Highlights

  • Pokemon Legends Z-A takes players back to Lumiose City in a futuristic setting, promising a unique gaming experience.
  • Fans have high hopes for the game's environmental interactions after complaints about the lack of exploration in previous titles.
  • With a focus on NPCs and city development, Legends Z-A could offer a socially invested storyline and more immersive gameplay.

A new Pokemon Legends installment has officially been announced, leaving fans excited about the chance to delve into a futuristic-looking Lumiose City. The return to Kalos is something that not many were anticipating in the wake of Johto rumors, but Pokemon Legends Z-A has been a surprising and well-received announcement nonetheless. Set to take place entirely within the confines of the city, Legends Z-A has an unprecedented approach to its setting; with the exception of spin-off titles like Detective Pikachu, the focus on one city versus an entire region is something that could bring about some interesting design choices concerning the title's gameplay.

Though Pokemon Scarlet and Violet were lauded for their stories, one of the most prevalent critiques of the mainline Gen 9 games was about their sense of exploration. While much of this criticism stemmed from a performance perspective, there were valid complaints regarding the titles' lack of environmental interactivity. Paldea's grassy plains and ice-capped mountains were a great conduit for discovering and catching Pokemon, though the region's cities and landmarks felt a bit lacking, making the act of traversal feel empty at times. The hub city of Mesagoza felt relevant mostly for the purposes of Uva/Naranja Academy, with the same applying to the Gyms of Paldea's other notable landmarks.

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Pokemon Legends Z-A's Lumiose City Could Leave its Environmental Interactions More Involved Than Ever

Scarlet and Violet's City Criticisms

While the inherent focus on Gym challenges in Paldea's cities is something that has long since aligned with past titles, the lack of interactivity within these spaces dampened a bit of Scarlet and Violet's open-world feel. Many fans noted that this was exacerbated by the lack of traversal in indoor spaces, as even storefronts would lead to an exterior menu rather than allowing the player to see inside the buildings. Scarlet and Violet's troubles with graphical performance could have potentially had an impact on these limitations, though Legends Z-A's focus on one city versus an entire region paves the way for much more environmental depth, a feature that would go hand-in-hand with a densely populated setting.

The schematics of Lumiose City from Legends Z-A's trailer show just how concentrated the area will be, which will inevitably have an impact on the title's story. The trailer's description describes the game's core conceit as helping the city undergo an "urban redevelopment plan," which could imply that the player will have an effect in helping to shape Lumiose in its founding stages. This is interesting in and of itself considering the futuristic aesthetics of the trailer, with some speculating that this will take place in a distant future Kalos from the one players are familiar with. Whatever the case, Legends Z-A leaves room for much more environmental interaction, which could have reverberating effects on its characters as well.

Legends Z-A Could Be Highly Invested in its NPCs

While Pokemon Legends: Arceus' atmosphere did a fantastic job of portraying the conflicting ideals of its clans and the beginnings of Hisui's Survey Corps, Legends Z-A's city setting leaves even more room for character interaction. Centralizing itself to Lumiose means that the game will be packed with NPCs, with robust potential for battling, trading, and environmental depth. If the player does have a hand in "redeveloping" Lumiose itself, then the opportunity to work with NPCs in the game's story could show how different trades work to make the city what it is, with the opportunity to help bring about storefronts, contest centers, training arenas, and more.

Such a focus means that the city will almost certainly have the player moving in and outside of buildings, likely to a degree unprecedented in the series' past. This doesn't mean that the game will take place mostly indoors, however; shown in the trailer's schematics are five circular offshoots stemming from Lumiose's tower, some of which could imply a replication of rural biomes as well, similar to The Indigo Disk's portrayal. Overall, the city's density could make Legends Z-A's story more socially invested than ever before, giving the players ample room to both work with and learn from NPCs as the story develops, giving them a hand in shaping the surrounding environment.