GamesRPGPokemon Legends: Z-APokemon Legends: Z-A could show us yet another side of the RPG’s history, building on what made Arceus so specialWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesRPGPokemon Legends: Z-APokemon Legends: Z-A could show us yet another side of the RPG’s history, building on what made Arceus so specialWhen 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)
As a longtime Pokemon fan who grew up playing almost every entry,Pokemon Legends Arceuswas one of the biggest surprises of 2022. Not only did it give me the chance to see a world and region in a completely new context, but it did so in a novel way that felt like such a breath of fresh air for the long-running RPG series. Taking us back to ancient times in the Hisui region – that would later become the Sinnoh region in Diamond and Pearl – I relished the chance to explore a point in Pokemon’s timeline that was completely unknown. Tasked with surveying the lands to build up the first-ever Pokedex, the adventure explored the history of how Pokemon and humans learned to live alongside each other, and frankly, I loved every minute of it.
It’s why, withthe reveal of Pokemon Legends Z-Aduring thePokemon Day Pokemon Present showcase, I’m so excited for what’s to come. While the trailer gave us very little to go on, what it does tease already looks intriguing. If Arceus tried to show us how Pokemon and humans learned to live with each other,Pokemon Legends: Z-Apromises to let us once again see a new side to an established region. From what we’ve seen, it appears that we’re about to get to explore how a city came to be designed to foster Pokemon and people living together in harmony, and I can’t stop thinking about just what that means.
Building blocks
(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)
Palworld(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)After Palworld, a new Pokemon Legends RPG is exactly what Nintendo needed
Palworld
(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)After Palworld, a new Pokemon Legends RPG is exactly what Nintendo needed
(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)
After Palworld, a new Pokemon Legends RPG is exactly what Nintendo needed
Now, Pokemon Legends Z-A is going to let us step back into Lumiose City, which served as the centralsetting for Pokemon X and Y. I did dip my toes into Pokemon X not long after it released back in 2013 – I was studying at university at the time, and I ended up abandoning the Pokemon entry to get my essays done (very sensible of me, I know). As such, it’s one generation I’m not overly familiar with, but if anything, that just makes me even more excited to potentially rewind the clock and see how the city came to be.
In the trailer, we see the urban redevelopment plans for the city, with a blueprint-style run-through of the location as it’s being built up. Said to be set entirely within Lumiose, it seems very likely that the game will follow the story of how the area in the region was urbanized to the parisian-style city we come to know in X and Y, one that develops on the seeds that were first planted in Arceus to create an environment where people and Pokemon can live together in harmony.
(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)
But what part will we have to play? Well, if Arceus saw us surveying the lands to better understand Pokemon and improve our relationship with the critters, then we could instead be setting out to establish the various boulevards of the city as some kind of city planner who strives to foster the same harmonious lifestyle that began to take shape in the Hisui region. Just as Arcues saw us travel back in time at the beginning of the game, the very title of the next Pokemon Legends entry also suggests we’ll be rewinding back to the beginning of the region – from Z to A – to see how that part of the Kalos region became the burgeoning city we know.
With the tease of it releasing in 2025 on Nintendo Switch “systems” simultaneously, this could very well be a launch title for the much-rumoredSwitch 2. It’s always best to temper expectations, of course – especially after the ropey world Scarlet and Violet strived to bring us – but if it’scontained entirely within Lumiose city, I’m hopeful it will deliver a more polished open-zoned environment that builds on what we saw in Arceus.
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With no gameplay shown, we’ll have to wait to see what direction Pokemon Legends Z-A goes in, but the potential it has to deliver us another refreshing experience that does something new is beyond exciting. Scarlet and Violet may have left me feeling disappointed, but Arceus is undoubtedly a personal favorite, and just the mention of another game that follows suit is enough to make me feel reinvigorated about a series that holds such a special place in my heart.
Here are all the entries in thePokemon Legends: Z-A Pokedexwe’ve spotted so far.
CATEGORIESWii-uPlatformsNintendo
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
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2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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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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4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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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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Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
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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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
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”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
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”
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”
5
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”