The dream of an open-world Pokemon title is one many fans have shared for years, so when Pokemon Legends: Arceus was announced this past February, it caught many fans by surprise. Although not a whole ton was revealed with the first trailer, the large open areas that the main protagonists traversed and the variety of views from the various landscapes and mountains suggested that Pokemon Legends: Arceus would be the first open-world title in the franchise.
After the release of a new trailer back in August that confirmed players will be able to ride their Pokemon through the game’s various areas, it appeared all but confirmed that Pokemon Legends: Arceus was indeed going to be an open-world title. Unfortunately, a recent statement made by The Pokemon Company suggests this is not the case.
The Pokemon Company reached out to Kotaku to explain how the game will work, stating:
“In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Jubilife Village will serve as the base for surveying missions. After receiving an assignment or a request and preparing for their next excursion, players will set out from the village to study one of the various open areas of the Hisui region. After they finish the survey work, players will need to return once more to prepare for their next task. We look forward to sharing more information about exploring the Hisui region soon.”
Pokemon Legends: Arceus’ gameplay structure is being compared to the Monster Hunter franchise where players will have Jubilife Village as the central area they reside in until they take a task that asks them to visit a large area. It wouldn’t be a traditional open-world where players can visit any area they want regardless of what their mission states. Instead, they will take a task and seemingly tackle that task in its respective location and only in that location.
Of course, this will be disappointing for many fans to hear that were anticipating Pokemon Legends: Arceus to be the franchise’s first open-world title. On the other hand, some fans might not care as much seeing as Pokemon Legends: Arceus will still feature large playable areas where they can roam. The inclusion of Pokemon riding should if nothing else, give fans a sense of how large these areas will be.
Even though Pokemon Legends: Arceus will not be a true open-world title, it’s still a fascinating entry in the franchise. Unlike the traditional Pokemon entries that see players fight different gyms and go through similar gameplay, Pokemon Legends: Arceus still looks to offer something new for long-time fans including the story that takes place before Pokemon were involved in the everyday life of people. Some fans are still hesitant on Pokemon Legends: Arceus due to the low framerate and some low-resolution textures seen in the first trailer, but with the title still being three months away, it’s possible most of these issues will be fixed.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus releases on the Nintendo Switch on January 28.
Source: Kotaku