Pokémon Legends: Arceus - Release Date, Trailer, & Gameplay Details
The newest title from Game Freak, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, was announced today during The Pokémon Company's Direct steam. The open world Pokémon game will be the first of its kind for the series, and will transport players back in time to the historical Sinnoh region of 4th generation of Pokémon games Diamond and Pearl. The game will release on the Nintendo Switch, and moves away from the classic art style of the Pokémon series, adopting a look very similar to Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild-style graphics. Pokémon Legends: Arceus could be the open world game that Pokémon fans have been hoping for on the Nintendo Switch, and push the boundaries of what the Pokémon series is capable of. Players may also have the chance to unravel never-before-known information about how the Pokémon world came to be.
Arceus is a Mythical Pokémon from the original Diamond and Pearl games. In Pokémon lore, it is said to be the god that created the world, and all the Pokémon the reside within it. Arceus was also the source of the Creation Trio Palkia, Dialga and Giratina. Arceus is seen at the end of the Pokémon Legends: Arceus trailer, shrouded in mist, as its original theme plays in the background. Despite its importance in the Pokémon lore, Arceus hasn't featured as prominently in the Pokémon series as other favorite Legendary Pokémon like Ho-Oh, or Mythical Pokémon like Mew. Knowing more about it will likely give players a better understanding of its importance in the Pokémon world.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus was released alongside announcements for the remakes of Diamond and Pearl, which were revealed as Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Pokémon fans have been speculating on these remakes for months, and thanks to leaks online, were less of a surprise than Pokémon Legends: Arceus. With two games revisiting the Sinnoh region, and more gameplay footage released for New Pokémon Snap, there is much for players to look forward to during the course of 2021 and 2022. These games offer both a new look, and a nostalgic revisit, of the 4th Pokémon Generation for fans. Despite all the new updates, no further information has been given about the release date for Pokémon Unite. It was teased last year in June, but developers have offered very little insight on when it may launch after poor reception by fans, and players are still in the dark as to what might be expected from the title.
Currently there is no set release date planned for Pokémon Legends: Arceus. However, it was announced during the Pokémon Direct stream that the game's release window is set for early in the spring of 2022 for the Nintendo Switch. This mirrors the release date of New Pokémon Snap, which will be available on the Switch April 20, 2021.
While Pokémon Legends: Arceus still has a while to go before it will be available to play, it is likely players will enjoy content updates similar to what they have already received for New Pokémon Snap while it is in production, showing off expected gameplay and mechanics. Hopefully a concrete release date will be available in the months to come.
According to the trailer for Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and information from the new game's webpage, players will explore the historical Sinnoh region. They will travel through wide, unpopulated wilderness which belongs predominately to wild Pokémon, and it seems that the player will go on a journey to discover more about the Mythical Pokémon Arceus. Fans will also get to use a proto-type Pokéball, hinting at narrative focused on the origins of capturing Pokémon, and the potential inclusion of apricorn ball mechanics which, according to lore from the Johto region, were used as the first real Pokéballs.
The history of starter Pokémon may also be explained, as players will have the ability to choose between three starters in Pokémon Legends: Arceus from different regions, brought to the player's village by a traveling Pokémon professor. The starters include Rowlet, Cyndaquil, or Oshawott. Players will get to help build Sinnoh's very first Pokédex.
Gameplay for Pokémon Legends: Arceus appears to be different from any other Pokémon game currently available to play. The story takes place in a vast open world players can explore freely, with graphics leaning closer to realism than the classic cartoon stylization of recent 3D installments like Pokémon Sword and Shield or Pokémon Lets Go, Pikachu! and Lets Go, Eevee!. Players will be able to capture and raise Pokémon, engage in wild battles, and use interesting abilities like sneaking up on wild Pokémon to catch them without engaging in a full battle. It is currently unclear how players will be building a Pokédex without computer technology, but it is going to be a primary goal of the game.
Combat and catch mechanics have been altered to a real-time transition, instead of through the encounter systems from previous games. However, battles do appear to continue turn-based mechanics players are used to from past games. Information given by developers for Pokémon Legends: Arceus state the game will feature a more action RPG style of gameplay than past Pokémon titles, which could suggest players may have quests and free objectives, rather than a guided, linear plot.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus could potentially open the door for a series of Pokémon games centered around the lore and history of the Pokémon world. This series could lead to further games breaking down the importance of each legendary Pokémon, and its importance to the region, as well as covering the origin stories of more Mythical Pokémon like Mew.
It is also possible that cementing past Pokémon history and lore could set the stage for an announcement of a 9th region and Pokémon Generation in the future, and potentially explain the importance of the series' large number of Legendary and Mythical Pokémon, which have been introduced with minimal backstory throughout the Pokémon game series. Doing so would help flesh out the series' narrative, and give players concrete information that has been lacking in games throughout the series.
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