Pokemon Legends Arceus Vs. Pokemon Legends Z-A: Which Is…

The recent release of Pokemon Legends: Z-A has been a monumental moment for the Pokemon franchise, not only because it’s the latest entry in the mainline series, but also because it’s a direct follow-up to 2022’s Pokemon Legends: Arceus, so its existence further cements the Pokemon Legends games as a true subseries that will most likely get even more games going forward.

Pokemon Legends Z-A How to Find Rare Candy

Pokemon Legends Z-A: How to Get Rare Candy

Players can level up their Pokemon instantly with Rare Candy in Pokemon Legends: Z-A. Here's where to find the elusive item.

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By Taylor Pittman

As expected, both Pokemon Legends: Arceus and Pokemon Legends: Z-A are similar in various ways, but they are also surprisingly different in many others, which led many fans to question: which one is better? Needless to say, there are a lot of things Legends: Arceus does way better than Legends: Z-A and vice versa, so here's a fair comparison between the two that will try to answer this burning question once and for all.

Legends: Arceus - The World

Multiple Free-Roaming Maps With Diverse Environments

Technically speaking, Pokemon Legends: Arceus is not a true open-world game (if anything, it’s more of a semi-open-world game), but it was the first time that the franchise dipped its toes into this massively popular genre. The Hisui region is split into five separate maps that the player can fully explore to their heart’s content, in order to find, fight, and capture a variety of different wild Pokemon. On top of that, they can also summon five different Ride Pokemon, which adds some necessary variety to the movement options of this game.

This change was received quite positively by fans, and it laid the foundation for the enormous open-world map of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Unfortunately, Pokemon Legends: Z-A didn’t fully follow in its predecessor’s footsteps, because the exploration is way more limited in comparison. For starters, the entire game takes place within one location (Lumiose City), which makes the entire experience feel dull and repetitive, not to mention that there are no additional movement options, like bicycles or Ride Pokemon, to help make traversal more enjoyable.

Furthermore, wild Pokemon can only be found in small, secluded areas called Wild Zones rather than on expansive maps that feel alive and vibrant. It's safe to say that Pokemon fans who play these games for the exploration and sense of adventure will enjoy Legends: Arceus a lot more.

Legends: Z-A - The Battle System

Its Real-Time Action Is Both Groundbreaking and Exciting

Pokemon Legends: Arceus tried to make a few changes to the series’ classic combat system, and while they worked quite well, the battles in that game still felt slow and static, mainly because they still were turn-based. As previously mentioned, this game put most of its focus on the Pokemon catching, so the battling didn’t receive as much love as that part of the gameplay.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A took many of the things that made the combat in Pokemon Legends: Arceus slightly more entertaining (like the action speed mechanic) and implemented them in a fascinating and dynamic real-time combat system, which is something that fans had been asking for literally decades. Battles in this game are very chaotic (in a good way), and the ability to move around the battlefield alongside a Pokemon added some much-needed depth and strategy to the gameplay. It's safe to say Pokemon fans who play these games for the action and the satisfaction of overcoming a tough challenge will enjoy Legends: Z-A a lot more.

Legends: Arceus - Catching Wild Pokemon

It Has Deeper Catching Mechanics

Pokemon Legends: Arceus focuses mainly on Pokemon catching, while battles are definitely more of an afterthought. As a result, this part of the classic Pokemon formula has been completely retooled with new, interesting, and deeper gameplay mechanics: players can sneak around wild Pokemon in order to catch them without the need to initiate a battle, throw items at them to stun or confuse them, craft their own Pokeballs, etc. This game is all about becoming an ancient Pokemon researcher, and this unique premise makes the entire experience feel all the more memorable and satisfying.

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Players who want to get back into the Lumiose Sewers in Pokemon Legends: Z-A can find information about a secondary entrance here.

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By William Parks

Pokemon Legends: Z-A went in the complete opposite direction and focused way more on the Pokemon battles instead. Catching wild Pokemon in this game is still quite fun and dynamic (especially when compared to more traditional titles like Scarlet and Violet), and, while it brought back some of Legends: Arceus’ catching mechanics, others were completely removed, which made the gameplay feel much more uninvolved in comparison.

Legends: Z-A - Trainer Matches

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

Battles against other Pokemon trainers in Pokemon Legends: Arceus are few and far between, which makes sense considering the historical context of its premise. There are no NPCs standing around the map (meaning that random encounters are nonexistent), and the only trainers that the player has to fight are the ones that are relevant to the story, like the wardens or the clan leaders.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A not only fixed this, but it also pretty much overcompensated for the lack of trainer battles in the previous Pokemon Legends title. This game introduced players to the Z-A Royale, a fierce competition in which the trainers of Lumiose City can face each other in intense battles in order to rise through a series of rankings (from Z to A). Combined with the addition of Battle Zones, Bonus Cards, and Challenger’s Tickets, there's no doubt that trainer battles are a huge element of Pokemon Legends: Z-A’ s fast-paced gameplay.

Legends: Arceus - New Pokemon

It Introduced New Regional Forms and Cross-Generational Evolutions

One of the most alluring parts of playing a brand-new Pokemon game on release is getting to discover all the fantastical new creatures that were introduced in it, especially for players who were able to avoid spoilers and/or leaks. Even though it’s a mid-generation game that takes place in an existing region, Pokemon Legends: Arceus still introduced a collection of exclusive regional forms (like Hisuian Braviary or Hisuian Zoroark) and even a bunch of brand-new Pokemon that function as cross-generational evolutions of older ones (like Kleavor, Basculegion, or Wyrdeer).

The addition of these new Pokemon kept the experience interesting, since it encouraged players to keep playing in order to find and catch never-before-seen creatures. On the other hand, Pokemon Legends: Z-A doesn’t feature any new Pokemon at all, whether they are regional forms or cross-generational evolutions. Of course, the introduction of many new Mega Evolutions is supposed to make up for that absence, but those are just temporary forms that are tied to a battle mechanic that may be removed in subsequent titles, whereas new Pokemon are much more interesting and everlasting in comparison.

Legends: Z-A - Mega Evolution

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

Pokemon Legends: Arceus didn’t really have any gimmicky battle mechanics – like Mega Evolutions, Z-Moves, or Terastallization – that could make the combat more interesting or exciting. Of course, it did boast a few innovative new mechanics, like Action Speed or Move Mastery, but it still featured the same old turn-based battle system that Pokemon fans were already growing tired of at that point.

Yes, Pokemon Legends: Z-A technically didn’t introduce any new Pokemon, but it did mark the return of Mega Evolution after a seven-year absence, and it ended up becoming one of the game’s biggest highlights. This beloved battle mechanic made the battles even more challenging, not to mention that it was slightly polished so it wouldn’t be as unbalanced as it was in previous titles. The combat in Legends: Z-A is extremely entertaining for a lot of good reasons, and the existence of Mega Evolution is definitely one of them.

Legends: Arceus - The Setting

Going Back to the Past Was a Much More Novel Premise

Pokemon Legends: Arceus takes place in an ancient version of the Sinnoh region, back when it was known as Hisui, during a time in which humans and Pokemon were not able to coexist with each other. Additionally, players could meet up with interesting NPCs that are geneologically related to popular Pokemon characters, like Cyllene (Cyrus' ancestor) or Volo (Cynthia's ancestor). The concept of traveling back to the distant past and exploring an old version of an existing region was extremely inventive and novel, and it quickly got fans thinking of new ideas for other Pokemon Legends games with a similar premise.

pokemon-legends-za-alpha-pokemon-featured

Where to Find Every Alpha Pokemon in Pokemon Legends Z-A

There are more than 100 Alpha Pokemon in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, so those hoping to catch 'em all are going to have to put in some serious work.

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By Tom Bowen

That’s precisely why many of them reacted negatively when it was announced that Pokemon Legends: Z-A would take place in the near future, precisely five whole years after the events of Pokemon X and Y. This game is actually a sequel (that wasn’t marketed as such), so getting to see how the Kalos region and all of its inhabitants have changed was definitely very fun and nostalgic. However, most fans were hoping to visit an ancient version of Kalos and maybe get to see firsthand how AZ participated in the war and eventually created the Ultimate Weapon. Game Freak should definitely revisit this concept if it ever decides to make another Pokemon Legends game in the near future.

Legends: Z-A - The Boss Fights

Rogue Mega Evolved Pokemon Are Tougher Than Noble Pokemon

Pokemon Legends: Arceus featured boss fights against Noble Pokemon, which the player had to confront by directly avoiding their destructive attacks and throwing balms at them, before they could even send out one of their own Pokemon to deplete their HP. This was a major shake-up in the way Pokemon boss fights are normally experienced, and it was received relatively well by most fans.

Naturally, Pokemon Legends: Z-A brought back this style of boss fights but made them even better. In this game, players have to confront many Rogue Mega Evolved Pokemon, who (similarly to Noble Pokemon) are faced in their own secluded battlefield and can unleash powerful attacks directly against human trainers. These fights are much more difficult and thrilling than the ones from the previous Legends title, not to mention that this game’s brilliant combat system allows players to actually fight alongside their Pokemon in real time, instead of needing to wait for an opening to send them into battle.

The Verdict

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

While these are two very solid video games that share many similarities, it’s safe to say that Pokemon Legends: Arceus is the superior of the two. The first entry in the Pokemon Legends subseries is a more consistently solid experience through and through, and while Pokemon Legends: Z-A may have higher highs, it also has lower lows.

Legends: Arceus is all about making the player feel like a Pokemon researcher during a fascinating point in time, and it totally nails that aspect of the gameplay, not to mention that it also introduced plenty of groundbreaking changes to the franchise’s formula that still feel refreshing to this day. Despite some of its excellent gameplay additions, Legends: Z-A feels like a more traditional Pokemon game, complete with all the merits and shortcomings that come tied with that distinction. Nevertheless, they are still two of the best games in the entire franchise, and any fan who owns a Switch 1 or a Switch 2 should undoubtedly add them both to their collection.

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