Previously, Nintendo shocked the world by revealing that Pokémon would be returning to the Kalos region and would feature some new changes. These changes ranged from new Pokémon in the area, new starters, to even brand new Mega Evolutions like Mega Dragonite.

In recent years, Pokémon Legends: Arceus was the best-received title out of the three recent games including Pokémon Shining Pearl and Brilliant Diamond, and even Pokémon Scarlet & Violet.

Alongside the return to the Kalos region, the game will now feature a Battle Club area within Lumiose City. At this time, it remains unclear if there will be other cities from the Kalos region within the game, or if you will be confined to only that area in Pokemon Legends: Z-A.

At PAX West 2025, we got to try out a similar demo to the one available at the Pokémon TCG Championship. For this demo, we had the opportunity to check out the Battle Club area at night with a prebuilt team.

This portion of the demo showcased the new free-flowing combat RPG system in Pokemon Legends: Z-A. This was meant to show the change from turn-based combat the series had established for the last 25+ years.

Like in other RPGs, getting the drop on your opponent can give you a tactical advantage. This sneak attack-like mechanic allows you to attack your opponent once freely, where you can potentially apply status effects to your opponent’s Pokémon.

The first part of the Z-A Royale demo showcased how you can move around freely during combat, switch Pokémon quickly in battle, and heal your Pokémon without losing a turn.

For this part of the demo, we were given Chikorita, Weedle, Fletchling, and Mareep to take on the three trainers. After each battle, we could return to our allies to heal, but doing so took up valuable time.

In order to prepare us for the final battle, the Nintendo rep instructed us to use our EXP Candy on Weedle to get him to evolve into a Beedrill (after Kakuna). The evolution took a bit longer than we would’ve liked.

After this we were left with mere seconds to take on the final opponent, an observant trainer with a fierce-looking Pidgeotto. Just as the battle started, we ran out of time in our demo, the ultimate cliff hanger.

Now, sneak attacks against stronger opponents can be a valuable opportunity, but the time it takes to sneak up on an opponent might not be worthwhile in the long run. 

Once the Z-A Royale portion of the demo was complete, we were switched over to the Pokémon Legends: Z-A Rogue Mega Evolution Battle Portion of the demo. This portion of the demo had us following the 10% form of Zygarde (Dog form).

While following him, you can pick up different items that can be helpful for your party, but it is not necessary for this introduction to the Rogue Mega Evolution Battle. Since you are in the early stages of the game, you don’t have a Pokémon that can Mega Evolve, so you will need to borrow Lucario to take on the Rogue Mega Absol. 

Mega battles continue to follow the RPG-style of combat that was shown in the first part of the demo. In order to get your Pokémon to Mega Evolve, you will need to attack and gather Orbs of Mega Power that fall out of Rogue Mega-Evolved Pokémon. Once you have enough, you can Mega Evolve your Pokémon, but they will only stay Mega Evolved while you have stored Mega Energy.

Combat is fairly simple, but you will need to make sure that you balance attacking, defending, healing your Pokémon, and dodging enemies’ attacks. If you get overwhelmed in battle, it can be a bit of a challenge, but if you can get used to having to constantly react, then you should be able to avoid things. 

After all was said and done, we were able to free Absol from the painful rogue energy and make a new friend along the way. In the past, when Pokémon games just give you a Pokémon without earning it, it felt cheesy or too easy, but having to earn Absol by taking it down in battle felt rewarding.

For an introduction to Mega Battles, it was fair and simple, challenging but not punishing. The gathering energy can be a bit challenging, especially when trying to dodge attacks and not let them expire.

With the Z-A Royale demo, it felt a little bit too guided, but that is mainly because I’ve been playing the franchise since the beginning. For new players or returning players who haven’t experienced recent games, it is a good introduction. Maybe a skip tutorial option will be added before release. 

It will be interesting to see how the later Mega Evolution battles compare and if the standard turn-based combat will play a role at all in the game, or is gone completely in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. Pokémon Legends: Z-A is scheduled to be released on the Switch and Switch 2 on October 16, 2025.