GamesJRPGPokemon Legends: Z-AAfter Palworld, a new Pokemon Legends RPG is exactly what Nintendo neededWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesJRPGPokemon Legends: Z-AAfter Palworld, a new Pokemon Legends RPG is exactly what Nintendo neededWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)
PLA-world
Pokemon Scarlet and Violettried their best to emulate some of those ideas, but Pokemon’s first true open world faltered significantly. Gen 9 might have had a strong sales performance, but performance issues, even amid dated visuals, meant that this was far from the (long-delayed) step into the modern era that many Pokemon fans had been hoping for.
(Image credit: Nintendo)
I’m not laboring under the assumption that Nintendo or Game Freak got Pokemon Legends: Z-A ready in direct response to Palworld. It’s been a matter of weeks since the survival game topped the Steam charts; with Z-A releasing in 2025, it will have been in the works for multiple years already. Even if Nintendo matches Arceus' release window with an early 2025 release, Palworld will already be more than a year old, and I’d guess it will hold much less cultural sway than it does now. But the accusations remain clear – mainline Pokemon games have become stale, and Game Freak isn’t the force of innovation that the creature collecting genre has found itself in need of.
If there’s been an exception to that rule in recent years, it’s been Pokemon Legends: Arceus, so if more games like Palworld are going to come knocking in their search for a slice of Nintendo’s pie, it’s lucky that a new Legends game will be there to answer.
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Pokemon Legends Z-A could show us yet another side of the RPG’s history, building on what made Arceus so special.
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
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Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
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Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
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4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
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5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
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Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”