Pokémon Legends ZA: How can the next addition to the “Legends” series build on Legends Arceus?

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As a seasoned gamer with over two decades of Pokémon adventures under my belt, I can’t help but feel a sense of anticipation for the upcoming Pokémon Legends ZA. While Arceus was a groundbreaking step towards open-world Pokémon games, it left me yearning for a more immersive and dynamic experience.

It appears that Pokémon Legends ZA isn’t due out for some time yet, but this delay might actually benefit the next installment in the “Legends” series. While Pokémon Legends Arceus was a breakthrough in the Pokémon franchise by introducing open-world gameplay, there is still room for improvement when it comes to making its world feel more vibrant and lively, as one would expect from a universe teeming with powerful pocket monsters.

Rectify the static nature of NPCs:

This brings me to my first hope for Legends ZA, and that is that Game Freak decides to fix the static nature of NPCs that we saw in Legends Arceus. The non-moving nature of NPCs in Jubilife Village made the main hub of the game feel dead and almost eerie to visit at times. In previous Pokémon main-line games, NPCs were often seen wandering towns, and these towns were often far more lively than Jubilife, even in their 2D iterations.

The interesting thing about such a simple change being implemented is that the mechanics were already clearly in the game to have this occur, as wild Pokémon would wander the wild areas all the time. It still strikes me as strange that this was not implemented in the main hub-city to make it feel more alive.

Improve interaction between Pokémon and trainer:

One thing that Pokémon’s competition Palworld has gotten right that Game Freak should take note of is the fluid interaction between a trainer and their capsule creatures. In Legends Arceus, and even later in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, the interaction between Pokémon and their trainers is limited in a way one wouldn’t expect in an open-world format. In Arceus in particular, the trainer’s Pokémon isn’t even really able to walk beside them. This is rectified in Scarlet & Violet with the ability to have a Pokémon follow you around and interact with the world more fluidly.

Arceus excelled at getting Pokemon to accomplish tasks such as gathering nodes and materials to create specific items. It would be delightful if Legends ZA expanded upon this concept by making a trainer’s Pokemon integral to the crafting process, perhaps having a fire-type Pokemon heat up a furnace or cauldron to prepare certain recipes.

Furthermore, both Arceus and Scarlet & Violet games preset specific Pokémon for various travel methods without allowing players to choose their own mount. Allowing players the option to select which Pokémon they use as a mode of transport or navigate through the presented environments would bring a more personalized feel to gameplay, fostering deeper player-Pokémon interaction.

The return of features like fishing and breeding:

In Pokémon: Legends Arceus, I felt that the absence of both the traditional breeding system and old fishing method was noticeable, even though some players might not have shared this sentiment. To fill this gap, incorporating a system similar to the one seen in Scarlet & Violet could be an effective solution, making the gameplay more engaging for many players.

Previously, I’ve suggested that creating a nursery within a game like Arceus could be a fun feature to utilize its open space. However, since ZA is primarily set in an urban landscape, it seems unlikely that players would have room for such a feature. In Scarlet & Violet, the system allows players to breed their own companions, offering an additional feature compared to Arceus which only had one method for shiny hunting available to players.

Speaking about fishing in games, I truly find it a captivating aspect that’s often absent. For me, who values immersion, it offers another means for the player to engage and explore the game world. Additionally, fishing could potentially tie into crafting mechanics, allowing players to design diverse lures with unique effects to catch various types of Pokémon.

In this composition, although the suggestions might appear quite straightforward and insignificant, remember that it’s often these small details that can either breathe life into a game’s universe or leave it feeling desolate, regardless of its size. The uncomplicated nature of these thoughts is intended to imply that a game such as Arceus isn’t far from becoming a more comprehensive and satisfying adventure for fans of the Pokémon series. This implication suggests that while Game Freak seems to be moving slowly, they are actually getting closer and closer to cracking the code for this open-world approach they’re taking with Pokémon.

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2024-10-15 16:58