likely find Legends: Arceus particularly enjoyable.

Legends: Z-A – The Battle System

Its Real-Time Action Is Both Groundbreaking and Exciting

Pokemon Legends: Arceus attempted to update the traditional Pokemon battle system, and while the changes were effective, battles still felt somewhat slow and stiff because they remained turn-based. The game prioritized catching Pokemon, so battle mechanics weren’t developed as extensively.

Okay, so I’ve been playing Pokemon Legends: Z-A, and honestly, the battles are a huge step up. They took what worked in Arceus – things like being able to speed up the action – and built a really cool, fast-paced, real-time combat system. It’s what a lot of us have been wanting for years! Battles feel really dynamic and a little chaotic, but in a fun way. Being able to move my Pokemon and myself around the battlefield adds a whole new layer of strategy. If you’re a Pokemon player who loves a good challenge and enjoys the actual battling, I think you’re going to love this one.

Legends: Arceus – Catching Wild Pokemon

It Has Deeper Catching Mechanics

Pokemon Legends: Arceus prioritizes catching Pokemon over battling. The traditional battle system has been revamped with new features, allowing players to sneak up on and catch Pokemon without fighting, use items to stun them, and even craft their own Poke Balls. The game puts you in the role of an early Pokemon researcher, which creates a truly unique and rewarding experience.

Unlike its predecessor, Pokemon Legends: Z-A puts a greater emphasis on battling Pokemon. While catching Pokemon remains enjoyable and feels more modern than in games like Scarlet and Violet, the game altered the catching mechanics from Legends: Arceus. Some features were removed, resulting in a less interactive experience overall.

Legends: Z-A – Trainer Matches

The Z-A Royale Competition Is a Huge Part of the Experience

Unlike other Pokémon games, battles against trainers are rare in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. This fits with the game’s setting in the past. You won’t find random trainers to challenge while exploring, and you’ll only fight those who are important to the story, such as wardens and clan leaders.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A really addressed the lack of trainer battles in the previous game, and perhaps went a bit overboard in adding them back in! The game features the Z-A Royale, a competitive battle system where trainers in Lumiose City fight to climb the ranks from Z to A. With the addition of Battle Zones, Bonus Cards, and Challenger’s Tickets, trainer battles are a major and exciting part of Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s gameplay.

Legends: Arceus – New Pokemon

It Introduced New Regional Forms and Cross-Generational Evolutions

One of the best things about starting a new Pokemon game is discovering all the amazing new creatures for the first time, especially if you’ve managed to avoid spoilers. Even though Pokemon Legends: Arceus takes place in a familiar region and isn’t a full-generation game, it still introduced unique regional variations of existing Pokemon (like Hisuian Braviary and Hisuian Zoroark), as well as completely new Pokemon that evolve from older ones (such as Kleavor, Basculegion, and Wyrdeer).

Adding new Pokémon in past games kept players engaged, motivating them to explore and collect everything new. However, Pokémon Legends: Z-A breaks from that tradition by including no new Pokémon – not even regional variants or evolutions from other generations. While the game plans to introduce many new Mega Evolutions, these are only temporary battle forms and could be removed in future games. Permanent additions like new Pokémon are generally more appealing and have a lasting impact.

Legends: Z-A – Mega Evolution

This Battle Mechanic is Finally Back, and It’s Better Than Ever Before

Honestly, playing Pokemon Legends: Arceus, I didn’t feel like the battles did much to shake things up. A lot of recent Pokemon games had these big, flashy mechanics like Mega Evolutions or Terastallizing, but Arceus skipped all that. It did introduce some cool stuff like how fast Pokemon acted or mastering their moves, but at its core, it was still the same turn-based battling system that a lot of us were starting to get a little bored with.

While Pokemon Legends: Z-A didn’t add any new Pokemon, it brought back a fan-favorite feature: Mega Evolution, which hadn’t been seen in seven years. This proved to be a major highlight of the game. Mega Evolution made battles more challenging and was even improved to be more balanced than before. Overall, the combat in Legends: Z-A is very enjoyable, and the return of Mega Evolution is a big reason why.

Legends: Arceus – The Setting

Going Back to the Past Was a Much More Novel Premise

Pokemon Legends: Arceus is set in the past, in a region called Hisui which would eventually become Sinnoh. This was a time when people and Pokemon didn’t live together peacefully. The game also features characters who are ancestors of well-known Pokemon trainers, such as Cyllene, related to Cyrus, and Volo, related to Cynthia. The idea of exploring an older version of a familiar region was a fresh and exciting concept, inspiring fans to imagine similar games in other Pokemon regions.

Many fans were disappointed when Pokemon Legends: Z-A was announced as taking place just five years after Pokemon X and Y. While it’s actually a sequel – though it wasn’t presented that way – players were hoping for a look at the Kalos region in the distant past. Seeing how Kalos and its people had changed was enjoyable and brought back memories, but most wanted to experience an ancient Kalos and learn more about AZ’s role in the war and the creation of the Ultimate Weapon. Game Freak should consider revisiting this idea for a future Pokemon Legends game.

Legends: Z-A – The Boss Fights

Rogue Mega Evolved Pokemon Are Tougher Than Noble Pokemon

In Pokemon Legends: Arceus, battling powerful Noble Pokemon was different from previous Pokemon games. Instead of immediately sending out your Pokemon to fight, you had to dodge the Noble Pokemon’s attacks and throw items at them first. This new approach to boss battles was generally well-received by fans.

As expected, Pokemon Legends: Z-A features challenging boss battles, and they’ve been significantly improved. Players will face numerous powerful, Rogue Mega Evolved Pokemon in unique arenas, similar to the Noble Pokemon from the previous game. These battles are more intense and difficult than before, and the game’s excellent combat system lets you fight with your Pokemon in real-time, rather than just sending them out to attack when you find an opening.

The Verdict

Legends: Arceus Is Slightly Better Than Legends: Z-A

Both Pokemon Legends: Arceus and Pokemon Legends: Z-A are great games with a lot in common, but Arceus is generally the better experience. While Z-A has some particularly strong moments, it’s also more inconsistent, with some parts not as enjoyable as others. Arceus delivers a more consistently solid gameplay experience overall.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus successfully captures the feeling of being a Pokémon researcher in a unique historical setting and brought exciting new ideas to the series. While Pokémon Legends: Z-A builds on that foundation, it feels more like a classic Pokémon game – with both the strengths and weaknesses that come with that style. Both games are among the best in the franchise, and any Nintendo Switch owner should definitely consider adding them to their library.

2025-10-24 16:09