Pokemon Legends Games Should Take a Page Out of A Recent Atlus Game’s Book

Atlus’s newest game features a combat system that Game Freak may want to consider for future Pokemon Legends titles. Pokemon Legends: Arceus has already given players a fascinating look at the distant past of the Sinnoh region, complete with a brand-new gameplay style, and the upcoming Pokemon Legends: Z-A looks to offer another unique experience. However, there is still room for the series to explore even more dramatic new ideas, and Atlus could have offered a new direction to look towards with its latest release. The question is whether it’s one that Pokemon could follow up on.

Players are currently preparing for the release of Pokemon Legends: Z-A, and the future of the series is already looking bright. In addition to focusing on new time periods and stories, the Pokemon Legends games feature a few notable gameplay differences from core Pokemon games. For example, the standard battle system has been overhauled for Legends titles, with many moves having their effects changed. Additionally, Legends: Arceus allowed players to actually get attacked by certain Pokemon in the wilderness, turning wild Pokemon into an active threat that is unlike their role in previous titles in the series.

Pokemon Legends Z-A Box Art Missing Pokemon

Pokemon Legends: Z-A May Have Already Sidelined A Key Pokemon

Even though one Pokemon seemed certain to play a major role in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, the game’s trailers and artwork may suggest otherwise.

Pokemon Legends’ Next Step Could Involve Trainers Joining Their Pokemon in Battle

Raidou Remastered’s Hero Fights Alongside His Demons

Atlus just released Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army, an upgraded version of Devil Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army, and it is one of the company’s more distinctive titles. In Atlus’s game, the protagonist can summon demons to aid him in battle, much like Pokemon Legends‘ protagonists do with their Pokemon. These demons can use their unique skills to help the hero investigate and gather information, but the game’s combat system has a unique edge. Similar to other Shin Megami Tensei titles, Raidou Remastered‘s protagonist fights alongside his summoned demons, but he does so in real time, not in a turn-based format. The Pokemon Legends games are just one step away from a similar battle style.

A Future Pokemon Legends Title Could Have Humans and Pokemon Battling Together

It would be a major development for Pokemon Legends‘ battle mechanics to allow trainers to fight alongside their Pokemon. In Pokemon Legends: Arceus, the player’s only real offensive ability is occasionally throwing items to stun wild Pokemon, and the Pokemon are the ones that do all the actual battling. However, the idea of trainers and Pokemon battling side by side does have undeniable appeal, and it would be satisfying for the player to see themselves grow stronger alongside their Pokemon. Not to mention, there could be interesting ways to coordinate with Pokemon and pull off some impressive combo attacks.

Human Combatants Would Be a Radical Departure For Pokemon Games

There could be one potential obstacle to this idea: outside Pokemon Colosseum, trained Pokemon virtually never attack people. Likewise, the idea of a human fighting a Pokemon might be a hard sell. However, there are plenty of ways to get around this issue. For instance, there could be non-Pokemon threats that players could find themselves fighting against. By applying a little creativity, there are several scenarios where trainers and Pokemon could find themselves fighting together.

Pokemon Conquest featured human warriors clad in impressive armor, but they still fought their battles with Pokemon.

The next Pokemon Legends game could rework what trainers can do in battle. While Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s Battle Royale is putting its own twist on things, future games could still experiment further. Since humans taking part in battle in Pokemon games is relatively untouched territory, there is a lot of potential for a team of developers to do something interesting with it. The Pokemon Legends games are a perfect place for the long-running series to experiment. In the future, that could involve Pokemon and humans going into battle as equal partners.