Highlights
- A true open world is crucial for Pokemon Legends: Z-A to succeed, with one singular map for players to explore freely.
- Players need more activities in the overworld aside from catching Pokemon to avoid empty, lifeless areas in the game.
- Improved boss battles with Noble Pokemon and enhanced graphics are essential for an immersive experience in Z-A.
The Pokemon community was shocked by the sudden announcement of Pokemon Legends: Z-A. This is great news because it means that this is going to be a follow-up to Pokemon Legends: Arceus and it confirms the creation of an entire subseries of games set in the past. But what can Pokemon Legends Z-A improve upon its predecessor?
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This is not going to be an easy task, seeing as PokemonLegends: Arceus is one of the best-received entries in the entire franchise. Nevertheless, it still had some glaring issues, mainly because it was the beginning of a new era of Pokemon. And now, this sequel has the potential to create an even better experience for all players.
1 A True Open World
One Single Map, Instead Of Five Separate Ones
Pokemon Legends: Arceus generated a lot of hype before release because of the prospect of being the very first open-world Pokemon game in the series. But, sadly, this was not entirely true, as the region of Hisui is divided into five different areas (plus, Jubilife Village works as the main hub) and, while they’re pretty big, they’re not really connected.
The map of Hisui was truly impressive, but it feels outdated now. Especially after Pokemon and Scarlet and Violet, where Paldea had a true open world map with little-to-no load screens. Therefore, Kalos in Pokemon Legends: Z-A needs to be designed as one singular map with areas that can be immediately accessed from any other. Game Freak could finally give longtime fans the open-world game set in the distant past that they've been asking for.
2 A Less Empty World
Give Players More Stuff To Do
The world of Pokemon Legends: Arceus was expansive, and it was really fun to explore, mostly thanks to the Ride Pokemon. But the problem is that there wasn’t much to do once players found and caught all the Pokemon in the Pokedex. As big as Hisui was, the map was also plagued with places that felt empty and lifeless.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A should give players more options for stuff to do in the overworld, aside from catching Pokemon. They could add more NPCs, more mini-games, new items to discover, secret bosses, and much more. Considering that this game will most likely feature more trainers, a selection of challenging Pokemon battles scattered throughout the world would be another solid improvement.
3 Bigger And Better Bosses
Improving On The Noble Pokemon
Pokemon Legends: Arceus introduced a refreshing new take on boss battles in which the player has to face a very strong creature, known as Noble Pokemon, with their bare hands, dodging their attacks before weakening them enough to send a Pokemon of their own. This was a great idea and a clever way to make boss battles feel more personal and interactive.
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However, many players feel like these boss fights could’ve been a tad better since the Noble Pokemon had some frustrating attacks that were unfairly difficult to avoid. Not to mention that there were very few of them throughout the adventure. But this new type of boss shouldn’t be removed in its entirety in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, as they have already laid the foundation to perfect them to create some of the best bosses in the history of Pokemon.
4 Better Graphics
Fixing Pokemon Legends: Arceus’ Most Obvious Flaw
Even though Pokemon Legends: Arceus was critically acclaimed for many good reasons, it was immediately criticized because of its lackluster graphics. While there was a lot of effort in the designs of the characters, locations, and new Pokemon, the environments themselves often looked cheap and unfinished, which was especially disappointing for a AAA game within a big franchise like this one.
Fortunately, it was confirmed that Pokemon Legends: Z-A won’t be released until 2025, meaning that the developers will hopefully have a lot of time to polish the graphics to make the game look incredible. Kalos is based in France, so it should look really beautiful in a more modern, fully 3D video game.
5 Voice Acting
Fully Voiced Cutscenes Will Make The Story Better
Pokemon fans have been asking for voice acting in the mainline entries for many years, especially after the franchise made the leap to 3D. Pokemon Legends: Arceus was no exception, as it had an engaging narrative that was filled to the brim with memorable characters. But the voiceless cutscenes felt awkward and left a lot to be desired.
It may seem like a superficial addition, but great voice acting from talented voice actors can often enhance the quality of a story, as it is the standard in most modern AAA games. Pokemon Legends: Z-A should definitely have some voice acting, even if it’s not in every single cutscene in the game. That's how it was done in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and it worked perfectly.
6 Less Frustrating Side Quests
Don’t Make Players Look For 100 Zygarde Cells
Pokemon Legends: Arceus had its fair share of side quests, something that was greatly appreciated because they extended the overall playtime of the experience. But, since a lot of them were also boring or frustrating, this is something that could be done better in Pokemon Legends: Z-A.
Predicting Pokemon Legends: Z-A's Starter Pokemon
A big question left unanswered by the Pokemon Legends: Z-A reveal is which mons will appear as starters, but there are already a few good candidates.
The most infamous example is the hunt for the 107 wisps that make up Spiritomb, which was relatively fun at first, but it got frustrating fast. And, worst of all, it was needed to unlock the true ending of the game. Considering that the Zygarde is made up of around 100 individual cells, many fans are worried that a similar side quest will be implemented in Pokemon Legends: Z-A. But the designers at Game Freak should try to find a more entertaining process to rebuild this Legendary Pokemon instead.
7 Post-Launch Content
Don’t Leave Fans Asking For More
Pokemon Legends: Arceus was released during a strange time for the franchise: right after the launch of Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, and a few months before Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Because of this, the game barely got any new content post-launch, like a brand-new DLC campaign. This led to many people feeling like Game Freak had completely forgotten about Pokemon Legends: Arceus immediately after its initial release.
This shouldn’t happen with Pokemon Legends: Z-A, especially if it’s the only Pokemon game released in 2025. The DLC for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet was just released, and it added a lot of worthwhile content to that game, proving that this practice works. If Game Freak learned from their mistakes, they could create a DLC campaign for Pokemon Legends: Z-A which would go a long way toward keeping the game alive.
