Nintendo hasn’t released much information aboutPokémon Legends Z-Aoutside of its initial trailer and some vague plot details on the game’s official website. However, that hasn’t stopped people, including myself, from wildly speculating about what it may be like and what it needs in order to be good. Of course, decades of experience withPokémongames does give me some indication of what has and hasn’t worked. There is alsoZ-A’spredecessor,Pokémon Legends Arceus, which also serves as a great reference point from which to set one’s expectations and hopes for the latest entry in the Legends series.
Crucially,Z-Amust carry overPokémon Legends Arceus’best features. While this series is clearly intended as a way for Game Freak to experiment with thePokémonformula and see what could work in the mainline games without ruining their reputation as kid-friendly RPGs, it should also adhere to its own rules so as to maintain a consistent level of quality and ensure that people buying into it know what to expect, at least, for the most part. Surprises are great, butthere is at least one aspect ofPokémon Legends ArceusthatZ-Amust be sure to retain.
Pokémon Legends Arceus Was Approachable For Newcomers
You Didn’t Need To Have Played Diamond And Pearl
One of the greatest selling points ofPokémon Legends Arceus, and likely a key reason for itsrecord-breaking and enormous success, was thatyou didn’t need prior knowledge of theDiamondandPearlgames to enjoy it. That seems rather obvious, especially given that everyPokémongame, outside of direct sequels, is its own separate entity, with its own distinct region, set of Pokémon, and narrative. However, for all intents and purposes,Legends Arceusis a prequel toDiamondandPearl, with it being set within the same region and sharing the same legendaries.
While some prequels stand on their own, a lot are self-referential and overly indulgent, appealing more to fans of the original rather than newcomers. AsArceuswas the first game in theLegendsseries, it needed to strike a balance between the two, and it did so successfully. There are plenty ofancestor characters inArceus, many of whom fans will likely recognize, as well as notable landmarks that have stood the test of time, literally, such as Mount Coronet. The game’s narrative also focuses on the formation of Team Galactic, which serves asDiamondandPearl’smain antagonists.
Pokémon Legends Z-A Has Learned From Nintendo’s Best Franchise, But There’s More To Do
Pokemon Legends Z-A has borrowed the best feature from one of Nintendo’s greatest franchises, but there’s still more it should take.
However, despite these references,Arceusmanages to feel like an entirely new experience both narratively and mechanically. In regards to the former, it puts the player in the role of a character out of time with no understanding of this world or region, forcing them to learn everything from scratch. When it comes to gameplay,Legends Arceusoffered a vastly different experience to any of the mainline entries, as well as a different tone and visual style, making it blatantly obvious that, beyond its surface-level references, it was a completely unique experience distinct from the mainlinePokémongames.
Pokémon Legends Z-A Could Alienate New Players
If It Relies Too Heavily On X & Y
One would assume thatPokémon Legends Z-Awill do the same thing, bringing in newcomers who skippedX and Yon the 3Ds while entertaining those who did play them with fun references. However, there is a lotwrong withLegends Z-A, at least showcased in its initial trailer, that would indicate this may not be the case. Specifically,the aforementioned mechanical traits that madeArceussuch a stand-out and unique experience - visual style, tone, time period - are absent inZ-A, with it instead looking more or less like the latest mainlinePokémongames.
It isPokémon Legends Z-A’ssettingthat is the most concerning, with it largely looking identical toX & Y’srendition of Lumiose City, albeit with enhanced visuals and more detail.It doesn’t feel likeZ-Ahas done enough to differentiate itself in a way that makes it approachable to newcomerswho never got around to playingX & Y, with it evenfeaturing characters from those games.Pokémon Legends Z-Acertainly feels like it requires significantly more knowledge of its predecessor thanArceusdid, which could end up alienating potential newcomers.
There’s little to distinguishZ-AfromX & Youtside of its noticeable visual upgrade, which makes it a tougher sell as an independent product that doesn’t rely on foreknowledge to enjoy it. Needing to play a game from 2013 just to understand the many references inZ-Acould be a problem, especially if it does follow closely after those games' events. Naturally, I’m doubtful that its more deep-rooted connections toX & Ywill substantially hurt sales. Still, they could be to the detriment of the overall experience and furtherZ-A’sdeconstruction of what made theLegendsseries so unique.
Pokémon Legends Z-A Should Appeal To Everyone
It Shouldn’t Feel Connected To The Mainline Games
Pokémon Legends Z-A, much like its predecessor did back in 2022, should appeal to as broad an audience as possible.Arceusdrew in theBreath of the Wildcrowd with its contemplative tone, visual style, world design, more immersive gameplay mechanics, and even soundtrack. It also brought in an audience who didn’t gel with the more restrictive nature of traditionalPokémongames, thus resulting in an enormous amount of success. It is, outside of the truly absurd spin-offs, the most un-Pokémon-likePokémongame.
That is a good thing, asthe entire purpose of a spin-off series is to differentiate itself from the mainline titles.Arceusmanaged to do this in more ways than one, butZ-Aonly has itsreal-time Pokémon combatas its defining feature. That will assuredly draw in a new crowd, but I’m not convinced it is enough to widen its appeal to a broader audience likeArceusdid. Those who aren’t fond ofPokémon’smodern aesthetic,X & Yand their region, or even a semi-futuristic setting will likely stay away fromZ-A, even despite its revolutionary gameplay changes.
As much asPokémon Legends Z-Ais attempting to be something new, it is ironically more stuck in the past than Arceus ever was.
It remains to be seen what effect this has onZ-A, but I doubt it’ll be quite as successful asPokémon Legends Arceus. The novelty of the spin-off series has worn off, andZ-Aisn’t doing enough to bring it back outside of its combat. I wantZ-Ato be a success, as much as I’ve endlessly lamented its many failings, but I don’t see how it will grip me asArceusdid. After all, as much asPokémon Legends Z-Ais attempting to be something new, it is ironically more stuck in the past than Arceus ever was.
