The elevator ride up the Eiffel Tower was filled with trepidation. I was the last one left of the gaggle of journalists invited to see Pokémon Legends: Z-A, but I had overslept my alarm somehow and just barely caught the last car in to make it up the tower. When I arrived, the elevator attendant called out in French for only those with the special ticket to get off at the first floor. I made my way out from a whole crowd of confused tourists, pounded on a locked door that opened up to an intriguing fake Pokémon concierge desk of sorts, and finally, a café where assorted plushies rested, and our hour-long game preview of the most anticipated upcoming Pokémon RPG. I had braved an almost eight hour-flight to come to Paris and see Z-A again for an additional preview, and now I was sat down in a near-replica of the French city in game, scouring familiar-looking rooftops for rival trainers and their accompanying Pokémon.
It was a weird time, made even weirder by the fact that I had yet to really ever see the Eiffel Tower in full. The last time I was here, I saw the landmark from the ground up, but never rode the elevator up. This time, we were on the first floor, only to play video games for an hour and then head back down. Outside, street hustlers peddled their wares, offering miniatures of the tower for just one euro, they claimed. A group of women tried to get me to sign a petition for orphans, only to tell me last minute that they actually just wanted my money. I told them I had no cash, and walked away quickly, using every ounce of New York indifference I could on them.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A tells of a happier, yet still familiar city, a Paris lookalike where little critters live in harmony with humans, and venturing into “Wild Zones” just means going on casual adventures with a band of merry friends in your knapsack. Particularly intimidating foes, aka Alpha Pokémon, a variant introduced in 2022’s Arceus, hide in plain sight or tucked away corners, but even if they knock you out, a tea or coffee will pick you right back up. The canine Pokémon Houndoom roughed me and a lot of players up a surprising amount for what I thought was going to be a tame experience, but some careful running away meant we eventually prevailed. Some parts of the game were pure nostalgia. A Pikachu delighted me on the rooftop, and a Magikarp flopped by the water, like he always does.
As a nod to the game’s title, the protagonist you play starts off at rank Z, and through hard work, can eventually make it to rank A, in reverse alphabetical order. In our preview, we played on rank W, so we weren’t very far in the game, and slowly made our way to rank V. We were able to visit Wild Zones, collect items like Mega Shards for evolving Pokémon later, and battle a huge Mega Victreebel with the help of some clever positioning to avoid its globs of damage. This time, the Houndoom had become my ally and I was able to snuff out Victreebel over time with the canine’s Fire Fang power. It was a long, drawn-out battle and by no means easy.
I was intrigued by the setting of one of the battles, which appeared to take place in a very large French restaurant, although I couldn’t get a clear answer on whether this was based on a specific location that I could visit later that day. Instead I was hand-waved about how there are tons of cute cafes in the area near the Eiffel Tower. Though I didn’t get to explore those, I did end up visiting many a brasserie.
The NPCs in the game preview were charming, even if their dialogue verged on cliché. An athletic woman named Anya shouts out, “I’m gonna run off the stress of this defeat!” once I beat her in a battle. There were other NPCs, like Richard the Rich Boy, or a befuddled construction worker who reluctantly admits he’s not cut out for this lifestyle. It was the sort of silly dialogue that I could imagine being passively amusing for the hours I envision one would grind these battles for, aiming to rank up.
After our preview ended, an enormous Pikachu dressed like a Z-A player emerged for his photo-op, and we obliged. Later, each of us got a plushie of one of the starter Pokémon at random, and a hierarchy of which starter Pokémon reigned supreme immediately emerged. It goes a little something like this: Totodile is better than Chikorita, who is better than Tepig. Or so we thought. Soon after this hierarchy was established, where nobody wanted Tepig and everyone wanted Totodile, we started seeing some unexpected trades between Tepig and Chikorita owners. At some point, it became obvious that each starter Pokémon had its own charms and fan base, and who ends up liking what will always be a surprise. (For me, personally, it’ll always be Gengar, and luckily, even he made an appearance at the cafe in plushie form.)
Whatever happens next, it’s quite clear that Pokémon Legends: Z-A will have a little something for everyone.
