Pokemon Legends: Z-A is set to be the next mainline entry in the franchise, and with it comes changes that make it stand out from previous entries. Based on the information people can obtain about it, it will certainly provide a unique experience, given its new take on gameplay and a setting that has yet to be seen. However, it is also because of how different it is that it makes a case for Pokemon Legends: Z-A to provide something that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet lacked, which could result in the game gaining more popularity and success.
During the February 2025 Pokemon Presents, people were given a glimpse of what they could expect from Pokemon Legends: Z-A. With what was revealed, the game is bound to have what was missing in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet: landmarks and attractions that helped provide an area with its identity. In the previous mainline entry, with very few exceptions, players could barely distinguish one town from another, as they had almost nothing that would have helped do so. With Pokemon Legends: Z-A's setting centralized around a brand-new version of the sixth generation's popular Lumiose City, that problem will likely be non-existent.
Why Pokemon Legends: Z-A is the Perfect Game to Spotlight One Gen 6 Mythical
With the upcoming Pokemon Legends: Z-A bringing players back to Kalos, Game Freak should use the game to spotlight one forgotten Mythical Pokemon.
How Pokemon Legends: Z-A Makes Up for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Cities
Pokemon Legends: Z-A's iteration of Lumiose City will certainly be an interesting place to explore, as it seems to be the only area that can be traveled in the game. Still, even with the likelihood of the next mainline entry being set solely in one metropolis, it alone can provide more than the cities of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet ever did, given what it already has or plans to have:
- Lumiose City is known for its many iconic shops that helped in emphasizing its scale and beauty, which means those like the cafes, restaurants, boutiques, and more are likely to return and spread out to do the same in the upcoming game.
- It is possible that the Lumiose Museum could make a return, a grand structure that can easily be spotted because of how large it is, and used to help immerse players in the world they are in.
- The game is set to have numerous Wild Zones with different Pokemon and habitats, helping establish certain areas and giving them something that will make them memorable and easier for players to take note of.
- There will be an imposing central landmark known as the Prism Tower that will act as a constant, imposing yet beautiful guide for getting around the new Lumiose City, which will help incentivize players to go around and see everything that there is to.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A's Lumiose City likely won't be small and will definitely have a lot of things going for it, which could be Game Freak's way of making up for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet' s cities' lack of character. If executed well and meets players' expectations, people might even see the problem of the previous mainline entry as a good thing, since it likely played a part in the development of something better.
What Pokemon Legends: Z-A Can Do to Flesh Lumiose City Out Even More
While there are Lumiose City locations players want Pokemon Legends: Z-A to bring back, perhaps instead of putting in something old, new things can be added. There is a possibility of underground sections within the game, as Paris, the real-world city that the setting is themed after, is known for having them. This opens up many opportunities to include more interesting places to explore, such as railway systems beneath the earth, bars or shops that utilize the darkness, or even catacombs. Such additions can further establish the metropolis as a place to be excited about and give it more depth than the inhabited areas of the previous entry and the ones before it.
One of the expectations set for the Pokemon franchise in 2025 is for Pokemon Legends: Z-A to be released as a fantastic title, and given that it's set in Lumiose City, it has a good chance of being so. So long as more effort is put into the game's structures, landmarks, and attractions than those found, or missing from, in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, then it should not have any problems when it comes to finding success with fans.
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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
