With its modern-day setting, Pokemon Legends: Z-A could potentially risk losing a key mechanic its predecessor, Pokemon Legends: Arceus, introduced as part of the series' new approach to open-world gameplay. Despite expectations that a sequel to Legends: Arceus would be set in another region's past elsewhere in the Pokemon world, Pokemon Legends: Z-A instead opted to return to Gen 6's Kalos during the present day. However, this decision could have several implications for the upcoming game, especially for any features, abilities, and other integral mechanics that became necessary thanks to Legends: Arceus' feudal backdrop.
One such feature was Legends: Arceus' crafting mechanics, which were introduced as both a way for players to stock up on Poke Balls and an explanation behind the origins of Hisui's older, handcrafted Poke Balls. Due to their design and story implications, these Poke Balls played a key role in shaping Legends: Arceus' marketing, gameplay, and Pokemon. But between Legends: Z-A single-city setting and the modern-day period, players may not need to craft their own Poke Balls, and ultimately, the game could scrap this core mechanic in favor of returning to Poke Centers and Marts, just like the other mainline games.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A Has One Hand Tied Behind Its Back Compared to Legends: Arceus
Although Lumiose City is a unique setting for Pokemon Legends: Z-A, it could hold the game back compared to Legends: Arceus in one regard.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A Might Drop Pokemon Legends: Arceus' Crafting
Though it hasn't been confirmed if players can craft balls or other items when exploring Lumiose City in Legends: Z-A, gameplay trailers have already featured the modern version of Poke Balls being used to catch and release Pokemon. While this would make sense given the game is set sometime after the events of Pokemon X and Y, especially when Kalos itself is home to the Poke Ball factory in Laverre City, it would suggest that Legends: Z-A will replace Legends: Arceus' features like crafting. Instead, it seems likely that Legends: Z-A could revert to buying in-game items just like most other present-day Pokemon games.
Despite being a key mechanic in Legends: Arceus, this was arguably only out of necessity; otherwise, players would have been forced to constantly return to Jubilife Village to replenish their Poke Balls whenever they ran out. Moreover, in the wake of other open-world games like Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, buying balls and items has proven to still be viable even with an open-world approach. But while Legends: Z-A might get by without Legends: Arceus' crafting, it does potentially highlight a growing risk of future Pokemon Legends games losing the things that distinguish them from typical Pokemon games.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus' Crafting Benefited More Than Just Its Gameplay
Besides serving as an ancestor to modern Poke Balls, Legends: Arceus simultaneously reaffirmed the origins of Poke Balls as alluded to in games like Pokemon Gold and Silver, where balls were first made from carved Apricorns. Despite leading some to speculate Gold and Silver's Johto would be the next Pokemon Legends' region, the distinctive Hisui Poke Ball accommodated the game's historical backdrop, influenced its open-world gameplay, and helped generate intrigue around the game ahead of its launch. It even contributed to Legends: Arceus' regional variants, expanding this same Poke Ball lore to introduce a dedicated Grass/Electric-type Pokemon line with Hisuian Voltorb and Electrode.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A Risks Forgetting What Makes Pokemon Legends Unique
Without its distinguishing features like the Hisuian Poke Ball, Legends: Z-A is at risk of losing sight of what made the premise of Pokemon Legends games interesting. While neither Legend: Arceus nor Legends: Z-A are considered spin-offs, their contrast to Pokemon's ever-increasing generation of games sets them apart, like being set in an older region or at a different time. Should Legends: Z-A scrap crafting and lead to future Pokemon Legends games set close to the present day, then this subseries could start to lose its best features like new Poke Balls, regional variants, and more as they become more like every other Pokemon game.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 79 /100 Critics Rec: 66%
- Released
- October 16, 2025
- ESRB
- Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence, In-Game Purchases
- Developer(s)
- Game Freak, Creatures Inc.
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo, The Pokemon Company
