5 ways Pokemon Legends Z-A can attract gamers who are not Pokemon fans

Pokemon Legends Z-A is the newest Pokemon game in the franchise, and is set to release later in 2025. Following one of the most ambitious titles in the franchise, Pokemon Legends Arceus, as well as the lack of public information made available about this new title, expectations are set high among fans of the franchise.

However, Game Freak's poor reception among players outside of the Nintendo fanbase due to the lack of quality in recent titles has led to many writing off this upcoming title. Here are five ways Game Freak can pull gamers in with Pokemon Legends Z-A.

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5 ways Pokemon Legends Z-A can appeal to franchise newcomers

1) Available on more platforms

Pokemon games would benefit greatly from releasing on multiple platforms (Image via The Pokemon Company)

With most Nintendo Switch owners also being Pokemon fans, the best way for Pokemon Legends: Z-A to reach more gamers is to go where the gamers are. PC marketplaces would provide users with a customizable experience with high-end graphics settings and potential mods, and putting this game on Xbox Game Pass could make it a hit among users on that platform.

This is not likely to happen, as most Nintendo properties have never been on platforms other than Nintendo consoles. Even beloved console exclusives like the Halo series and God of War have been released on the Steam marketplace to great success, and Nintendo would likely see similar profit by following the competition.

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2) Have an amazing soundtrack

A good soundtrack is the key to remaining in the minds of gamers across the globe (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Soundtracks have become a much greater part of Pokemon games recently, with many fans considering the scores to be the best part of the modern era of the franchise. Pokemon Legends Z-A had some great songs in its soundtrack, with Jubilife Village and The Heartwoods being two of the most famous areas in the game for this reason.

However, Pokemon soundtracks have become a bit predictable over the years, featuring similar melodies with slight variations for many overworld themes, and the same type of high-energy battle music. With Pokemon Legends Z-A taking place during various periods of Lumiose City's development, the potential for music styles is vast.

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3) Base Building

Pokemon Legends Arceus features minor base building mechanics, but recent titles have shown that players would respond well to base building in a creature-catching game (Image via The Pokemon Company)

The recent success of Pocketpair's Palworld has shown that a surprising amount of modern gameplay elements seen in popular video games synergizes well with creature-catching mechanics. One of the most fun mechanics to pair with creature collecting has been base building, with the creatures working to craft items or farm for food.

Pokemon Legends Arceus dipped into this facet of gameplay slightly by allowing players to assign creatures to facilities that could be unlocked through completing various side quests. With this feature showing promise in the video game market, hopefully Game Freak implements a player and creature-operated Lumiose City into Pokemon Legends: Z-A.

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4) Have better quality

Pokemon games on the Switch have always suffered from low frame rates and terrible pop-in (Image via Game Freak)

Pokemon games have not had the highest quality of late, and it is no secret among the larger gaming community. Screenshots and videos of recent titles on social media have greatly harmed the franchise's reputation with online users, with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, the most recent game, being the worst offender of all.

With Pokemon Legends Z-A having a longer development time, many fans are hopeful that it will be the best looking and performing Pokemon Switch title since the Let's GO! pair of titles. However, the Nintendo Switch's aging hardware cannot help but put words of doubt in the eyes of many. Hopefully Game Freak has some gameplay to show for 2025's Pokemon Day.

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5) Voice acting

Recent Pokemon games have surfaced a need for proper voice acting now more than ever (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, as well as Pokemon Legends Arceus, have been some of the more plot-heavy modern Pokemon games to come from the franchise. As such, one of the most frequent criticisms of these games is their lack of voice acting, relying on text boxes and poor character animations to tell their story.

Voice acting has been a common part of certain franchises on the Nintendo Switch, with Breath of the Wild having fully voice-acted cutscenes despite being a launch title for the system. The choice to add voice acting to Pokemon Legends Z-A would definitely make for a more immersive narrative, reaching gamers who enjoy story-driven titles.