Previous Pokémon games typically required aspiring trainers to go out and explore the world, but the newly announced Pokémon Legends: ZA for Nintendo Switch systems may be a little different.
In case you missed the initial announcement, this is supposed to be the next release.”It is located entirely within Lumiose City“Although we don't know the exact size, it will be quite 'big'.” The same city we originally referenced, first appeared in the 2013 Pokémon X & Y releases.
Although the city in the 3DS entries was already very large, ZA's teaser video mentioned how Lumiose would undergo “urban redevelopment”. All of this combined has already led to a great deal of speculation on social media and elsewhere online about how big the game will be and what kind of gameplay mechanics might be featured.
If it's like other free-roaming open-world city games these days, it could end up being quite massive in scale. It wouldn't be impossible for the development team to implement different biomes as well. It is also possible to include completely different areas within the city (or in the immediate vicinity of Kalos) for players to access. And just imagine all the buildings we might be able to enter!
In contrast to the city focus of this new entry, the current Nintendo Switch release Pokémon Legends: Arceus has seen players return to the Hisui region before it became the Land of Sinnoh and explore many different outdoor environments ranging from open plains to more rugged terrain.