Summary
Pokemon Legends: Z-Amight be the chance for the franchise to experience a much-needed renewal of some of its core mechanics. And with the return of Mega Evolutions, some fans are expecting this cool battlemechanicto stick around for a while. However,some featuresmightremaineven afterLegends: Z-Aand could be present in Gen 10 games and beyond.
This list spotlights some of the most probable mechanics thatthe Pokemon Core gamesare going to keep in their future iterations. From a conversion of the battle system to a returning feature from some of the oldest Pokemon games, these mechanics might be here to stay, changing how players train, battle, and catch Pokemon.
Mega Evolution
They Have Returned To Stay, Hopefully, For Good
The return of the Mega Evolutionmechanic is one of the most anticipated features that is finally making an illustrious comeback to the Core games withPokemon Legends: Z-A. Now, fans all around the world have been begging for this gimmick to return to the competitive meta ever since it resurfaced inPokemon Let’s Go Eevee/Pikachu,and now, they might get just what they have been asking for.
This doesn’t mean that Game Freak might be thinking of experimenting with a three-part Boost system that includes Mega Evolutions, Gygantamax, and Terastalization. On the contrary, the lore indicates that Terastalization and the Dynamax phenomenon are endemic to the Galar and Paldea regions, but Mega Evolution is a different story. Game Freak has all the reasons to re-implement Megas from here on, and it is highly probable that they will return to the Core games, and as a competitive feature as well.
New PvE Progression Systems
Gyms And Leagues Could Be A Thing Of The Past Soon
Game Freak has also been experimenting with changes that suggest their intention to deviate from the traditional Pokemon Journey/Gym-League systems and introduce a new variant that can be translated from the PvE progression to make it more akin to the competitive PvP, in a sense. Going around beating Gym Leaders is cool and all, but it is also a little bit outdated, and the Paths shown in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet make much more sense gameplay-wise for a modern audience.
The Ranking system (from Z to A) that was presented as part of the teasers ofPokemon Legends: Z-Amight be one of the best chances the devs have to seamlessly integrate PvE progression with skill training for the competitive PvP scene, with players beingchallenged by highly skilled AI(as we’ve seen in Scarlet & Violet DLC: The Indigo Disk).
New Battle System
Turn-Based Combat Is Cool, But The Newest Changes Are Cooler
PokemonVGC has been slowly but steadily moving from its traditional static turn-based system, into a mode of dynamic gameplay that has been experimentingwith tons of new features. Fans have seen the introduction of Double Combats first, then Dynamaxing, Terastalization, and a constantly renewing repertoire of rulesets and moves introduced to both the PvE and PvP metas.
But now, for the first time sinceLegends Arceus(which also introduced changes to combat), the Pokemon Core games could experience a total renewal of their combat system. The transition from Turn-Based Combat to a mobile combat based on timing, skill, and aiming could be a bold move, but a great decision nonetheless. Fans have been asking for the infamous ‘Dodge it, Pikachu!’ for ages now, and they might finally get what they’ve been asking for.
Changes To The Core Narrative & Player Experience
The Pokemon World Is Evolving With Its Players
The latest iterations of Pokemon Games (Legends:Arceus,Scarlet/Violet) have shown a slight change in the direction of the narrative that also involves how the player explores and interacts with the world. With the introduction of Paths in Gen 9 games, players finally broke free fromthe traditional ‘Pokemon Journey’and could explore at their own pace.
Free from the constraints of going from Town A to town B, the Pokemon world feels way more suitable for the explorer player, who enjoys discovering everything they can before being thrown back into the main storyline of the title. Pokemon Legends: Z-A seems to be following the same steps with the introduction of a more mature storyline, with relevant topics like urbanization, man vs. nature conflict, and the search for coexistence in a world that is changing. This might be the way to go from now on, and fans are loving it.
Capture System Overhaul
Game Freak Is Ready To Try New Things, And They Seem To Be Here To Stay
The Capture System in Pokemon games has always involved the classic throwing of a ball to capture a ‘weakened’ creature. But inLegends: Arceus, players saw a whole new level of catch’em all with the introduction of some changes to the Pokemon behavior patterns and how players are able to capture them in the wild.
Now,Pokemon Legends: Z-Adoubles the bet using this new capture mode by combining it with parts of the traditional system that involves weakening. Only this time, players might be able to discern when the Pokemon is primed for capture, thanks to the ‘stunned’ Feature that was partially showcased during the Nintendo Direct teasers. Something is being cooked there, with the introduction of Wild Zones, and different ways to find and catch Pokemon in the game. Hopefully, this is the new way to go from now on.
Day-Night Cycle Mechanics
Bring Forth A New Dynamic To Exploration And Combat
Players that joined the Pokemon fandom while playing Gen 2 games might remember how different the world felt from night to day in Johto. Well, that same feeling was kept (in one way or the other) through the following iterations, but the initial idea of the world changing in night-day cycles was somewhat lost mid-way between Gen 3 and Gen 6 games.
Now, with the introduction of Battle Zones inPokemon Legends: Z-A,the franchise is finally returning to this idea that the Pokemon world by day and night are quite different. And not only because of the species that spawn depending on the time of the day, but also how people and their Pokemon behave during the night-time. Remember the guards from Pokemon Gold/Silver? Or the midnight calls for a rematch Pokemon Battle in Route 35? Well, that’s probably a thing of the past, but the repurposing ofday-night cycles as a part of the core gameplayloop is something that definitely will stay.
