We love to say that every Pokémon is probably somebody’s favorite, but the way Game Freak suddenly started going really hard on Malamar, the squid-like creature whose claim to fame is its bizarre evolution requirement that makes you hold your 3DS upside down while its pre-evolution form, Inkay, levels up, had the makings of a propaganda psyop that I would not fall for. Since last week, The Pokémon Company has been posting videos and sending out care packages showing an uncharacteristic level of adoration for the squid. I love a good bit, and I like that Pokémon is leaning more into a memetic absurdism instead of a squeaky-clean, family-friendly image. So I had to wonder, what was this all leading to? It turns out, Malamar is one of the old Pokémon getting new love in Legends: Z-A with a Mega Evolution.
The live-action trailer reveals that all this excitement is due to a Malamar, which has gone into overdrive after it mega-evolved, using its hypnosis on the citizens of the Pokémon world. Once the ‘mon changes forms, it can hypnotize people to the point of completely changing their personalities. Its appearance is a bit more slender than in its base form, and its body becomes luminescent, emitting a rainbow light that seems to be the source of its hypnotic abilities.
It’s nice that more obscure Pokémon are getting Mega Evolutions in Legends: Z-A. Dragonite and Victreebel are cool additions, but we can always use more non-Generation I representation when giving old Pokémon new forms. I do wonder, though, if the game will find some way to implement Malamar’s signature odd evolution style into the Mega Evolution. Maybe you’ll have to hold your Switch or Switch 2 upside down to acquire its Mega Stone when the game launches on October 16.
