It wouldnt be an exaggeration to callPokemon Legends: Arceus one of the bestPokemongames in recent memory if not even among the series finest outings ever, period so its no surprise thatPokemon Legends: Z-A has been turning heads the way it has been, even though details on it have been scarce since its announcement. Of course, recently, that changed with The Pokemon Company, Nintendo, and Game Freak providing a new look at the upcoming action RPG, and in the process showcasing its first gameplay footage. Plenty has emerged on Pokemon Legends: Z-Aas a result, so here, were going to go over the ten most crucial newly revealed details that you should know about the game.SETTINGUpon its announcement last year, it was confirmed thatPokemon Legends: Z-Awould be set entirely in the Paris-inspired LumioseCity in the Kalos region, and more details have now emerged on that front. For starters, yes, the game is setentirelywithin the city, which means we wont be exploring the entirety of Kalos again- just Lumiose itself, which is going to have to be larger and more fleshed out than anyPokemoncity has been in a game to date. Crucially, unlikePokemon Legends: Arceus, which was set in past Sinnoh,Z-Awill take place in the present day. Clearly, Game Freak isnt just following a formula laid down byArceus.STORYPokemon Legends: Z-Awill see Lumiose City in the midst of whats been dubbed an urban redevelopment plan, the goal of which is to make the city a space where people and Pokemon can co-exist and thrive together in total harmony. As the game begins, players will find themselves in Lumiose City during their travels, though how you become part of this redevelopment plan remains to be seen. Your base of operations throughout your journey in the thriving city will be Hotel Z, run by someone Pokemon X and Yfans will find familiar. Meanwhile, the mysterious legendary Pokemon Zygardewill also be involved, though exactly in what capacity is- well, appropriately enough, its a mystery.CHARACTERSSeveral characters who will play a central role inPokemon Legends: Z-Asstory have also been revealed. Depending on whether you choose to play as a male or female trainer, youll meet either Taunie or Urbain, who are Pokemon Trainers who work at Hotel Z to help support the hotels owner. The owner, incidentally, is AZ, who was a key character in Pokemon X and Y. For those unfamiliar, he is more than 3,000 years old, the former king of the Kalos region, and was a key figure in an ancient war that was once fought in this part of thePokemonworld. AZs Pokemon partner, Floette, will also appear. Meanwhile, theres also Jett, whos the CEO of Quasartico, the corporation driving the Lumiose City urban redevelopment plan, Vinnie, who is Jetts secretary.STARTERSWho are the starters? is the one question that everyone invariably asks any time a newPokemongame is unveiled, and sure enough, the trio of pocket monsters who will serve asPokemon Legends: Z-Ahave also now been revealed. Like its predecessor, it will bring mix and match starter Pokemon from previous regions, and like its predecessor, none of the three are from the region that its set in. Two of Johtos starters are coming back in the form of Totodile and Chicorita (sorry, Cyndaquil, but this is what you get for Typhlosions many crimes), while the Unovaregions Tepig is also returning.WILD ZONESWithPokemon Legends: Z-Abeing set entirely in Lumiose City, theres going to be a lit of urban environments, which is obviously going to be a big change fromArceus but what does that mean about wild Pokemon battles? Scattered throughout the city, players will find a number of Wild Zones, which are chunks of Lumiose that have been cordoned off and designated exclusive habitats for wild Pokemon. This is where well encounter, battle, and catch wild Pokemon, though exactly how many of these Zones there are in Lumiose City hasnt been confirmed.CITY EXPLORATIONOf course, as mentioned, youcanexpect plenty of city exploration- more so than in any otherPokemongame, in fact. Set entirely within the boundaries of the Kalos regions biggest city,Pokemon Legends: Z-Awill feature plenty of dense, urban environments for players to traverse. The newest footage for the game shows glimpses of some interesting traversal mechanics from riding elevators to rooftops that seem fully explorable to double jumping across chasms between structures though whether any ofArceusopen world traversal mechanics will come back remains to be seen.COMBATThis is the one biggest piece of info aboutPokemon Legends: Z-A,and its easy to see why. Its hugely significant. For the first time in series history, battles in the game will not be turn-based. Real-time battles will now see both Pokemon and Trainers moving around freely, while attacks will also now be dodgeable. Different attacks will have different attributes like range and area of effect, and how and when you choose to unleash your attacks will be crucial to the flow of fights. Based on the footage shown (including the on-screen UI), each of your active Pokemons four moves will be assigned to a face button each, with each attack running on a cooldown.MEGA EVOLUTIONSFrom Z-Moves to Dynamax to Terastrallization,Pokemonhas tried to replicate the success of Mega Evolutions with new gimmicks every generation, but none have come close to matching that first effort. The fan favourite gameplay feature was confirmed to be be coming back inPokemon Legends: Z-A when it was announced last year, and its newest showing offered new looks at what itll look like. Using Key Stones and Mega Stones in combination, certain (but not all) Pokemon will temporarily mega evolve into super powerful versions of themselves, which will not only afford them new and explosive moves, but might might even grant them completely new types.CONFIRMED MEGASIn the footage thats been revealed forPokemon Legends: Z-Aso far, several Mega Evolutions have been confirmed already. Officially confirmed to be in the game are Mega Evolutions for Gyarados, Kangaskhan, Absol, Gardevoir, Sableye, Altaria, Ampharos, Lucario, and both Mega Evolutions for Charizard. Presumably, we can probably also expect Mega Evolutions for Feraligatr, Meganium, and Emboar for the first time ever, seeing as theyre the the evolutions for our starters this time- though that hasnt yet been officially confirmed.LAUNCHSo when exactly can we get our hands on the game? Well, we dont know theexactrelease date still, though The Pokemon Company and Nintendo have, at the very least, narrowed down its release window.Pokemon Legends: Z-Ais officially due out in late 2025, with its Japanese trailers mentioning a Fall launch- which means were probably looking at a November release, which is a Fall month in the latter stages of the year. The game will be available on Nintendo Switch, though theres no word yet on whether Nintendo intends to release it as a cross-gen title for the Nintendo Switch 2 as well. If nothing else, Switch 2 owners will be able to play the game via backward compatibility, so theres that.