Pokémon looks scary again in the new Z-A trailer

One of the most brilliant things about Pokémon Legends: Arceus was the way it dropped you into the wilderness to fend for yourself as wild monsters tried to kill you. It was a surprising deviation from the franchise’s typically chill vibe that complemented the game’s story about how humans once lived in constant fear of pokémon. Arceus’ mild horror elements felt like something that might not carry over to Pokémon Legends: Z-A, but the new game’s latest trailer makes it seem like Nintendo wants to keep the scares coming. Today, The Pokémon Company dropped another Legends: Z-A trailer that highlights a new(ish) pokémon and suggests some things about the game’s story. Titled “The Case of the Sweet Scent Incident,” the trailer follows as two young trainers wander into an abandoned building somewhere in Lumiose City in the middle of the night. Something is clearly off about the building between its strange scent, the weird noises coming from it, and the puddles of corrosive liquid that the trainers keep seeing as they check out the place. None of that is enough to convince the kids to turn back. But when the trainers venture upstairs, they’re shocked to see a man being attacked by what appears to be a gigantic pitcher plant that bounces around and spews the purple ooze that’s been splattered all over the walls. [Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f79j5pSboEQ&ab_channel=TheOfficialPok%C3%A9monYouTubechannel] That creature, of course, is a Victreebel that’s undergone Mega Evolution, a game mechanic that first appeared in Pokémon X and Y. According to a press release, Mega Victreebel’s new form increases the amount of sweet-smelling acid it contains so much that the liquid is prone to spilling out. That detail kind of explains why Mega Victreebel resembles a bag that has been cinched at the top — it’s literally overflowing with dangerous ooze that’s meant to lure in unsuspecting prey before it gobbles up and dissolves them. But the trailer also shows that this Mega Victreebel is just a pokémon that belongs to a construction worker who was only trying to train his partner without bothering other people. Setting aside its first-person, Resident Evil-inspired tone, what’s interesting about the trailer is the way it suggests that Pokémon Legends: Z-A might involve missions similar to “The Case of the Sweet Scent Incident” where players are tasked with investigating strange goings-on around Lumiose. We already knew that the game would once again feature wild monsters capable of attacking players as well as their pokémon. But this new trailer really hammers home how much Z-A is going to be a game about people figuring out how to live in a city that’s meant to be hospitable to humans and pokémon alike. It makes sense that that process might involve some danger given how most pokémon have destructive powers. And that danger is probably going to make Legends: Z-A feel like another wild ride when it drops in October.