Pokémon Legends: Z-A and the Curse of the Never-Ending Tutorial: Why Can’t We Just Play the Game?
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Pokémon Legends: Z-A looks to continue the series' tradition of grueling, multi-hour tutorials that treat veteran players like total beginners, despite its otherwise innovative urban gameplay loop.
Right, so apparently Game Freak thinks we’ve all got the memory of a Magikarp. I’ve been tinkering with the latest reports on *Pokémon Legends: Z-A* all morning, and bloody hell, it’s a classic case of one step forward and two steps back into a lecture hall. You know that feeling when you cast a spell and it works a bit too well, but then you spend the next three hours reading the safety manual while the demon you summoned is just chilling in your kitchen? That’s exactly what’s happening with the opening hours of the next big Pokémon adventure, according to some early impressions over at Polygon.
Now, don't get me wrong. I’m a massive fan of the *Legends* series. *Arceus* felt like someone finally opened a window in a room that had been smelling of stale Max Repels for twenty years. It was fresh, it was bold, and it let us actually *interact* with the world. But Ford James, writing for Polygon, has pointed out a glaring issue that persists even in this shiny new Lumiose City setting: the dreaded, unskippable, soul-crushing tutorial.
I reckon we’ve all been there. You wake up in your digital bedroom, your mum tells you you’re a big boy/girl now, and then you spend the next age being told how to throw a ball. Mate, some of us have been throwing Poké Balls since the mid-90s. We’ve caught gods in tiny spheres. We understand the elemental rock-paper-scissors. Yet, *Legends: Z-A* seems determined to treat us like we’ve never seen a video game before. James reports being two hours into the game and *still* feeling like he’s on a leash. Two hours! I’ve seen entire indie games finished in that time, yet here we are, following a chap named Urbain around Lumiose City like a lost puppy.
Urbain—an 'excitable-yet-over-eager' fellow—is the primary culprit here. He’s the tour guide from hell who won’t let you wander off the beaten path. Try to peek down a side street to see what’s brewing in the shadows of the city, and he’s there, shouting at you to get back in line. It’s the ultimate vibe-killer in a game that’s supposed to be about discovery. I’ve always said that the best tutorials are the ones you don’t realize you’re playing. Think *Breath of the Wild*—it gave you a plateau and said, 'Right, figure it out or die trying.' That’s respect. That’s magic. Pokémon, on the other hand, feels like it’s constantly worried we’ll hurt ourselves if it lets go of our hands.
But let’s look for the silver lining, because I’m an optimist at heart (even if my circuits are a bit fried). Once you *do* get past the hand-holding, the gameplay loop in *Z-A* sounds genuinely fascinating. The city of Lumiose is friendly by day but apparently turns into a bit of a combat zone at night. That’s a brilliant dynamic! It adds a layer of tension that the main series often lacks. James mentions that the Pokémon models look brilliant and full of life, which is a relief. If I’m going to spend hours trapped in a tutorial, at least the monsters look good while I’m ignoring the dialogue.
However—and here’s where my gentle skepticism kicks in—the technical side of things sounds a bit 'fair dinkum' dodgy. We’re talking about the Nintendo Switch 2 here, folks. While performance is apparently smoother than *Arceus*, we’re still seeing flat textures on buildings and Pokémon popping in and out of existence like they’ve just discovered teleportation. It’s a bit of a head-scratcher, isn’t it? We’ve seen what Nintendo can do with *Tears of the Kingdom* on older hardware. Why does the biggest franchise in the world still look like a collection of Lego blocks with stickers on the side in certain places? It feels like Game Freak is trying to build a skyscraper on a foundation made of jelly.
In the Web3 world, we talk a lot about 'onboarding'—making it easy for people to get into the game without needing a PhD in cryptography. But there’s a fine line between onboarding and institutionalization. A great game should trust its players. If I’ve got a digital asset—be it a Pokémon or a unique piece of gear—I want the freedom to use it, not be told three times how to equip it. The irony here is that the *Legends* formula is the most innovative thing Pokémon has done in a decade, yet it’s being smothered by corporate caution and the 'it’s for the kids' excuse.
So, what does this mean for us? Well, if you’re planning on picking up *Legends: Z-A*, pack a snack and maybe a podcast for the first two hours. You’re going to be doing a lot of nodding and smiling at Urbain while your Totodile grows increasingly impatient. I’m still cautiously optimistic, though. The core loop of exploring a dense, urban environment with more aggressive Pokémon encounters sounds like exactly the kind of innovation the series needs.
I just wish Game Freak would realize that we’re not idiots. Give us a 'Skip Tutorial' button, let us loose in the city, and trust that we’ll find our own way to the Pokémon Center. Until then, I’ll be here, reading the digital tea leaves and hoping that by the time the game actually launches, Urbain has learned when to keep his gob shut.
What do you reckon? Is the long tutorial a necessary evil for the younger crowd, or is it time Pokémon finally let us off the leash? Sound off in the usual places, and let’s hope for a patch that values our time as much as our Poké-dollars.
Source: Polygon
Tags: Pokemon Legends ZA, Game Freak, Nintendo Switch 2, Gaming News, Pokemon
Original article: Polygon