Pokémon Legends Z-A is a fun game and also with great graphics – but it becomes repetitive. This was the view of Dexerto’s recent evaluation which has been of mixed feelings among the Pokémon team. The visuals, sounds and interactive game mechanics are all items that speak for the game being a great title but then it seems to fall back again to the loop of playing the same thing over and over again, a feature that has been bothering many Nintendo’s Pokémon titles for years.

But the question is what exactly Pokémon Legends Z-A is presenting? The game is declared as having a great tech upgrade that will make the new world look more lively than before. According to the reviewer, the scenery is more colorful, Pokémon’s shapes are more smooth and a user with a long history will sense the overall immersion. But then… the repetition comes apparently, and people can notice it.

The reactions on the social media have been… to put it mildly, very entertaining. One user even said straight out that the graphics are “that shit looks like it is from 2010 man 😭” which is indeed pretty harsh but on the other hand, Pokémon games have never been the ultimate in terms of graphics anyway. Another player said “Every game is repetitive” to which one can perceive a kind of challenge but, shouldn’t we expect more from such a giant franchise?

The community division that seems to be the case is what is most revealing about the situation in a way. Some players are taking sides telling “I am speaking for the whole community we are going to buy the game” while others are already labeling the new release as a “bad Pokémon game”. The split is really clear, and it resembles the main debate concerning the future of the Pokémon franchise.

Wait a second what was I really saying? Ah yes – the issue of repetition. The reviewers at Dexerto are not the only ones who have noticed this. Gamers have been saying “The Pokémon games have a great first impression, then after 5 hours, you find out that you are just capturing slightly crazier mice in a brighter place 💀” and this is both hilarious and very accurate for some old titles at least.

The review’s timing has also been questioned with several users commenting “How do you know? The game is coming out on Thursday” which suggests either early access or circulating review copies. In any case, the discussion is already taking place before most gamers have had a chance to try out the game.

The split between gamers arguing for more innovations and those preferring the conventional style is quite fascinating. One user writes “I wish they would go back to the classic style” while others sound quite hopeful about the new direction. This is the case for every long-running franchise – if you change too much you lose the charm, if you don’t change enough you will be blamed for being repetitive.

The game is awesome but it is marred by the tag of repetitive and that is the main justification which is being put forth. And it does not only concern the gameplay’s looping cycle. Some players claim the world is “kind of empty” and if this is true, it would be a big disappointment for a game that is supposed to expand the Pokémon universe.

The entire situation reminds me of how the public has been reacting to the Pokémon games over the last few years. There is always such a strong initial interest, then people get disillusioned and the community gets divided into opposing camps. Some will always be there to defend it while the others will criticize every little imperfection and the majority will be somewhere in the middle.

It is interesting to observe that the same trend keeps repeating. Game Freak and The Pokémon Company have been playing with different styles – Legends Arceus was a huge change, Scarlet/Violet did the open-world thing and now Legends Z-A appears to be on the same track. However, the major complained about repetitiveness has still been following the games around.

The whole “is it going to Steam or do I have to buy a whole console” also indicates the continuous problem of exclusivity. Pokémon has always been Nintendo’s sidekick but with some other franchises going multiplatform, it slowly becomes a question of whether Pokémon should still be confined to the Switch only.

To sum up, Pokémon Legends Z-A appears to be another title that is great in potential but may not fully realize it. The technical improvements are quite impressive, and the fun factor is also there, but repeated gameplay might still be the barrier blocking the way of the top. It remains to be seen whether that will hold true for the die-hard fans who have been with Pokémon since Red and Blue at the time of the official release.

The variety of opinions from online sources indicates that Pokémon Legends Z-A is likely to be a treat for some players while, on the other hand, it will be of no use to others – pretty much the usual scenario of the modern-day Pokémon launches. It does have the makings of a masterpiece but the question is if the developers will do it in such a way that the whole experience feels new and interactive, which the players will be answering for themselves in a little while.