Pokémon games have never, at least to our knowledge, had voice-over work. At least not the mainline games or direct spin-offs.

For many, especially those who have been with the series since the very beginning, this hasn’t really been much of an issue. After all, it was only when Pokémon had properly transitioned into the 3D realm with X and Y that characters actually started articulating their joints while talking, and even then it was very limited.

With Pokémon Legends: Z-A, however, it feels a bit different. Yes, visuals are still somewhat lacklustre across the board with this latest entry, but character animation, particularly during cutscenes, is actually pretty good. They move like real people are supposed to, and their mouths are lip-synced with the dialogue.

The problem..? There’s no verbal audio to go with the dialogue. It’s still completely silent.

It’s pretty noticeable in the below clip doing the rounds on social media, with many noting that supporting character Taunie animates well, but the lack of any voice-over makes it come off a bit, well… weird:

Heck, our final verdict on Legends: Z-A even highlighted the lack of any voice-over work, with reviewer Alana Hagues stating the following:

“I know this is controversial, too, but voices would help give this game character. I’m not even asking for full voice acting — though monologues and pre-rendered cutscenes feel utterly bizarre as just text on a screen — but I’d love a voice clip or two, along the lines of modern Zelda games. It’d also help give the story a little more oomph, which it needs when focusing on friendship, recovery, and forgiveness. Even with an explosive climax (which I urge you not to spoil yourself on), I felt… nothing.”

So now we’d like to put it to you fine folks. Is Legends: Z-A worse off without any voice-over work? Should Game Freak endeavour to add this into future titles? Let us know by voting in the below polls and sharing a comment in the usual place.