The quiet, starlit sky belies innumerable fiery battles ahead. Suddenly in the night, your humble pocket monster is enhanced to gigantic size and easily rolls over a weaker Pokémon, the puffy, purple Gengar. To celebrate victory, your friend makes an unusual croissant curry.
In Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the goal is not just “Gotta catch ’em all.” There’s a mystery here. Within Lumiose City, a homage to Paris, I discovered an alluring setting for a sci-fi conundrum involving angry, wild Pokémon who randomly attack like rabid animals.
Before the evening’s strategic battles commence, realistic human trainers stroll tree-lined Champs-Élysées-style avenues. The days are easy as I watch orange and yellow Magikarp splash and leap from water that ripples and flows clearly. I can see the rocky bottom. That’s important because well-rendered environs weren’t always a priority in Pokémon games. Rather, it’s complex game play and new Pokémon species that have brought fans back again and again for almost 30 years.
Here, you’re a young wide-eyed tourist who arrives by train, only to be recruited immediately by the friendly Taunie, a knowledgeable, ponytailed townie who acts as your optimistic guide and occasional battle companion. (It’s she who makes the curry, which is nicely plated.) There’s much to do. Beyond checking out the views from bridges and parks, I helped a researcher find new species and took jobs from a detective to solve minor side-quest enigmas. Sometimes, I just sat at an inviting cafe and observed the town’s varied citizens and manicured flora.
Then, it was back to the fight. The process of Mega Evolution creates Brobdingnagian Pokémon. You can encounter the giant opponents raging in gated parks, basketball courts and roof decks. I scaled the tall buildings and battled on penthouse terraces, which gives a taste of Assassin’s Creed’s rooftop gymnastics. Once you’re triumphant, you can leap stories down to the ground because your advanced phone has a Roto-Glide function. It acts somewhat like an invisible parachute.
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