The Pokémon community is bracing for impact on Oct. 15, 2025, with the release of Legends Z-A.
Being the first return to the Kalos region since the release of Pokémon XY in 2013, and as the next installment in the Legends series, Legends Z-A has a lot on the line. In preparation, many fans are revisiting XY as a retrospective of how far the franchise has come from the first fully-3D Pokémon game to what will now be the first Pokémon title on the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2. So, has XY stood the test of time? For Pokémon fans who never played XY, is it worth purchasing after all these years?
Selecting either the water-type Froakie, fire-type Fennekin, or grass-type Chespin as a starter, players in XY transverse Kalos to explore the phenomenon of Mega Evolution and investigate Team Flare, a mysterious group that claims to restore beauty in the world.
In just 12 years, XY has undergone a dramatic transformation in its reputation among the Pokémon community. Many current staples of Pokémon debuted in XY: the introduction of 3D-dominated graphics, Fairy types, and Mega Evolutions. Throughout all of this, one feature of XY remains to be arguably the most unliked aspect of the game: its glaringly easy gameplay. The biggest culprit could be the abundance of sharing Experience Points in battles that overlevel teams. Fans who first played XY recalled beating the game just a day after they bought it.
One of XY’s saving factors is Kalos’ French inspiration—it’s abundant in its setting and even the gameplay. The largest city in Kalos—Lumiose City—is evidently based on Paris as seen with its Eiffel Tower-esque Electric-type Gym. Besides the landscapes, with France’s reputation as being one of, if not the, most fashionable countries in the world, XY was fittingly the first Pokémon game to introduce player outfit customization. However, for fans who prioritize challenging battles over cosmetic options, XY falls short.
On the other hand, if you’re a Pokémon fan like me who prefers a nuanced story, XY has fascinating lore that could have been enjoyed far more if the game wasn’t so easy to breeze through. A good story in a Pokémon game is one that sustains itself through a long period of play, as seen with Pokémon Black and White, and XY is simply too straightforward to experience the plot in a meaningful manner.
All in all, XY earns 3/5 stars from me. The game may have been revolutionary in 2013, but in 2025, if you haven’t played XY yet, you’re better off not playing it at all. Although, if you’re a hardcore fan who wants to be like Ash Ketchum and ‘play them all’, or you’re planning to play Z-A and want to understand the foundations for the game, then I suggest you buy XY. Be prepared to fish out at least $45 on GameStop or Amazon for XY… and that’s not including Z-A.
