Finding shiny Pokemon in Pokemon Legends: Z-A will be a little easier thanks to a special feature that a reputable leaker claims will be coming back from a previous game. Pokemon Legends: Z-A's biggest selling point may be its collection of new Mega Evolutions, but there are sure to be plenty of shiny hunters who will find this feature useful for tracking a different category of rare Pokemon.
Fans of the monster-catching games have been excited about the next installment in the franchise's action-RPG spin-off series ever since Pokemon Legends: Z-A was announced at a Pokemon Presents showcase in February 2024. Nintendo and Game Freak have been churning out previews for the game in recent weeks, with plenty of Mega Evolution reveals ahead of the game's October 16 release date, and the leaker community has been sharing plenty of its own secrets.
Legends: Z-A Buffs and Debuffs Will Work Differently Than in Most Pokemon Games
Pokemon Legends: Z-A will alter how stat-adjusting moves work compared to mainline games, with buffs and debuffs getting a change.
The Shiny Sound Reportedly Returns in Pokemon Legends: Z-A
One prominent leaker account on Twitter, CentroLeaks, has now shared that a returning feature from a previous game will be included in the new title to help players identify when shiny Pokemon are nearby. Dubbed the "shiny sound" by the fan community, this brief but rapid series of digital chimes ascending the treble clef was first implemented as a useful tool for shiny hunters in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, sending players an auditory alert that a shiny Pokemon is present when they enter an area. According to CentroLeaks, Pokemon Legends: Z-A will also use this sound when players are approaching a shiny Pokemon, and the game will also include separate thumbnail icons for them so players can more easily identify Shiny Pokemon in storage once they've been caught.
There is a solid reason why this feature was first implemented specifically for the Legends series, and it still pertains to Pokemon Legends: Z-A. Since these games follow an action-RPG format that eschews the traditional turn-based battle approach of most games in the Pokemon franchise, accidentally knocking out a rare shiny Pokemon is much easier to do than normal. While Pokemon Scarlet and Violet includes a feature that lets owned Pokemon free-roam its open world and auto-battle wild Pokemon, the shiny sound is neither included nor needed, as the auto-battle programming prevents players' Pokemon from engaging with shiny Pokemon automatically.
There are only a few days left until the game's launch on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, but fans hoping to avoid early leaks are in for a challenge. Claims of early copies of Pokemon Legends: Z-A in the wild have been reported since the start of October, so fans should prepare for spoilers as the official launch draws ever closer.
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 79 /100 Critics Rec: 66%
- Released
- October 16, 2025
- ESRB
- Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence, In-Game Purchases
- Developer(s)
- Game Freak, Creatures Inc.
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo, The Pokemon Company
WHERE TO PLAY
Source: CentroLeaks