Pokemon Legends: Arceus Serves Up A Totally New Pokemon Adventure Next Year
If there's one thing the Pokemon series could use, it's a bit of a shake up. Fans have been saying it for years, and now it looks like they may get what they've been wanting in a new game called Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Announced at the tail end of today's Pokemon Presents presentation, Pokemon Legends: Arceus will take us back to the early days of the Sinnoh region, long before the events of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl.
Yes, between Pokemon Legends: Arceus and the announcement of Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, today was definitely a Sinnoh-focused day. The Pokemon Company calls this new game a "bold new direction" for the Pokemon franchise that "honors past Pokemon games' core gameplay while infusing new action and RPG elements."
In the announcement trailer you see embedded above, we're told that Pokemon Legends: Arceus is set in a time when the Sinnoh region was still a "vast wilderness." Just like in the Wild Area in Pokemon Sword and Shield, we'll see Pokemon roaming freely around the environment, and while we can still battle the Pokemon we encounter in an attempt to weaken them first, we'll also have the option of attempting to catch Pokemon simply by tossing Pokeballs at them in the overworld – no battle sequence needed.
The starters this time around will be Rowlet, Cyndaquil, and Oshawott – a mix of starters from other generations. Indeed, we're told that the Pokemon we'll discover roaming the Sinnoh region aren't the same Pokemon that inhabit Sinnoh during Diamond and Pearl, so expect to see a mix of Pokemon from other regions. Even the Pokeballs will be different, as they're more primitive models that are made of wood and use steam to seal.
Of course, as the title suggests, Arceus will play a big role in this game as well, but we'll have to wait for more details on how the mythical Pokemon influences the story. Unfortunately, we've got a while to wait until Pokemon Legends: Arceus is out, as The Pokemon Company announced today that it'll be releasing for Switch in early 2022. Luckily for us, we've got the Diamond and Pearl remakes landing at the end of the year, so those should tide us over until Pokemon Legends: Arceus arrives next year.