Pokémon Legends Z-A Makes Me Hyped But Also Worried

Pokémon Legends Z-A Makes Me Hyped But Also Worried

After a yearly drought of no news, the Pokemon company finally unveiled footage of their upcoming title, Pokemon Legends Z-A, a successor to Pokemon Legends Arceus (2022). This game will be set in the future of Kalos, where the Paris-inspired Lumiose City is undergoing a massive urban redevelopment plan to make the city suitable for both people and Pokémon to live in harmony. You get to choose either Chikorita, Tepig, or Totodile as your first partner Pokémon, all of which are starters from previous games. The battle mechanics have been altered to where Pokémon can move around while firing off attacks. Putting speculation aside, this looks exciting. The graphics look slightly better than Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, even if we had to sacrifice textures to get there, and the fact they skipped the tradition of releasing a mainline Pokemon game every year (which they have not done since 2015) has got me feeling hopeful for the future of this multi-billion dollar franchise. Pokémon games in recent memory were fun, yes, but I could tell Game Freak was forced to develop these games in crunch time with all the technical errors present after each release. This change of pace benefits not only players expecting higher quality but also the development team. Yet, after the Pokémon Presents was over, I was still left worried. To explain, it is appropriate to talk about the game Legends Z-A is based on, Pokemon X and Y (2013). 

When Pokémon X and Y were revealed, it shocked the whole world. Not only was it the first time a Pokémon game would be released worldwide on the same day, but it was also the first time we saw the little 2D sprites become 3D models. A change that would be both game-changing and controversial, but nevertheless, it was a whole new direction for the series. However, when the games were released, it was clear that bringing these pocket monsters to life took huge priority over everything else. I still have a soft spot for Pokémon X and Y, as they came out during elementary school and were the first games that got me into competitive Pokémon. Looking back, however, they felt lacking compared to earlier titles. If Pokémon games are considered easy, then Pokémon X and Y are on Leapfrog difficulty. The fights consist of lackluster Pokémon, and the player has access to not one, but two free Mega Pokémon that can outright sweep through the whole game. Outside of a few key moments (AZ’s backstory and reunion with his Floette), the story felt underwhelming with all the promising themes it had to offer, especially with the main villain, Lysandre. His goal is to eradicate most of life to create a “beautiful world,” which is just copying Cyrus’ homework from Diamond and Pearl. Unlike Cyrus, he and the rest of Team Flare are too cartoonish to be taken seriously. 

Post-game content was also severely lacking, only having a tiny safari zone and a watered-down version of the Battle Frontier. Despite having the largest regional Pokedex of any region at this point, it also has the shortest roster of new faces. Granted, some of the ones introduced are bangers like Greninja, Talonflame, Noivern, Hawlucha, Sylveon, and Pangoro. This game had four rivals, yet none of them were memorable or interesting. By far, the most disappointing element was the world-building. Kalos is such an interesting and beautiful region that it is a shame to see it all go to waste. For instance, it has a power plant that is completely blocked off for some reason, with tons of empty space. The titular third legendary, Zygarde, would not even get anything until a generation later, where it got new forms and more lore. It is a testament to how rushed the generation six games were, which would continue to be a complaint with many mainline titles moving forward. 

So, when I found out Legends Z-A would only be set in Lumiose City, my disappointment sensors started kicking in. Not only are we gonna revisit a fresh new take of Kalos, but we are not gonna be able to explore the region at all. Game Freak must have a prejudice towards power plants or something. The appeal of open-world games is the thrill of discovery and the feeling of the world being infinite, even if the graphics are akin to a Wii game. Hell, I have played Pokémon Violet multiple times because I love doing Nuzlocke challenges, and I still discover something with every playthrough. I do not think Lumiose City is a large enough location to have a whole game around exploring it. This is the same city we visited over 10 years ago, but with wild Pokémon tacked in and a couple of changes to fit with the future aesthetic. Compare this to Legends: Arceus. The game takes familiar locations from Pokémon Diamond and Pearl but creates something nostalgic yet new out of them. Take The Heartwood, for example. This is where the player is destined to face off against the Noble Kleavor. It is a simple-looking forest with a flowing river accompanying it, but then you hear the familiar instrumentals from Eterna Forest, an area of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. It suddenly hits you. This forest you stepped foot in is the same forest you walked through as a child, but now you are exploring what it used to look like in the past. You start to wonder about the history of this place and how it became the Eterna Forest we know today.

Am I jumping to conclusions from a two-minute showcase? Perhaps. I could be wrong, and there may be a more interesting story within. What if the reason there is a plan to unite Pokémon and people into one city is because Kalos’ ecosystem is in shambles? Maybe we team up with Zygarde to restore nature or something. I hope I am wrong, and even if I am right, this sudden revelation has not killed my interest in trying out Pokémon Legends Z-A. The previous entry, Legends Arceus, single-handedly restored the Pokémon fanboy inside of me, as the gameplay was fresh, fun, memorable, and challenging. I like that the Legends series of games gives Game Freak an excuse to experiment with different mechanics that would be too risky to pull off in the mainline titles. Hopefully, Legends Z-A will deliver an exciting and challenging new adventure in the Kalos region when it releases later this year.