Pokémon Legends: Z-A reveals the Z-A Royale and more
A new trailer for Pokémon Legends: Z-A revealed the Z-A Royale, a way for the player to battle trainers and rank up through the alphabet, only active at night.
One of the more unexpected trailers from today’s Nintendo Direct was one for Pokémon Legends: Z-A. Typically, The Pokémon Company likes to save its announcements for its Pokémon Presents showcases, but not today. The new trailer did not reveal a release date or any new mega evolutions, but it did share some information about how trainer battles might work. Every night in Lumiose City, red fenced off areas appear, this is where trainers can participate in the Z-A Royale.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A reveals the Z-A Royale, stealth mechanics, and more
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is the first Pokémon game to take place entirely within one city. Initially, this raised interesting questions about how players would find wild Pokémon and battle trainers. In most other games, the adventure and battles come from venturing out of towns and cities and into the wild routes between them. Now, we have gotten a look at Legends: Z-A’s answer to both questions. Wild Zones, green fenced areas found at any time of day, will be home to wild Pokémon. While red-fenced areas, found only at night, will be Battle Zones, where players can take on trainers.
We learned more about Wild Zones in the latest Pokémon Presents last month, so today’s focus was on the Z-A Royale. It’s not just a name to match with the game title, players will rank up through the alphabet, starting at rank Z and eventually reaching rank A. From the official Pokémon website, “If a trainer reaches Rank A, they won’t just earn the honor of being known as the strongest around—apparently, they may also have one wish granted.” It’s not yet clear what this means, but chances are it will have something to do with the game’s overall story.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A has introduced a new battle system unlike any other seen in a Pokémon game. It has abandoned the turn-based system in favor of a real-time battle, where trainers and Pokémon can move around the battlefield. Attack timing, range, and direction will be more important. When it comes to trainer battles, players can simply run away from a battle that appears too tough.
But that’s not all, as the player, you can also sneak up on opposing trainers, granting yourself an immediate advantage. Trainers will have a gauge “showing how aware they are of your presence. If the gauge fills up, the Trainer will spot you… your Pokémon may be so caught off guard that they’ll be unable to move.” But if you successfully sneak up on an opponent and land a surprise attack, it will be you with a similar advantage. “A successful surprise attack will always result in a critical hit that deals a large amount of damage, giving you the upper hand in battle.”
To rank up, players will have to win Promotion Matches. You’ll earn ticket points from battling and completing conditions listed on bonus cards that can be found within the battle zone. Earn enough ticket points and you’ll gain a Challenger’s Ticket, which allows you to participate in a Promotion Match.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A’s gameplay loop seems to be coming together. “At night, when the battle zone is active, challenge tough Trainers in the Z-A Royale. During the day, catch Pokémon in the wild zones, train them, and prepare for the next night.” Some extra details remain unclear. It’s possible that the battle zones will appear in different areas each night, though it’s not clear what impact this could have. The website mentions “It’s also a good idea to use prize money you earn in the Z-A Royale to stock up on any necessary items for battle.” This could just be general advice, but it could also suggest that when you enter a Z-A Royale battle zone, you might not be able to exit until the battles are complete, so it’s good to enter prepared.
For now, with Pokémon Legends: Z-A still scheduled for a late 2025 release window, we will have to wait to learn more. It might be a few months before we hear about this game again, but I’m looking forward to learning more about this unique entry in the Pokémon franchise.
