While fans finally received news of the long-rumored Pokemon Diamond and Pearl remakes, officially titled Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, they were also met with the surprise of a brand new kind of Pokemon game in the form of Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Coming early 2022, the new game acts as a prequel to the Diamond and Pearl games, taking place in the Sinnoh region of old.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus sees the Sinnoh region as a vast wilderness, featuring ancient Japanese-style architecture, as well as what seem to be early versions of the iconic Poke Ball device, as players set out to create the Sinnoh region's very first Pokedex. While the game features Pokemon found in the Sinnoh region as fans previously knew it, players will be able to choose from Rowlet, Cyndaquil, or Oshawott as their starter Pokemon.
In the past, the Mythical Pokemon Arceus has been shrouded in much mystery, being regarded as the creator of the entire Pokemon world. While the reveal trailers for Pokemon Legends: Arceus didn't reveal the legend's direct connection to the game, it is likely that players will find themselves crossing paths with the Mythical Pokemon at some point. Perhaps most notably, aside from taking on a prequel format, this new game is also an open-world action RPG.
It appears the Pokemon Legends: Arceus' action RPG format allows for seamless transitions between exploring, capturing Pokemon, and battling them as well. If a player spots a Pokemon they want to capture, it seems that they will be able to simply throw a Poke Ball at it from a distance. As opposed to being restricted to only walking or running, it looks like players can also now hide in the tall grass to avoid being spotted by wild Pokemon, and even perform an agile dive-roll. Additionally, while Pokemon Legends: Arceus is developed by Game Freak, it appears to take on a new cell-shaded art-style different from Pokemon Sword and Shield.
The reveal trailers for the new game note that while this is the same Sinnoh region fans have previously visited, its areas and inhabiting Pokemon vary greatly, due to how long ago this story takes place. While fans may expect to choose Turtwig, Chimchar, or Piplup as their starter Pokemon in the Sinnoh region, the trailer reveals that players will actually choose between Rowlet, Cyndaquil, and Oshawott, which were brought to the Sinnoh region from all over the world by a certain traveling professor.
It seems that like many expected, the Wild Area from Pokemon Sword and Shield may have acted as a setup for Game Freak's next exploration into a fully open-world Pokemon game. Now, after a long wait, fans are excited to know that the new Pokemon titles they have been waiting for are coming their way soon enough.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus launches early 2022 exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.