Where will Pokémon Legends: ZA take place?

The Pokémon series takes a new approach with its visits to old regions, with the Let’s Go games returning to Kanto in a style reminiscent of Pokémon Go, while Pokémon Legends: Arceus offered an open-world journey to an ancient version of the region of Sinnoh.

The next region to return will be Kalos in Pokémon Legends ZA. Players will have the opportunity to return to the region introduced in Pokémon X & Y, which was based on France, mainly the area around Paris.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus featured the rolling hills, foreboding forests, and open fields of the Hisui region, but what about Pokémon Legends ZA? Will players get the full Kalos experience, or will they be limited to one location throughout the game?

Pokémon Legends ZA takes place entirely in Lumiose Town

According to the game description on the official Pokémon Legends ZA website, players will be restricted to one location. Pokémon Legends ZA is set entirely in Lumiose Town, which was the area in Pokémon X & Y based on Paris.

Fans are probably disappointed to learn that there won’t be large outdoor areas like in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, but it will still be a huge game world. Lumiose Town was massive in Pokémon X & Y, with players often lost among its labyrinthine streets, so there’s plenty of possibility for it to be the setting for a full game.

Seeing how the Pokémon series handles a game without outdoor areas will be fascinating. The first trailer for Pokémon Legends ZA mentioned a redevelopment project that would unite Pokémon and humans, so we might see groups of wild Pokémon wandering the city streets, just waiting to be captured.

There’s also the question of how the Nintendo Switch will handle running a large city, given Pokémon Scarlet & Purple’s terribly minimalist cities. Hopefully the extended development time will help the designers create something impressive.

While restricting Pokémon Legends ZA to one location may seem disappointing, it offers the team the chance to do something brand new for the series, something fans have been asking for for a long time.