Summary
Gamefreak has been the lead development team for thePokemonfranchise ever since the first games in the series were released in 1996. This team has overseen everyPokemongame that has been released since, which includes all the main series games and spin-off titles. Every one of these new games has added something new to the franchise, but thePokemon Legends Arceusgame was by far the most ambitious thing the developers had worked on so far in the Pokemon world.
With the recent announcement that a sequel to this game is coming in the form ofPokemon Legends Z-A, many fans of the series are expecting this to be the most ambitious game that Gamefreak has ever put out for several reasons.
6Urban Development
A Key Detail From The Trailer
The trailer forPokemon Legends Z-Aincluded a number of moments that got fans talking. It was revealed that this game would be returning to the Kalos region, and that the Mega Evolution feature would be returning. However, there isa small detail in the trailer that many fans missed. A part of the text that talks about Lumiose City also says the words urban development plan.
Lumiose City is the heart of the Kalos region, so many players expected it to return. Though, it may not look like the city seen inPokemon X and Y. The fact that urban development is mentioned suggests that Lumiose is only just being built or is about to receive a major expansion. Therefore, Gamefreak could have this city slowly growing in the game as the player progresses through the story. This is unlike anything the series has attempted before, and a constantly evolving part of the open world adds a lot to the replayability of these games.
5One City
Building A Highly Detailed Area To Explore
With the debut of the first trailer forPokemon Legends Z-A, many fans are understandably certain that this game is goingto take place in the Kalos region.However, the only part of this map the game has shown so far is Lumiose City. This may be due to the fact that this part of Kalos is going to have a big role to play in the story, or it may mean something else entirely.
Pokemon Legends Z-Acould be the first major releasedPokemongame to take place in one city instead of an entire region. A smaller open-world map may seem like a bad thing, but shrinking the playable world may be for the best. Only including a city in development will give the players much more to interact with, and it will take less rendering time. If this is the vision of Gamefreak for this next game, then players should be able to enter every building on the map, and each interior will have to offer something new. Think of this approach as refining the quality of the series over just providing quantity.
4Timelines
Legends May Not Only Be Restricted To The Past
There are some interesting design choices used in the first trailer forPokemon Legends Z-A. The ink on parchment text boxes makes it seem like the game will take place in an ancient version of Kalos,likePokemon Legends Arceusdid with Sinnoh. However, the 3D designs of the Pokemon and Lumiose City give the region a more futuristic aesthetic.
These details may not mean anything, and the game may still take place in a previous version of Kalos as fans expect. However, this mix of design choices may indicate that Gamefreak includes two time periods in this next game. One time period could be in the ancient past, and another could take players to a version of Kalos set after the events of X and Y. Setting the first Legends game in the past was already a bold move, and so including two time settings would be unexpected and ambitious.
3New Megas
An Old Feature May Not Be What Fans Expect
On the surface, bringing back an old battle mechanic inPokemon Legends Z-Amay not seem like a very ambitious move. However, there is a lot that Gamefreak could do to make Mega Evolutions feel new again.
Many fans are expecting the previous Mega Evolutions of Pokemon to return and some new Pokemon to receive this temporary upgrade. However, a game set in a past version of Kalos may use Mega Evolution differently. This battle feature will be new, so some previous Mega forms may look different from how they did in X and Y. What’s more, the game may not allow Megas to return to their normal form, making these powerful creatures similar to the Alpha Pokemon inLegends Arceus. Either way, this would be the first instance of Gamefreak taking an old feature and refreshing it for a new audience.
2AZ And The Ultimate Weapon
Players Already Know Much Of The Story Of Kalos
Pokemon X and Yfeatures one ofthe most detailed main stories in all ofPokemon.Players start their Pokemon journey as normal, but then have to stop the evil Team Flare from using the region’s legendary Pokemon from powering the ultimate weapon, a device that has the power to reset the world. During this story, players meet a character, called AZ, who used this weapon once in the past to put a stop to a Pokemon war.
Players get to hear about these epic events duringPokemon X and Y. However, setting the new Legends game during this time period will allow the player to see these events first hand. Such a brutal and dark story is not normally within the realm of possibility for Gamefreak. However, this spin-off title may finally give the developers the chance to experiment with such a story.
1Pokemon War
Pokemon Are Dangerous In The Legends Series
As fans of the Kalos region already know, there was once a great Pokemon war that broke out in this part of the world. Specific details of this event are not known, but everyone can agree that these powerful creatures would be great weapons in this type of conflict.
So far, there is nothing to suggest thatPokemon Legends Z-Ais going to feature such an event. However, the history of the Kalos region and the fact that the previous Legends game took place in the past certainly point in this direction. Plus, the fact that wild Pokemon are slightly more aggressive toward humans in this series makes them a dangerous obstacle in some situations. Many open-world games feature story beats that change the open world permanently during specific arcs, but Gamefreak has never fully committed to this idea in the past. Perhaps the outbreak of a Pokemon war inPokemon Legends Z-A could change the way the player has to traverse Kalos for a small section of the game. In fact, having players try to avoid Pokemon entirely goes against everything the developers have done so far, and so would be a very ambitious move.
