Today’s Pokemon Presents has given us a lot of reasons to be excited about Pokemon Legends Z-A, but Nuzlockers and shiny hunters in particular will be happy about what appears to be a new battle change.
It seems that wild Pokemon don’t instantly faint when you drop their HP to zero. In the presentation, you can see a Chikorita knock a Flaaffy out with a Razor Leaf attack, and instead of dropping to the ground and disappearing, stars circle it’s head Looney Tunes style. The trainer then chucks a Poke Ball at it, capturing the beast.
This is potentially amazing news for both Nuzlockers playing with strict permadeath rules (which also apply to the one-per-area critters they’re attempting to capture) and shiny hunters after rare, sparkly finds, because it appears that there’s a much lower risk of knocking out a Pokemon you’re after. We’ve all been there, down to our last Poke Ball and certain a weak attack that shouldn’t KO, but then an unlucky critical hit ruins your run. That feeling is even worse when you’ve found a one-in-8,000 alternate-colored Pokemon, or a strong addition to a team that you won’t be able to get again in a Nuzlocke. That could all be a thing of the past now.
Pokemon in Legends Z-A appear in the overworld just like they do in Sword and Shield or Legends Arceus, meaning Nuzlockers will probably have to blindfold themselves again or at least close their eyes if they want to do the challenge properly and only use their first encounters from each area. Shiny hunters will have an easier time, though, as they can likely just look for the colorful critters without having to do hundreds of battles.
There’s also a new parkour system that will allow you to jump across rooftops, making traversing Lumiose city more easily than ever before. Mega Evolutions are back for the first time in seven years, and two starters from Gold and Silver are in the starting line up.
Just like Pokemon TCG Pocket made the card game more accessible, there’s an upcoming game that should bring competitive battling into the mainstream: Pokemon Champions.
