Yesterday was the Pokémon Presents, and it wasn’t especially thrilling.

It mostly focused on updates to the mobile games, a new battling game for Switch & mobile called Pokémon Champions, and finally a new trailer for Pokémon Legends: Z-A. Check out the full presentation if you want, since I’m going to focus on Z-A.

We didn’t get a release date after all, only an updated release window of “late 2025.”

I’m a little disappointed in that, but on the other hand, having a longer development cycle might be a good thing. I can’t really complain.

So let’s focus on the new details we’ve learned about the game.

In addition to the trailer, they also released a second video that shows off more of Lumiose City and gives a closer look at how gameplay will work.

The three starters are Chikorita, Tepig, and Totodile, which is an unusual selection since Chikorita and Totodile were Gen 2 starters while Tepig was a Gen 5 starter. Since it takes place within Lumiose City, it’s not entirely clear how exploration will go, but the trailer shows things like climbing onto rooftops. In the extended look, we see that parts of the city are designated as Wild Zones, where you can find and catch Pokémon.

It also seems to be set after Pokémon X/Y after all, instead of in the past like I had theorized. AZ is running a hotel. Zygarde is also shown, although its role in the story hasn’t been revealed.

Catching mechanics look like those from Legends: Arceus, but the combat system is completely new. Instead of turn-based combat, it’s now a real-time system where you’ll need to pay attention to positioning and timing. Your Pokémon’s moves are on a cooldown, which makes the new combat system remind me more of Xenoblade than anything else (albeit with more action).

I have mixed feelings about these new details. The time setting doesn’t bother me; even though I theorized it was set in the past, being a sequel is still fine. The extended look also shows what appears to be Looker’s office, so I’d love if he has a new story here. And even though I’ve seen a lot of criticism about how the graphics look, I think it looks fine.

On the other hand, the city setting doesn’t quite look like it will capture the same sense of exploration that the zones in Arceus did, which is disappointing. I hope there’s more to it than what they’ve shown, because the Wild Zones aren’t impressing me so far. Games set within a city can be great (for example, Yakuza), so I hope they make the most of this setting to keep it interesting.

Finally, I’m a huge fan of turn-based combat. I was so happy that Arceus still had turn-based combat. I don’t have anything against Z-A’s new system, but I can’t help but feel a little disappointed in it.

We’re still a long way off from Legends: Z-A’s release, and I’m sure we’ll learn more about it in the meantime. That could help sway me in one direction or another. After all, I had mixed feelings about Legends: Arceus when it was first announced, too, and I ended up loving it!

What are your thoughts on Pokémon Legends: Z-A?

Last time, we discussed the unexpected announcement of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, and now I’d like to talk about some theories.

From the short teaser trailer, which doesn’t even show actual gameplay, there isn’t a lot we can say about the game for sure.

Nevertheless, I’d like to get some early thoughts out there based on what little we’ve seen so far.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A Will Take Place in the Past

The setting for Pokémon Legends: Z-A has been a big topic of debate. Pokémon Legends: Arceus was set in the past, in the Pokémon equivalent of the Meiji Era, which went from 1868-1912. However, initial impressions of Z-A are that this game might take place in the future. Due to the trailer’s presentation, even my first reaction while watching it was, “Is this a futuristic Pokémon game?”

But after thinking about it, I think it’s more likely that Z-A is set in the past after all. Instead of a cyber world, I think what we’re seeing in that trailer is a 3D realization of blueprints. That fits with how it shifts to a 2D overhead view of Lumiose City and then changes into the sketched design.

(Some fans have pointed to the modern clothing worn by people in the trailer as a sign that it’s not set in the past, but since it’s a stylized depiction, I think that could simply mean that it’s the creation of what Lumiose City is like now.)

Lumiose City is loosely based on Paris, and fans have pointed out Haussmann’s renovation of Paris as a potential inspiration for the Lumiose City Urban Redevelopment Plan. This took place between 1853-1870 and resulted in Paris’s modern design, much as how this would lead to Lumiose City’s modern design.

As exciting as it would be to have a game set 3,000 years in the past during the war, I don’t expect that. This time frame, which is closer to that of Legends: Arceus, seems much more likely.

There Will Be Areas Outside Lumiose City

I know, I know, Nintendo’s tweet said Z-A is set entirely within Lumiose City. However, I think it’s possible we’ll still leave the city occasionally – not to explore the full region of Kalos, but to enter areas related to Lumiose City.

For example, the Power Plant supplies power to Lumiose City, and its mysterious locked doors have frustrated fans ever since X/Y came out. There’s no way to get inside and no explanation for them. Many fans thought they would play a role in X/Y DLC or Pokémon Z, until neither of those things came to pass. Revisiting the Power Plant in its early days could finally let us see the full thing.

However, I do think most of the game will take place within the city. The way it’s split into sectors feels like it’s perfectly set up to act like the different regions in Legends: Arceus.

It Will Play Like Legends: Arceus

This one feels like a given, since it’s another Legends game, but you’d be surprised at how many people have taken the “urban redevelopment plan” to mean it’ll be a city builder and have little to no normal Pokémon mechanics.

But it’s not like Pokémon is any stranger to spin-offs. If they were going to make the gameplay drastically different, I think they would have given it a new title instead of calling it Pokémon Legends. How the gameplay mechanics will translate to a primarily city-based game, I’m not sure, but perhaps the Pokémon are scattered throughout the city and you need to collect them to catalogue them as part of this new vision of harmony between humans and Pokémon.

What would be neat would be if city-building did play a role somehow. Perhaps as you catch more Pokémon, instead of just ranking up like you did in Legends: Arceus, the city will develop and new facilities will become available. Completing the Pokémon data for a given sector could complete that sector’s development. That would be a cool way to connect the two concepts!

We’ll See A Predecessor to Team Flare

I’m not a big fan of Team Flare. I found them to be one of the least interesting Pokémon villain teams. But Legends: Arceus did interesting things with Galaxy Team being a presumed predecessor to Team Galactic, so we could see the same thing happen here. While it didn’t catch my eye at first, some fans pointed out that the teaser trailer says the urban redevelopment plan is for “beautiful coexistence,” and Team Flare was all about wanting a “beautiful” world.

Z-A… AZ…?

Nope, I’ve got nothing. I’m convinced there has to be a connection here; you wouldn’t take a game with a major character called AZ and call its spin-off Z-A for no reason. My guess is that the title has a double meaning – the Z stands for Zygarde and the A will have a separate meaning within the plot, but it’s a reference to AZ as well. What that will actually mean for the story, though, I’m not sure.

Conclusion

Anyway, these are my current thoughts on what Pokémon Legends: Z-A will be like. I could be completely wrong! We’ll find out eventually, but in the meantime, what are your theories on Pokémon Legends: Z-A?