Pokemon Z-A Legends is planned for release on October 16th 2025. This will be a new installment in the Pokemon series set in the version of the world where mega evolution exists. For those unfamiliar with the series, mega evolution is a gimmick in the games where pokemon become stronger versions of themselves through the use of a mega bracelet (worn on the trainer) and a mega stone (worn on the pokemon). In battle, this boosts the base stat total of a pokemon by 100 points (for reference most used in competitive play for attacking have about 520), rearranges their stat points, and changes the pokemon’s ability. The majority of the game is said to take place before the main continuity in Lumiose City while it is being developed for humans and pokemon to coexist, this place is made to be similar to Paris. Fans are excited for the game’s release because of the return of mega evolutions after 12 years and the introduction and use of new, strong forms in battle.
Despite all of the anticipation for the game there are a few issues. Although it will be available on both the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, it is possible that there could be performance issues for users of the original Switch. This due to the game likely being made for the Switch 2 and it having a custom NVIDIA processor which allows it to have much better graphics, frame rate, and loading times. Another issue is that there are already confirmed DLC (Downloadable Content) for the game which lock a lot of the content which was expected to come with the game itself. This includes the three mega evolutions for the starters from the original game, and potentially more than 20 others in the “Mega Dimension Expansion.” For reference, in the three games that introduced new mega pokemon there have only been 48 mega evolutions and 2 primal forms which are the equivalent of a mega for the 2 legendary pokemon that received them.
There have been a few teased mega evolutions out of the many which were confirmed. These include Dragonite, Hawlucha, Malamar, Victreebel, Greninja, Delphox, and X & Y Raichu. X & Y mega evolutions are variants of the same pokemon and reference the names of the games where mega evolution was introduced. Some are upset over Dragonite’s design not being intimidating but instead giving him white wings at the top of his head and a pearl at the end of his tail similar to his pre-evolutions. Another controversial decision was giving Raichu an X and a Y evolution. This could be seen as a bad decision because it potentially prevents another pokemon from receiving a mega evolution at all.
Other than the disdain targeted towards some of the choices made by the game designers there was an interesting campaign for a specific pokemon. Malamar is a pokemon that was introduced in 2013 when the 6th generation (X & Y) games came out, it’s not exactly a notable pokemon although it’s pre-evolution had an appearance in the show as one of the villain’s partners and has an interesting evolution method.
For a few weeks in the media there was a sudden interest shown in Malamar through different outlets of the Pokemon Company, and others in the space began to follow suit unknowingly until it was revealed that a Mega Malamar was the one behind the plot to make himself liked through hypnosis hinting at his new abilities.
Many fans are excited for the release of the game, despite potential issues with the original Switch and Deluxe Content adding to the price of the game. This new game is likely to be one of the greatest releases for the Pokemon series for some time but consider this: If you are to buy this game and/or the specs which are practically required for it you are contributing to the exploitation and restriction of gamers resulting from unreasonably increasing prices. The Switch 2 itself jumped from $200 (Original Switch) to $450, every game you buy made for the console will be $70 or more when the original switch games were already $60 plus products that must be bought separately. For reference, on September 4th a sequel game released called Hollow Knight: Silksong from an indie company called Team Cherry which only costs $20 (or a subscription to Xbox Gamepass) and just required a gaming system (Xbox, Switch, PlayStation, or Computer) up to the standards of the last decade and onward. In conclusion if you plan on buying games like these from large companies you are adding to the push for more expensive games by undeserving companies that sets an unseen minimum cost for other developers that see how much these companies are charging causing some gamers to lose access to an affordable gaming experience.
