Pokemon Legends Z-A Soars on Metacritic, Second Only to Legends Arceus on Switch

Pokemon Legends Z-A just got its first big report card, and the number is not earth-shattering but definitely encouraging. Think: quiet fist pump, not confetti cannon.

The score (and the tiny wobble)

Metacritic initially pegged Z-A at 82, which is a solid showing and just shy of Pokemon Legends: Arceus at 83. As more reviews landed, that average dipped to 81 at the time I wrote this. That kind of short-term shuffle is normal for Metacritic, but the takeaway holds: Z-A is reviewing well.

How it stacks up on Switch

• Legends: Arceus remains the Switch high-water mark at 83.
• Legends Z-A is right behind it, debuting at 82 and currently sitting at 81.
• It edges past the 80 shared by Let's Go, Eevee! and Sword and Shield.
• It also outranks Scarlet and Violet and the Sinnoh remakes by a comfortable margin.

A little context, because the recent Pokemon run has been a rollercoaster: Arceus hit in early 2022 and felt like a real shake-up for the series while still being an RPG at heart. That fresh energy landed just months after the underwhelming Diamond/Pearl remakes, and before Scarlet and Violet stumbled out with a messy launch later that same year. No surprise Arceus still wears the Switch crown.

What early reviews are saying

GamesRadar+ deputy news editor Catherine Lewis gave Z-A four out of five stars and summed it up like this:

"Pokemon Legends: Z-A offers a true slice-of-life Pokemon experience thanks to its anime-style real-time combat system and wholesome worldbuilding elements. While its single-city setting can sometimes feel a bit samey, Lumiose is densely packed with things to do and discover. This is a world worth getting lost in."

So yeah, the single-city approach can blur together at times, but if Lumiose is crammed with enough side paths and secrets, that trade-off makes sense. And the combat getting an anime-style real-time twist is exactly the kind of swing this series needs every few years.

The bottom line

Z-A isn't dethroning Arceus on Switch (at least not today), but it's comfortably in the top tier, which is exactly where a 2025 Pokemon headliner should be. Where it ultimately lands on the all-time list will come down to how that score settles and how players feel once they're knee-deep in Lumiose. For now: promising numbers, and a direction that sounds genuinely fun to get lost in.