I love Pokemon. I’ve been playing it my whole life, and I like to think I have a better grasp on the series than most. I can comfortably name each of the 1000+ Pokemon from an image, and I imagine I could do 75%+ from a silhouette. There are very few times when games in the series can make me feel stupid.
Sure, I might release a Spewpa that evolves into a rare Vivillon form, but that’s an honest mistake. Taking two weeks to realize that the mini-map in Pokemon Legends: Z-A is an indicator of how long is left in each day/night cycle, though. Unforgivable.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s Mini-Map Is A Clock, In Case You Didn’t Know
I’ve put over 100 hours into Pokemon Legends: Z-A since it launched on October 16. I’ve completed the main story and the Pokedex, got the shiny charm, and have used that to procure 80 unique shiny Pokemon (and dozens of duplicates). But in all my time, and all my exploration, I just assumed I had to use the visual cues, like the setting of the sun, to figure out the day/night cycle. I was wrong.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s mini-map is also a clock. It has a little bar around it that counts down the remainder of the day or night, whichever you are in. It’s a really small but useful quality-of-life addition to the game, and one that is literally not explained at all; I’m convinced I’m not the only one who missed it in dozens of hours with the game.
It’s exactly the sort of thing that would have been useful for me as I was battling my way through Z-A’s Infinite Royale, knowing how long I had left to rack up wins on my way to 1,000. But, alas.
If you are like me and have put time into Pokemon Legends: Z-A, not noticing the clock in the top left-hand corner of your screen, consider this a handy PSA. If you did notice it, feel free to roast me.
- Released
-
October 16, 2025
- ESRB
-
Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence, In-Game Purchases
- Publisher(s)
-
Nintendo, The Pokemon Company
