Pokémon Legends Z-A isn't following up the somewhat lackluster Scarlet and Violet, nor is it an entirely new IP with no expectations surrounding it. Legends Z-A is the next entry in the beloved Legends series that features perhaps the best Pokémon game ever made, Legends Arceus. As a result, in order to curry favor with fans and not be negatively compared to its predecessor, Z-A absolutely needs to get everything right, from its gameplay innovations to its story. If it doesn't, it won't leave quite the same legacy and could spell the premature end of the Legends series.

Legends Z-A will also be illustrative of what the Switch 2 Pokémon era will look like. After all, its sweeping combat changes and new world design will likely be adopted in future entries, much like how a lot of Arceus' DNA made its way into Scarlet and Violet. However, as great as those changes are, Pokémon Legends Z-A needs to include one major feature that the series has neglected thus far in order to demonstrate that the Switch 2 era of Pokémon will not only be different but better. Otherwise, it could end up feeling like another outdated entry.

Pokémon Legends Z-A Really Needs Voice Acting

The Series Has Lacked It From The Start

Voice acting has always eluded the Pokémon video games, despite it having been a staple of gaming for two decades. Of course, the original Game Boy and DS era of Pokémon couldn't implement it due to the limitations of the hardware. Fortunately, it never had a use for it, not just because its narratives were paper-thin but also because its pixel art aesthetic and top-down perspective better facilitated the use of text boxes and sound effects. However, when we entered the 3DS and Switch eras of Pokémon, the lack of voice acting became a serious problem.

Pokémon Legends Arceus may be one of the best Pokémon games of all time, but the lack of voice acting significantly impacts the effect its narrative has on players. It also makes the entire experience feel somewhat disconcerting, with players seeing 3D character models talking to them but hearing no voices coming out of their mouths. That's why Pokémon Legends Z-A needs to rectify this problem, as it has been seriously affecting the impact of each game's narrative for quite some time, and a lack of voice acting would make it still feel like it is stuck in the past.

There's really no benefit to having no voice acting in Pokémon. It serves to lessen the immersion of each game world, the impact of each story, and the importance of each character. Everything feels completely lifeless, static, and, perhaps worse of all, video gamey. Pokémon Legends Z-A's important characters will have a lot to offer its narrative, especially as, like Arceus, several are returning from Pokémon X & Y. However, without distinct voices bringing them to life and giving meaning to the game's script, they'll be just as memorable as the masses of other random NPCs from past Pokémon titles.

No Voice Acting Is Worse Than Pokémon's Outdated Visuals

It's More Noticeable In The Moment

Of course, many could argue that Legends Z-A already looks outdated, thanks to its last-gen visuals. However, while poor-quality visuals do significantly impact the aesthetic appeal of a game, they can ultimately be forgiven. Much of Scarlet and Violet looks beautiful due to the game's vibrant color palette and cartoonish art direction. Legends Z-A is already a clear step up from Scarlet and Violet, and its enhanced Nintendo Switch 2 version will also likely improve its visual clarity. So, while it does look outdated, its visuals can largely be ignored once players grow accustomed to them.

Furthermore, Pokémon's visuals are not what will leave a lasting impression on players. The new roster of Pokémon, mechanical innovations, and characters and story will be what affects players long after they've rolled credits. Fortunately, it seems like Legends Z-A's huge gameplay changes will have a positive impact. Unfortunately, with a lack of voice acting, the same cannot be said about Z-A's story and characters. That's because, much like how a movie can afford to have subpar cinematography but must have great audio, in games, players will be far more affected by no voice acting than low-resolution textures.

Simply put, bad visuals can be written off as stylized, but there is no excuse for a lack of voice acting, especially when Pokémon is making so much money. Sword and Shield director Shigeru Ohmori did offer an explanation to Metro for the lack of voice acting before that game's release, stating that localizing lots of text in nine different languages would take time and effort, and that giving characters voices stops players from creating their "own image of who that character is as they're playing." He told Metro:

"This is a RPG with a whole lot of text that we’re then localizing and releasing in nine different languages at the same time. So, from a purely practical point of view, actually getting that organized and carrying out all the voice recording, the corrections and so on in nine different languages for release on exactly the same day is something that would be incredibly difficult. [...] If we have really flavorful text, for those characters, but no voice, the players can kind of create their own image of who that character is as they’re playing. And that’s something we really like to encourage as we’re creating games."

However, these excuses don't apply anymore. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, a game with more dialogue than Pokémon, was localized into four languages, with subtitles added for many more. More impressively, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 was localized into six languages, despite having over 2.2 million words in its script. One could argue that Warhorse Studios and Square Enix have bigger development teams than Game Freak, which then makes one wonder why The Pokémon Company doesn't invest the money it has made from its 480 million units sold, according to the official Pokémon website, into hiring more staff and voice acting.

It Doesn't Look Like Legends Z-A Will Have Voice Acting

Gameplay Footage Points To Its Absence

Additionally, with the increasing popularity of JRPGs normalizing playing in Japanese, The Pokémon Company could just keep it in Japanese if it needs to save on costs and development time while translating the written script into more languages. Regardless, it doesn't appear that Legends Z-A will have voice acting anyway, as much as the series sorely needs it. Pokémon Legends Z-A's Direct trailer showcased a lot of new footage, including the player talking to several NPCs. During each conversation, the traditional beep made whenever the player moves to the next dialogue box could be heard, but no voiced lines.

Of course, there is every possibility that Game Freak has reserved voiced lines for more important sequences, much like how Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom featured voiced lines exclusively in major cutscenes. However, it wouldn't be surprising to see Game Freak forgo voice acting once again as it has seemingly grown comfortable with its absence. What makes this all the more baffling is that The Legend of Zelda games, at least the two open-world titles, do have voice acting, something that is very much antithetical to Ohmori's idea of creating your own image of a character.

It is so frustrating that Pokémon video games continue to get away with no voice acting. There is no other AAA franchise that is handled in the same way that Pokémon is: continuously stuck in the past, using antiquated visuals, mechanics, and storytelling techniques. Its reliance on these outdated ideas reduces the experience to being solely enjoyable for those who have no understanding of what else is out there. When indie games are suring Pokémon in almost every way, one has to wonder how long new gameplay mechanics and spin-off games like Pokémon Legends Z-A can sustain this franchise.

Source: Metro, corporate.pokemon.co.jp