Pokémon fans want a horror game after Resident Evil-style Legends Z-A trailer

A new mega evolution has been revealed in a bizarre trailer for Pokemon Legends Z-A, which takes cues from Resident Evil 7.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A looks set to be Nintendo’s big Christmas game for this year, unless the company has a trick up its sleeve beyond Kirby Air Riders or Metroid Prime 4.

The title is a sequel to 2022’s Pokémon Legends Arceus and translates the same real time monster-catching formula to Lumiose City from Pokémon X and Y.

We already know a lot about the title, including its new action-orientated battle mechanics, but The Pokémon Company has more to show when it comes to the return of mega evolutions.

In a trailer released on Thursday (August 21), a new mega evolution was revealed for Victreebel. This is the second new mega evolution in Pokémon Legends: Z-A after Mega Dragonite.

While Victreebel is a surprising choice, the creepy found-footage trailer has become the real talking-point. In the clip, two Pokémon trainers are seen breaking into an abandoned Resident Evil 7-style house, complete with P.T. style corridors and ominous music to match.

After a small jump scare involving a Spinarak, the mega evolved Victreebel bursts through the wall Mr. X style before spraying his purple gunge everywhere.

The horror vibes end on a semi-comedic note, as the Victreebel’s trainer bumbles down the stairs in the aftermath, but it’s left many fans wanting a horror experience from Pokémon.

‘Watch the Mega Victreebel reveal video and tell me there shouldn’t be a Pokémon survival horror game for Switch 2,’ one X user wrote.

‘A Pokémon ‘horror’ game would be so sick,’ another added. ‘Doesn’t have to be Silent Hill, you could make it as ‘scary’ as Luigi’s Mansion or something.’

‘I need a Pokémon horror game asap! Wow that trailer was soo amazing,’ another stated.

This isn’t the first time Pokémon has done a horror-inspired trailer. A similar found footage clip was done for Pokémon Legends: Arceus, while a number of videos for Pokémon GO have echoed the same style.

The chances of a horror Pokémon game may seem slim but considering the franchise has practically covered everything else, including a sleeping app, they might lean into the genre eventually.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A is set to launch worldwide on October 16, 2025 across the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.

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