Pokémon: Legends Z-A falls short of Arceus in one major way

One of Pokémon’s biggest appeals is its sense of adventure. The ‘90s anime offered young audiences a thrilling power fantasy — kids journeying across vast regions with nothing but their wits and loyal Pokémon, striving to become true Pokémon Masters. Early on, that title meant catching them all, but as the anime evolved, it came to mean being the world’s strongest trainer. Still, the original charm lay in that freedom to explore and catch Pokémon on the go, a feeling the anime captured effortlessly, but the early, turn-based Game Boy and DS titles never quite replicated.