Z-A Announces Beneficial Quality of Life Update

Alright, so, diving into the tangled mess that is Pokemon Legends: Z-A, I’m realizing there’s this nifty new twist in how we juggle those Pokemon moves. You know, the struggle of fiddling through like a million different screens just to teach Pikachu Thunderbolt or something. Anyway, it seems like—wait, did I get ahead of myself? Yeah, TMs are back. Remember those?

I find it kind of wild that these little game-changing discs have been around since, what, the ’90s? Back when Pokemon was just a couple of pixelated sprites on a tiny Game Boy screen. Oh, those were the days, right? Except now, they’ve mixed things up again. They’re squishing all this move-learning jazz into a single menu. Hallelujah! No more scrolling ’til your thumb goes numb. Feels like Game Freak finally decided to throw us a bone.

Oh, and speaking of “bone,” why do they never include a TM for Bonemerang? Just a thought. Anyway — or wait, hold on — where was I? Right, TMs! So, turns out they’re limitless now in Z-A. Thank goodness, because remember when TMs were these one-and-done deals? Use it, ooops, it’s gone forever. Then they flipped to unlimited in Black and White before yoinking it back to single-use in Scarlet and Violet. Seriously, make up your mind, Game Freak!

Let’s take a detour to this colorful thought bubble: the image of Mega Ampharos just popped behind my eyes, like a neon sheep but more dragon-y somehow. Oh, and the Mega Charizard X, swooping in with its fiery blue. Those little things—images, colors, vibes—they stick, like gum on a shoe.

Back on track. So, with all these leaks trickling out—thank you, internet gods—we’re getting hints of a streamlined move system. Pretty refreshing, right? But there’s still this mist of mystery swirling around some of the moves, especially since they behave differently, apparently, like in Legends: Arceus. Still got a bit of waiting to do for October 16 to see the whole picture. And let’s be honest, who isn’t marking days on their calendar?

I wonder if they’ll keep us guessing right up until launch. Maybe they’ll surprise-drop some info that’ll make us all face-palm or maybe, just maybe, make us high-five the air? Either way, I’m gearing up, mentally and thumbly—yep, I just made that a word—for what’s next.