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Ryan Woodrow joined Newsweek as a contributing writer in 2024, based in London, England. He has an expert knowledge in video games and pop culture, with a wealth of experience creating detailed game guides and reviews. He graduated from Staffordshire University with a first-class degree in Games Studies and has previously written for USA Today’s ForTheWin, The Sun, Men’s Journal, Game Rant, Parade, NewsAU, and ESPN. You can contact him at r.woodrow@newsweek.com and follow him on X @SStylesmark or Bluesky @strongstylesmark.bsky.social. Languages: English.
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Pokémon Legends: Z-A is pushing the boat out of the series, introducing a brand new real-time combat system where you run around the field with your Pokémon, unleashing attacks in real-time, as opposed to the turn-based system that the main series games have used up until now.
This has already created some unique battle types, like the Rogue Mega Evolution Raids, where several trainers can take down one raid boss at once, but at the Pokémon World Championships’ closing ceremony, a brand new four-player free-for-all mode was revealed called the Z-A Battle Club. In this mode, four players will compete to try and get as many KOs on their opponents’ Pokémon as possible within the three-minute time limit. Each KO is a point; the trainer with the most points when time is up wins.
This will also link into a ranking system, similar to the one advertised for the single-player campaign, where you rise from Rank Z to Rank A. Below is Nintendo’s full statement on the mode:
“The Z-A Battle Club is ready for its newest Link Battle entrants! Up to four players can take part in battles where they attempt to defeat as many of each other’s Pokémon as they can within the three-minute time limit.
When any of your Pokémon faint, you will return to your starting point and reenter the battle with all your Pokémon fully recovered. Defeating an opponent’s Pokémon earns you a point, and those points determine your ranking. Mega Power orbs, which can be collected to Mega Evolve your Pokémon, may also appear around the stage, as well as items to boost your Pokémon’s stats temporarily.”
Pokémon Legends: Z-A launches on October 16, 2025, for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2.
