Overview
- Early reviews single out the narrative and character work as unusually strong for the series.
- The direct sequel to X/Y is set entirely in an expanded Lumiose City and is available on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2.
- Battles are fully real-time with move cooldowns and free movement, a shift praised for immediacy yet judged by some as falling short of turn-based depth.
- Rogue Mega encounters anchor marquee boss fights, the game adds dozens of new Mega Evolutions for existing Pokémon, and some Mega Stones are tied to online ranking rewards, but there are no new species.
- Trade-offs include a single-city scope with limited biome variety, the absence of staples such as breeding and riding, and player-reported adaptation issues like inconsistent Substitute behavior and a sluggish Aegislash.