What We Think
Mega Evolution returns after years of absence, and for the most part its comeback is handled well. The Rogue Mega Evolution encounters are the game's standout set pieces, high-stakes, visually impressive battles that use the real-time system at its most demanding. The return of Mega Evolution alone makes Z-A feel like the best Pokémon game in years for some reviewers, and the emotional weight of the mechanic landing in the context of Kalos, the region where it debuted, gives the game a sense of homecoming that lands genuinely.