Summary
Over a decade after their first visit, players return toPokemon XandY’s Kalos region inPokemon Legends: Z-A. The central Lumiose City is even more prominent than before, acting asPokemon Legends: Z-A’s primary, and possibly only, setting. An urban development project to ensure the city is a good habitat for humans and Pokemon appears to be underway, justifying it potentially being the only playable area while maintainingPokemon’s diverse wildlife. Details on how this works and affects gameplay are still under wraps, but it’s a unique premise that should make for a worthy sequel toPokemon Legends: Arceus.
That’s not the only thing fans hopePokemon Legends: Z-Amakes good on. Compared to the distinct spin-off feel ofPokemon Legends: Arceus’ title,Legends: Z-Ais much closer to the naming scheme ofPokemon XandY. There’s history behind this, largely concerningrumors of aPokemon Zfollow-upto the Generation 6Pokemongames, which may have been canceled and had some elements, like Zygarde’s cell hunt, rolled intoPokemon SunandMoon.Pokemon Legends: Z-Acould be thePokemon Zthat many were waiting for, and that means Zygarde and its fellow legendaries could finally benefit from one ofPokemon XandY’s standout features.
Pokemon X and Y’s Mega Evolution Deserves a Comeback
Generation 6 was whenPokemonbegan experimenting with new gimmick mechanics in its battles. Special battle variants like double and triple battles had already appeared in prior games, andPokemon XandYhad some new ones of their own, but those were nowhere near as prominent as Mega Evolutions. Serving as temporary mid-battle upgrades,Mega Evolutions demonstrated what various Pokemon could look likewith one more evolutionary step, even if they were already capped at three stages. Even with complaints of overcomplicated designs and Generation 1 favoritism, Mega Evolution remains one of the best-received parts ofPokemon XandY.
Mega Evolution Should Be Important To Pokemon Legends: Z-A
It’s not a coincidence, then, that thePokemon Legends: Z-Areveal trailer ended with a shot of the Mega Evolution logo. Much like howPokemon Legends: Arceusintroduced new regional variants,Pokemonspecies, and forms,Legends: Z-Ais expected to do the same.Legends: Z-A’s timeline placementin relation toPokemon XandYis currently up in the air, but since this take on the Kalos region seems closer to the present than the firstPokemon Legends, it’s likely that new Mega Evolutions will take precedence over new Pokemon species being injected into Lumiose City.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A Must Do Mega Evolutions Justice
This makes more sense after considering how much room Mega Evolution still has to grow. Despite the first and third Generations’ starter trios receiving Mega Evolutions,XandY’s starters never did. It took thePokemonanime pushing the overpowered Ash Greninjato give them any more forms, and Mega Diancie is still Generation 6’s only true Mega Evolution despiteXandYintroducing the mechanic.Pokemon Legends: Z-Ais the perfect place to fix this, all while giving Mega Evolution the shot at story prominence it never had.
Legends: Z-A Should Finally Give Pokemon X and Y’s Boxart Legendaries Their Mega Evolutions
Enter Xerneas, Yveltal, and Zygarde. As the mascot legendaries forPokemon XandY, and possiblyPokemon Legends: Z-Ain the future, they would be perfect for spearheading the wave of new Mega Evolutions. This followsPokemon Legends: Arceus’ example of introducing Origin Formes for Dialga and Palkia, andLegends: Z-Acould dive deeper into Mega Evolution’s loredue to its vague DNA and ore themes meshing with Zygarde’s unique means of evolution and ecological function. Realizing the potential of bothPokemon XandY’s mascot legendaries and Mega Evolution should be a priority inPokemon Legends: Z-A, helping it givePokemon’s sixth generation the closure fans have been waiting for.
