ZA's lack of new 'Mons isn't sitting well with fans

It's been a full month since Pokemon: Legends ZA was released on both the original Nintendo Switch and its successor, the Switch 2. As expected, there's been plenty of discourse since the title's launch, some of it solid food for thought and some of it, well, venomous.

The debate over whether Pokemon should have voice acting was reignited, as was the game's comically small map and lack of exploration. Of course, we'd be remiss if we didn't address the issues some have with their “flat” graphics. Still, all that hasn't stopped Legends: ZA from being the single best-selling physical game this year.

The player looks sad while drinking in a cafe in Pokemon Legends: ZA.

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Pokemon Legends: ZA comes this close to creating a world worth caring about

Lumiose City shines in the small details, but falls apart when you start focusing on the big picture.

Now fans want to know why Legends: ZA has zero new 'Mons. After all, its predecessor, Legends: Arceus, introduced some new creatures, plus regional variants. New Mega Evolutions don't seem to count. Sorry, Mega Starmie.

Even just a new Eeveelution would have been enough for these Pokemon fans

Taking to Reddit, one user shared that they were “disappointed” that there were no new Pokémon in Legends: ZA, a sentiment shared by many in the community.

“As much as I like the Megas, I feel they are included always ends up with a smaller Pokedex; it happened in X/Y and in this game (I haven't played ORAS, so I might be wrong),” one user replied. “Even though Megas are great, you can only have them for a little while, especially in this game.”

“I wish I teased the next generation about something,” wrote another.

Now, as disappointing as no new 'Mons is, there is technically a historical reason for this, although most would disagree. As several users pointed out, it's only been five years since the original X and Y took place, which isn't that long for new Pokemon to have been born, evolved, or changed.

But as other users pointed out, it's also a video game, which means the lore can be changed on the fly to make things make sense. “An easy excuse is to say that the abundance of mega power in the city introduced Kalosian variants of certain Pokemon species,” one user added. Another said that some convenient explosions could have “unlocked” previously hidden parts of the world and new Pokemon as a result.

I have yet to sink a significant amount of time into Legends: ZA, but as it stands, I don't mind the lack of new creatures. It would have been cool, no doubt, but Megas is good enough.

“Yes, I'm disappointed, especially since I didn't like the game,” someone wrote.

Of course, that DLC is coming in less than 17 days, so there's a possibility that there's a hidden surprise that we just haven't seen. Personally, I wouldn't get my hopes up, but you never know.