Highlights

  • Pokemon Legends Z-A breaks the mold by taking players exclusively through Lumiose City, a departure from typical countryside settings.
  • The game's futuristic urban environment may introduce more Mega Evolutions, expanding upon the dynamic evolution system introduced in previous titles.
  • Pokemon Legends Z-A offers a glimpse into the future of the franchise, potentially exploring the transition between current Pokemon and unique evolutions.

In Pokemon Legends Arceus, players are transported into the past. Now, the newly announced Pokemon Legends Z-A seems to transport players into the future. Rather than exploring the wilds around a feudal village, Z-A will have players hit the streets of Lumiose City, a Paris-inspired metropolis of lights. Game Freak was perhaps tired of the countryside when it approached the drawing board for the new Pokemon Legends game because Pokemon Legends Z-A could very well be considered the futuristic counterpart to Pokemon Legends Arceus' blast from the past.

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Pokemon Legends Z-A Breaks One of The Biggest Cycles in The Franchise

Pokemon Legends Z-A's announcement may mark the end of an era for Pokemon games, breaking a cycle that started all the way back in 2004.

Pokemon Legends Z-A Takes Place Entirely In Lumiose City

Recent tweets from Nintendo have confirmed that Pokemon Legends Z-A will take place entirely within Lumiose City. The circular city map is a significant upgrade from the streets players ran down in Pokemon XandY, but this announcement was still met with some controversy.

The countryside, namely patches of tall grass, has been essential to the design of all previous Pokemon titles. Pokemon Legends Arceus took this a step further by limiting "urban" areas to a single village, rather than the system of towns and cities typically scattered across a region.

If players think of the upcoming Pokemon Legends Z-A as the futuristic sibling of Arceus, then the pivot to an entirely urban environment makes sense. While certain types of Pokemon thrive in forests and plains, there are plenty of Pokemon that are city-dwellers. Urban Pokemon like Trubbish are obviously suited to the alleyways of a city, for example, while Furfrou, a poodle-like Pokemon, was introduced in Generation 6 and makes sense more as a resident of Lumiose City rather than wandering in the wilds.

The Future of Pokemon is Mega Evolution According to Z-A

While Pokemon Legends Arceus took players into the past, Pokemon Legends Z-A might take players into the future, or at least a version of the present. Though it is confirmed that the game will take place in Lumiose City, the trailer does not say when the game will take place, and its setting may be the only way to determine that. Notably, the new title pulls from the Generation that introduced many firsts for Pokemon: Pokemon-Amie, the Fairy type, riding on the backs of Pokemon like Gogoat, and, of course, Pokemon's Mega Evolutions.

Mega Evolutions were a big step forward for Pokemon at the time and involved old favorites getting deserved upgrades. More Pokemon might receive the Mega Evolution treatment, considering that Mega Evolutions are indeed returning in Pokemon Legends Z-A.

The "science" behind Mega Evolutions is scant, so perhaps the phenomenon will be further examined in the new game, especially if the game is set in the not-so-far-off future.

Pokemon Scarletand Violet also explore the future and the past through the inclusion of paradox Pokemon. It is possible that these Pokemon, or new ones, could be included in Pokemon Legends Z-A. Or, if the game really does take place in the future, players could witness the transition between the Pokemon of this era (Volcarona, for example) and the cyberpunk Iron Moth of the far-flung future. Pokemon Legends Z-A presents itself as a perfect platform to explore what's next in the Pokemon timeline; players have already conquered the past, and Z-A presents a great opportunity to glimpse the future, if true.