Things That Pokemon Legends: Z-A Should Avoid Doing

Pokemon Legends: Z-A is one of the most anticipated Nintendo titles coming up at a yet-to-be-revealed date, and many fans of the franchise are anxious to know what’s going on with the development of the game. But, other gamers are concerned about some particular things that have been happening in the later iterations of the Pokemon series. Though tremendously enjoyable in general, Gen 8 and 9 games had a lot of issues that Legends: Z-A should avoid to become truly successful.

This is a list of 7 things that fans definitely do not want to see in the next Pokemon game that could cause greater rifts among the community. From repetitive and unnecessary mechanics to graphical overhauls causing a serious disturbance in their hunt for prized Pokemon, these things should be avoided to ensure a strong showing for Pokemon Legends: Z-A.

7 Repetitive Main Quest Requirements

This Made Some Parts Of Legends: Arceus Hard To Enjoy

• Pros: Easy content breakdown, clear approachable goals
• Cons: Annoying, unnecessary, tiresome

One of the most disturbing things about Legends: Arceus is its tendency to lock content behind repetitive tasks, for example: “Hunt X quantity of Pokemon.” As hardcore Pokemon fans grow more and more impatient to know all about each new iteration of the franchise, having certain repetitive main quest objectives could be a deterrent for them to fully enjoy the experience. Needless to say, it was one of the major flaws of the previous Legends game, so in Legends: Z-A, it is a mistake they cannot repeat.

On the other hand, the Three Route gimmick of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet might be just what the game needs, though the scale would need to be tweaked in order for it to fit the scope of Legends: Z-A which was already announced as a city-centric game, meaning that players will be able to explore a huge metropolis and all its surrounding areas, much like in Arceus and older games of the franchise.

6 Subscription Locked Content

A Growing Worry Of All Pokemon Fans

• Pros: Great for the company
• Cons: Bad for the players, makes them lose trust in the company

With the current status of the game industry and the proliferation of the Games as a Service (GaaS) model, Pokemon fans are worried that this might one day reach their beloved franchise. With the already notorious requirements of an online subscription to enjoy the multiplayer features of the game, Gen 9 games showcased not only the potential of an expanded social interactive experience, but also the dangers of it.

And of course, DLC’s have been the norm in the later Pokemon games, especially since Sword & Shield released its two-part expansion Crown Tundra and The Isle of Armor. If Legends: Z-A repeats the feat, then gamers will not be pleased. With so much content available in the Pokemon franchise, it is understandable that TPC feels the need to make the most of it, but there are limits that should not be crossed, lest the rope ends up breaking.

5 Lifeless Open World Experience

Exploring Paldea And Hisui Was Okay, But Some Parts Felt Lacking In Content

• Pros: Easily to fill up with generative/procedural content
• Cons: Breaks immersion, tiresome

In the early years of Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow/Green, and afterward in Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal, players grew accustomed to the idea of a semi-linear RPG world with clear guidelines. Each part of the game had something to discover: from new species spawning in certain hidden areas, to secret puzzles to unlock access to legendary and unique Pokemon, and, of course, many items to find and boost the trainer experience.

Sadly, with the passing of time, even finding hidden items has been toned down to simply pressing a button or casually walking around. Procedurally generated content is okay, as long as it doesn’t fill up the enormous empty spaces between POI A to POI B. Nevertheless, in both Legends: Arceus and Gen 9 games, this happens often. Be it chasing down hidden Gimmighoul coins, or shiny hunting, there’s a lot to do in an open-world Pokemon game, so why limit it to just hunting and treasure hunting?

Having a wider variety of in-game events could work really well. Spawn sprees are a recurrent gimmick that has come back with the later games, but they feel somewhat repetitive and unrewarding. Raids are okay, but at the end of the day, they’re just group battles with extra steps. Perhaps some new mechanic is on its way, or some past game gimmicks like the Alpha Pokemon could also make a glorious return.

4 Unworthy Rivals

One Of The Main Mistakes Of The Franchise

• Pros: Good for younger audiences
• Cons: Bad for all audiences, makes them feel like fools that cannot take a challenge

Blue, Silver, Trace, and Cheren. All those names are branded like fire in the memory of every hardcore Pokemon fan as some of the best rivals in the history of the franchise. But, in the later iterations, this great feature has been left behind for some unknown reason, and it was traded for some dull, unworthy rivals that barely fit the part of being a powerful motivator to improve. Luckily for Pokemon fans, the last Pokemon Scarlet & Violet corrected course with their DLCs, introducing Kieran and his character progression into a dark-edgy rival obsessed with beating us. That was magnificent, and fans want more of it.

If something works, then stick to it: that is the basics of game design. Sturdy and hard-to-beat rivals are definitely one of the best things classic Pokemon games have to offer. The friendship trope and Academy Life in the Paldea region was a fresh and unusual take, but it hardly presented a potential challenge for seasoned players. While it is true that the games are now catering to a new/younger audience, and difficulty levels have been toned down with the purpose of drawing the attention of that specific scope, gamers (of every age) shouldn’t be underestimated or treated like lazy people. Gamers are tough and resourceful; they might lose, fall, and get frustrated, but they always come back for more. So, again, why treat them like they’re unable to face a challenging opponent? Bring Cynthia back; bring Lance back. That’s what Legends: Z-A needs.

3 Careful With The Megas, Please

Mega Evolutions Need To Avoid Overlapping With The Rest Of The Content

• Pros: A highly requested gimmick making a comeback
• Cons: Could greatly alter the balance of the game

One of the things that fans are most excited about in Pokemon Legends: Z-A is the glorious (and highly requested) return of the Mega Evolution mechanics. But, despite all this excitement and eagerness to see Mega-Charizard and others, there’s one detail that GameFreak should keep in mind: there are many meta Pokemon that could definitely use a boost, and the balance of the game could drastically shift if they receive a new evolution.

Imagining a Mega-Dragonite, a Mega-Archaludon, or any other potential meta-Pokemon turned into an 0KO machine might be tempting, but Gamefreak needs to be careful not to ruin the competitive meta completely, since that is also one of the fundamental pillars of the franchise. This is an opportunity for forgotten Gen 2, 3, and 4 Pokemon to receive their new and improved Mega versions. But, there are lots of factors to consider when deciding which Pokemon receive the Mega treatment; among them, Regional Forms and Gen 6 as the core roster are major considerations for a game set in the Kalos region.

2 Launching The Game As A Buggy Mess

Pokemon Should Only Have One Bug Type

• Pros: None at all
• Cons: Game breaking, annoying, makes players want to quit the game

As silly as this might sound, bugs have been present in Pokemon games since the beginning — and not just the Caterpie kind, but game-breaking, attention-diverting, tiring errors that can ruin the Pokemon experience as a whole. It is not simply a matter of correcting past mistakes, but Nintendo being a huge company and getting lots of revenue from its flagship franchise should be more careful with its QA procedures.

If fans received a dollar for each time they lost a prized shiny Pokemon, swallowed into oblivion by a terrain bug, or failed to reach one on time for similar reasons, then they would surely be able to afford every Pokemon product released in their lifetimes. And though this might sound like an exaggeration, just taking a look at forums and community posts asking for help tells the tale: Pokemon Scarlet & Violet remain, to this day, plagued with errors that are unacceptable in a AAA game franchise. Not to mention certain bugs that seem to be already a natural part of the Pokemon franchise, like the silly visual bug of the Luxio-Luxray line, the infamous de-spawn bug, and the corrupted-saved data error that has come back to haunt players since Pokemon Sword and Shield hit the markets back in 2019.

1 Visual Detail That Detracts From Shiny Hunting

Graphics Are Important, But Not At The Expense Of The Hunting Experience

• Pros: Add extra flair and visuals
• Cons: Poor interaction with meshes causes Shiny Pokemon to be hard to distinguish

Imagine being an enthusiastic Pokemon collector, seeing a Mass Outbreak event popping up in their UIs, and what’s more: It’s an Eevee Mass Outbreak. You might think: well,it’s finally time to get that prized Shiny Eevee once and for all. But alas, the recent VFX implementations have advanced to include dynamic lighting — in any other game, that would be a blessing, but in the case of the poorly implemented meshes and textures of Shiny Pokemon, that represents a problem. Eevee is just an example of many shiny Pokemon that are barely distinguishable from their regular forms, and the lighting doesn’t help at all.

Those area transitions, and random light shifts (due to the rushed day-night cycle and area warps) are definitely a major cause of frustration for any Pokemon trainer hunting for a Shiny specimen. Just imagine spending hours searching for a shiny Litwick and being unable to notice the difference. Frustrating, right? Well, Legends: Z-A has the perfect opportunity to correct this mistake that has Pokemon fans fuming. Perhaps a special shiny effect that turns active with a consumable, or even using the traditional Shiny Charm to enhance the visuals of these special Pokemons could be a good way to solve this issue.