Pokémon Legends: Arceus was a major change for the world-renowned franchise. The 2022 Nintendo Switch title ditched the static gym challenge formula to focus on more meaningful interaction with the Pokémon world. It was a bold move that made the Pokémon title the best-selling title on the platform.
So what made it so special? And can game Freak improve on the already great change from the series’ roots? Is it even necessary? Almost a year after its announcement, we know practically nothing about the sequel in Pokémon Legends ZA. Now set for 2025, there’s room to speculate about what the Legends moniker presumably means.
In Legends: Arceus, the linear adventure where you filled a team, defeated gyms, and challenged the best trainers in the region disappeared. Instead, it kept you close to home, joining an investigation team in a long-gone era of Sinnoh, when Jubilife City was just a small village.
It returned the legendary Gotta Catch Em’ All series motto to the main game loop, added a greater degree of freedom comparable to modern open-world adventure games, and brought a new element of strategy to battles that forced some decisions. difficult.
While radically different, it retains the franchise’s core stories of exploration, friendship, and growth. You were sent to observe creatures in their natural habitat as you became entwined in ancient rivalries and mysteries, and your actions play a small role in forging the modern harmony between people and Pokémon that we see in the main series titles.
Promising to highlight the past of a region already steeped in ancient history, including the grand introduction of time, space, and the universe itself, with Legends Arceus, you came for the history and stayed for a refreshing take on history. . established formula that brought the cornerstone of the first games’ reception back into the mix.
Until now, it is difficult to imagine how Legends ZA will develop. The reveal trailer showed nothing more than the concept of upgrading the technologically impressive Lumiose City introduced in Kalos from Pokémon X and Y. The gameplay was non-existent, leaving us with more questions than it answered.
Reportedly taking place entirely within said city, it’s a big departure from the open plains of Pokémon Legends Arceus. And since we’ve never captured wild creatures in an urban environment like that, the whole hook of Pokémon Legends ZA is, once again, the stories it can tell.
Our introduction to Kalos in Pokémon X and Y brought the revelation of a heartfelt Pokémon war 3,000 years ago in which humans recruited the creatures in a bloody campaign.
As the King’s beloved Pokémon Floette became collateral damage, he created a machine to bring it back to life and then used it again to end the fight. Now a scruffy, solemn, immortal giant struggling to atone for his sins, players helped the man, known as AZ, find peace.
“Since we’ve never been known for capturing wild creatures in an urban environment, the whole hook of Pokémon Legends ZA is, once again, the stories it can tell”
There’s hope that Legends ZA will do for Kalos what Legends Arceus did for Sinnoh and Hisui, and while there’s no confirmation of AZ appearing, you have to admit the inverted name in the game‘s title hints as such.
It’s more likely that the core will be the continuation of Zygarde’s story, interrupted when the supposed third version, Pokémon Z, failed to materialize, but we hope there’s room for both.
We don’t expect to fight the ancient war. That would be crazy. But by playing a role in the region’s rejuvenation, there is genuine reason to believe that the seemingly comforted ancient king could return to share his story in full. After all, Legends Arceus was no stranger to featuring descendants of people we met in the current titles.
With Pokémon Day 2025 being the most likely time for a resurgence, could ZA be the first big system seller for the Nintendo Switch successor? Rollo on February 27, where hopefully we will find out.
