In addition to announcing their plans for Pokémon Diamond and Pearl remakes during the recent Pokémon Presents video presentation, The Pokémon Company unveiled that development is underway on a unique spin-off game in the franchise. Titled Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the game will take the foundations of open world gameplay explored in Pokémon Sword and Shield, and infuse it with new action and RPG elements.
A big shift from previous games is that it takes place within the Sinnoh region during a long-gone era. It takes place in a time when being a Pokémon Trainer or having a Pokémon League was not a concept, with harsher, less built up locales for you and your Pokémon to explore. From this concept alone, it is no surprise that elements of the game are being compared to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wilds, Genshin Impact or other games in that slice of the action-adventure RPG genre.
As Trainers explore the natural expanses in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, they’ll encounter Pokémon that call these grand vistas home. To catch wild Pokémon, players can study the Pokémon’s behaviours, sneak up to them, then throw Poké Balls. Players can also battle wild Pokémon with their ally Pokémon. By throwing the Poké Ball holding their ally Pokémon near a wild Pokémon, players will seamlessly enter battle A preview of what you can expect from the game can be found below:
Interestingly, the starter Pokemon you can choose from cross generations, including the Grass Quill Rowlet, Fire Mouse Cyndaquil and Sea Otter Oshawott. As the title implies, expect Arceus to have prominence in the game’s narrative.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus is still in development, and is expected to launch exclusively on the Nintendo Switch in Early 2022.
