Summary
- Pokemon Legends: Z-A will reportedly change up Mega Evolutions by adding an energy timer to fit the game’s real-time combat.
- The game will be set in the Kalos region, tying in with Pokemon X and Y and featuring the legendary Pokemon Zygarde.
- The potential inclusion of an energy timer for Mega Evolutions has sparked mixed reactions, with some feeling it may add strategic depth.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A will introduce Mega Evolutions into the Legends spin-off series, but there will be some changes from how the mechanic works in mainline Pokemon games. There is still a while to wait before the launch of Pokemon Legends: Z-A, but the inclusion of Mega Evolutions should do a lot to set it apart from its predecessor.
Sharing a setting with 2013 games Pokemon X and Y, Pokemon Legends: Z-A will be set in the Kalos region, which reflects the real-life area of central and northern France. The shared region is significant not only because Pokemon X and Y introduced the legendary Pokemon Zygarde, who is set to play a big role in the upcoming game’s story, but because that pair of games was also the first to include Mega Evolution, allowing players the ability to temporarily boost the power and possibly change the typing of a single Pokemon in each battle.
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Pokemon Legends: Z-A Ancestor Wish List
Ancestor characters were a delight for fans in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, and some characters should receive ancestors in Legends: Z-A.
During the Pokemon Day 2025 presentation held on February 27, Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s starters were revealed to be Chikorita, Totodile, and Tepig in a new trailer. While it solved that mystery, the trailer also showed off the Mega Evolution animations of several other Pokemon, and one source claims that changes are being put in place that will adapt the Mega Evolution mechanic to fit the more fluid Legends style of gameplay. Specifically, Twitter-based Centro LEAKS, which is a popular source of Pokemon news and rumors, has shared a post that claims Mega Evolution in Pokemon Legends: Z-A will be on an energy timer, presumably depleting as the Pokemon uses moves, which should prevent players from trying to activate it more than once per battle.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A May Change Mega Evolution Mechanics
If this information is accurate, it wouldn’t be the first time a Pokemon spin-off game has had to throw in some alterations to make Mega Evolution fit into its gameplay style. For example, Mega Evolution in Pokemon GO was introduced four years into that game’s run. Rather than sticking with the old formula, which reverted Pokemon from their Mega Evolved forms at the end of battle, Pokemon GO‘s version lasts for eight hours, letting each player keep one active on their team for longer at the cost of Mega Energy.
Reactions to the post have been mixed. Several fans would be disappointed with the inclusion of an energy timer, with some saying it would take the fun out of Mega Evolutions. Others have compared it more to the Dynamax system from Pokemon Sword and Shield, which lets players buff a single Pokemon for a few turns of combat. Still, others are more receptive to the change, saying it sounds more feasible in a real-time battle and should force players into more strategic choices.
