Summary
Pokemon Legends Z-Alooks to take much of its DNA fromLegends: Arceus, but it can’t be a carbon copy. Due to various thematic changes inLegends Z-A, the Pokemon battles might feel more akin to the traditional titles.
Pokemon Legends: Arceusintroduced fans to a whole new way to experience thePokemonworld. Because of its setting in the past in a region just getting started in urban development, Pokemon were still largely wild, and scarce within city limits. This led to relatively few battles with other trainers, instead pitting the player against overpowered wild Pokemon. ButLegends Z-Aseems to be taking place in the futureand will be set entirely within the confines of Lumiose City. These facts combine to suggest thatPokemonLegends Z-Amight include more trainer battles than its predecessor, leading it to feel more similar to the series’ regular battle system.
The Future of Battles will Likely Mirror the Present
InPokemon Legends: Arceus, the battle system of the game received a bit of an overhaul. Unlike otherPokemongames,Legends: Arceuscreated a new way for players to battle. The same types of moves and turn-based system that players were used to made a comeback, but the game handled turn order differently and introduced new move styles that the player could implement once per battle. Using the strong style would boost the power of a Pokemon’s attack at the cost of its next turn, while the agile style allowed the Pokemon to have more priority to potentially attack twice in one turn at a slightly less powerful level. It’s unclear if these innovations will return inLegends Z-A, but it’s a safe bet that the emphasis on battling undomesticated wild Pokemon won’t.
WithLegends Z-Arumored to take place in the future, Pokemon have already become tamer by the time the game will take place. This means that the mechanic of including overpowered wild Pokemon as bosses won’t be as thematically resonant as it was inLegends: Arceus. Add to that the fact thatLegends Z-A’s single-city settingeliminates the possibility of gym leaders as bosses, and only one obvious option remains.Pokemon Legends Z-Awill likely have some class of strong trainers for players to battle as bosses, similar to, yet separate, from the normal games’ gym leaders.
A Dense City Means More Trainers
Lumiose City inPokemon X and Ywas a highly populated area and was important to theKalos region’s culture and lore, which might resurface inLegends Z-A. With the new title looking at the future of the region though, the city will have to be even more densely populated. Exploring an area as crowded as that will give the player a chance to encounter tons of unique trainers. Perhaps the city has several factions of trainers or different trainer classes for fans to battle as they navigate the streets. This would give the game the narrative reasoning it needs to justify battles without as many wild Pokemon being present in the city. However these mass amounts of trainers are implemented, it’s important that the story of the game supports them.
Pokemon Legends Z-A’s story hinges on the plans to redevelop Lumiose City. An overpopulation issue could be the perfect driving factor for the city’s expansion. Presumably, the player will take a heavy role in this effort as the protagonist, which means that they would need intimate knowledge of the city and its population. Familiarizing themselves with the city by learning about the different types of people living there and how they battle might be an effective way to push the player forward in the story. They will surely face many trials and quests on their way to confront, or befriend, the high-class boss trainers of Lumiose City.Pokemon Legends Z-Amight feel very different from its predecessor, but the common thread of visitingdifferent time periods of thePokemonworldcan bind them together in this adventure.
Pokemon Legends Z-A
The sequel to Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Pokemon Legends: Z-A takes Pokemon trainers back to the Kalos region’s Lumiose City.
