Pokémon as a franchise needs no introduction. If you need an introduction anyways… Pokémon is both a video game and the species of creatures that the games follow, alongside their trainers. These creatures have their own special powers that coincide with the element they’re based off (fire, water, etc.), and their trainers can level up, or evolve, their Pokémon to learn new moves. Additionally, once these Pokémon evolve, they can transform into a new distinct species of Pokémon.
The Pokémon franchise saw huge success with “Pokémon X and Y,” which was made in 2013, and sold 16.7 million, making it the second-best seller on the Nintendo 3DS. Pokémon X and Y are also the first game installments for generation 6 of Pokémon. Pokémon X and Y are commonly referred to together, and while they are the same story, they’re two distinct games with different cartridges. Both Pokémon begin with a young trainer, the player, and their Pokémon in the region known as Kalos. Like every other Pokémon game, the player sets out on a journey to become a Pokémon Master. Most Pokémon games also feature a professor who gives a task to the player or acts as support. The professor in both X and Y is Professor Sycamore, and he sends the trainer out on a mission to investigate a newly discovered phenomenon, that being Mega Evolutions. Along the way, the player must defeat the eight Gym Leaders (another iconic aspect in most Pokémon games), and an evil organization unique to the X and Y series named Team Flare. Team Flare’s leader, Lysandre, has a devious plan to make the world beautiful by destroying the current one; with the help of Team Flare and their Pokémon, they will wipe out the entire population besides their organization, rebuilding the population amongst themselves.
Despite this plan sounding comically evil, a clear tale of good vs. evil, the motive behind it is arguably “justifiable” depending on how you view it. Team Flare saw the beautiful, luscious world they lived in being destroyed and exploited by fellow humans, and they decided killing the whole race was a painful but necessary sacrifice to save the planet. This mindset reflects the real world, giving a new depth to the in-game world, and I believe it’s one of the many reasons for X and Y’s success.
Now that we’re aware of this background, what does Pokémon Legends: Z-A have to do with this? Pokémon Legends: Z-A is Nintendo’s newest Pokémon release, and takes years after X and Y, in the same region, Kalos. The story of the sequel goes into the lore of a new weapon in X and Y, the Ultimate Weapon, and the player is suspected to possibly be related to Professor Sycamore or the protagonist trainer from X and Y. Also, Z-A dives deeper into Mega Evolutions, and the push to form a society where humans and Mega Evolutions can live in harmony. Basically, it’s the same story set 5 years later, with different characters and a different villain.
If you’re interested in purchasing Pokémon Legends: Z-A for yourself, it releases today, October 16! The game is both on the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, with the latter being $69.99, and the former being $59.99!
