203: Pokémon Legends: Z-A (with Kenneth Shepard)

What this episode covers

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog The Pokémon franchise got a long-awaited shakeup with 2022's Legends: Arceus, changing the game structure, catching and battling mechanics and setting. But now that Legends has become its own subseries with 2025's Legends: Z-A, all eyes were on its own innovations and changes, such as the new real-time battle system and one-city setting. Check out the discussion for our thoughts on all of it! Guest info: Kenneth Shepard (he/him) Check out Ken's work at Kotaku https://kotaku.com/author/kennethshepard Check out Normandy FM podcast https://soundcloud.com/normandyfm Follow on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/shepardcdr.bsky.social TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:22 Introductions 4:15 Our Histories with Pokémon 7:10 Opening Thoughts about Pokémon Legends Z-A 16:56 Story Setup & Connections to X&Y 21:29 Our Starter Pokémon, Wild Zones & Lumiose City 43:04 New Battle System, Mega Battles and Battle Zones 1:02:47 Ken's Work at Kotaku and Normandy FM 1:05:52 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous 1:08:26 Spoiler Section- Our Final Teams & Connections to Certain Pokémon 1:13:52 Dungeons and Story Chat 1:29:57 Endgame and Ending Music used in the episode has a large ensemble of composers and no individualized credits at this time. All credits to Game Freak and The Pokémon Company. Tracks used: Lumiose City (Day), Battle Zone, Trainer Battle, Lumiose City (Night), Hotel Z, Battle! Vs Trainer (Z-A Royale) Check out Dave on Pages of Play for "The Meeting of the Makers"- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mom-the-meeting-of-makers/id1755937349?i=1000749250884 Chekc out Dave on Underplayed for Hollow Knight: Silksong- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/underplayed/id1606954029 Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricaturesSupport Tales from the Backlog

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How long is this episode of Tales from the Backlog?

This episode is 1 hour and 51 minutes long.

When was this Tales from the Backlog episode published?

This episode was published on February 18, 2026.

What is this episode about?

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog The Pokémon franchise got a long-awaited shakeup with 2022's Legends: Arceus, changing the game structure, catching and...

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