Highlights

  • Pokemon Legends Z-A marks a new series for the franchise, being the only new game until 2025, breaking a 28-year streak.
  • Gameplay similarities to Arceus may pose both advantages and disadvantages for players in Pokemon Legends Z-A.
  • Traversal mechanics in Lumiose City could limit player freedom, potentially breaking immersion and impacting the gameplay loop.

Pokemon Legends Z-A marks a big turning point for the franchise as a whole, considering it confirms Pokemon Legends games have become their own full-fledged series. But that's not all, as Pokemon Legends Z-A breaks a 28-year streak within the franchise, as it will possibly be the only new game to be released from now until 2025, and by not counting Gen 9 DLCs as mainline games on their own, this adds up to two consecutive years without major new titles. As for Pokemon Legends Z-A's gameplay loop, it's likely that it will have similarities to share with Pokemon Legends: Arceus', and that can be a good or a bad thing, depending on what they are.

More importantly, the game is set within Lumiose City exclusively, and this, combined with open-world elements from Pokemon Legends: Arceus and Gen 9 titles, already puts Pokemon Legends Z-A at odds with its own gameplay. A big concern is that life within Lumiose City can be enticing and all, but even with a big rendition of the iconic Gen 6 location, it will run the risk of being too small for it to be the entire setting. And if it is the whole setting, then Pokemon Legends Z-A's traversal mechanics may be at a massive disadvantage compared to Legends: Arceus'.

pokemon legends z-a starters mega evolutions likely unlikely gen 1 3 6 bad why
Related
Pokemon Legends Z-A's Gimmick Already Rules Out Multiple Starters

Pokemon Legends Z-A is coming next year, and it's already in a big conundrum regarding its potential first-partner Pokemon.

How Pokemon Legends Z-A's Traversal Mechanics Can Limit Players

Flying in Pokemon Legends Z-A May be Problematic

Pokemon Legends: Arceus' open world consisted of open-world areas, to be exact, as players couldn't truly stroll through Hisui in its entirety, but rather had to navigate to each settlement and then explore from there. This put a strain on the gameplay loop because while each area was big enough, players' freedom was partly limited, especially with a focus on unlocking different traversal methods over time rather than all at once. In Pokemon Legends Z-A, traversal mechanics are not in a great spot from the get-go.

Pokemon Legends Z-A's setting makes it so even with flying Pokemon, much like Koraidon and Miraidon from Gen 9 or Hisuian Braviary from Pokemon Legends: Arceus, players will most likely run into the typical invisible wall quite often, as only the city itself can be explored. Suppose the in-game map is the same as the one shown briefly in the trailer, with a circular shape. In that case, players are likely to be confined within an invisible circle even when using flying Pokemon to move from one location to the next, and this can be problematic for different reasons.

Pokemon Legends Z-A is Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place With Traversal

Flying and Surfing Can Reduce Immersion in Pokemon Legends Z-A

A big reason why this is a problem is that it breaks immersion in the worst way possible, essentially reminding players that they're in a video game where exploration may be free up to a certain degree. Pokemon Legends Z-A's returning Pokemon include a Talonflame floating freely through Lumiose City, and while it would be a nice thing to have in the game, it seems inevitable that players will encounter blocks on the road multiple times. There is also a potential issue with other traversal mechanics, especially anything related to water, like Basculegion in Pokemon Legends: Arceus.

Riding Water-type Pokemon is often a big event in mainline games because it unlocks a new frontier, but in a city where there will likely be bridges to cross bodies of water and mostly streets, this mechanic may not even be present in the first place. This would be a first for the series, considering Surf has long been an HM in Pokemon games, or it has been a big part of exploration in different ways, such as the bike in Gen 8 or Koraidon and Miraidon's unlockable ability in Gen 9. As such, the way Pokemon Legends Z-A handles traversal mechanics will have the potential of making or breaking the gameplay loop, and that's a big thing to consider.