Many fans of Game Freak's creature-collecting RPG franchise are looking forward to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, the series' Generation 9 debut announced on Pokemon Day 2022. These games appear to be based on Spain and the wider Iberian Peninsula, offering a completely open-world environment to explore. However, it's impossible to ignore that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's changing world structure is just the next step after Pokemon Legends: Arceus, which released this January.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus was a big success both financially and critically, and much of this can be attributed to the ways it shook up the Pokemon formula. Legends: Arceus is more about catching and researching Pokemon than it is battling, and being set hundreds of years in the past opens up worldbuilding as players meet character ancestors across Hisui's five open areas. The game's free Daybreak update offers more interesting ideas around Mai's Munchlax that Game Freak should explore before Scarlet and Violet suck up all the franchise's oxygen.
Munchlax's Expansion in Pokemon Legends: Arceus
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
A huge part of Pokemon Generation 4's identity was the introduction of new evolutions and pre-evolutions for existing monster. For example, Diamond and Pearl introduced Electivire and Magmortar as evolutions for Electabuzz and Magmar, who previously received Elekid and Magby as "babies" in Generation 2. Munchlax is the Normal-type pre-evolution of popular Generation 1 monster Snorlax, and it was actually the first Gen 4 Pokemon unveiled to the public. It was also used heavily in Gen 3 spin-off games to promote Diamond and Pearl, for instance appearing alongside Bonsly in Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness.
Given this early acclaim it makes sense Munchlax would also be a relatively key figure in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, which re-imagines the Sinnoh region introduced over 15 years ago. Wyrdeer warden Mai, the ancestor of stat trainer Marley who helps players reach Route 224 where Shaymin waits in Diamond and Pearl, is a member of Hisui's Diamond clan. She travels with a partner Munchlax who was supposedly raised alongside her like a sibling. As with other non-Galaxy Team NPCs, she doesn't use Poke Balls.
This causes issues during Pokemon Legends: Arceus' Daybreak update, in which Mai approaches the player because Munchlax is more fidgety than ever; running toward some unknown locale. Using the Arc Phone, players discover Munchlax is attracted to newly appearing Massive Mass Outbreak sites, which Mai helps them research across the region.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus Should Explain the Munchlax Connection
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
Mai's involvement in Massive Mass Outbreak research goes beyond Daybreak's narrative; she and Munchlax also offer mechanical utility, revealing which Pokemon appear in the obscured mass outbreak sites across a given map. Their ability to do so is discovered after Munchlax steals and eats a handful of Aguav Berries the player recently received. Munchlax's satisfaction has an almost divine impact on the Arc Phone, but nobody can discern why.
Now, the reason why this happens is obvious from a game design perspective. Massive Mass Outbreaks are a key way for Legends: Arceus players to hunt for Shiny and Alpha Pokemon that may not appear naturally. Since these unique outbreaks are obscured, being able to feed Munchlax is just the way Game Freak intends players to check whether they're getting a desired outcome, and tying this to the newly added Aguav Berry ensures anyone using the service has to grind out more "currency" by taking part in the outbreaks they discover.
Decisions in Pokemon games often go deeper than just being flat-out game design choices, though. Pokemon Legends: Arceus is a poster child for how deep the franchise's lore can become, not only offering fans the chance to meet character ancestors but also explaining it to be a time-travel story resulting from Cynthia's ancestor Volo tearing open Hisui's Space-Time Rift with the power of Giratina. An upcoming anime series will keep Hisui in the public consciousness amid hype for Scarlet and Violet, so Game Freak has ample opportunity to dig deeper and explore why exactly Mai's Munchlax appears to have an inexplicable connection with the divine Arceus.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus is available now on Nintendo Switch.