The Pokémon franchise has had a pretty great run so far, but it is faltering. After the much-discussed failures of Scarlet and Violet, coupled with the somewhat disappointing launch of Sword and Shield, it has felt, for quite a while, that it isn’t the powerhouse franchise it once was, at least within the gaming world. Naturally, that doesn’t mean it isn’t still doing ridiculously well financially, as each new entry sells very well, but rather that fans are growing a little tired of each game feeling more or less the same, and that has to change.
Pokémon could finally end, at least metaphorically, with the release of Legends Z-A if it underperforms or underdelivers. That’s not to say that the Pokémon Company won’t continue to churn out new releases, but rather, that fans could reach their breaking point and stop supporting it as dogmatically as they have been. However, that could all change if Legends Z-A gives the series the major overhaul it has been in dire need of for quite some time, especially when it comes to its outdated combat model.
It Can’t Be Just Real-Time Combat
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is switching up its combat in a big way, and that is incredibly exciting, not just for existing fans but prospective ones too. The switch to real-time Pokémon battles feels as intuitive as it does novel, even if it is ever so slightly ripping off Xenoblade Chronicles’ approach to combat. It has the potential to be truly excellent, a dynamic evolution of the series’ relatively stagnant turn-based combat that has, for far too long, prioritized ease of play, rather than challenging players and making them think strategically in each encounter.
However, as amazing as it is that Pokémon Legends: Z-A is introducing a new form of combat to the series, it needs to go much further than simply adding time to each encounter. The simplicity and restrictions of having four moves per Pokémon persists. While that can be used to create interesting dynamics, it also reduces the potential for synergies and unique builds. Real-time combat can also get old quickly, especially if the implementation of positioning doesn’t play a big enough role in battles. Of course, it remains to be seen how all of that fits into Legends: Z-A’s combat.
However, I suspect even with a more dynamic positioning system and timely attacks playing a bigger role in combat, Legends: Z-A will feel outdated. Pokémon has had a problem with being behind the competition, including in the indie scene, for a considerable amount of time, and its leap to real-time encounters feels like it could be too little, too late. Fortunately, there is a way to do that and implement a much-needed change that could not only revolutionize Pokémon’s combat but also keep it in line with what its competitors are offering.
Pokémon Legends Z-A Should Feature Elemental Synergies
It Would Completely Revolutionize Pokémon’s Combat
One feature Legends: Z-A desperately needs is elemental synergies, and the introduction of real-time combat can make that possible. Other games, like the recent and rather great Eternal Strands, have implemented something similar, a system in which one elemental attack interacts with another, creating something entirely new. A water Pokémon could drench an enemy before the player switches to an electric type and unleashes an attack that, when combined with water, deals extra fire damage.
Those types of synergies are actually present in Xenoblade Chronicles 2, which did Legends: Z-A’s combat style all the way back in 2017. In that game, players combined the abilities of each blade they had active, allowing them to unleash even more powerful attacks. Players could utilize the real-time element of Z-A’s combat to quickly switch between Pokémon and create devastating combinations that actually leverage the series’ type system beyond simply being effective or not effective.
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I’m Afraid Pokémon Legends: Z-A Will Have A Trading Problem That’s All Too Familiar
We haven’t had official confirmation if Pokémon Legends: Z-A will include trading items, but it does take something away from players if it is.
It also enables players who don’t necessarily have the correct type to beat their opponent to still get the upper hand. In the aforementioned example, a water and an electric type could combine their attacks to deal fire damage, meaning they’d be effective against a grass type, even if they wouldn’t be individually. It’s an innovation other games have used, but one that would still elevate Pokémon’s combat far beyond its current offering. It would easily be Legends: Z-A’s standout feature, and something that would inject some much-needed strategy into each battle.
Elemental Synergies Could Help Make Pokémon’s Combat Feel New
It Would Be A Big Jump For The Franchise
Elemental synergies could also be used between friendly Pokémon as well. A fire type could defrost a Pokémon afflicted with the freeze status, or a water type could save a Pokémon from Fire Spin. There are numerous ways elemental synergies could be used to elevate not only attacks, but defensive abilities too. It would make Pokémon’s combat feel completely new and revolutionary, rather than just switching from a turn-based model to a real-time one. Currently, Legends: Z-A just looks like it’s translated the limited combat from the original games and put it into real-time.
I sincerely hope I’m wrong and that Game Freak has done more with Legends: Z-A than meets the eye. It is an exciting new chapter for the series, something that could really make a huge impact and become an inspiration for future real-time action RPGs. Nintendo has managed with its other first-party franchises to set the bar for their respective genres, so it seems a shame that the combined talents of everyone at the Pokémon Company can’t manage to do the same for Pokémon.
Pokémon is in dire need of something innovative, new, and groundbreaking, and while elemental synergies are present in other games, Pokémon Legends: Z-A has an opportunity to do something with them that no other title has ever done before.
Innovative Pokémon features will get fans to return excited, and newcomers who didn’t care about the original games to give it a try. It feels like a win-win, one that prevents those disillusioned with the recent failures of the series from giving up, while also injecting something new and fresh into it. Pokémon is in dire need of something innovative, new, and groundbreaking, and while elemental synergies are present in other games, Pokémon Legends: Z-A has an opportunity to do something with them that no other title has ever done before.
