Pokémon Legends: Z-A on Switch is 'fine'. For a lot of people, that'll be enough. And certainly, even I'm surprised it's as stable as it is after Legends: Arceus and Scarlet & Violet had more than their fair share of performance woes — the latter of which is almost a completely different game with the Switch 2 upgrade.

But, this should go without saying: If you have the newer console and you want Legends: Z-A, get it on there. You can read my general thoughts on the entire game in my review, but performance-wise, 60fps, sharper image quality, and better stability mean it's a stronger experience overall by a wide margin on the Switch 2.

I was honestly expecting this version to be a disaster, but I'm happy to say Legends: Z-A maintains a relatively consistent 30fps both handheld and docked. The drop is certainly noticeable coming off of the Switch 2 Edition, but if you're playing this fresh, it likely won't bother you.

What might catch you out, however, are some pretty noticeably choppy 'cuts'. There's a lot more camera work in Legends: Z-A, from fast-panning shots to cutaways, and while docked, every single one of these staggered. Zooming into a trainer after defeating them, catching a Pokémon unaware in the Z-A Royale, there's a stutter every single time. I didn't notice it as much while handheld, but it was distracting.

Luckily, things are more consistent in battle, where things can get a little chaotic. Some moves like Brutal Swing and Gust can cause frames to dip slightly, particularly in handheld, but for the most part, things are good enough.

The visuals are one of my bigger issues with the Switch 2 version, and understandably, it's the same story here, despite the fact character models look good. Flat textures are even worse on Switch 1 — blades of grass look blurry and jagged, bushes and trees are angular, and the cobbles just look fuzzy. Oh, and the shadows are abysmal, pixelated and blurry and sometimes not even there.

Pop-in was an issue on the new console too, but here, it's even worse. Sometimes characters and Mega Crystals will be visible from a fair distance, while other times, they won't appear until you're about 10 steps away from them. It's incredibly inconsistent and distracting. Some building textures will take around 6-7 seconds to load in, despite the fact you're staring right at them.

Longer load times and softer image quality are a couple more (expected) nicks in the older hardware version's armour, but overall, despite my complaints, Legends: Z-A on Switch is.... okay! It's a step up from the last two mainline games, but still far from Pokémon's best-looking titles.

And I think it's the Switch 1 version's fault. I absolutely get why Z-A is on the older console; The Pokémon Company isn't going to give up that huge player base with a mainline game yet. But its limitations hold Lumiose City back from its full potential. What could've been a vibrant, varied city instead comes with caveats, restrictions, and a fair few visual compromises.

Related Products

Please note that some external links on this page are affiliate links, which means if you click them and make a purchase we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Please read our FTC Disclosure for more information.

What score would you give Pokémon Legends: Z-A (Switch)?

Please note voting will score the game in your games collection