Pokemon Legends: Z-A Reveals Z-A Royale Tournament, New Story Details

During today’s Nintendo Direct, more details were revealed for Pokemon Legends: Z-A, the next mainline entry in the Pokemon franchise. A new trailer offered new information about Lumiose City, the main location from the game. During the day, the city is fairly laid back, with people and Pokemon casually relaxing and spending time together. However, at night Lumiose City will go through some changes, with a bigger focus on tough Pokemon battles. This is when players will be able to participate in the Z-A Royale, where battles with trainers will commence when they get spotted. However, players can actually perform sneak attacks to get an advantage.

In the Z-A Royale, players will start at the “Z” rank, and try to work their way all the way up to rank “A.” The Z-A Royale seems to be playing a big part in the narrative for Pokemon Legends: Z-A. In the trailer, it’s noted that players that rise all the way through the ranks can have a wish granted. The trainers of Lumiose City will share their dreams and wishes as players compete with them and attempt to rise to the top. The new trailer for the game can be found below.

Today’s trailer ends with a hint at some of the mysteries that will play out in Pokemon Legends: Z-A. Zygarde’s 10% form can be seen running through the streets of Lumiose City, and we also get another glimpse at AZ and his Floette. Eternal Flower Floette was a version of the Pokemon that could not be obtained in Pokemon X and Y, so there’s some speculation that could finally change in Pokemon Legends: Z-A.

In the trailer, Mega Evolutions get a bit of focus, and we can see multiple existing options, such as Mega Alakazam. Unfortunately, Nintendo did not use this opportunity to reveal any new Mega Evolution designs. The Pokemon Company has yet to officially confirm that the game will feature new Mega Evolutions, but it seems that’s just a formality at this point. This week, a massive list of new Mega Evolutions apparently leaked, including Mega Clefable, Mega Starmie, and more. There’s no way to judge its authenticity just yet, but hopefully Game Freak and The Pokemon Company will offer some firm details in the near future.

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As of this writing, Pokemon Legends: Z-A does not have a set release date, and today did not change that. Like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, we only know that the new Pokemon game will be available at some point this year. Based on past Pokemon games, the month of November seems like a pretty safe bet. That’s what we’ve for games like Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, and we can probably expect the same for Pokemon Legends: Z-A.

Do you plan on checking out Pokemon Legends: Z-A on Nintendo Switch? What did you think of today’s new trailer? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!