The battles in Pokémon Legends: Z-A diverge heavily from the franchise’s traditional mechanics, and will likely set the standard for gameplay in the Generation 10 games going forward. Legends: Z-A poses an interesting combination of innovative and returning features, with the most notable of the latter undoubtedly being Mega Evolution. However, as interesting as the game will be on its own , it is also worth ing the effect it will inevitably have on the games that come after it.

Every Pokémon game has built upon those that come before it, with many elements evolving from earlier concepts and carrying forward into later titles. Legends Z-A itself is already proving itself to be full of potential in this regard. For example, the way that Legends: Z-A treats battles is arguably the biggest change that the franchise has seen to the formula yet, and this will presumably be echoed in future titles.

Legends: Z-A Will Have Real-Time Action Combat

The Combat System Is A New Direction For The Franchise

Until now, battles in Pokémon games have always followed a turn-based formula, with strategies hinging around factors such as Stats and the priority of different moves. Now, however, Legends: Z-A is making a dramatic shift to a far more freeform type of combat. Battles in the new game will now revolve around charging times for moves, their areas of effect, and other such considerations. As a result, the timing of the player themselves in issuing their commands and performing other actions will now be of vital importance.

Pokémon appear to position themselves in relation to their trainer, making the protagonist much more directly involved in battles as they must move around the battlefield personally.

Real-time action is a first for the series, although Legends: Arceus did arguably lay the groundwork for it in some respects. Although Pokémon battles remained turn-based for the most part, the fact that the protagonist can move around as their Pokémon battle is easy to see as a precursor to Legends: Z-A’s own take on battling. Moreover, the way that the protagonist in Legends: Arceus can be attacked directly by wild Pokémon, with attacks traveling through the overworld, also feeds directly into what can now be seen taking place in Lumiose City.

Of course, the effects of specific moves may be dramatically impacted by this. For example, moves like Fly and Dig, which generally render their s invulnerable for a short time, will now presumably have specific durations linked to this period. This means that attacking a Pokémon with these moves will not necessarily risk a turn being lost, but instead rely on careful maneuvering and timing to dodge an attack and respond in kind. On the other hand, Mega Evolution in Legends: Z-A is unlikely to differ wildly from previous depictions, although there may likewise be limiting factors on its usage.

Legends: Arceus Gameplay Teased Changes For Scarlet & Violet

A Variety Of Interesting Gameplay Features Debuted In the First Legends Game

As different as the Pokémon Legends games are from other titles in the franchise, Legends: Arceus has already proven that they can still have a strong effect on subsequent games. For example, beginning with the first Legends title, Pokémon no longer forget Moves in exchange for newer ones; instead, any moves they learn can now be switched out at any time from their known roster for use in battle. This change made adjusting movesets far easier than in earlier titles, and then proved to be equally convenient when it was included in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

Of course, the Gen 9 paired titles do not use every Legends: Arceus feature, but it is still clear that Pokémon Scarlet and Violet learned valuable lessons from their predecessor. The various quality of life improvements made in Legends: Arceus made gameplay smoother in several respects, and Scarlet and Violet did well to incorporate these as well. Other than the changes to moves, other such changes include the ability to send out a Pokémon at any time, which clearly led to the Let’s Go! mechanic in Scarlet and Violet.

Although Legends: Arceus differs strongly from the traditional Pokémon formula, it is still counted as a part of the core series, with many of its gameplay changes then feeding back into the next paired titles. As such, it is far from unreasonable to assume that many of the changes that Legends: Z-A will make will likely be carried forward into the paired Gen 10 games. Of course, some adjustments may be made to these features in Gen 10, especially in response to player , but the central ideas will undoubtedly remain recognizable.

Z-A Combat Will Likely Make Its Way Into Gen 10 Games

The New Battle System Would Have A Major Impact On The Franchise

With all this in mind, it seems extremely likely that Legends: Z-A’s battle system will be used in Generation 10 instead of traditional turn-based gameplay. Naturally, this would be a major turning point for the franchise, but if Legends: Z-A proves the feature’s viability, there would be little reason to immediately set it aside. Of course, there may still be changes made to the mechanic over time, but the main concept of real-time action would ultimately remain the same as a feature for Pokémon’s Gen 10 games.

It is worth noting that not every player will necessarily be happy with this change, especially if it becomes a standard part of the franchise moving forward. Turn-based and real-time action each require very different tactics, so the effect on competitive gameplay in particular would be immense. Furthermore, some people may dislike the Pokémon games losing a key part of their core gameplay like this, as it could arguably alter the identity of the Pokémon games as a whole.

The gameplay of Legends: Arceus served as a direct precursor to Pokémon Scarlet and Violet in many ways, and the next addition to the franchise will presumably be much the same. Pokémon Legends: Z-A has been revealed to have an incredibly unique gameplay for battles, and there is a strong possibility that it too will provide the template for other games in the franchise. As a result, its battle mechanic could mark the beginning of a new era for the franchise as a whole.