The newly released Pokémon Legends: Z-A is being heavily review bombed, dragging its user rating down significantly despite strong critic reception. The game, which marks the latest mainline entry in the long-running Pokémon franchise, has received mostly positive reviews from professional critics but is facing a wave of backlash from players.
Critics Praise Mega Evolutions and Gameplay Loop
On Metacritic, Pokémon Legends: Z-A currently holds a 79 critic score from 57 reviews, dropping slightly from its initial 83. Critics have praised the return of Mega Evolutions, the core gameplay loop, and the game’s overall structure, calling it an enjoyable evolution of the Legends formula introduced with Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
However, the game hasn’t escaped criticism. Many reviewers have pointed to its uneven pacing, dated visuals, and lack of voice acting as areas that hold it back from reaching its full potential. While not as revolutionary as Arceus, Z-A has still performed much better than Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, which remain among the lowest-rated titles in the series.
User Scores Plummet Amid Review Bombing
While critics remain mostly positive, the user score tells a very different story. As of now, Pokémon Legends: Z-A holds a 4.1 user rating on Metacritic, with 61% negative, 29% mixed, and only 30% positive reviews. Many of these low ratings—often 0/10 or 1/10—appear exaggerated or unrelated to the actual quality of the game.
Players have used the review section to vent broader frustrations toward The Pokémon Company’s business practices, Nintendo’s handling of recent controversies, and even the ongoing Palworld lawsuit. This suggests that much of the negativity stems from dissatisfaction with the franchise’s direction rather than Z-A itself.
Presentation and Budget Under Fire
Since launch, Pokémon Legends: Z-A has faced ongoing backlash regarding its presentation. Fans have criticized the flat textures, limited world detail, and the absence of voice acting, arguing that a franchise of this scale should aim for higher production quality. Reports from former Nintendo employees claim that Z-A needed to sell only 200,000 units to break even, implying that its development budget was unusually modest compared to other major releases.
Fan Expectations and Future Impact
The situation has only been intensified by recent leaks hinting at an ambitious future for the series, including Generation 10 and a massive four-region remake project. With those projects now in the spotlight, some fans have deemed Z-A underwhelming by comparison.
Still, with Pokémon Legends: Z-A having just launched, it’s highly unlikely that most players leaving extreme negative scores have completed the game. As time passes and more genuine reviews surface, its user rating may gradually stabilize.
Regardless, this incident highlights the widening gap between critic reviews and fan sentiment, as well as the growing frustrations among long-term Pokémon fans over the franchise’s evolution.
