Pokémon Legends: Z-A Rotom Phone review: better camera, higher jumps

Though the Pokémon games’ Rotom Phones haven’t really changed all that much design-wise over the past few years, each generation has introduced new functionalities that made upgrading a no-brainer. Sword / Shield’s Rotom Phone — the very first one — came with a bare-bones camera that made it easy to snap wide-angle (screen)shots out in the Galar region’s Wild Area. The second-generation Rotom Phone’s camera in Scarlet / Violet was a significant improvement, but the device’s real standout feature was its ability to keep you from plummeting to your death if you fell from a great height.

While neither of the early Rotom Phones were as visually interesting as Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ Arc Phone, they both spoke to how the Pokémon universe’s consumer tech has become increasingly streamlined and robust. That trend continues in Pokémon Legends: Z-A with a new Rotom Phone that feels like it was designed for urban exploration.

Like its predecessors, the third-gen Rotom Phone’s conservative design is a reminder of how Pokémon’s gadgets have lost some of their personality in the time since Pokédexes went from being physical objects to downloadable applications. But what the new phone lacks in aesthetic flair, it makes up for with improved hardware and a couple of fresh tricks — including one that makes leaping across rooftops a snap — that make it a must-have for anyone visiting present-day Lumiose City.

As nice as it was to see Scarlet / Violet’s Rotom Phone come with a second lens, one of the most frustrating things about the device was that there was no way to zoom in on things from a distance while you were wandering around Paldea. That second lens seemed like it didn’t really do anything. You had to get physically close to wild pokémon and then open up the camera app in order to take eye-catching photos of them, which made it very easy to wind up getting attacked. That would have been a nonstarter in Z-A’s Lumiose, where unpartnered monsters will go out of their way to fight humans without hesitation.

But in addition to adding a handy new zoom feature by way of a third (very functional) lens, the new Rotom Phone’s back-facing camera array can also be used while you are moving — something that opens up a new world of possibilities for trainers who fancy themselves shutterbugs. It’s easy to post up in Lumiose’s Wild Zones, hide in the tall grass, and snap photos of wild pokémon without them being aware of your presence. And being able to move while you’re using the back cameras also makes it relatively simple to get the hell out of dodge in instances when something does catch sight of you and decides to launch an attack. (You do still have to remain still while you’re using the new Rotom Phone’s improved front-facing camera, though.)

While the new Rotom Phone’s front-facing camera can be used for video calls, when you try to take a selfie, the electric / ghost pokémon living within the device will automatically activate the back-facing cameras and turn the handheld around. Previously you had to hold the second-generation phone in your hand or with a selfie stick in order to capture pics of yourself with your favorite partner pokémon. But the new phone’s resident Rotom can be directed to move the device around while taking pictures from various angles and distances, which gives you the ability to strike a pose hands-free.

This is especially useful if you’ve downloaded the app to participate in Lumiose’s Z-A Royale and want to update your profile picture to something emotive. One major drawback, though, is that the new possessed phone requires you to stay still while you’re directing it to take pictures of you. Using the phone’s limited selection of built-in music, you can coax your pokémon to sleep or get it worked up before you snap a candid or dramatic photo. None of the third-gen Rotom Phone’s built-in filters are all that great, but it’s easy enough to transfer them to another device if you want to do some artistic post-processing of your own.

Along with the Z-A Royale hub, an updated, Lumiose-specific Pokédex is the new Rotom Phone’s most useful application. It does all the basic ’dex stuff like track how many pokémon you’ve seen and caught, where specific species live within the city, and how they move. It also features a separate listing of pokémon with Mega Evolved forms, but what’s great about this version of the Pokédex is that it gives every pokémon that you can catch its own unique entry, which was not the case on the last Rotom Phone for some reason.

Unfortunately, the new Pokédex does not display the same kind of fancy artwork for monsters that Scarlet / Violet’s did. But the new interface is cleaner, more intuitive to use, and does away with the last generation’s excess skeuomorphism. The default map application also provides you with helpful information about which pokémon appear in Lumiose’s Wild Zones, where Z-A Royale battle zones pop up, and details about locations like shopping centers and Pokémon Centers.

By far, the new Roto-Glide functionality is what sets this generation of Rotom Phone apart from others. The last phone featured a safe-landing mode that activated whenever it detected that you had suddenly fallen a considerable distance. Roto-Glide builds on that idea by giving you a brief boost up when you jump from a ledge, which enables you to do a kind of bounce through the air. It’s ideal for leaping across rooftops or completing some of Lumiose’s many scaffolding obstacle courses.

Like the Arc Phone and both of the other Rotom Phones, the new model has fantastic battery life and call reception — at least within Lumiose City. I haven’t been able to test the phone out beyond the city’s limits, and it’s not clear whether this model would work outside of the Kalos region. I also wasn’t able to figure out how to activate the phone’s wide-screen tablet mode, but other people seem to enjoy it. The thing runs like a dream, though.

My biggest issue with the third-gen Rotom Phone is that it does not seem as if there are all that many (if any) cool accessories to help you make it feel more personal. The device appears to come in a variety of colors, like red, blue, yellow, white, and a stony gray. But it would have been great to see this model get some of the nifty phone cases that can be purchased across Paldea.

Roto-Glide aside, the new Rotom Phone is a somewhat incremental upgrade if you’re coming from the last generation, but you will need one if you really want to get the most out of your time in Lumiose City. The beefed-up camera alone makes this a much more useful tool to have as you embark on your next Pokémon journey, and if there are some stylish accessories in the pipeline, the device will be damn near perfect.