Pokémon Legends Z-A's first official gameplay trailer revealed a lot about the game, and it has gotten everyone naturally very excited. Considering just how long players were left guessing what Legends Z-A would entail, it is great that Nintendo finally dropped actual gameplay footage. Of course, everyone has taken to dissecting the trailer, and rightfully so, as there was rather a lot shown that's worth further investigation. This includes its setting and how it has changed since Pokémon X & Y, the reintroduction of Mega Evolutions, and the return of some important characters.

However, while there were a lot of features you missed in Z-A's trailer, one that absolutely everyone saw and has since become the biggest talking point is its implementation of real-time combat. This is something that Pokémon Legends Z-A has thankfully borrowed from another Nintendo franchise - one of its very best, in fact. However, it shouldn't be the only feature it takes from it, as it has plenty to offer Pokémon that could vastly improve its somewhat antiquated formula.

Pokémon Legends Z-A Has Borrowed Xenoblade Chronicles Combat

It Is The First Pokémon Game With Real-Time Combat

I have been saying for a while that Monolith Soft should make Pokémon, and it feels like Game Freak has finally listened, well, at least somewhat. My reasoning for increasing Monolith Soft, the developer of the Xenoblade Chronicles series, involvement in the Pokémon series is that XBC2 is, fundamentally, a Pokémon game disguised as one of the greatest JRPGs ever made. It features collectible creatures stored in little crystals called Blades that fight alongside the game's protagonist, Rex, and his companions, and vast open areas filled with creatures of varying levels waiting to be defeated.

However, unlike Pokémon, it is a real-time action game, with the Blades giving their weapons and abilities to the player. These abilities can be used on a cooldown during combat, with each Blade having its own elemental affinity that works well in conjunction with another element type. It is more or less what Game Freak has adopted for its real-time Pokémon combat, even down to the UI placement of the Pokémon's four attacks. The player's position in relation to their enemy was also an important component of XBC2's combat, just like it seemingly is in Z-A.

It is really great to see that Game Freak has borrowed from Monolith Soft's masterpiece, and is also willing to innovate on the turn-based formula that has been the foundation of Pokémon's combat since the very first game. While many still enjoy it, it is hard not to feel like Pokémon's combat has grown a little stale, with its four-move limit and lack of strategy beyond using whatever ability the game tells you will be the most effective. Real-time combat will increase the level of strategy required to approach each encounter, and that is absolutely a huge improvement.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A Would Benefit From XBC2's Blade Quests

They Would Help Make Pokémon Feel Special

However, the real-time combat of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 isn't the only feature that Pokémon Legends Z-A should borrow from the series. Another aspect of XBC2 that would greatly benefit not only Legends Z-A but also the entire Pokémon franchise, is the inclusion of Blade Quests. In Xenoblade Chronicles 2, there were standard Blades that could be collected ad nauseam, and rare Blades, that were one of a kind, and also came with their own questlines. These would often involve the player helping the Blade and learning more about its backstory and potentially even previous drivers.

Blade Quests could function largely the same way in Pokémon Legends Z-A but with specific rare Pokémon, or even basic Pokémon, rather than Blades. Giving questlines to certain Pokémon that the player can catch or unlock would build a strong bond between the player and that Pokémon, as well as give it some character beyond the biography found in its summary. This wouldn't be too dissimilar to what Pokémon has already started doing with the amazing Koraidon in Pokémon Scarlet - or Miraidon in Pokémon Violet - but just on a significantly smaller yet more frequent scale.

One of the biggest issues with Pokémon at the moment is the disconnect between players and their party. While it isn't difficult to form a connection through winning battles or using a particular Pokémon a lot, merely leveling them up no longer feels sufficiently immersive. Adding quests to Pokémon - not necessarily all of them, but maybe just unique ones - would rectify that issue, while also fleshing out the titular legends of Z-A. It would give so much personality to Z-A and its roster of Pokémon, and also the incredible setting of Lumiose City and the people living within it.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A Should Borrow XBC3's Hero Quests

They Could Be The New Form Of Gym Battles

Another feature that Pokémon Legends Z-A could borrow from the Xenoblade Chronicles series, specifically the third entry, is Hero Quests. In the phenomenal Xenoblade Chronicles 3, players encounter Heroes, whose class type can be unlocked by completing their mission. It was a novel feature that, much like Blade Quests, helped players build up a rapport with those characters, thus making their classes feel like a tangible and meaningful reward. Considering that Pokémon doesn't have companions or classes, the inclusion of Hero Quests may seem odd, but there's an obvious way of including them.

Gym leaders are often just a gate to progression, a way of ensuring the player is the right level before tackling the next area. However, they could be vastly improved if they had their own questlines, not unlike the Hero Quests in XBC3. Pokémon Legends Z-A almost certainly won't feature traditional Gym leaders, mostly because Lumiose City only has one Gym, but it will likely include a series of enemies or characters for the player to fight. Giving them a questline that makes fighting them feel more meaningful would go a long way in making progression more interesting and involved.

This, along with the aforementioned Xenoblade Chronicles 2 features, would also help improve Pokémon's long-held issue with narrative. They would add smaller yet nevertheless impactful stories that would supplement the larger narrative. Pokémon Legends Z-A offers the perfect opportunity for Game Freak to experiment more with narrative, just like it is with its gameplay and location. While it remains to be seen just how much Pokémon Legends Z-A borrows from Xenoblade Chronicles, even just the real-time battles is a huge step in the right direction.