Nintendo Holiday 2025: First Look at Zelda & Pokémon!
Nintendo Canada invited me to their 2025 Holiday Preview to try their upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 games — including Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment and Pokémon Legends: Z-A! Here’s a look inside this magical Nintendo Holiday experience.
Inside the Nintendo Holiday Experience
The moment I walked in, it felt like stepping into a Nintendo Wonderland — an entire floor filled with Nintendo Switch 2 demo stations, Christmas decorations, and a cozy photo area featuring Mario and holiday-themed décor. Plushies, Christmas trees, and colourful lights made it feel like the holidays had arrived early.
Guests were given a stamp card to complete activities across the venue, including photo ops, colouring stations, and more. Each staff member added adorable drawings when marking the boxes — one even drew a Shy Guy! Sadly, I didn’t win the sweepstakes, but it was still super fun to complete.
Crafting a Yoshi Pin
One of my favourite activities was creating a custom Nintendo pin. I picked Yoshi, of course — and coloured him purple to match my vibe. 💜
After finishing, the Nintendo team helped me assemble the pin and even surprised me with a bonus GameCube controller pin!
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment (Nintendo Switch 2)
This short 10-minute demo takes place during the Imprisoning War, the same one referenced in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
You play as Princess Zelda, training under Rauru and Sonia, mastering the powers of light and time. The quest, “Where Ancient Wisdom Sleeps,” acts as a tutorial, teaching movement, combat, and Zonai Device usage.
Zelda wields her Zonaite blade and Bow of Light in combat, while Mineru rides a Zonai Wheel and uses powerful devices to destroy enemies. King Rauru, on the other hand, fights with a long spear and devastating Zonai abilities.
My favourite mechanic? The Sync Strikes. When your energy bar fills, standing next to an ally lets you unleash flashy combo attacks — especially fun with Mineru’s Construct and Zelda’s time powers.
I didn’t make it to the Talus boss before my session ended, but my friend KnightOfCrimson did — lucky! Each session ends after 10 minutes or when you defeat three bosses, whichever comes first.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A (Nintendo Switch 2)
Okay, confession time — I’m not a huge Pokémon gamer, but I still had fun trying out Pokémon Legends: Z-A! It was running on the Nintendo Switch 2, and while it’ll be a dual release, it runs noticeably smoother on the new hardware.
The gameplay feels similar to Pokémon Legends: Arceus, with real-time exploration and open battles. I only had access to the Battle Zone, where attacking first gives you an edge — unless a trainer spots you! I even managed to evolve my Totodile during the demo and use items to heal my team.
That said… why are these battles so easy? Even I was winning without much effort! 😅
Other Games on Display
I also got to try other upcoming and recently released games, including Silksong, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Mario Kart World, and Mario Party Jamboree (Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV).
Final Thoughts
This was such a fun and cozy way to kick off the holiday season. Huge thanks to Nintendo Canada for the invite — and for always making these experiences so special.
Amazing Photos taken by Arthur Mola (@arthurmola)
So tell me — which one are you most excited for?
💜 Zelda: Age of Imprisonment or Pokémon Legends: Z-A?
