“Pokémon” has officially gone next-gen: “Legends: Z-A,” the sequel to 2022’s successful open-world spinoff “Pokémon Legends: Arceus,” is a major step-up with enhanced graphics and brand new combat that longtime fans and newcomers will appreciate.

Z-A didn’t feel like a full action game to me, but kind of more like an MMO, with its casting times, cooldowns, and behind-the-scenes math happening. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I do hope Legends: Z-A gets challenging enough to make me more intentionally dish out commands and think about switching Pokémon at just the right moment.