Summary
Inspired by the reveal of the next core-seriesPokemongame, which will take players back to the Kalos region, one fan artist has redesigned the Cacnea family as regional variants that are exclusive to the France-themed region, while also creating a new third evolutionary stage for the species. Many creative members of thePokemoncommunity have been busy creating their own custom Mega Pokemon and Kalos regional variants since the reveal ofPokemon Legends: Z-Alast month, with the confirmed return of mega evolution sparking a wave of creative inspiration among fans.
While little is known aboutPokemon Legends: Z-Ajust yet, what is confirmed is that it will be taking players back to the Kalos region introduced with the Gen 6 games. Though the Gen 6 games themselves presented something of a controversial step forward for the franchise due to the transition to 3D Pokemon models and a departure from the previous games' iconic art style, the overwhelmingly positive reception ofPokemon Legends: Z-A’s reveal suggests thatPokemon X and Ymade for fond memories among many fans. Alongside the introduction of Mega Evolution, which itself kick-started the trend of battle “gimmicks” inPokemongames, the Gen 6 games marked a big step forward for the franchise andintroduced many new Pokemon as well.
Motivated by the reveal of a new game set inthePokemonworld’s Kalos region, a talentedPokemonfan known online as Kelpo911 has shared a number of new designs featuring regional forms for Cacnea and Cacturne. The artist has also designed a new regional evolution for Cacturne named Cacturreaux, whose design was inspired by the French executioner from real-world history, Charles-Henri Sanson. The designer also gave this Pokemon the Sand Rush ability in an attempt to improve on Cacnea’s speed stat, one of its biggest weaknesses. These designs don’t appear to sport alternate types like most official regional variants do, with the custom Cacturreaux evolution also sporting the same Grass and Dark-type pairing as its predecessors.
The Case For Pokemon Legends: Z-A to Bring In New Regional Forms
With regional variants proving to be quite popular amongPokemonfans since the concept was introduced in the Gen 7 games, it seems extremely likely that some official new regional variants might arrive inPokemon Legends: Z-A. The previousPokemon Legends: Arceustitle made excellent use of such regional variants, so ifLegends: Arceusprovides any glimpse into what to expect from the upcoming game, it seems all the more likely thatPokemon Legends: Z-Awill feature many new regional forms for existing creatures.
Despite there being littleinformation regardingPokemon Legends: Z-Acurrently available, the confirmed return of Mega Evolution has been hugely exciting for much of the community. Players are hoping to see the full roster of existing Mega Pokemon make a return in the upcoming title, though it seems very likely thatLegends: Z-Awill introduce some completely new mega evolutions as well.
Pokemon
Pokemon is a franchise that needs no introduction. One of the most successful media empires in history, Pokemon spans games, television, films, manga, merchandise, music, and more.
