Since the first Pokémon game was released in 1996, the franchise has followed more or less the same formula. The series has evolved a new, more modern style, more intricate storylines, and more Pokémon, growing from the original 151 to over 1,000. Throughout this multi-decade journey, the games may have changed, but the main gameplay loop has remained the same: Collect gym badges until the ultimate showdown with the region's best Pokémon trainers.

This tried-and-true formula was shaken up in 2022, when the Pokémon company released the first entry in a new spinoff series, Pokémon Legends: Arceus. For the first time in the series' history, the game did not introduce a brand-new region or a full generation of new Pokémon. With Pokémon Legends: Z - A scheduled to release in late 2025, it's become clearer than ever what, exactly, a Legends game really is.

Pokémon Legends Starters And World Are From Previous Generations

There Are New Pokémon But Most Are From Previous Generations

Unlike previous Pokémon games, the worlds of Pokémon Legends don't feature a brand-new region of the world for adventurers to explore. Instead, the games bring fans to locations they'd visited in previous titles of the mainland series. For instance, Pokémon Legends: Arceus takes place in the distant past of generation 4 from the Diamond & Pearl games, in the region of Hisui that would eventually become Sinnoh. Pokémon Legends: Z - A takes players to the future, instead, revisiting the city of Lumiose in the Kalos region of X and Y at a particularly exciting time.

Pokemon legends za player holding up his arm and pointing to a device on his wrist that shines
Related
Pokémon Legends: Z - A’s Mega Evolutions Don’t Have To Be A Gimmick This Time

Every Pokemon game has its own battle gimmick, something that makes it unique. Here's how Pokemon Legends: Z-A can shake up Kalos' old mechanic.

The three Pokémon players can choose from in Legends games are also not new Pokémon, instead dipping into previous generations. The starters in Pokémon Legends titles are a collection of starters from various previous main Pokémon titles. The Arceus starters, for instance, were Oshawatt (Gen 5), Cyndaquil (Gen 2), and Rowlet (Gen 7), while the starters for Z - A were revealed to be Chikorita (Gen 2), Tepig (Gen 5), and Totodile (Gen 2).

Finally, while there are a handful of new Pokémon introduced in each Legends game (Arceus had seven), the majority of new Pokémon are regional variations (there were 17 in Arceus). Future Legends games will presumably follow the same pattern, choosing starting Pokémon from previous games to act as starters, revisiting a past generation, and adding only a handful of new entries to the Pokédex.

Pokémon Legends Creates A Cozier Experience With Pokémon

The Two Legends Games Emphasize Humans And Pokémon Coexisting

The stories of Pokémon games are often grand and expansive, featuring conflicts against evil organizations and worldwide repercussions. Pokémon Legends games tend to have a more narrow scope, hyper-focusing on smaller sections of existing worlds to explore some more nuanced elements of the region. Z - A, for instance, will take place within the confines of a single city, according to the latest trailer, allowing the game to really focus on the smaller details.

Both Legends games explore society from the perspective of Pokémon and humans coexisting. In Arceus, players get to see a time before humans and the creatures around them learned to trust one another and live together in harmony. Z - A looks set to explore a similar theme of coexistence as the city creates a space that can accommodate both humanity and nature. Although that might just be true for the first two titles in the series, the relationship between Pokémon and people will likely be a running theme throughout the Legends titles.

The Pokémon Legends Games Are More Experimental Than Mainline Titles

The Games Try New Things With Structure, Gameplay, And Even Time

When The Pokémon Company releases a new game, fans have some very specific expectations. This makes it difficult to change anything about the games, which can cause them to stagnate and lack fresh modern takes on the series. The Pokémon Legends games are a safe way for the company to experiment with new features that it may want to use in future mainline games.

Pyroar and Pikachu in front of the pikachu for Pokemon Legends Z A
Related
Every Pokémon Confirmed For Pokémon Legends Z-A (So Far)

Pokémon Legends: Z-A will be set in the Kalos region & is sure to have many of the familiar friends from the X & Y games. Here’s all confirmed so far.

For starters, there are no gym badges to gather in Legends games, which has been an integral part of the Pokémon experience since the first games. Some other elements that the games have tried that aren't present in the main games yet, but might be someday:

  • Both games made it possible to capture Pokémon without needing to battle them.
  • Both seem to use zones instead of one fully explorable massive world map.
  • Arceus added research tasks to make catching 'em all even more fun.
  • Z - A is changing the battle system, completely eliminating turns and factoring in positioning and timing.

Both games also play a lot with time, sending players into the past or future of the different generations. This may be something that future Legends games continue to explore, showing fans the regions they've come to know and love from a whole new perspective.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Pokémon Legends: Z - A pave the way for future generations of Pokémon games, trying new things and adding unique elements that might be incorporated into future mainline games. Maybe one day we'll return to the very first region from the games that started it all, letting fans revisit the familiar and well-trodden routes of the Kanto region.