When Nintendo opted not to demonstrate Pokémon Legends: Z-A on the original Switch before launch — and apparently supplied review units only for Switch 2 — I braced for the worst. I expected something reminiscent of the launch state of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. After several hours exploring wild zones and climbing the ranks in the Z-A Royale, my takeaway is…surprisingly tolerable. Yes, the Switch 2 build is generally smoother, but the original Switch isn’t a disaster based on my early playtime.
The clearest distinction between the two builds is frame rate. Pokémon Legends: Z-A targets 60fps on Switch 2 and 30fps on the original Switch, so movement simply isn’t as fluid on the older hardware. In most situations this is only a mild annoyance, but you will see sharp drops when loading new areas or occasionally when rotating the camera in visually dense spots — outside Hotel Z, for example.
Game Freak/The Pokémon Company, Nintendo via PolygonMore noticeable is how animations change with distance: NPCs and Pokémon often appear to move at different frame rates depending on how far away they are. A child sprinting by might look fine up close, then start to stutter a few steps away, and look almost like stop-motion once farther out. Pokémon models show similar behavior, although it’s inconsistent across zones. In some early wild zones I’ve seen a Fletchling flap at a steady rate whether it’s nearby or distant; in other cases, proximity to another creature triggers the same choppiness. Because many early areas keep encounters spread out, these hiccups aren’t constant, but denser zones or larger Pokémon could amplify the problem.
While the distance-based stuttering isn’t quite as extreme as the infamous Artazon Windmill issue in Scarlet and Violet, it’s hard not to notice. That said, the gameplay’s critical systems mostly behave: battles feel responsive, I haven’t experienced input lag, and frame stability generally holds up during attack animations. We haven’t yet tested the Switch version’s performance in rogue — raid-style — encounters against massive Pokémon, so I’ll update this piece once we run those on the original hardware. For now, standard fights have been serviceable.
Game Freak/The Pokémon Company, Nintendo via PolygonAsset pop-in is another prominent issue — objects and character models often only load once you’re nearby. That problem shows up on both Switch models; comparing builds, I encountered many of the same pop-in points on Switch 2. So, while the newer hardware smooths frame pacing and reduces slowdowns, some presentation quirks seem inherent to the game rather than solely to the older console.
Load times are a smaller but tangible difference: the original Switch took roughly two to three seconds longer to transition into cinematic cutscenes and scripted battles — like the initial confrontation with Taunie — compared to the Switch 2 build.
Overall, my early impression of Pokémon Legends: Z-A on the original Switch is cautiously optimistic. It isn’t perfect, and certain visual and performance compromises are apparent, but it’s playable without prompting regret. That assessment could shift as I push deeper into the mid- and late-game, and I’ll report back with updates after further testing on the older hardware.
Source: Polygon
