Pokemon Legends: Z-A is far from the first Pokemon game to introduce a day/night cycle. One of the coolest things about my favorite main series game, Pokemon Crystal, was how it introduced day and night to the game. In fact, that change informed some of the best Eeveelutions, Umbreon and Espeon. More recent games have still played with the difference between day and night, mainly in terms of wild Pokemon spawns. But in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, the fall of night once again brings something different to the table – the Battle Royale.
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The entirety of Pokemon Legends: Z-A takes place in Lumiose City. Naturally, that means that Game Freak had to get creative with how to keep things interesting. There’s a lot of cool stuff going on with that, particularly when it comes to climbing ladders and scaffolding. But one key element is the way that Lumiose City changes when night falls, bringing a Battle Zone onto the map. Trainers who enter the zone will be ready to battle, earning points to get a coveted ticket to face off against a special opponent who will be the key to leveling up in the system. I got to check out the Battle Royale firsthand at a recent Nintendo event, so I’m breaking down what you can expect from this new Pokemon Legends: Z-A experience.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A Battle Royale Battle Zones, Explained
In Legends: Z-A, a lot of the action takes place in specific “zones” around the city. That’s the case with the Battle Royale. Every night, a special Battle Zone will pop up on the map somewhere in Lumiose City. Once night falls, your first task is to open up the map and figure out where the battle action will be that day. Then, you can head to the Battle Zone to jump into the action. From my experience in the demo, it seems like the night battle situation is limited to the Battle Zone, meaning you won’t get jumped by trainers roaming the streets of Lumiose City.
Once you enter the Battle Zone, be prepared to, well, battle. There will be a handful of trainers in the Zone at any given time, and if they see you, the battle is on. You can also use the surroundings to sneak up on them, much like you would a wild Pokemon. If you initiate battle first, you’ll get a slight advantage and be able to attack early.
Winning battles earns you special points, as well as cold, hard Poke Cash. You will also see various coins and cards floating about inside the Battle Zone. Picking these up helps you earn points and money faster, giving the Battle Zone another layer of fun. You’re not just finding and battling trainers, but picking up items and completing special tasks along the way. Clearly, nighttime in Lumiose City is anything but boring.
Battle Royale Special Tasks Unlock More Rewards
I can already tell that picking up special task cards is going to be my favorite part of the Battle Royale in Pokemon Legends: Z-A. I am forever a side quest fan, and these little tasks give you something extra to work towards while battling your way to the top. They also help you earn points and money more quickly, kind of like completing tasks to get Blueberry Points in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet.
The special task cards give you a particular goal to work towards. It might be something like sneaking up on a certain number of trainers to initiate battles, or even starting battles with a specific Pokemon type. Once you complete the task, you’ll earn rewards and be able to claim a new special task. I only got to see a few of the available options, but it definitely adds another layer to the trainer battles that keeps you on your toes.
When you finish your time in the Battle Royale Battle Zone, you’ll get a report card of sorts. This pop-up lets you know how many points you earned, how many battles you won, and how close you are to unlocking the next rank-up battle. I don’t know about you, but I love a progress report, so getting this after every night in the Battle Zone is something I’m looking forward to in Legends: Z-A for sure.
Battle Your Way to the “Boss Trainer” To Progress in Pokemon Legends: Z-A Battle Royale
Your goal in the Battle Royale is to rank up from Z all the way to A. To do this, you have to earn enough points to enter special boss trainer battles. Entering and winning the rank-up battle is how you reach a higher rank, so you’ll need to make sure you’re facing off against these rank-up trainers on a regular basis if you want to claim the top spot.
These trainer battles are no ordinary battle, either. They’re something like facing off against a gym leader, but with the added challenge of the new real-time battle system. These trainers each bring a unique strategy you’ll need to learn to combat, all while dodging attacks, healing your Pokemon, and remembering to have them actually use moves while doing all that. The battle I experienced featured a lot of Protect, and it was exciting to see an NPC trainer use an actually viable strategy I had to work around. This was just a low-level battle, too, so I expect things will only get harder from there.
It looks like these rank-up battles might be Legends: Z-A‘s answer to gym leaders, since a traditional gym journey won’t be possible in a game that’s set in just one city. If so, they definitely seem poised to deliver the challenge many Pokemon fans have been asking for. I know I walked away from my one Battle Royale experience eager to take on more Pokemon Legends: Z-A battles.
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